Lone Star Mountain you make my heart spin sorrow into silk

she inched close to him as they stood before the sun's brilliant display; eyes wide with unblemished awe. the stark, unhindered beauty of the mountains hadn't dulled anyway as the wind whipped and crooned with a strength she only witheld when it soared proud and brazen in the sky; dancing with the claws of stone that reached hungrily for whatever it was that looked over them day and night. such power lingered within the rock they stood upon; their little bags of flesh as fragile as a drifting leaf to the slumbering beast they perched atop. blanching, she inhaled shakily and reminded herself that whatever rage they'd fallen victim to that day had not killed them. her whole family had survived that peak's wrath because they were strong, their fire's too bright to be quenched by rolling rubble. even with such an affirmation slightly easing the rapid progression of her heart, the trembles continued to skitter up and down her spine but at least she could claim that to be nothing above the sharp cut of the frisky breeze. 

blinking rapidly, eyes shone as they roamed across the emerald glow rolling away from the earth's teeth; the pastel sheen already twirling with the eddying mist. smiling faintly, she continued the journey of sight until she witheld the bleeding sky. colours clashing in bursts of crimson that slunk amongst the slumbering indigo; paving a path for the soldier's of light blazing from the sun in proud yellow and orange. a breathless whisper unknowingly answered west's unspoken thoughts as she uttered "it never gets old...i think i could watch the sun wake up every day and never, ever see it as mundane. the fact we're blessed with such a display every single day...i do not know if we even deserve it" a short laugh as she finally tears wistful looks from the theatrics before them to look wholly at her company. chewing at her lip, the dove shifts before the boy; casting a sharp look to where shadows still lurked and leered from the several nooks and crannies their location sported. inhaling shakily, she finally returned to the steadying green gazing back at her. she could do this, it wasn't too hard her tongue just had to....move, why was it so heavy?

swallowing again, she frowned a little at the taste of blood slithering into her jaws. dammit she'd broken the skin of her lip, again- she really needed to banish this habit. "i sort of lied to you...i mean i did want to see the sunrise but...that wasn't the only reason i wanted to do this" shifting from paw to paw, she finally broke the contact of their shared gaze; looking off to some distant point as her short pelt ruffled in the breeze. "this exact mountain...this is where me and my family were trying to cross when the rock came to life. it was terrifying the whole thing just lurched as if some monster lives within this stone and decided to wake up. i was flung off like nothing more than a dead rabbit and hit my head and when i came round there was just displaced rock everywhere and my family..." she blinked hard against the sting at her eyes, trying to dispel the unnatural brightness "i thought everyone was dead so i ran, i ran so fast until the ground beneath my paws was flat and since that day...i couldn't go near a single mountain..." her ears pinned in shame at the display of cowardice, but..she was here now. and everyone was alive. 

swallowing for probably the hundredth time since she started talking, trying to fight the dryness of her mouth; her chin tilted upwards a little as she declared "this is my first time stepping foot on a mountain since...but i thought it was time because i am not going to let some stupid lump of rock beat me!" it ended a sharp growl, one that was carried off by silent messengers as it echoed along the sheer walls around them. but she did not falter, even at the unbidden image of the beast catching note of her words and deciding to play a little game. finally facing west wholly again, a little weak smile pressed nervously upon her features. what would he make of that? she wouldn't blame him if he thought her a fool, who the hell was scared of rock after all? 

"i'm also sorry we didn't get to go to whitebark stream" she hadn't told him exactly why, only announcing tersely that it wasn't happening in a tone that had requested no questions. but now..."i found out from zephyr that while i was mourning what i thought was my family's death...my papa was off making a new family..replacing us" her chin wobbled a little despite a fierce sharpness lingering in that unique gaze "i was told too that when our brother helios went missing he didn't even look for him he just, he just stayed with this replacement family and that...that does not sound like my papa. i was scared i wouldn't recognise him, scared i'd say something i'd regret so i decided to wait until i don't know, i'd thought it over..." she shrugs listlessly then, looking back in the general direction of the pack he lingered in; her papa with a new mate..new kids. claws tainted with a whirlwind of bitter pain, hurt and anger stroked down the edges of her mind as she gazed upon the blurry green. gosh she also felt awkward, after being all fun and boisterous as they explored these past weeks this was certainly a turn...would he be repelled? or angry she hadn't shared anything...giving him a wary sidelook, she could only hope she wouldn't be met with distaste.