Serpent Lake and the sea was a reminder

serpent steps

The night had begun, and the darkness rain over. The moon was above, but faint as a new moon settled for the coming days. A silver figure carefully walked out of a blackened forest, their eyes focused on above. There was no moon in sight, but the blue gaze kept locked up, occasionally darting to a different direction as she fully scanned the night. Gaze was distracted, but her body went forward. She could see them, but she could not see them all. Though they were enough to please her sight.

She could see a few members within the zodiac. Pisces was above, Aries and Aquarius, even Capricornus and Sagitta was up tonight. She could not forget Ursa Major and Minor, but there was so much more to point out. Gems scanned the sky as thoughts processed on them; their history, the story and tales. There was so much to share, that Shisu could never get bored imagining them. They were her passion and love.

The plush lady once caught a beauty of a scene high above on a Mesa. There she met a silent partner, and the star-gazing was put to a halt. Shisu did not fret, and enjoyed the company, as well as feeling glad to discover such a place. That is where her paws would ride toward, or so she would hope. She was distracted and lost in thought that she missed the mark, but came quite close to just behind it. She galloped steadily to the destination once the plains came to be, showing no fear of falling while staring up. She failed to notice the change of green to brown, as the dry grass came to be. She continued ownward.

Shisu missed her destination, and only took note when the sound of rushing water came to be. She broke the gaze from the sky, and looked around questioningly. Where did she come from? Before the plush lass was a stream, but far from the norm as it held a series of small waterfalls, flowing down. They seemed to form a pool, and she curiously stepped forward. Her interests could not be forgotten, for what she could see in these ledges of water, were the sky above she so yearned to know about. What a sight to behold in the waters.

Stepping forward, Shisu continued until her paw touched the surface of one of the many spots, and it felt pleasing to touch. Neither cold nor' warm, soothing the soul from the upcoming colder seasons of fall and winter. With each step forward, a smile tugged her lips as the silver female continued her way into the waters. Her head poked out as she safely touched the bottom, and a blue gaze giving a satisfying look around. She bathed in the starlight, and admired the constellations in the liquid mirror.

I couldn't resist!

Lucca wasn't particularly the type to travel by night, firmly being in the non-nocturnal spectrum of creatures. Night was for sleeping and dreaming, not wandering out and about where danger was found. Yet for some reason the boy was indeed out way past his bedtime, orange eyes glowing like jack-o-lanterns against the dark backdrop of the plains. He wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly, what the entire purpose of him missing out on precious sleep was for, but his paws urged him onwards regardless.

The soft trickle of water against stone caught his attention, a soothing sound that was a welcome departure from the buzzing drone of the scorched steppes (a place he had spent far too long in). He followed it until he came upon the source, elated by the sight — a waterfall! It was not as grand as Tegan's Tears back home at the Plateau but Lucca wasn't at all disappointed. Eagerly, he made his way towards the edge of a pool, mesmerised for a moment by the way it mirrored the starry sky above. Ripples suddenly marred the mirror-like surface, and the boy looked up in confusion, letting out a surprised gasp as he saw who had caused them.

"Oh, sorry, miss!" he called out to the figure he saw bathing in the pool; he hadn't even noticed her! The water reached up to her shoulders, revealing only her head and a scruff so fluffy it was almost comical seeing it surrounded by such a flat surface, like a piece of cotton candy floating in a pond. "I didn't mean to disturb you!" In truth, the boy could have silently let the girl be and she mightn't have been any the wiser, as she seemed distracted by the still surface of the waters.

Instead, his loud, unprompted apology only drew attention to the fact that he was there, because Lucca was not a smart man.

Even the Lynx was there, along with Hercules. She felt tonight was a good, but couldn't help but wish to see Hydra once more. Shisu felt itd be spectacular to see that constellation alongst the waters surface, and thought to come back once those stars were up. She really did find a quant place to relax in... She was slightly pleased by missing her destination and instead of discovering this place.

