Sun Mote Copse Dear Daddy-Long-Legs

Wraen had not been the one to be in the middle of the things for many months now, preferring to observe comings and goings from the sidelines and involving herself only, when it felt right to include herself in the narrative. Or, when she was absolutely needed. Most of the time Firebirds managed themselves so well that the now temporarily retired Sovereign wondered, if they needed one leader in the usual sense at all. From all the packs she had been part of only her birth family and this one had been so self-sufficient and able to function cohesively. 

Nevertheless she felt glad that for the time being she was off the duties to be on top of all things, to make sure daily that all was still running well, not to worry about the future. Future. Wraen had walked a bit this morning with many stops along the way. It felt odd that, while her mind wished to run, race, return to life, her body was not co-operating. She tired so easily that it was almost ridiculous. Her heart racing and her being out of breath even after a brief stretch that she usually would have covered without even noticing. Now every step was a little victory, but it made her wonder, how long would this state last or whether it would ever go away. 

She had spoken about death and dying with Arcturus not so long ago - then it had been theoretical, she realized at present that not only she had had spoken as if she had any idea, what it meant, when in reality she did not. Worse even - she had challenged the lady with the scythe boldly with arrogance and false belief that there was nothing to fear of, when in reality... well, reality was neither noble, nor beautiful. Feeling tired again, Wraen lied down on the rocky ledge that faced the waterfalls right across the river and, while watching the light playing in the water droplets, little rainbows appearing here and there, she thought about, how much she still wanted to live.

there was another wolf, who also dearly wished for wraen to live.

arcturus had not escaped free from injury, that day he and towhee had dragged the sovereign from the buzzing hive. his face had swelled to a grotesque proportion, leaving one eye seeped shut and the other weeping. his breath had been shaky, and even now days after the event, arcturus felt as if someone had dragged him to the very tip of the mountain, and kicked him down every step of the way.

wraen was not hard to find today; arcturus wouldn't have admitted it, but he had kept close tabs on her since her (and his and towhee's) near-death encounter. giving the waterfall only the barest of glances, arcturus plopped (stiffly, too) next to the ex-sovereign, and breathed in the cool mists that fell in refreshing sheets around them. there was a brief lull of silence, but eventually arcturus spoke.

"what are you thinking of today, wraen?"

Wraen welcomed Arcturus's company with a turn of her head and few taps of her tail. She did not feel up to doing a proper greeting, but it did not escape her attention that her friend was less nimble as usual as well. She knew that she reacted very badly to the hornets, but it seemed that even more able-bodied individuals were still suffering from the scale of the wrath. 

"Nothing in particular," she lied smoothly. Some contemplations she wanted to keep to herself. "Though the water here has a hint of fairy magic," she added, turning her gaze towards the waterfall, as she said this, then back to Arcturus. "How are you?"

arcturus did not catch a blip of dishonesty in wraen's tone, though he had hoped he might gain some insight into her mind by her answer. no matter -- he was distracted then by her gaze and response, which turned his attention to the water and its purported magical properties.

ever the literalist, arthur's brow crinkled and then smoothed as he got the joke. wraen was looking better today -- she was far from out of the woods yet, but the same could be said for him. within a few days, they might both be recognizable as people -- rather than the swelled up mushrooms they imitated.

"i am fine. can't say i care for who i see in the water these days -- who would have thought mere weeks before, this was the face of a handsome tradesman?" a callback to when wraen had called him handsome -- and bonus, a rarefied joke from the man that was for all intents and purposes, usually quite dull when it came to humor. "how are you feeling, wraen?" his tone took a turn for the serious, and even though his face was a hodgepodge of swelling, concern was writ clearly across it.

Wraen did not understand the joke right away, therefore she took a better look at Arcturus face and grinned. It did not seem that his manly pride was wounded because of the change, but she made a mental note that at the moment not only Towhee had taken the place as Female No.1 in the Firebirds, but Bronco was the sole eligible and desirable good-looking bachelor in the pack. Too bad there weren't many ladies he could woo with his charms. 

"I've been better," Wraen shrugged, not really wishing to delve in too many details of her state. It was enough dealing with it daily to relive through it again by sharing the experience with another. "Can't do much though, but it will pass," she hoped so, but had no way of knowing for sure. With this her resources for conversation subjects were drained, she rested her head between her outstretched forepaws and observed the waterfall in contemplative silence.

it seemed the joke didn't land; arcturus was puzzled for a moment, then relieved as he saw wraen smile. maybe she hadn't remembered she had called him handsome once (arcturus would never forget), or maybe, she was just tired. it was not as if she was in her best mental state at the moment, and arcturus couldn't blame her.

he understood (and felt) that sense of exhaustion, and he was silent as wraen set her head upon her paws. for a while, arcturus was content to watch the waterfall alongside wraen -- to simply be in her presence was not unlike the feeling of standing under the sun on a nice spring day. he signed and placed his head upon his paws as well, looking out into the chasm where water fell in perpetual cascades. "there's a rainbow over there." he motioned lazily with his eyes, towards where a small rainbow repeatedly materialized and then dematerialized from the mists. "maybe when we're both feeling better, we see what's behind it." it was arcturus' feeble way of trying to get wraen's mind off of her sorry state. if nothing else, he was at least trying.

