Hushed Willows Believe in him and believe in me

Sundance's initiation, I was going to make it RO but will leave it up for a few days as a pack activity if anyone wants to get a reply in!  Some mild PP here for the sake of setting scene, let me know if you'd like me to change anything.   :)

He went to them at twilight, with a pair of freshly culled hare held firm between bloodied jaws. @Lumiya had said that providing a feast was expected in this first stage of initiation, though he feared his offering might not be enough. Stepping carefully through the wispy grasses beneath ethereal willow branches that swept gently over his crown and dorsal. Anxiety tightened its hold on the young druid's throat as he caught sight of the faeries who awaited his arrival, and it showed in the awkward stirring of his feathered tail.

He looked around at those gathered, visibly uncomfortable to have all eyes on him, and he swallowed the acidic burn of bile that began to threaten its way up his esophagus. Spotting @Eleuthera look upon him with encouragement he let his pale gaze linger on her a moment longer, grateful for her silent support, before turning focus on their little Queen. Sundance bowed low to her, keen to show his respect, before he extended his muzzle to release his catch onto the ground before her.

She later led them to a quiet pool, deep within the caverns below their guardian spire - the very one he'd sought to meditate near the night of his return. Sundance submerged himself at the Queen's request and allowed his furs to be groomed by pack-mates, which was a little strange at first. He tried to settle into their touch, the sensation of another's affection he'd long yearned for in the absence of his own kind. Breathing deep, the silver yearling closed his eyes and willed himself to the safe places of his mind until his pelage was cleaned and free of excess water.

Later, among his sister and the other faeries, he looked down at the vegetation presented to him. Lumiya wished for him to consume these roots that she promised were safe, would carry him off to a gentle place for a time. Fear of the unknown settled in the pit of Sundance's belly and, not wishing to insult his new pack-mates with his reluctance, he gathered the plants between his teeth and bit down. The taste was unpleasant: bitter on the tongue, enough to make him want to retch, but he managed to refrain from doing so. He chewed minimally and swallowed, then lowered himself into the smooth stone of the cave to rest while the drug took hold.

Its affects came swiftly, lulling him away from the present with fluttering lashes as he fought to maintain consciousness. Gaze lingered sleepily on the surface of that moonlit pool as his whole environment began to swirl, as colours enhanced and melted into one another.

Soon he was off in some faraway place, entirely alone, calling out to a shadow in the distance who never looked his way. Sundance hurried to catch up, but onward she carried - further and further from his reach, no matter his pace. The seasons changed swiftly: everwhite snow at Winter's heart, vivid shades of Springtime flowers, the clearest of blue skies at the height of Summer. Still he carried on, crying her name until his voice grew hoarse with a raw throat, before he was falling...

Trembling earth beneath his feet, rubble piled high all around him. He was within the strath once more, but trapped. No way out. The cold, cruel bite of fear in his belly as he roamed helplessly in search of survivors.

In search of her.

She who never came. She who never answered. She who could never love him.

In the end, Sundance did not think of his fallen mothers, of his lost brothers. His mind did not carry him home to more peaceful days in Elysium when he'd listen with wide-eyed wonder at uncle Cortez' tales nor when he'd chase butterflies with Valiant and the others. Instead, the druid saw himself seated at the edge of that very faerie pool by which he presently lay, and dreamed fond dreams of @Teya by his side.