Sunbeam Lair Yellow submarine

@Lily

Lennon sat beneath a beaming showering of sunlight through the ceiling of the lair, the warmth feeling almost like laying in summer. His gaze fell upon the other wolves within the cave, and he smiled wide. How lucky was he? He then saw the small, admittedly adorable young ebony girl that he hadn’t spent much time bonding with. The dark wolf gave a quick chuff to gain her attention, and once it did he gestured her to come over- an amiable grin placed on his maw. 

He was happy to have come to the conclusion with his companions to create a pack, and if he were to be a...pack member, shouldn’t he be close with all of them? Even in a world where that weren’t necessary, he would still try his best to get to know the others as well as possible. He cared much about their safety, despite having little conversation with a few.

Lily had been watching him, on-and-off, ever since Alarian had brought her to the cave. Her orange eyes could not keep from raking over his rugged gray body, that intense gaze. He was warm and friendly, and he even had an accent somewhat like hers!

So when the guy--introduced as 'Lennon'--signaled for her to come sit next to him, her heart and stomach did backflips in tandem. The cool, popular guy wanted to talk to her! Had she known where Lennon's true affections lie, this wouldn't have been the enormous deal it was to her now--as it was, she was clueless. And ignorance was bliss, right?

Trying to remain as composed as possible, Lily padded over to him, a smile stretching over her own muzzle. Her eyes darted occasionally to other wolves in the cave; she remembered some names, but not all. It would take a few days to be on familiar terms with her new companions (but she was thankful she had found friends so quickly!).

"Hello!" Lily greeted, sitting down and tucking her tail round her paws. She paused for a moment in a slight panic, not knowing what to say next. "Erm. . .beautiful weather we're having, right?" She cast a glance outside; snowflakes were falling to the ground, and the wind was icy and keening. If she could blush, she would have, returning her eyes to Lennon's with a small giggle. "Well, not really, actually."

As she spoke his ears twitched, signaling as he deciphered her familiar accent. He gazed down at the yearling, his tail shifting back and forth with interest. Her clumsy conversation forced him to laugh light-heartedly, a low, joy-filled chuckle resonated against the walls of the lair. "You're quite adorable, kid." Despite not knowing, her first comment wasn't wrong. To the northern wolf, this was beautiful weather, not feeling the cold as sensitively as others. In their little time together he already could tell he would like this girl - similar to how he did with most of his friends. The same happened with Alarian, his old best friend, and even his past love. Something about the male picked up chemistry fast, and whether she knew so or not he saw a light in their future. 

His amber gaze relocated back to the shining rays, and he filled the silence with questions. "Tell me about yourself, then - family, home, new life, old life, that whole jazz, would you?" Lennon peered down at her from the corner of his eye, a knowing smile tugged at his lips.

Her eyes lit like the setting sun at his compliment, and she ducked her head, half-hiding the giddy grin that had plastered itself on her face. Too much. Draw it back. Her mother's voice rang in her ears, and she resisted a huff in response. Remaining cool and coy, Lily lifted her gaze to his once more, the grin fading into a soft smile that held the ghost of something extra in the corners.

"Big family, big home. Boring old life," she admitted, with a small laugh. "It was nice. Just nothing to do. As for my new life, well, I rather think that's up to all of you, isn't it?" Her eyes flashed around the cave, looking at each wolf in turn for brief instances before staring back at Lennon.

Lily's sleek black tail thumped a couple times against the stone, her head tilting slightly with the motion. "So what about you, then? How long have you all been together?" Her eyes narrowed playfully. "Were you all just bored, like me? Or are you on the run from somebody?" Lily's mind tended to make up stories; even if it was just a case of ennui, she would fancy the handsome lad was a fugitive from justice, a rogue on the lam.

Lennon wasn't the most observant of wolves, things could fly over his head time to time. Yet, he caught to the hidden value of her smile and decided he would try his best to have it revealed. Her inquiry forced him to think - it never occurred that their lives, his new companions, were altered by his doings. He resisted a shiver, not enjoying the idea of control over someone's life. Freewill would be emphasized as their numbers grew, he would never do anything to restrict someone of freedom. The dark wolf relaxed, having confidence that he would lead these followers to a bright life, or if not always have the opportunity to pursue it themselves. 

He was also taken back to the first time he met Korei, his eyes regarding the white beauty contently. She was what started this all, and he would forever be grateful. Only then did he realize how short the time was the two had actually known each other, and his expression mirrored his surprise. "Well, uh... I met Korei 'bout a month ago, Alarian a few days after." The whimsical girl's odd question made him chuckle once more, gazing down at her with pure reverence. It was a strange way to put it, but Lennon had been on the run. From boredom that is - or perhaps he was on a chase for excitement. Either way, the beginnings of his travels were somewhat what she imagined. Now, though, the wolf hadn't recognized his ongoing run from the past, specifically the one with her.  "You could put it that way, I was quite bored, though." Memories of his boring life in Liverpool awoke in his mind, his bland mother and bland friends - very boring. 

