Noctisardor Bypass the longships

As true midsummer came and went, Druid’s routine became more properly nocturnal. This transition was helped along by the fact that Bracelet disappeared into the leaf litter each morning and only reappeared after sundown. Like clockwork, she popped her head into Druid’s log each evening, tongue flickering as she slithered to coil around the pup’s wrist. The two of them would set out into the darkness together, the wolf emboldened by her magical snake.

Tonight, they wandered together through the pines surrounding the lagoon. It had rained during the afternoon, leaving everything damp. The air was blessedly cool too. Druid relished it, smiling as she paused to bend down and take a drink. While she lapped at the water, Bracelet slowly unwound from her foreleg and vanished into the debris lining the water’s edge.

Druid reclined to wait on her friend. When Bracelet emerged a while later, she sported a lump in her middle. Another slug? the wolf pup guessed with a light laugh, offering her paw. The little ringneck snake sluggishly wrapped around her heel, pressing her bright belly against the warmth that would help her digest her meal.

mahler had watched the children grow, teaching them what lessons they would glean, seeking one or another or all for a hunting lesson, a sparring competition. their lengthening limbs and burgeoning independence struck a pang in him, as it had during the time of phaedra's upbringing.
and thade —
still an old wound, those long and horrible months.
the night was drawn dark. mahler prowled along familiar pathways, charcoal aud distracted by a well-known little voice. the aroma of dark loam beneath the boulders of birdsong reminded him of the blessing from rain. and there, beneath the glow of the stars and the moon, was druid.
"you have been up late," he commented. the lilac eyes did not miss the slow coil of small scales around her ankle, but mahler sensed no danger. he dipped his head to take a long draught of the clear water, awaiting the roamer's alibi.

Once Bracelet settled, Druid drew in a breath and tried to think of what she should do now. As if in answer to this unspoken question, footfalls sounded nearby, coming closer. The wolf pup tipped her snout into the air, mismatched eyes crinkling at the corners when she realized who was heading this way.

Hi, Mahler. She smiled demurely at the patriarch’s observation. The night feels better, she explained simply. Noticing the way his gaze flicked to her wrist, the youngster slowly lifted it and added, This is Bracelet. The tiny snake tightened her grasp. She’s magic, Druid added, sotto voce.

Gently setting her paw back on the ground, Druid pointed out, You’re up late too. She cocked her head sweetly, wondering what he was doing prowling about at this hour and whether he might mind some company.

mahler faced the dark surface of the water. "indeed it does, druid," he agrees at once, feeling how light the air seemed now in contrast with the day's exhausting heat. 
she was at an age of articulating the weather's patterning. he found this to be important indeed, an instinct worth his nurturing. "magick? how so?" the gargoyle inquired with interest, peering with a scientific curiosity at her small friend. "hello, bracelet." a charming name.
"i am up late because — after dark i become a night vatchman," he told druid with a faux somberness, humour in his lavender eyes as he watched sidelong for the child's reaction.

He regarded the small serpent with interest, even proffered a greeting, before inquiring about her magical properties. Of course, Druid wasn’t sure of specifics. Skaigona might know more. She thought of her sister’s words and replied mysteriously, It’s a secret.

But her words were not nearly as intriguing as his. Night vatchman? she repeated, imitating his accent without being aware of it. What’s that? Druid wondered, looking more closely at him as if she might spot the difference in Mahler’s form.

mahler grinned as his heavy accent was repeated back to his own features. "vell, sometimes a graf must have a time to himself. vhen that happens, he feels more free. a vatchman at night can hear the darkness speak to him."
a pause for effect.
a sound, spinning toward them. mahler lifted his muzzle toward the air, listening. would druid know what had made the noise? 
"see?" he told her quietly. he began to walk slowly on, waiting for the child to accompany him.

She listened closely as he explained. Druid certainly understood what he meant. Although she sometimes missed her mother’s and siblings’ company after dark, she also enjoyed the solitude. It was peaceful, quiet, and it gave her time to dabble in her own pursuits. And now she had Bracelet, so she was never truly alone.

