Firefly Glen time will tell

@Rannoch

 
The shadow had run, as she was growing accustomed to doing. The feel of controlling her escape was indescribable. There was an ache in her soul for the boys that she had left behind in the thick tangle of trees, but she had whispered her sweet goodbyes to both of them before her departure.  
 
The glen was quiet – night had fallen and the fireflies were quietly moving about overhead. It reminded the small shadow of the hunt that had been arranged in the clearing of the forest. Fondness had struck her first, and then was replaced by a powerful sickness. Lucy wanted to return to Neverwinter and see Cypress and Rannoch. She already missed their adventures, but she knew that if there was someone searching for her, she could not be found. Monsters were everywhere, and she was certain to be taken away if she allowed herself to be seen.  
 
Padding forward quietly, the inky pup lifted her bright blue gaze upward and tried to focus on the fluttering bugs. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and she gritted her teeth together to hold her composure.   

She had vanished. It had been a night just like any other when the trio had went to sleep. He had thought that he would have slept soundly to find both Lucy and Cypress, but something mid-night changed such expectations. Lucy had come to him and bid him farewell. Unfortunately, he had been drunk on the sensation of drowsiness and pushed into her lovingly, assuring her that he would not have to go to Firefly Glen to find her. She would still be there in the morning, he was sure.

He had woke up that morning, surprised by the sight of only three other bodies in den-- not four. Worry overtook him easily and he loudy scrambled to the borders in an attempt to catch up. His hurrying had only been done in vain. Though her trail with still somewhat fresh she obviously had already gone.

He had not been himself since she had left. He was a ghost upon the border, keeping a silent watch out in hopes that she would return but this had yielded no results. She was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. It was as if he had lost a part of him-- a part that he didn’t even want taken away from him in the first place.

This is where the motivation to go beyond the forest and into the glen came from. Previously he had never left the forest, but he would do this if it meant seeing Lucy again. With his mother’s lessons of bad wolves fresh in his mind, he trekked into the unknown with hopes of finding the glen.

Fortunately, he had found it without any trouble. Delicate lights greeted him as he entered the clearing and he traveled delicately, not knowing just what was out there. Though he would alert whoever was out there, he told himself that he would be able to fend them off. His training had increased and he found himself preparing himself for the Guardian trade more often than not.

Finally, as he was deep into the clearing, he paused and lifted his head as he let out a sad song, beckoning for the one he missed the most.

 
His voice struck the air and her ears flew forward with such speed that she felt the muscles in her skull strain. There was a quick beating to her heart, and the young shadow lifted her crown upward, trying to peer through the night and the flickering lights toward his shape. She wondered faintly if he had brought Cypress with him, but realized that this was a selfish thought. Lucy was only pleased that she could see the familiar twinkle of his teal gaze.  
 
Taking off at a quick canter, the inky girl held her head aloft so that she could catch sight of him before anyone else might. She was still fearful that they would find her – she still believed that they were searching to take her somewhere awful, where she would find nothing comforting or familiar. If she could find Rannoch, though, she knew that she would be safer. He had a steadying way about him, in spite of their young age. He had grown into something much more than she ever could have imagined, and part of her was envious of this. She could see Rannoch as a leader, but she could never see herself in such a position.  
 
Suddenly, she caught sight of him, and relief washed over her. Though she urged her body to move forward and approach him, she could not stop the locking in her limbs and the stiffness that had entered her frame. The shadow had not imagined that she would see the bright teal of his gaze, or the sturdiness of his figure. Still, it was a welcome sight when compared to everything else she had endured.  
 
"Rannoch," she said softly – the gentle breeze carrying her voice toward him.   

His voice died soon, a gentle wind carrying it through the glen as the somber strum of baritone faded. He wasn’t even sure if she was here, despite her telling him that this is where she could be found, but despite his inner fears he lingered, waiting for the one that he wanted to see more than anything.

He noticed a shift nearby and soon after the shadow’s willowy figure loomed before him, pausing at a distance and gracing him with a greeting. A mix of emotions overcame him in that moment and they strangled him as he fought to spit something out. He was glad to see her, confused why she was so far away, and sad that despite her nearness she still seemed so far away.

“Lucy,” he whined eventually, his voice hanging between them heavily. He wasn’t sure what else to say, but he followed his greeting with a word that seemed to wrap all of his thoughts into one, heavy word:“Why?” Why, why, why?!

 
His voice dripped with the confusion that he felt. His eyes roamed over her hungrily, as if he were trying to save every piece of her in his mind's eye. The shadow felt sorry for what she had caused him – for the pain that he was enduring. She had never wanted to hurt him, for he had been nothing but a friend since she arrived in his woodland home. Still, she could not help but to imagine what it would have been like if she had been able to stay with Rannoch and Cypress. She painted an image in her mind of a beautiful future; she imagined herself unafraid. It was far too painful for the dark youth to think about, so she cast the thought aside and focused on the question that still lingered between them.  
 
Why? 
 
A sigh escaped her lips and she tried to look hopeful as she raised her muzzle upward. "Someone had come for me, Rannoch. I don't know who they were, but the description did not match anyone that I know. I couldn't let someone take me again – I couldn't give someone that control," she tried to explain to him with a downcast expression. Not again... she thought to herself as she recalled being taken away from her home by the great hulking beast. He had granted her the gift of meeting Rannoch and Cypress, but he had taken so much away from her. She could not have it happen again.    