"I have been there. Once with..." Wraen furrowed her brow, trying to remember, whether the person was Maia or another packmate or... maybe the waterfall was an entirely different one? Boy, had her memory got fuzzy and frayed along the edges. She sincerely did not know. 

"...somebody. Perhaps, it was not exactly here, but behind the wall of water there is a cozy cavern, covered in moss and kelps. And there are stone teeth above your head. Mom used to say that such places were the petrified remains of dragon's jaws. 

And just imagine - how many can boast that they have sat inside a dragon's mouth and made it out alive?" she chuckled, her gaze wearing a far-off expression. As if she was miles away from here, at another time and place. "I rambled, didn't I?" Wraen asked sadly. "But it was a good memory. Even if a very old one."

arcturus' ears perked as wraen began to speak of a past adventure there - it didn't matter she did not remember with who. to arcturus, imagining that hidden cavern as a dragon was challenging -- but if he closed his eyes just so, he could see the fierce columns in the cave, and how they could be considered the teeth of a once mighty beast.

he could tell that wraen's energies were dwindling, and he did not press. normally, she was the windbag and he the listener -- perhaps this time the roles could be reversed.

"you didn't ramble. but.. maybe it is my turn, to tell you a story." how far the ostrega had come, that day they had met on the cliffs -- and how fortunate he was, that his life was better for it.

For a moment Wraen wondered, if Arcturus would ever tell her truth, so bent he seemed on not disappointing her in any way. But all things considered, facts weren't always important, the good sense of when was the right time to use them was. 

"Never thought to hear that from you," she teased him gently, but the usual mischievous light in her eyes that accompanied such statements, was gone. "Fire away. I am all ears," Wraen encouraged him and settled so that she was facing her friend now.

there were many things in this world arcturus did not like -- but none measured to the bottomless fear he had, when he looked upon wraen and saw her eyes were flat and tired.

he never wished to see that again -- the sight haunted him long after he looked helplessly away, over the misty rainbow sheen of the waterfall, up the cascade -- anywhere, but that flat and lifeless expanse of green.

"well, the bar is very low." arcturus countered, struggling then to pull all the threads that wraen had given him. all the little morsels and threads she had provided, to weave an illustrious and storied tapestry. he would not come close to her artistry, but at least he could take her mind off of her suffering and maybe, show her how much just being around him had changed him for the better.

his story would not have dragons or moss trolls or even ice queens. perhaps in that way, it might hit a little closer to home. "there is a saying, when the lamb is lost in the mountain he will cry. sometimes, you get the mother.

sometimes, you get the wolf.

this is that story -- of a wolf and a lamb." his gaze flickered to wraen to see if any life stirred in that depressive green, or any recognition.

Wraen fought to keep her eyes open not because the premise of Arcturus's story had been boring or not promissing (nothing like that), but there was another wave of tiredness that wrapped her like a soft and warm blanket. She would gladly rest her head on her paws again and fall asleep.

But she was true to the code of honor of story-tellers. You had to respect the other just as they did, when you told their own. Therefore she let out a quiet sigh and waited patiently for the story to unfold.

arcturus could tell wraen was tired. noticing that flustered him and made him wonder, should he shelf the story for another time as she had done to him once? if he could sweat, beads of perspiration might have formed on his temples.

he decided to push on. it was not a long story, and he would feel better knowing he set out to do something hard to impress wraen, and had finished it - that in itself was an accomplishment. even if he sucked at story telling.

"hundreds of years ago when most of the world was plains and mountains and not trees and forests, there were wolves and goats which roamed in numbers far heavier than they do today." a peek, to see if wraen was still awake (arcturus would continue even if she fell asleep - he didn't mind, as she needed her rest). "the wolves stuck to the lowlands and the goats to the highlands - this was the order of things then, though it is not so now.

in that time, wolves did not eat goat -- not yet -- for their paths did not intersect, and the ram were fierce protectors of their flock.

until one year, when the wolves saw the longest summer they had ever known. the heat drove out the deer and the hare, and drove many wolves out with it.

there was one wolf that stayed behind in the desert - rau. he looked up the mountain, and wondered -- why did the wolves not hunt goat?"

anyone could see where this was going.

