Phoenix Maplewood The Astronomy Tower

This thread is open to any Phoenix Maplewood member who fancies learning about astronomy! Shreya is giving classes~ I know @Tavi are @Spring are interested — @Esaro could also have a go and maybe fail spectacularly if you fancy. :3

Incidentally, this thread is backdated to yesterday, when the sky is clear. (Today in Teekon it's too cloudy!)

Above, a vast navy canvas over which black ink had been spilt. In its midst, little stars, silver and a-twinkle. Shreya gazed at them not with her grizzled muzzle thrust upwards but downwards instead — into a clear pond in the East of the Maplewood. It was protected by the scattered trees around it so that not a single breeze touched the water — it was as clear as a mirror, and perfect for viewing the heavens. Deciding this the optimum night to begin astronomy classes, Shreya sent a high, cracked howl into the sky. Come hither, was its light suggestion. Come and learn.

Spring found that she simply could not sleep last night.  Now as she padded through the Maplewood a howl caught her attention.  She didn't recognize it, although it did sound nearby.  Her curiosities perked at the come and learn part, Spring was always open to new knowledge.  So she started padding in the direction of the howler.

Spring pushed her way through the last of the underbrush to see an older female.  This female had the smell of the pack too, although there were some scents from outside of Phoenix Maplewood territory too, so this wolf was probably new.  "Hello, I'm Spring."  She began.  "May I ask what you are teaching?"

An aged voice carried through the night air, and Tavi was prompted to get up and investigate - even though her den was so inviting at this point. She could put off going to sleep for an hour or two, why not? So she briskly began to search the area for the origin of that voice - and came upon both Shreya and Spring; the golden girl she promptly avoided, making a bee-line for the older grey wolf. Tavi was curious but unsure of what was going on, and so she said nothing, which was fine.. Spring could ask the questions for the both of them.

Thanks for joining. ^__^ Esaro and any others are welcome to jump in at any point~

No sooner had the echoes of her purposeful but innocuous howl faded than two handsome females turned up, one scarred and sprightly, the other cool and curious. Hello to you both. My name's Shreya, grandmother to your Alpha Male. Yes, she had namedropped. She didn't know these wolves, and couldn't trust that age alone would be enough to earn their care. Nice to meet you, Spring. And you... she looked to the other female so that she might introduce herself.

I'm here to share my knowledge — tonight I'd like to tell any eager listener about the heavens, from the names of the stars to the significance of the planets and how they effect the atmosphere. However, she continued, I'm an old wolf and haven't made a successful hunt today. If one — or both — of you could bring me something to eat, I can speak with more comfort. She gave a respectful nod to both, believing them to be of higher rank than herself. She had been an Alpha for almost seven years, but was glad to shrug off that burden and fit into the lower ranks of the pack. She would remain, however, a keen contributor for what remained of her life.

Spring's first thought when she laid eyes on Tavi once more was;  oh no....
Spring made sure not to express that feeling and decided to keep it to herself for now.  Spring listened as Shreyavtold him she was Reek's grandmother.  Now that really surprised her, then she listened as Shreya told them she would teach them astronomy and how they would pay her back with food.

"Sounds like a plan."  Spring remarked, then raised her head a little sniffing the air for any scents.  The only thing that caught her attention was a hare.  She scented the ground for any scat.  She raised her head to face Tavi.  "There's a rabbit nearby, want to help me catch it?"

phone post! sorry its so short.

The older wolf spoke,  and when prompted Tavi gave a hasty introduction before letting the woman get on with  things. Her ears twitched at the mention of hunting, though otherwise she did not move; and when Spring mentioned a rabbit, she shrugged lazily. It was too late to hunt in her own opinion, plus she was more adept with birds. "You do it. I believe in you." Tavi smirked, her tone vaguely sardonic, and she settled in to wait for Spring to return.

Shreya had no problem with their respective personalities — she wasn't here to shape them. If Tavi wanted to cheekily leave the hunting to the more-eager Spring then so be it. Shreya wasn't teaching pro-activeness or socialisation tonight, she was teaching astronomy. Yes, if you would, she nodded to Spring.

Spring responded to Tavi's sardonic answer in a teasing tone.  "Too scared then I guess?"  Maybe Tavi wasn't too bad on second thought, she was kinda fun Spring decided.  She started to pad towards the rabbit scent, slinking into a stealthy stalk.  She dissapeared into some underbrush, traveling a few feet away, almost as quiet as space.

