Hushed Willows Night swimmers

I made some assumptions; if any of them are incorrect, feel free to slap me! Tags for visibility. :)

Even from within The Crook, Spur could see the night sky. She gazed upward, blue eyes wide as she watched wispy clouds scud across the nearly full moon. A soft smile curved her lips when she looked downward a moment later, eyes tracking over the slumbering figures of her family. @Mordecai was back and Larkspur's heart felt full again. She tucked herself a little closer to her beloved daddy, resting her nose in the long fur at the nape of his neck, breathing in his familiar smell.

But sleep did not come, strangely. After a time, the pup shifted and found herself peering at the moon again. Her thoughts drifted to Deirdre. She needed to thank the older girl for her part in bringing Mordecai home. Although Larkspur didn't know much about the moon cycles, it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess a full moon was near at hand. Only the smallest of slivers was missing from its bright, cratered face. Hopefully soon, @Harlyn would escort her to meet with the pale young witch again.

Still restless, the little sylph rose and slipped from the cavern, though she didn't go far. She took a seat just to the left of its mouth, breathing in the warm air as her wide eyes followed the fireflies that drifted lazily through the dark June air.

hope you don't mind your ol' mommers!

Larkspur was not the only one who had trouble sleeping still. Harlyn laid silently with her head rested on Mordecai's flank and would have appeared to any to be asleep, but for the watchful gaze that she kept upon her son. Where Larkspur and Silas had seemed to be making improvements in their new surroundings, Pippin's continued silence and solitude worried her deeply. In the small slivers of moonlight that played upon his pale fur, Harlyn watched his sides rise and fall steadily as he slept, barely blinking as though afraid that if she looked away for even a second, he might grow still forever.

The sound of stirring stole her attention finally and Harlyn turned to see Larkspur stepping away towards the mouth of the den. She waited for a few minutes thinking the girl was only going to relieve herself, but eventually stood and followed after her when she did not promptly return. She gave a glance back at the other wolves that slept soundly deeper in the depths of the Crook, spying Ishi and Shikoba together. If sleeping spots were anything to judge by (and she believed they were), there was still some distance to close between the two merging families.

But that was perhaps for another night, for Harlyn's attention passed quickly to Larkspur as she came to sit at her daughter's side. She said nothing for the moment, merely leaning to place a kiss upon her golden crown before looking out into the night.

How dare.

One of Spur's ears bent backward at a soft shuffling noise from within the cavern. Eventually, her eyes were drawn away from the glimmering lightning bugs, toward the blackness over her shoulder. She watched as a familiar figure glided out into the night to join her. The pup bit her lip, hoping her mother wasn't upset that she was up past her bedtime, but Harlyn didn't say a word. She just took a seat beside her offspring, offering a kiss that earned a gentle one in return.

"I couldn't sleep," she murmured, keeping her voice down out of respect for those still asleep in The Crook nearby. She blinked her big blue eyes up at Harlyn. "Mommy, the moon is almost full, isn't it?" she asked. "Can we go see Deirdre soon?" Larkspur had, of course, described every detail of her adventure to her dam. She was sure Harlyn would also want to thank the young lady for casting the spell that had brought Mordecai home to them.

I dare all the dare

 

Harlyn offered her daughter a tired smile and nodded to express that she understood. Her mind shifted back to Pippin and she listened for a moment for his breathing, though it was impossible to discern in the symphony of sleeping wolves. She closed her eyes and willed herself to trust that the sound was there somewhere, though she had found it hard for many months now to have faith in much of anything.

Larkspur's query brought Harlyn's gaze skyward toward the waxing moon above them (did I astronomy right??). She looked upon it thoughtfully for a moment, even though she knew immediately the answer to her daughter's question. She had learned all about Deirdre and their encounter after it had happened, and through Harlyn was not at all opposed to the pair seeing each other again, she did wonder if now was the best time for such a visit that would take her away from her pack.

"Yes, sister moon has nearly opened her eye fully upon us," the Druid said softly, "And I suppose we do have much gratitude to bring to your friend, don't we?" She glanced back towards Mordecai, smiling softly for a brief moment before she returned to consideration of Larkspur's request.

Harlyn confirmed her suspicions about the moon cycle and Larkspur felt a little thrill, not only at guessing correctly but also at the idea of seeing Deirdre again. She nodded in response to her mother's rhetorical question, wondering just how many days were left before the moon bared its face fully to those on the earth below.