The plush wolves trance was broke, as she looked confusingly toward the voice. Originally it was confusion, but it soon turned into surprise, and then into a shy and embarassed look. Shisu looked downward and gingerly took a step back in the small pool as she was wary over the strange wolf, "oh gosh..." She faintly whispered. 

Though polite, as he apologized for the disruption. She felt obliged to reply back to his courtesy of confession that he didn't know she was there, "I-it's, okay..." She stuttered and stumbled over her words, but tried her best in a responds. A series of 'oh no,' and 'oh gosh,' fell like the rain in her thoughts as she took up a rather nervous stance to his presence.

Oh man, he really had disturbed her. Mistaking her nervous whisper as a hint that she was quietly irritated by his undue presence, Lucca flattened his ears and offered a whine of apology. She turned to look at him, but a range of emotions swept through her features so fast the Blackthorn almost missed them all entirely. When she looked away meekly, Lucca too turned his head, feeling blood rush into his cheeks in both embarrassment and annoyance at himself.

The stranger radiated an air of unease, whether it was because of his presence alone or for some other unknown reason, he wasn't sure, but Lucca was determined to make sure the lady didn't think he was a threat. "I—I didn't expect to find a waterfall out here, much less another wolf," he commented with an awkward, boyish laugh in an attempt to ease the flustered situation.

She never met another figure that ended with the same shy attitude as she normally does. Perhaps not shy, but meek? She couldn't figure out what to describe him, but felt relieved by his actions. All the wolves Shisu met were, rough, or they were regal that she couldn't help but admire them. She felt a tinge of ease and excitment knowing that there was an actual wolf, that was neither. Though as she too was embarassed, she looked up quickly in curiosity before shuffling back onto glancing at no where, "I-I," oh gosh.

"I didnt... E-Expect it either... I-Its, nice." She fumbled and mumbled through her words, feeling a rush of heat crawl up. Shisu was glad she was in water, or she would feel sweaty and hot from this encounter. Especially one so, awkward.

But being in the Blackfeather Woods were all wolves were stoic, she felt glad at the change of pace. Shisu twitched her ears, and accidently raised her voice, taking the initiative, "U-Uhm! I'm, Shisu... Shisu Marisol Beliveau." Though she still couldnt lift her silver head and kept blue eyes locked at the water, feeling a bit red from her high-pitched introduction.

The two were almost as nervous as each other, the girl slightly more so than he. She stumbled and stuttered her way through each sentence, her gaze almost never rising to meet Lucca's own. During a quick, momentary glance he did manage to catch sight of the shocking baby blue of her eyes, however, and he offered a perhaps overly friendly smile. She was quite pretty, despite her social floundering, and Lucca was quite enamoured with the unusual fluffiness of the fur at her neck (which was all that he could see so far).

At her comment it's nice, his gaze travelled the area. It was shrouded in darkness, abated only by the light of the stars and moon, but he could see well enough the way the land lay in its odd stepped formation. Each pool that the waterfalls fed into mirrored the sky, as if each one held a tiny galaxy within. His attention lingered upon them in fascination before he was drawn back to his company who now introduced herself, louder than before.

Her name suited her, the pronunciation as foreign to him as his true name would be to many others in the Wilds. He was glad his mother gave them simpler monikers. "Lucca Blackthorn," he responded in kind with a polite dip of his head. "That is an interesting name, miss, where are you from?" He felt the tiniest flicker of confidence within his chest, almost as if it was on him to make up for the lack of courage between the two of them.

The silver dame felt guilty staying in the water while having a conversation. She thought it was rude, and while a meek wolf, she still kept up proper courtesies. With minor hesistance, she stepped out of the pool, fur following along. Shisu was like a lion once she fully came out, her damp fur clung to the lithe body while neck remained plush and dry. Her long hair dropped downward, an amusing look for the shaking female as she felt embarassed by this display. Even more so while Lucca looked at her with pumpkin eyes and a friendly smile, only adding to the increased anxiety within her core, 'oh no...' She wanted to hide or go back in the water, but remained as she didn't want to be rude..