A few minutes later the female returned a little bit dusty and muddy, with a medium sized rabbit hanging in her jaws.  She padded over to Shreya placing the rabbit at the older females paws.  "Here's the prey you requested."  Spring remarked, then took a few paces backward up next to Tavi.  To let Shreya eat in peace.

Tavi ignored the little comment from the other girl, and settled in to wait for her return. When she did finally pop back from her foray in to the woodland, she held a plump offering for the old woman. Tavi was going to ask something of Shreya, but as soon as her mouth opened, out came a big yawn; it was best to just wait and listen, then. If this lesson didn't start soon, she'd be too tired to linger. Spring scooted in next to Tavi, at which point the gamma felt like giving a warning growl - but she didn't, opting for peace, at least temporarily, until Shreya had taught her lesson.

I think fine to ignore posting order if you're both okay with it~ That way, whichever wolf answers first isn't dictated by posting order. ^___^

It didn't take long to wager that one of these females was higher ranking than the other. But Shreya thought Tavi's upper hand a little superfluous in this situation — she was a healthy young female, but just had to sit around yawning while Spring enjoyed some action. Shreya, in the meantime, continued to use the pool to gaze at the stars.

Her nose twitched hungrily when food arrived, and she tucked into it gratefully. Thank you, she said before she chowed down. After a couple of short bites she was satisfied enough to start the lesson, but kept the rest of the rabbit behind her forepaw.

We will start with the basics. See if you can show me the North Star. Even if you've never heard of it, the name itself is an obvious clue to its whereabouts.

Spring merely ignored Tavi’s slight show of dominance and decided she would ignore the other now higher ranking female until Tavi could figure out how to be in a better attitude.  She pondered Shreya’s question for a moment, she had a guess but wasn’t entirely sure if she was right.  She remember a very far away memory of being taught of the North Star and how she could always find her way home with it... well her old home.

“It’s the brightest one to the North right?”  Spring asked Shreya, unsure whether this was right or wrong, she just decided to give it a go.  Oh well, if it was wrong.  Though hopefully it was the right, correct answer to the question.  Spring would just have to wait and see...

That sounds okay, if Java’s also fine with it.  :)

Sure thing!

Tavi didn't know anything about the stars. Her interests were more physical, more solid. Birds, bones, bugs, but not the stars. They were too far away, and she couldn't possibly explain them. Maybe if she could visit them and touch them, but... That was impossible. So when Shreya questioned the two of them, Tavi just shrugged and looked at the northern sky. She couldn't decipher which of the stars was the star, until Spring spoke. The girl gave a small snort, letting Spring have her moment of fame before the aged teacher, and waited for further explanation.

<3

Spring was notably the more active of the two, but that didn't make Tavi a less valuable student. It had yet to be determined whether or not Tavi would need a bit of extra help in all this, so Shreya continued to treat them both equally. That's correct, she nodded to Spring. It's a helpful 'cheat' star of sorts — if your snout can't tell you which way is North, have a look for the brightest silver star in the sky: it's likely to be the North Star.

It's also sometimes known as a Pole Star. Can you guess why that is, Tavi?

Spring had the right answer apparently, which made Tavi roll her eyes - or start to, but then Shreya was talking again, and asking her a question. So she straightened up and tried to think of an answer. Uh, does it... Look like a stick? As soon as she spoke, Tavi realized how dumb that must've sounded. Her ears flicked back for a moment, and with the hope she'd be able to correct the mistake before either teacher or student could notice, she hastily added, If it's the north-most star, is there a star for the other directions too? Maybe that would distract Shreya in to talking a little longer, and not give Spring any time to notice her little blunder. Tavi knew nothing about the cosmos. It was a wonder she had any sense of direction, at this rate.

Spring saw Tavi begin to roll her eyes at Spring’s correct answer, then stop when Shreya asked her a question.  All she could think was:  seriously?  Serves you right to get stumped, but still you didn’t have to roll your eyes, wow just get a grip.”   Spring didn’t wear her unhappiness though, she could not let Tavi see that it had partially gotten to her.

A logical answer popped into Spring’s mind.  Maybe it was also called the Pole Star, because it was pointed in the direction of the North Pole?  She wasn’t entirely sure... still it seemed pretty logical.  Plus Tavi couldn’t be right... how could a star look like a stick, and a stick and pole were two entirely different things anyways.

As soon as Tavi asked her question to try to cover up not knowing why the North Star was called the Pole Star too, Spring began to speak.  “I think I know the answer if Tavi is wrong.  Just putting that out there if you would like any help Tavi.”  

Shreya neither approved nor disapproved of the whiff of rivalry between the two, for while it wasn't exactly productive so far it could prove a motivator. If it interfered with the crux of the lesson, however, Shreya wouldn't abide by it. So she responded to each point swiftly.

