Wheeling Gull Isle somewhere only we know

nights came earlier now, their sun time limited to a few good hours each day.

she didn't mind it - the early nights, the chill in the air, the snow that would eventually fall. she was a northerner by blood, these to her were simply a few reminders of home. but was that place, now so far from her reach, still considered home? or was this isle, new and inspiring, what she'd call home?

she would not stress over such thoughts, her mind busy with the task of navigating towards the tops of the geenhills. when she eventually reached the highest point, kacia set herself to wait and look upon the distant sky as it morphed into an ocean of stars.

here, she simply observed.

making some IC assumptions, lmk if uncool!

from heda's perch in the greenhills, she missed little. and the arrival of the golden woman had certainly not gone unnoticed.
nor the way she and bartholomew had toured through the lavender fields and played together. it was then that heda had turned away and sought her shelter with an odd feeling tangled into her stomach.
when she saw the she-wolf again the sensation returned, but the young advisor approached with a pleasant expression. "hello," she said, exhaling to cover a falter as she saw how exquisite the novus was.

the silence was broken by words like a mirror shattered to the floor.

ears swiveled atop her crown as she turn to face the yearling of frost and sandstone. her design, though simply crafted, appeared as if it was molded with gentle, loving hands. she was pretty, her features accented by a youthfulness the sylph still wish she had.

unfamiliar with any ranks or authority other than the courtly gentleman who'd escorted her here, the sprite remained blissfully unaware of who stood before her. she only knew that with the strength of salt that had woven it's way into the girl's coat, that she had been here far longer than the fay.

lips parted, and she ushered out a soft "hello", voice hoarse from lack of use.

bartholomew's scent was on this woman, as it was all of them. it was in every part of sweetharbor, and until this very moment in time, it had always provided heda with serenity.
the woman's striking pale-blue eyes met her own and a wan voice beckoned. "i'm heda, the advisor," she said, trying to force warmth into a voice that felt mechanic.
bartholomew played and laughed with all of them. she shouldn't think so much of it. "are you settling well on the island?"

oh, an advisor!

but she was so young. not that kacia thought all youth lacked in sound minds for such roles, but it was certainly an oddity. the sylph herself had been wandering hillsides and mountains when she'd been younger than the girl before her now. she could not imagine taking on responsibility at such an age.

"hello heda, my name is kacia," she introduced with a thick swallow, saliva soothing a sore throat.

baby blues tore away from the young advisor and rested on the crashing waves in the distance when asked how she'd been settling. "it is...different here than what i am accustomed to."

snow, sleet, wind, frost - the island was a luxury resort compared to her homeland.

kacia. it was as lovely as the rest of her. she thought of the woman's peach fur glowing as she danced from bartholomew's grasp.
jealousy. it was jealousy, and heda was surprised by its existence. she was — the age of his children. of course he did not think of her in any way but that!
"it is different from what i knew too, kacia," the advisor said, careful of her voice. "will you walk with me? we'll go up there, to the highest point of the greenhills. you can see all of sweetharbor from there."

there was some relief found in hearing the young advisor's words. they led the sprite to assume the girl had not been born here, or near to the shore. yet she'd seemingly adapted fine to the air of salt and aroma of sea, which gave hope for kacia to do the same.

when the offer to join her towards the hilltops was made, the sylph gave a simple nod and moved to follow where the yearling would lead. she took care to leave enough room between them that there'd be no accidental bump of contact.

enough space to avoid the suffocation of undesired anxiety.

they walked, and heda did not see fit to speak until they had reached the top. here the wind played at them both, and she turned to look at kacia. the sea glittered in dark beauty in all directions. from here the forests could be seen, the tidepools, the bare beach, the arch.
and the lavender field.
her heart beat. "i'm up here all the time. just — watching." heda sat and kept her eyes upon the ocean.

she followed dutifully, silently. there were no questions, no small talk, and she found some solace in the quiet.

it was only as they came upon the rolling hills, each crest a wave of green among a sea of grassland, that words broke the collective silence. she thought the yearling a dove upon a perch, vigilant, peaceful.

"it is very pretty". pretty - she meant it in all sense of the word.

a thought then, and a gentle thrum of her heart at the next words to leave her lips.

"could i join you from time to time? to watch together...if you'd like the company?"

heda wanted immediately to say no. but she could find no reason for it. she recognized that kacia was reaching out to her. and as advisor to sweetharbor, she must remain impartial. "i'd like that," she opted to say with a smile that was sunny despite her turmoil.
"this place is a new start for anyone. but if you want to talk about before, i'll listen." heda's golden eyes were observant.

a gentle breeze, soothing and inviting, whisked by as it tangle locks of fawn and cotton. she'd been granted permission to join the young advisor in her watching, and the sprite gave a soft swish of her tail in thanks.

she had not been expecting the next words to clash so hard as they did in the autumn air.

she turned to glance towards those ever observing eyes, gold now feeling like the chill of metal than the warmth of a flame.

"there is not much to talk about, truthfully." it was not a lie, her eyes said it so. "my life is not one interesting enough to be recounted." she had no scars to tell tales of, no heartbreak to cry over, no adventures worth sharing.

her life was a book with a pretty cover, everyone picked it up to read only to get halfway though and realize all along that the cover was the best part.

heda shook her muzzle a little. "you're interesting because you're here." she meant it truly and genuinely.

god had led kacia to this place. heda would work to that end, to welcome her as that presence of light would desire. but the girl would not press. she turned her eyes back over their vision. "i'm good with fish and with birds, and with shellfish. so if you want help with any of that, let me know!"

her golden eyes were kind.

a wispy smile spun it's way upon her lips at the advisor's kind words.

perhaps the isle would mark a new chapter in her story, a twist to captivate the audience and hold their attention. or perhaps it would not, only time knew of her tale's fate.

the alabaster girl did not press for further details, and the sylph was appreciative of this. though she did speak of birds and fish and...fish with shells? "i have never seen a fish with a shell before," she let out with an amused grin, the imagery in her head vivid and odd.

"do they look like normal fish?" more importantly, "do they taste good?"

heda laughed. "they taste very good. but they don't really look like swimming fish. come on, i'll show you."
once she and kacia had come to the shoreline, heda reached out and began to pry clams from the rocks exposed at low tide. she looked back for the woman, daring her playfully to come and attempt the same.