But she’d most certainly never heard the night speak; at least, she didn’t think so. Just as soon as Mahler’s voice tapered away, there came a sound through the darkness. Druid jumped a little, then glanced apologetically at the snake. Bracelet did not seem disturbed by the movement, so the pup’s attention flitted back up to the Graf.

“See?” N— But the word didn’t entirely escape as Druid leaped to her feet to follow after Mahler, a tiny tugboat to his dark ship. I don’t see anything, she whispered conspiratorially, checking to make sure Bracelet was still wrapped securely.

mahler chuckled gently. "it is confusing. but i mean that you should see vith your ears." not just hear or listen. "vatch."
mahler faced the night and shut his eyes. 
wind rose in the pines around the lagoon. it shown upon the water, which rippled only slightly against the boulders. above him, the rustle of branches.
"vhen ve listen, ve learn how rivenvood is at night. the sound of the trees speaking. the —" again, the haunting song of a loon, somewhere out of sight upon birdsong.
"and you begin to learn who is avake at night, as vell."

She tried to step lightly to avoid juddering Bracelet too much, while maintaining her focus on the Graf. Between these two things and her penchant for clumsiness, it was only a matter of time before Druid stumbled. Fortunately for all involved, Mahler’s still haunch braced her. Inhaling sharply, she drew back and checked on Bracelet, who was fine. Her eyes then cast upward apologetically.

But Mahler’s eyes were firmly closed. Druid slowly sank to her haunches beside him, then mimicked him by straightening her back and shutting her eyes. She tuned into the night with her other senses, hearing as well as touch and smell. The breeze that ruffled across the lagoon and tickled her face was scented with summer rain.

Her two-toned eyes slowly opened as Mahler spoke, widening a fraction at the sound of a distant loon. It was an eerie and melancholic noise, though one she actually knew well. Many of the sounds rustling in the night were like that: comforting in their familiarity.

She pondered the patriarch’s words a moment before quietly asking, How can trees speak if they don’t have mouths? It had not occurred to the young whelp that she might be taking some of his lessons a tad too literally.

to her credit, druid did attempt the same.
mahler had felt her collide with his hock. the little serpent was still wrapped around her ankle. but he did not like the idea of even the small coils squeezing around her throat, perhaps, or her tail, carried too gleefully along.
her question was an apt one, even through its childishness. "they have their own language, vich does not need mouths." 
the wind rose again, warmly. this time it scudded across the surface of the lagoon, so that the waves splashed audibly upon the bank. mahler watched birdsong recede again. "the sound of that means that there are fish to be found, but only in the deeper parts of the vater."

Although she didn’t necessarily understand his answer, she accepted it. She nodded, going still at the sound of a splash off in the darkness. She looked to Mahler, anticipating a reaction of some kind, and was rewarded with an explanation.

I tried to catch a fish once, she shared with him, thinking of that day when she and Skaigona had approached Malila on the shore. I wasn’t very good at it. They’re fast! And slippery too, Druid marveled.

A pulse of light overhead startled a small gasp from the child. She tipped her head back to peer straight upward, watching as the sky illuminated in rapid, noiseless flashes. Druid had witnessed lightning before, yet never without the accompaniment of rain and thunder. Her brow furrowed, mismatched eyes skittering to the Graf’s face, questioning.

"they are! but i am sure you made a good attempt, druid. and you can alvays try again." mahler had learned the dire lesson of water and young children, and made sure he kept himself between the pup and the waves as they walked on.
light forked flickingly through the bypass. druid stared at him for an answer. "heat lightning," he told her. "it enjoys playing over the vater."
they would move away, toward more open and level ground. 
mahler glanced to ensure the little wolf followed, and that bracelet had secured herself.

The Graf did not make her wait long for an explanation. “Heat lightning,” he said and the girl’s brows raised. She didn’t like that word: “heat.” Actually, it was the concept she misliked. Druid simply did not do well in heat, hence why she remained awake after nightfall, when the temperatures fell too.