"I wish she lived here," the youngster said quietly, contemplatively. She cocked her head, glancing upward and sideways at the side of Harlyn's face before directing her gaze outward. Larkspur exhaled through her nose and wondered aloud of the fireflies, "Are they magic?" She didn't fully understand the word Deirdre had used, yet it felt somehow applicable to those tiny, flashing lights swimming through the night.

Harlyn smiled at her daughter, but it was an expression tinged with sadness. She wished the same as Larkspur, for it did not go unacknowledged by the druid that this Dierdre was the first friend outside of her family that Larkspur had ever had. She hadn't even truly warmed up to either Shikoba nor Ishi in spite of all they'd gone through together. Harlyn supposed it was her fault for keeping her so sheltered for so long, and she wished she could make up for it now by bringing the girls together. But it was not possible, or so Harlyn believed.

"They were made from magic," Harlyn replied gently when Larkspur asked, "Would you like to hear how the fireflies came to be?" There were a couple of renditions of the tale the druid recalled then - one that involved the dead spirits of warriors and another, a much lighter tale. She elected to choose the latter for this particular audience, should it be her daughter's wish.

It was as she suspected: the fireflies were made of magic. When Harlyn asked if she would like to hear more about it, Larkspur nodded with an eagerness reserved only for her closest loved ones. "Yes, please, mommy," she said both enthusiastically and politely. "I want to hear all your stories," she added thoughtfully, because it was true. She loved when her mother wove tales of magic and mystery. Perhaps one day, little Larkspur might follow in her mother's footsteps in that sense, becoming herself a keeper of lore.

I wanted to let it be known that I'm working on a collection of stories / information regarding Harlyn's religion that I hope to share soonly with her family so that it can be incorporated into your RPs since Harlyn would likely have shared much of it with her kids at this point. I just have to determine the best way to collect it all... Oh and then write it BUT WHAT

Harlyn was pleased at her daughter's interest in her tales. Her children always seemed rather good about wanting to hear her stories, but even so it pleased her each time. She had done so much growing and learning from the stories her family had told to her when she was young, and it was deeply gratifying to be able to offer the same to her own children.

"As you know, the Earth Mother created all of the animals of the world out of the desire to have friends of her own, as the Sky Father had Brother Sun and Sister Moon," Harlyn started softly, "The Father eventually corrupted all that she had created, but for a time all was as the Mother had wanted - she had her children to dote upon her and spend on her all of their affection. But her body was so dark that she could not see them. And it made her sad."

"And so, one of the Mothers creatures decided to please her, as they were willed already to do by her," Harlyn continued, "The beetles - lowest of those the Mother had created, and least favored by her - decided to speak to Sister Moon. Hers was a weak will, and soon she felt pity upon the Mother and the beetles and gave to them a portion of her light. The bugs returned to the Mother and shone upon her skin so that she could see the children that she had created. But the Sister did not give all of herself, and so they could only give the Mother glimpses in flashes. The fireflies today are those beetles that reached out to the Sister for her magic, and they bear it still for the Mother to look upon her creations in times when the world is too dark for her to see."

She finished and looked quietly at Larkspur.

I think you're making Harlyn a PPC, so with that in mind, I'm gonna fade this. :D

Harlyn began by mentioning familiar characters from previous stories. A small smile graced Larkspur's face as she listened, though her lips pressed together a bit apprehensively at the mention of beetles. Bugs were not among the young girl's favorite things, despite her fascination with the fireflies that continued to drift through the dusky air. They were an exception for sure.

Obviously, it threw her for a loop when the beetles from her mother's tale and the lightning bugs glowing softly around them turned out to be one and the same. Larkspur returned Harlyn's gaze, blinking slowly before facing the little specks of light winking on and off in front of their very faces. Were they really the same beetles that scuttled along the earth underfoot, sometimes crawling over Spur's very own body and making her tickle and itch? She shuddered ever so slightly.

Armed with this knowledge, her fascination with and apprehension of the fireflies inverted. "Mommy, can we go to bed now?" Spur asked politely, nudging against Harlyn and pressing softly into her in the hopes they could stop into The Crook and catch some shuteye now that her mother's voice had soothed her and made her sleepy. "I want to sleep next to daddy," she announced quietly as they moved back into the warm, dark space, Spur quickly dropping and snuggling into Mordecai's warm fur.

She peeked toward the cavern's entrance just before closing her eyes to sleep, watching the winged beetles fluttering about in the night. Larkspur squirmed gently and then buried her face further into her daddy's fur, hiding from the fireflies. A few still drifted in her mind's eye as she contemplated Harlyn's story, though soon the child fell fast asleep.