Eventually Wraen did close her eyes, but her ears were up and alert, her listening keenly, while her imagination drew the picture Arcturus was painting for her. Mountain goats were easy to picture, because she had once (twice, to be exact) lived in the mountains herself and met the feisty and agile creatures herself. Tried to hunt them and...

"Oh, I know answer to that one," she opened one eye and without lifting her head, looked up at Arcturus. "I and a packmate of mine once hunted them and I got rammed in the ribs. Knocked all air out of my chest and I was not able to move normally for two weeks straight. Very dangerous things," she sighed and shut her eyes. "But, who am I telling this. You probably haven't got hit even once," she laughed to herself.

wraen peered at arcturus with one eye, divulging she knew exactly why ram were not often on the menu. arcturus smiled to himself, waving away her statement with a shrug. "oh no, i've been hit. but rau did not know what these sheep were capable of, and one day he decided to stalk up the mountain range and study them.

he studied them for several days, always climbing higher. a few times he thought to make his move, but the sheep had many eyes in the foothill, and all of them trained on him. so he climbed, chasing one ram in particular -- who was full of golden fur and advanced in years. one day, the dirt beneath his feet had become shale, and the going was treacherous. still rau pressed on after the gilded ram, believing the old man would soon die on the mountain.

rau had seen many sheep fall from tall heights, and had never found their bodies below. what he did not know, was that sheep were born with the mountain in their soul, eyes, and feet -- and were every bit a part of it as the rock he stood upon.

the rock he slipped upon." arcturus noted wraen's eyes were closed, and so continued.

"rau fell.

unlike the sheep, he did not land well -- and when he landed his right front leg became trapped in the tumbled stones. he tried and tried to break free, but the more he struggled the more wedged his leg became, until at last it seemed he might die on the mountain.

he started to howl. first for his friends, and packmates, but they were long gone. then he called for anything, feeling dread overcome him like a cold wash of water. when at last he felt his voice give way and he could cry no more, he saw a shadow cast over him.

that shadow belonged to a ram -- the very ram he had been following. 'help me,' rau begged of the creature, who watched him flatly from a safe distance.

at first, it seemed the ram would do no such thing. it turned once, away --

and then turned back, head dropped -- and punted rau and his trapped leg right off of the shale.

rau landed in a heap several feet down the mountain, his head and shoulders ringing -- but he was free -- and after catching his breath and waiting out the pain, rau stumbled down the mountain.

but that is not the end of our story -- for the golden ram followed."

"When did you get this good?" Wraen asked and at the same time fought hard not to fall asleep. The one time Arcturus showed a spark of literary genius and she was on the verge of being the worst audience possible. When would another moment like this come?

"Will he beat Rau senseless?" her question was followed by mighty yawn, then another one. "Don't bother, you are not boring, my brain's just acting up," she told him with an apologetic smile, raised to her feet, shook her coat and then sank back to her belly again.

arcturus gave an uncustomary wink as wraen asked when he had gotten so good -- "since i got a good teacher," the ostrega joked, followed by crossing one paw over the other with a good-humored smile.

he could tell wraen was tired, and it nagged at him. rather than keep her up (and truly, he was winging it as he went anyway) arcturus offered. "i can finish the story tomorrow. it will give me more time to think of a good twist." of course, rau would get his redemption -- or not -- if arcturus ever continued the story, but for now he was perfectly fine with letting poor wraen rest, rather than keep her up for his own selfish ego.

Well, Wraen did not mind being up for Arcturus's hungry selfish ego, if it enriched hers as well. She felt a bit disappointed - the same way a person feels, when they get hooked on "Game of Thrones"; each episode ends with a "WTF just happened" and "let's watch another one" and before you know it, you are through Season 1 and a new working day is dawning over the horizon - but she was spared this kind suffering of missed out, but very needed sleep. If - and she guessed it correctly - her friend needed to polish up the story or come up with a new chapter, she did not mind waiting. 

 "Okay, just don't keep me waiting for too long," she rested her head between her outstretched forepaws and looked up. "Muse of storytellers is very finicky, picky and jealous kind. Be warned," she chuckled. 

Last one from me, but you will have to finish that story! :D

<33 I WILL!!

polish up the story was an understatement, but arcturus grinned as wraen accepted his proposal, resting her head on her legs. for a brief moment, arcturus saw just how tired she really was -- it shocked him, for it was the first time he had seen wraen look aged.

"i will keep that in mind." arthur quipped, hoping that was not the case for his story. he placed his head on his paws, waiting as wraen's breath came in gradually slower intervals. before long, arcturus drifted off into an exhausted and dreamless sleep.