Rannoch listened carefully to what Lucy had to say, holding onto each word desperately. “Lucy,” he whined as his ears lowered, feeling conflict flare within him. “You know I would have done everything that I could have done to keep you safe,” Don’t you know that? There was a sensation within his chest that flared as he fell silent, not finding the right words after what he said.

Didn’t she see how much he cared? He wasn’t sure of this and it broke his heart.

 
Seeing the expression on his face was enough to shatter her heart. She couldn't stand to hear him speak of how he would have defended her with all of his might. She did not think that she could argue the fact that there was a stranger who was searching for her – trying to hunt her down – and she did not want to admit that she was fearful. The very idea of another monster taking her away was enough to fill the inky child with a strange and chilling terror. Instead of arguing with the stalwart young man, she just sighed quietly and moved to press her muzzle underneath his chin. She wanted him to understand, but she knew that he wouldn't unless he had been taken away. He wouldn't know unless a great savage beast had ripped him from his home and trailed him through the woods.  
 
"Your dad is going to be so mad at you," she finally muttered with a small smirk on her dark features. The young shadow pulled away from him with a twinkle in her eye. She wondered how she had gotten so lucky that she would be thrown into their family. She then wondered why the forces of the universe were attempting to rip her away from them.  

His emotions shifted quickly. As Lucy pressed forward to reach her muzzle to his, Rannoch felt his heart race and a faint blush flare under his pale cheeks. He wasn’t quite sure just what this feeling was that he was experiencing but he liked it. He wanted to stay here, in the glen, with Lucy like this forever. He closed his eyes as he took it all in.

He only opened his eyes when Lucy spoke and as she did he looked down to him with a smirk. “I know, right?” He countered, his voice comical despite the subject matter. “But, it’s worth it. I needed to see you.” He wasn’t quite sure how he had so easily slipped under the radar but he didn’t question his luck.

 
Worth it.  
 
The smile on his face suggested that he truly believed it was worth all of the trouble would experience when or if he was capture by his father. The shadow still had a small amount of fear for the great towering leader of the woodland. Scimitar would certainly never allow her near his family again after she had coerced his son into the strange wilds. Still, she was not certain that she would find her way back to the forest, or if she would be forced to move onward – away from the family she had grown to care for.  
 
"I'm glad you came. I hope Cypress will come and visit too... we could chase fireflies here. Just like we did in the forest," she remarked with a warm fondness for the hunt that Rannoch had initiated. The other children of the woods were just a fading memory. The only image that mattered was that of Rannoch, Cypress, and the blue-eyed shadow as they chased the fiery bugs through the clearing.  

He was happy until the time she brought up his brother. At the sound of his brother’s name he froze for a moment as a nasty feeling overcame him. It slid through his being and consumed him quickly filling him with a sense of toxicity that he was not used to feeling. Despite this, he kept a cool composure and did not show his true colors at that time. Instead, he listened on to the rest of what she had to offer and nodded.

“You know, we can do that without Cypress,” he said with a smile, his molars gritting as he attempted to keep his ugliness away from her beautiful innocence. “We could do it now!” Rannoch was not a jealous creature by nature and this feeling was one that made him uneasy. Without another word, he jumped to his paws with a wagging tail and dropped to a bow as he attempted to shake the jealousy he felt towards his dark-haired brother.

 
The girl watched him with a calculating expression on her face. He seemed to react strangely to the prospect of his brother joining them, but she did not attempt to question the gritting of his teeth. Instead, he came to life at the prospect of chasing fireflies through the woods. To the shadow, it seemed as though he was looking to forget. Perhaps that was why he was avoiding the subject of Cypress – he did not want to miss his brother while he was with her. A pang of sadness erupted through her heart at the thought of pulling Rannoch away from the warmth of his family, but he seemed well enough.  
 
Springing to her feet, the girl grinned at him and flagged her tail. "Okay," she agreed with a firm nod of her head. She lowered her torso to the ground and drew her ears forward.  

Once she had assumed her position Rannoch smiled. His tail waved as he eyed Lucy carefully. Every fiber in his being wanted to pounce her and cover her in kisses, just as he and Cypress had done to Scimitar, but he resisted such urges by leaping away towards the field.

“Come on, Lucy!” He called as he bounded away. He wasn’t quite sure to where he was leading him but he was sure that it would be fine.

 
The boy leapt away with a swift movement, extending the space between them. Her sky blue gaze followed him with a ghost of a smile on her features. For a moment, she wished that he would return to her side so that she could feel his strength and her fears would be forgotten. As foolish as this was, she would not permit herself to speak to it. Instead of voicing her wishes and wants, Lucy lowered her skull and darted forward in hopes that she could force herself to find that closeness – without having to ask for it. Rannoch and Cypress had been so very important to her; she did not know what she would do without the princes of the forest.  

Rannoch bounded away, his tail whipping happily behind him as he made his way through the tall grass. In that moment, all seemed perfect to the prince of the evergreens. Nothing, or so he had thought, could have ruined this day for him. He felt as though he was at a distance from Lucy and to calm his fears, Rannoch looked over his shoulder to make sure she was there. He smiled once his eyes fell upon her dark form.

“Come on, Luc!” He urged excitedly before returning his attention to the terrain before them, not entirely sure of where he was leading them.