Mahler’s remark about the lightning playing over the water earned a ponderous noise from Druid before she guessed, Is it trying to get in the water because it’s hot? It was something she often did herself, if she happened to be awake during the stiflingly hot hours.

When the dark man began guiding her away from the waterside, Druid pivoted and glided after him. She noticed when Mahler’s gaze dropped to her wrist and she looked down too, smiling at the snake slumbering, her anklebone a pillow.

Eyes drifting back toward the patriarch, Druid said, Do you know what Bracelet eats? She inhaled, then breathed out the answer, Slugs!

mahler smiled. "vhat a thought! do you think that the vater could cool the lightning?" he suspected his question would have to wait, as druid was sweeping into another statement. "slugs! i know vhere ve can find quite a few."
mahler kept a sedate pace toward the woodland he had come to think of as dawnleaf. "is that vhy you are out at night? searching for bracelet's meal?" his voice was gentle, inviting, for stewardship of smaller animals reflected a kind heart indeed.
sequoia had done well by her children, all four of them.

Yes? she replied tentatively, seeing no reason why not. Water cooled down everything. The way he asked her reminded Druid of the way Wylla had questioned her about the colorful lights in the sky. With a start, Druid realized the resemblance between the two phenomena and wondered: were they related?

Mahler distracted her with talk of slugs, mentioning he knew where to find a bounty of them. Of course, Druid eagerly trotted after him, for Bracelet’s sake. The small serpent might be sated now, though she would need regular meals, if she was anything like wolves in that regard.

Yes, she repeated to his next question, though it came out less hesitantly this time. Bracelet stays awake at night too. I think the night feels better to her too, the youngster murmured sagely. To both little girls, days were anathema, nights panacea.

"oh yes, the night is a good time for little snakes." he led druid just inside the edge of the watercolor wood, and showed here a tree standing aside by itself.
a sapling, and coiled around its base was an immense yellow slug with dark markings, nearly druid's own length.
"she is the königinmutter of slugs," mahler whispered to the child.
he would linger there as long as the wished, before indicating the thick and silvery trails leading deeper into a stack of mossy stones, a shaft of moonlight shining down upon them.

The Graf led her toward a solitary tree growing apart from the many others in Rivenwood. It was young, slender and supple. It made her think of her old stick, since chewed to pieces and discarded by one of the adults. But her attention didn’t linger on it for long, not when Mahler drew her focus down to the incredible creature snugly curled near its roots.

Druid stared, eyes wide in the dark. Never mind feeding it to her familiar; this slug could eat Bracelet! She was utterly fascinated by the sight, her ears quivering minutely to register the fittingly grandiose name Mahler bequeathed the behemoth of a slug.

The patriarch gave her several moments to study the glistening yellow organism before he drew away. Druid stepped after him, only reluctantly tearing her gaze form the königinmutter, looking beyond Mahler to the palely moonlit stack of stones.

upon each of them, the unlevel stacks, was a large chorus of smaller slugs. they had created a silver-weaving of trails together, and stood as if enchanted by the moon itself.
mahler watched them for a moment, but said nothing. instead he looked to druid and to bracelet, to see especially what the little serpent might make of this sight.
the best sort of slugs arrived to these grounds, he suspected. it was rich with moist and thickened moss, which he knew would be beaded with morning dew in the early hours.

Before them was a veritable smorgasbord of slugs. Druid gasped and blinked owlishly, two-toned eyes bouncing from one to the next, noting the glistening trails they left on the stone. Her gaze then flicked up to Mahler, who was looking at Bracelet. Druid looked at the snake too, raising her forepaw to give the little serpent a better view.

But Bracelet only squeezed gently, still sleepy from her earlier meal. It would be some time before she needed to feed again, not that Druid knew this. Forked tongue flickered out almost sleepily as the snake remained latched to the source of heat, which would assist in her digestion.

Guess she’s not hungry, Druid murmured, putting her foot back on the ground and looking to the Graf. But I’ll bring her back here, she said to herself as much as to Mahler or Bracelet.

