Sleeping Dragon California nights

Because this song is wonderful.

Wildfire spent about an hour with the pups this evening, leaving only when it was the children's bedtime. She lingered nearby, head cocked as she listened to Gyda soothing them to sleep, then slipped away into the dusk. She meandered through the territory, with no particular purpose or destination. Her mind wandered along with her feet. She found herself imagining her own babies. How many would she have? What would they look like? What would she and Thuringwethil name them? These and a thousand other delightful questions drifted through her mind.

She stumbled over a rock in her path and mumbled a (most likely PG-rated) curse under her breath, then stopped and licked her lips before gliding toward a nearby tree and taking a seat underneath its scanty boughs. Her train of thought had been derailed momentarily but it got back on track now as she pondered perhaps the most significant question of all: who would father them? She dearly wished it was possible for the commander to impregnate her but Wildfire was no idiot. She knew it would not only require a male but very intimate contact with said male.

That idea did not sit well with her for a few reasons, though Wildfire liked to think she would do whatever it took to have a family. And it wasn't like there wasn't a promising candidate right here in Sleeping Dragon. As a matter of fact, hers and Gyda's children could be half-siblings. But she hadn't mentioned this idea out loud, even to the Heda and especially not to Gavriel himself. She just kept it tucked away in her proverbial back pocket for now as she stared out into the gathering dark.

I sense counselor potential in this thread *insert maniac laughter*

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With her head low Uleön strolled about the sleeping beast, making a superficial recognition of the herbal supplies she recognized and thoroughly inspecting those she didn't as well. Portia had awaken something inside her, a curiosity for plants that she hadn't felt in years. One in particular caught her attention, a pink capsule hanging from a long, curved stem. Easily recognizable by the ants creeping around it, stealing the seeds produced by the flower. A Bleeding Heart. Uleön smiled at the memory of Aro explaining her how the ants would eat the white part out of the seed and then dispose of the rest.

The Sage would have stared at the plant for hours, rewinding the memories of those expeditions with her forbidden paramour if her focus hadn't been broken by the Bandrona's mumbling curse. Her head snapped back to find her fiery figure, and not without observing her find a seat under a tree first did she get up and find her way up to her. She looked aloof, like something was bothering her, and Uleön knew how to recognize a debating soul when she saw it. "Wildfire," she greeted with a smile and a polite dip of her snout, priding herself on the fact that she wasn't senile enough to forget names yet. "Mind if I join you?" she asked seeing the opportunity to offer some comfort.

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A pale shape moved in the darkness, catching Wildfire's eye. She blinked, amber gaze calmly following the figure as it neared, taking on the features of Uleön. Despite the thoughts weighing on her mind, the Bandrona smiled genuinely, the tips of pearly white teeth glowing in the dim light. She had been so desperate to steal a few moments with Thuringwethil the other day, she had practically tossed the elder woman out on her ass. Wildfire felt a little flare of guilt, though she hoped she would smooth over any wrinkles she'd made during her first impression.

"Of course. Uleön, right?" she said amiably, black tail thumping unseen behind her for a few beats before stilling again. "How're you?" Wildfire added conversationally, having nothing more specific to ask on this quiet midsummer evening.

As she settled near the fire-coated bandrona, Uleön kept a smile with the intention to ease the tension. Their first encounter had been a rather awkward one, but it was not by the young scout's fault, it had been Uleön who hadn't been able to keep her nosy self away from something she wasn't supposed to know.

"That's right," confirmed the elder counselor, "I'm fine, it's been a quiet day," she answered politely, but it was clear that she had already seen the discomfort on the younger female's face. "You are the Bandrona, is that right?" she asked, not feeling the necessary closeness to wildfire's troubled soul to offer direct comfort.

She bobbed her head in acknowledgement. It had been a fairly quiet today for her too. Before she could wonder what to say next, Uleön posed a question. Wildfire angled her body slightly toward the older wolf, glancing into her face and offering an amicable smile.

"Yeah, that's a fancy way of saying I'm Drageda's lead ambassador." There was a mix of pride and humility in her amber eyes as she explained the title. "That's one of my specialties: ambassadorship, I mean. I'm also a hunter and scout." She paused. Trades were no longer optional in Sleeping Dragon, so she asked, "How about you? What trades will you pursue?"

Uleön had been an explorer in her youth. It had taken her beautiful places, and in the end lead her soul to finding purpose in Eldfell's teachings. There was a lot of that wanderlust still left in the old woman, but her age had become an obstacle to satisfy it.

"Well, it is a fancy job" she remarks, noting the pride with which the young one talks about her specialty. "I'm more of a homebody myself. " she says when asked what trades she wished to pursue. "I spent a long time in Eldfell working to become a Counselor. I'm hoping I can put my abilities to good use here." she explains with a warm smile, picking her words carefully not to spark any kind of rivalry with the Bandrona. In the end, if Uleön reached her goal of sitting next to Heda in rank, she would need to collaborate with the fiery Bandrona.

Uleön's benevolent words caused Wildfire's heart to beat a little faster. Sometimes she was reminded of how much responsibility now rested on her small shoulders and it made her a little anxious. She had truly never aspired to become a leader and now that she was one, she was really no more confident than before. Maybe that would come with time, though. And now that she held the position, which did feel right for her, it gave her a better chance at starting that family she wanted so much...

Wildfire detected nothing peculiar about Uleön's aspirations, though she didn't immediately think about the empty position at Thuringwethil's right hand, either. When she heard the word "counselor," she thought of it in a very general way. She took it to mean Uleön wanted to help the pack members with personal or even interpersonal issues, advise them, teach them and hopefully pass on her wisdom to them.

"What was Eldfell like?" the yearling wondered, having figured out by contextual clues that it was Uleön's former pack. "And why did you leave it? What brought you here?" She had said herself that she'd spent a long time making something of herself in Eldfell, so what had prompted her to uproot and then settle down again in a place like Sleeping Dragon?