Jade Fern Grove They call it creeping, I say loving,

It was an utterly frustrating, horrible, horrific situation.

Bubbling with anger, yet unable to to release it, Hokulani brought herself to the river running through the grove. Paws testing the water, she soon stepped in to begin washing herself of the mud that clung to her fur.

Her heart had told her to rip, to tear, but her mind said to wait. Now was not the time - but it would come. It always did, because the truth of the matter was that Hokulani always got what she wanted. That was the way things were meant to be. The universe itself simply favoured her.

Staring at the water as it flooded with the dirt of her pelt she felt clean, calm. A newly baptized. baby. She would simply pretend that the confrontation had never happened upon her return.

Hello, Hōkūlani.

The shadow slipped from the cover of the evergreen. Their graceful stride ends at the edge of the river where the young woman bathed.

Gossamer had spent their time trekking through the mountain range, as ordered. A path meticulously set, sorted with a few stops if Reverie was so inclined. A week or two’s job finished; they were unsure what to do with the remaining time.

Duty led them back to the cavern. Curiosity took them to the adjacent valley. A day comes and a night goes, and they find themselves in a forest. Conveniently they cross paths with the younger of the two guards.

Have you been relieved of your post? Gossamer asked in jest.

A voice rings out, and in an instant Hokulani recognizes it to be Gossamer. A switch flicks and her eyes have filled with unshed tears as she looks to the other, solemnly shaking her head.

She simply will not allow Hunst to get away with this, and now she can get the first word in.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that.." She manages to crack her voice, her ears dropping just the slightest bit. She's convincing. Hokulani is always convincing. "Hunst is unhappy with me."

She looked to them with emotion that had yet to surface until now. Her eyes were glossed over by a thin veil of tears. The confidence her voice usually carried now buckled beneath its own weight. Her comrade was to blame.

Oh? Gossamer leaned forward with a raised brow. Hunst didn't seem like the type of man to be rattled so easily. Then again they hadn't the slightest idea of what would and wouldn't make him tick. That man was damn near unreadable, as soldiers tend to be.

How’d you manage that?

How had she managed it? She could not mention her outburst, of course.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest." She responded, her pupils dilating. "He accused me of running wild, spoke down to me like I was a child."

Of course, it could be said that Hokulani was a child in comparison to Hunst. She was only a yearling. "You don't think I've been acting out, do you Gossamer?"

Her tone was nearly pleading as she looked to her companion, expression akin to that of a pitiful puppy begging for scraps.

It all felt so out of character, so fragmented. Everything seemed ok amidst their little group before they left. Spirits were as fine as they could be, circumstances aside. Surely something was missing. Some piece to the puzzle they'd missed in their absence. A vacancy begging to be filled.

Gossamer shook their head. I’m no mercenary as you two are. I wouldn't know what is or is not ‘acting out’, but from where I stand you've been doing your job just fine. Reverie was still in one piece, was she not? I’d say you're just as good a soldier as he is. I'm not sure why he'd say otherwise.

"Thank you, Gossamer.. I'm glad that you have confidence in me." She turned back to her washing, laying in the water so as to begin washing the dirt from her back.

"I just hope that he's calmed down by the time he returns. I'm not looking for a fight." She sighed, tongue carefully scraping over the white of her fur.

"Maybe his reasons are different, but I'm here to protect Reverie. I care about more than just saving myself from what she's fighting."

Of course.

Gossamer settled down to their side, and let a paw grace the surface of the water. Their crimson gaze was fixed on the ripples, but their ears were arched forward attentively.

I’m sure he will, little dove, in time. Hunst does not seem like the type of man to hold a grudge.

Hōkūlani next words are of interest. Different reasoning? Gossamer raised their head to look at her. Was she implying Hunst was only here to save his own hide?

Satisfied, Hokulani raised from the water. "I hope you're right, I really do." She said as she exited the river and shook the water from her fur.

Her ears perked as Gossamer questioned her, eyes shifting to look at the dark wolf who now stood behind her. "Oh, don't mind me." She responded, "it's something to think about, that's all."

Kicking a leg back to shake off the droplets, the she-wolf then took her exit.

A speculative wonder would surely be gnawing at the back of their mind in her absence. Tending to a seed that Hōkūlani left unwatered.

Gossamer hummed to themselves as she left. Ah yes, think they shall.