"I have to admit, Lily, I'm rather glad you were bored."  He cocked his head like a bird's, smirking. "You wouldn't have ended up here if you hadn't." It was somewhat out of nowhere - but he was only being candid. Everyone here he appreciated, even ones he didn't know extremely well yet.

Only a month! Yet the trio acted as if they had known each other for many seasons; indeed, Lily was almost jealous of how close they were. Back home, she hadn't had many close friends outside of family. But Lennon and Alarian and Korei had forged a bond of friendship that didn't involve blood, and they were as tight-knit as any family.

Her black lips quirked in a smile as he admitted his own boredom, drawing out wider as Lennon expressed that he was glad she had gotten bored. Glad. The little monosyllable fell into her ear, bubbling happily in her brain. Glad.

"I'm glad, too," Lily said fervently. "It's not really family tradition to wander away from home, at least not for very long. I was the first in many generations." She heaved a small sigh as she remembered her parents' reactions: her father worried, her mother despondent. Yet they hadn't put up any sort of opposition to their daughter's departure; they knew her mind had been made up. "I miss Mum and Daddy, a lot. But I would have gone crazy if I had stayed any longer."

She remembered something quite suddenly, and chuckled. "There was a song Daddy used to sing. . . Leaving home ain't easy, but may be the only way, that's how it ended. I didn't really think much of it until just now," she murmured in wonderment.

So the small girl was brave. That set his eyes alight as he stared at the lively shadow with a new found interest. Not to say his interest before wasn't as strong, just...different. Something about leaving boring, traditional lives sparked a separate flame. They were similar in that way, his family hadn't left either. Excluding his deadbeat dad, not to say he was apart of the family anyhow. He admired this girl, and he couldn't shield such reverence. "Mighty courageous, I must say." Her next comment led the boy to ponder, wondering how often he truly missed his mother. In truth, not often. He felt guilty to think such a strange and perhaps disrespectful way of his own mother, but the two just didn't have that light as he did with others. In all, did it matter as long as he loved her? 

The song reminded him of the difficulty he had leaving, though once he was gone every step and stride seemed to be the easiest ones in his life. Lily, herself, brought a song into Lennon's head. "She's leaving home, after living alone for so many years - You ever heard of that song? It makes me think of you."

"Either courageous or stupid," Lily responded, laughing. Still, her eyes glowed as she blinked at him. "Thanks, though. You are, too, leading a group like this." He couldn't be more than a few moons older than herself--perhaps he was even younger--and Lily couldn't imagine being the leader of a pack. So much responsibility!

She hummed appreciatively as Lennon sang, wanting to hear more. "No, but it's beautiful," she murmured, smiling. "Sad. Bittersweet," she amended after a pause, thinking about it.

Another thought came to her mind, and Lily stared quizzically at Lennon, his last words ringing in her ears. "We sound alike," she said. "Not like anyone else around here. Where are you from?" Perhaps they were distantly related. She did hope it was a very, very distant relation, if there was one at all.

He flinched at her suggestion, and he tilted his head slightly confused. Lennon seemed perplexed a moment, before returning to his infamous half-smirk-half grin. "You wouldn't say finding us was stupid, would you?" He didn't take any offense, just attempted to lead her to the more optimistic side. Her compliment made his cheeks flush, that was likely one of the only aspects of himself he wasn't confident. He had never led anyone before, it was nothing like following the groups with flowing vibes and traveling aimlessly high on shrooms. He gave a flattered huff and glanced down at her, "Thank you, truthfully it's a bit nerve-wracking. I've never done anything like this before." 

Bittersweet.  He could agree with that, growing up was harder than he'd thought. After establishing this community he would no longer be the roaming hippie with not a care in the world. Bittersweet because no matter how much love surrounds him his heart will always ache for it's missing piece. 

Lennon had also noticed their chipper accents, one more upbeat and accented than the others. How strange is it to come across such a familiar sounding wolf, but he was sure she wasn't back in Liverpool. He knew every wolf there from their scent to the sound of their voice, and no one smelled or sounded like the girl. The pool was rather secluded from the other groups, conversing occasionally with the neighboring packs but hardly allies. "I"m from up north-" He gestured upward with his head,  "Lived in Liverpool." 

"No, of course not," she assured him hastily, seeing his flinch. "But it could have gone terribly wrong, you know. I didn't plan this out much at all." The smile returned to her face. "Really, you wouldn't know it by looking at you. You're doing fantastic."

Lily shook her head as he named his home. "Never heard of it." Then again, he did mention it was up north--how far up? she wondered--whereas the girl had come from the east. She supposed their similar speech must simply be a coincidence, and likely not the result of them being related. Thank God.

She began to hum the song he'd sang for her, smiling without teeth. It was catchy, and she'd knew it would be in her head for a while--and Lennon sure had the loveliest voice. "Sing me another song," she prompted, trying to keep her tone soft and unassuming. "Your voice is beautiful."

 

omg "she's leaving home" just came on my shuffle