No, it doesn't look like a pole. But you're right to conclude that the North Star is not the only celestial body that can help with direction. We'll get back to that in a moment — Spring, you have a thought as to why it's called the Pole Star?

Spring listened patiently as Shreya spoke.  She found herself curious as to the fact that there were other stars out there the pointed to certain directions.  As Shreya asked her to answer the question about the Pole Star, Spring began to speak.  “Is the North Star also called the Pole Star too, because it is pointed in the direction of the North Pole?”  It seemed like that was a pretty good logical answer to Spring.  Why else would the North Star be called the Pole Star anyways?  There was’t any other large masses that had the word Pole in the North.

Tavi listened as best she could, but wasn't too surprised when her own answer was wrong. It made her deflate a little - although, really, what wolf would even know what the north pole was at any given time, since nothing could live there and wolves wouldn't have explored it themselves - but she did not dwell upon the fact she had been wrong. It had been a good guess in her opinion, but Tavi was more literal in many ways. The Beta relaxed further in to the soil, going form a seated posture to a belly-down position, sphinx-like, and focused on the woman teaching them rather than Spring. She had nothing to really say or do, as Spring had answered the question and Shreya was still teaching - so she just relaxed, and tried to stay awake.

Yes, she replied to Spring with a nod. The North Pole is a geographic phenomenon — not a landmass but an abstract point that I have always referred to as True North. The North Star is aligned with it. There is also a South Star, as Tavi theorised, but it's too faint to find in these skies.

Now, are you interested in the names of the stars? she asked her little class, Or would you prefer to know something more practical about the night's sky?

Spring gave Tavi a polite, friendly grin for theorizing something right, but her ears and focus perked up in attention as Shreya asked if they had any questions either about the names of the stars, or something more practical about the night’s sky.  She actually did have a question.

“Are there any wolf constellations in the stars?”  Spring asked in a curious tone to Shreya.  That made her think of Ishi.  She wondered if there were any Cougar constellations in the sky that she could show him, since he happened to have that love for Cougars.  “On second thought.”  She paused for a moment.  “Are there any Cougar constellations in the stars?”

It was interesting enough to hear about these things, but Tavi was beginning to struggle staying awake. Her head began to droop down towards her paws, although she caught it before it made contact and breathed sharply, trying to force herself to stay attentive. Who cares about the constellations, she drawled, shooting Spring a bored look, and then shifted to a smile when she addressed Shreya. Something practical please. Anyone could connect the dots and make names for the shapes, but Tavi wanted something better - or, more likely, she wanted the opposite of whatever Spring wanted.

lol these two. XD

The ancient teacher's tactic was not to ignore either contradicting request... other than the requests to ignore the other. It didn't take a genius to notice the tension between the two, but it hadn't interfered so far, and Shreya wasn't about to let it. There is a wolf, Lupus, and a few feline constellations. Leo is easiest to find. That'll take a bit of time, and you have sharper peepers than me anyway so you don't need me to spot them. So let's move on to the moon. She gazed down into the still pond. The silver moon gazed back. It has spiritual meaning to so many wolves, but it is also the most useful body in the night's sky. She looked to them both. Perhaps you already know why?

Shreya cut swiftly through her answer to Spring, and Tavi was urged by her childish mentality to stick her tongue out at her; she didn't, if only because the professor was moving on to the next bit of information. Her question was simple, and Tavi cut in to reply before Spring had a chance: The moon is bright! Not as bright as the sun, but good enough for us to do shit beneath it, she was pleased by this answer, so pleased that she didn't consider her language. Tavi's tail wagged happily at the ground, and she grinned at Shreya, clearly pleased with herself.

Spring listened carefully as Shreya asked the question.  What was the answer?  This one really made her think.  Her ears perked as Tavi answer, but her ears pinned in disdain at Tavi’s response and she was very surprised to see Tavi seemingly proud of her response.  Spring came up with an answer of her own.

“Because it gives us light to see at night?”  Spring asked, in a questioning tone.  Then flicked her eyes to the speckled stars that settled above in the starry sky, admiring them.  She wondered what it would be like to be up there.  So far away, yet... shinning like a beacon.  Glimmering at the objects, biotic and abiotic alike down below.

Quickie because lol, why not have Tavi respond with a gut reaction.

The beta snorted when Spring spoke, chastising her with her tone alone - That's what I just said. - and narrowed her eyes at her subordinate, turning her head sharply from Spring to Shreya, waiting for more of a lesson.