An ear flickered with curiosity though and momentarily paused her fluster on hearing his name. Lucca Blackthorn. It was nice and simple sounding, and Shisu was surprised upon hearing another wolf with a last name. He was the second- not many seem to introduce themselves with the surname. There was slight comfort knowing he had one too- and that she wasn't an oddity. Standing out was never a good feeling, "t-thank you."

The fae blushed and felt herself warm up by the compliment, feeling her embarrassment increase, "you're, name is also... n-nice too." She enjoyed the simplicity it had compared to her own. Though, she did change her initial first name from Sheru to Shisu. It was still odd despite the change.

"Oh, uhm. Far..?" She forgotten about her flattened fur while thinking of her past home, "i-it took a, year, to uhm, find here." She was around one once Shisu decided to leave her family to find her own place to belong to. She felt saddened remembering that year, but not completely because she left her parents and brothers, but simply remembering that year. She spoke to very few, and travelled in solitude. It worsened her already shy nature and increased her stuttering and stammering ways.

Such as now, "o-oh uhm, what about.. you?" Shisu inquired back, wondering where his own family was. If he had a last name, surely he came from some lineage.

The girl suddenly moved to walk out of the pool, and Lucca took a slightly startled step back, though quickly disguised it as if he was simply moving out of her way. He couldn't hide the widening of his eyes, however, as he saw her fur — undeniably long even while drenched with water. She was more slim than he had first thought, fooled by her dry, plush mane. He suddenly felt self conscious, knowing he himself hadn't taken a bath in what seemed like an age, the fur at his stomach matted and dirty. He probably looked like some homeless urchin.

However, Lucca's tail began to wiggle in delight as she complimented his own name, feeling a simmer of pride for his family. While he didn't bear the quintessential stripe, he was still Blackthorn. A sharp pang of homesickness hit him then, amplified tenfold when Shisu spoke about her own home before asking about his.

Her answer was vague — far — but, while curious, he accepted it nonetheless. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it. It added to her mystery, though. She didn't at all look like she was native to the Wilds. "Oh, that's cool!" he responded, though his ears fell back as he added more quietly, "I—I was born in Teekon, at Redhawk Plateau. We moved a while ago but then I...uh, got lost trying to find my sister." He offered a small, reassuring smile as if Shisu cared at all about his current plight. "But that's okay, I'm sure she's fine!" This was Fiadh they were talking about after all.

She didn't mind how others were; dirty or clean, she was far too occupied with being embarassed on her own looks. She sat there wet and her thickness plucked; she tightly held her limbs together. Shisu doesn't much mind others figures regardless as well, especially if they call themselves 'dirty.' It'd come off eventually.

What was not soaked tilted to the side in wonder. Teekon? Was that what this region was called? She was quite lacking in knowledge about the area itself, not knowing any territories nor lineages. She could never recognize key traits with certain wolves, or the mention of last names. Even Redhawk Platue was foreign.. 

Shisu looked up in a look of pity once she heard his next words, but catching the sight of his smile made her meekly look away, "o-oh, gosh.. I hope, you, find her." She could never imagine losing someone important. The plush dame felt he must be strong to be able to be optimistic about it, "a-and! To find, your.. way home."

"Do you, know.. W-Where they, are?" She hoped her had a clue where they went. Unless he was focused on his sister for the time.

Having grown up in a familial pack who were almost all native born in one way or another, it had never really occurred to Lucca that others may have no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned places by name. That was simply how he had learnt the lay of the land (as terrible a scout as he was), and he knew each landmark by name as it had been taught to him. It had been a mystery if it even registered to the boy that there was actually places outside of the pack's immediate vicinity. This much he knew now, at least, thanks to this little misadventure.