She stared at the gathering of slugs for a long moment before seeking the patriarch’s attention again. What else? she asked, keen for him to show her the next wonder of nighttime in Rivenwood.

mahler had expected druid to grow tired by now, but she did not. instead the girl inspected the slugs and then, with her snake in tow, asked after what else could be found.
"hmm." the sound was exaggerated as he set a course for them out of dawnleaf, heading north. "i do know of another place, but it is very noisy."
their path emptied into the green field as the trees thinned. mahler indicated the rivulet of water, a tiny trickle which rushed valiantly through a sea of mud. 
small vines twisted along the shallow bank, and among them, small green frogs with a reddish spot upon each of their mouths. they croaked loudly, uncaring that wolves walked so close.
"here they talk about berries, and how to find berries, and how to eat them. look. they have eaten so many that their faces are stained!"
mahler chuckled to himself.

She eagerly shadowed him, though Druid chewed the inside of her cheek when he told her their destination would be noisy. Loud sounds were a bit like heat: mildly unpleasant at best, downright unbearable at worst, and ofttimes inescapable. Would she really willingly follow him someplace like that?

Druid trusted Mahler implicitly. Heeding his warning, she braced herself as they moved through the darkness. The trees grew sparse on either side of them and they soon found themselves breaching the fringe of a meadow. Just ahead, a stream wound, its quiet babble drowned out by the chorus of frogs.

The Graf told her they were discussing berries, of all things, and Druid cocked her head. When she crept forward and took a closer look, she could see the small amphibians populating the flotsam along the bank. It took her several beats to realize Mahler was remarking about the spot of color on their mouths.

Straightening, Druid queried, Do they really eat berries? She blinked and added with a soft smile, They’re not too noisy. Objectively, the night was certainly louder here for their vibrations, though it was tolerable, even quite melodious.

mahler looked slyly toward druid. "i am told if you bring the frogs something vorthvhile, they vill tell you for certain vhat they talk about." the child was careful and introspective. he suspected she would not be taken in by such a racket, and set himself to spinning another story.
"not so loud! perhaps your ears are only better than mine," the gargoyle declared. "did you know that there vas vonce a frog king?"

His words made her think again of what Skaigona had said: “I met a girl here. She smells like Mahler. She told me there were secrets in Rivenwood.” Druid wondered what Mahler knew of magic. He certainly knew many of Rivenwood’s secrets; he was revealing them to her one by one this very night.

Just like she planned to bring Bracelet back to the outcropping where the slugs gathered—Slugstone, she decided to call it—Druid made a note to return here another night with a gift, likely a berry, to find out the truth of the Graf’s words.

But for now, he enticed her attention with a story. No, she breathed in reply, eyes wide in the dark. One glowed almost neon, the other as dark as the night around them, but both brimmed equally with curiosity.

a larger frog than the rest, if just slightly so, crept out into the field of their vision. its wideset eyes inspected the predators, and it swelled its throat defiantly. "oh yes. he gave vishes to anyvone who brought a shiny item and a good question."
"but," mahler went on, "if your question vas not good, or your offering not shiny enough, he vould svallow you whole."
he looked at the frog again, wondering if druid would dismantle his story or add a detail of her own.

She was so riveted by the tale, she didn’t notice the frog prostrating itself just below them. Her head reared back a little when Mahler said their monarch could swallow someone whole. She had been picturing a much tinier king among the amphibians, so it took Druid a moment to refresh the imagery in her mind.

Then a realization distracted her. Bracelet swallows her food whole! Druid exclaimed, thrusting out her foreleg a little thoughtlessly. The snake’s hold had loosened in sleep, so she was very nearly flung into the night. Oh! the child gasped, carefully reeling in her leg and cradling it to her breast. Bracelet! I’m sorry.

Although she wasn’t tired, Druid abruptly felt as if they’d done enough adventuring for one night, after all. Her lip quivered a little with her guilt, even as the little ringneck snake draped cozily about her wrist, none the worse for wear. The pup drew in a breath, reminding herself to be more careful.