Oh well, at least he got to meet a girl!

He noted her timid glance up at him, and offered a few friendly beats of his tail. I am friend! He wasn't sure why she was so shy around him, try as he might to come off as amicable. Maybe that was just the way she was — kinda like Eljay!

"Thanks!" he replied to her well wishes, before an ear fell awkwardly to one side at the question after. "Uh, and no, I...I'm not a very good scout, that's more my brother's thing." Damn Tegan; he boasted so much about being the world's best scout and yet Lucca hadn't caught a whiff of his scent anywhere. He knew he had lied to his brother and told him he knew his way back home — and to not tell their parents lest they worry — but, inwardly, the boy was a little hurt. Was anyone back home wondering where he was? No search party? Not even just his shit head of a brother?

Suddenly, he pulled himself out of his uncharacteristically gloomy ruminating, focusing back on Shisu with a brightened smile. "Thanks!" I hope so, too. At her question, he awkwardly shifted his weight. "Uh...no," he admitted guiltily. "But they — we — live on like, a kind of mountain with a giant lake and a heap of birds!" He stopped, gazing at her sodden coat once more before letting a soft laugh slip out. "You'd probably like it there!"

He seemed quite close to his family, as the male before her was searching for one, and mentioned another, "how.. Many f-family members do, you have?" She inquired curiously, hoping it wasn't rude to ask that. When thinking of her own family, they weren't too big, as far as she knew, she only had parents, and two brothers. Though with a last name, usually came with a lineage. Shisu doesn't remember if she met cousins, or grandparents... But even then, she wasn't particulary close to her family, and wouldn't speak familiarity over them like Lucca has done with his brother. She knew it was her fault, however, it was like this.

An ear flickered with interest toward where he lives, "a mountain..?" Her whole life has been near forests, particular the pines. The only time she saw a mountain was when she had crossed it to get to Blackfeather Woods, but even then she didn't come to the peak, only near the sides to walk onto it with her current Alpha. She heard the stars were quite beautiful there, so Shisu raised her baby blues with a curious interest toward his home, finally meeting his eyes without looking away, "it sounds.. Nice."

Oh, right! Her perplexed question sent him quickly backtracking, as providing context wasn't Lucca's strong suit sometimes. The poor girl was probably overwhelmed with information by now, but he just couldn't stop. He was on a conversational roll here! Well, there's my ma and pa, and I have a brother my age named Tegan who kinda looks like me but smaller, and two sisters, Clover and Fiadh — Fiadh's the one who I'm out here looking for — but Clover's back at home. Oh! And also four older siblings — Eljay's still at home too but they rest have all dispersed by now, I think... he paused for a second, as if deep in thought before he continued. And I have two baby siblings too, and a bunch of adopted relatives and uncles and aunts and...

Man, she was right to be curious — his family really was yuge.

He bit his tongue to stop himself before he went any further, knowing full well he could have recounted the entirety of the Redhawk and Blackthorn lineage to the poor girl if he felt like being really long-winded. As it was, however, she had gotten much more than she had probably bargained for for that simple question, and perhaps Lucca should learn to keep some details closer to his chest. For now, though, he assumed it was all cool — he didn't think he saw any malevolence behind those baby blues.

He met her gaze with a beaming smile once more, nodding at her soft-spoken comment. You could come visit! He blurted out suddenly. Oh shit. His eyes widened in shock slightly and he quickly stuttered. I-I mean if you want, I c-could show you 'round, the others wouldn't mind. Would they? Tegan had a bit of a track record of bringing strangers home, but none that he knew of had been accepted. Quite the opposite, really. But they had been loners, surely a simple visit from a sophisticated lady such as Shisu would be okay? I—...where do you live?

But the damage had been done. He got a vague answer of where her home was before the girl fled and Lucca was left alone and embarrassed. Eventually, he too slunk away with his tail between his legs. That'll teach him to be so forward.