The Sunspire get it while it's hot

I have all the Ty muse right now!

After Osprey's visitation, Ty was feeling oddly rejuvenated. Her heart thrummed in her chest in a way that it hadn't in a very long time, and she sprinted up the side of The Sunspire with happiness in her heart. She wasn't exactly sure what had brought her mood out of the shadows, but she was content to put the "blame" on her sister. On a whim, she thought it might be a good idea to seek out Summer and give him the deets on what had gone down.

Maybe, if this feeling persisted, she would head south and visit her father to let him know she was doing well. Ty was aware that Summer had done as much a few months ago, but she wanted to see him for herself. Perhaps his new children—her siblings—had been born. And maybe Summer could go with her. He was far better at the whole traveling thing than she had ever been. Besides, didn't he have another friend there?

Once she reached a stable ledge, Ty's voice rang out for @Summer, hoping he would join her.

SO EXCITED TY IS BACK!!! *SHAKES YOU*

Summer's ears perked at the sound of Tytonidae's voice singing across the wind.  He had been dozing outside of his den after a vigorous round of gnawing on a stick, but not nearly heavy enough to miss a call from one of his closest friends.  The black wolf pulled himself up onto all fours and gave his coat a good shake before breaking into a canter down the slopes in the direction of his friend.


It didn't take the Ostrega too long to come upon her.  A soft smile graced his lips as he spotted her and slowed to a light trot.  Ty had been in such a dark place for so long, leaving Summer feeling helpless.  As much as he'd wanted to "fix" her, her unending melancholy had proven to him quite a while ago that this was something that only time could heal.  And thus, he'd let her be.  He helped merely by being there for her and spending time with her, telling her of his day and the things he'd done while she listened quietly and thought whatever thoughts there were spinning about behind her inquisitive green eyes.

Summer stopped on the ledge beside her, pressing his nose briefly against her muzzle in greeting.  He slipped down onto his haunches beside her.  There was something a little... different about her that Summer couldn't quite place, and thus he kept quiet and left the task of breaking the silence to her.

"Hi, Summer," she greeted, nudging his chin with the top of her muzzle. "I saw my sister today. She came for a visit, but she went back to her new home." Tytonidae wasn't sure why she was telling him this... maybe just because it felt like he should know on some level. "I don't know why... but it made me feel better." Perhaps it was some kind of reconciliation that she'd needed. Ty had never been terribly close to Saena or Pura, but she'd always been close to Osprey. Things hadn't felt right for a long time, but today, they felt better. Maybe the upswing would continue.

"I know I've been... y'know, but I think spring might turn things around for me." Surely there was a pun in there somewhere regarding Summer's name, but her too-slow mind couldn't quite grasp it. Not wanting to end talking all about herself, she added one more thing. "How are you?"

Oops, I think I might be breaking timelines here... maybe Summer won't be able to make it to the thread with Junior for some reason or another, haha.

lol u silly billy

Summer smiled and listened quietly as she spoke.  He quirked a brow when she admitted to seeing her sister and that it made her feel better.  Saena's face came to his mind.  Her nonchalance when he told her Tytonidae lived with him could not be overlooked, and thus he had to wonder why seeing her would have put Ty in such a better mood.  It was her indifference that had kept Summer from telling Ty that he'd met her at all.


The Ostrega kept quiet on the subject, which seemed to go unnoticed as Ty continued.  Her optimism - however subtle - brought a smile to his face.  She was happier than he'd seen her in months and whatever the reason for it, he wasn't one to question.  "I'm well, especially getting to see you like this," Summer said softly, his head tilting slightly as he gazed at her, "You wanna go for a walk?  It's been a while since we visited the falls..."

Tytonidae smiled when he said something about her being "like this." She could certainly feel the change, but she hadn't expected him to pick up on it so quickly. Perhaps she was radiating that change more than she realized. Not that it was a bad thing. In fact, having others notice her... brighter, more chipper self, was probably a very good thing. It was the happier, brighter wolves of a pack who were the good ones. Those who were the happiest contributed the most. At least, that's what it seemed like to Ty.

"Ohhh," she breathed when he suggested a walk to the falls. "I would like that." Tytonidae followed this with a sweep of her tail and a glimmer in her eye. Without thinking about it too much, she gave Summer a lick on the cheek and then nudged his shoulder to indicate he should lead them. He knew the territory better, even though she'd been living here for several months now. "Did you know Osprey has a mate?" she asked, "I think she thought that you were mine when I told her about you." Ty followed this with an amused giggle.

His friend was happy to accompany him to the falls, and Summer gave her another rare smile.  It was both strange and wonderful to see her this way.  He wanted to allow his joy to overwhelm him, but he was uncertain of allowing himself to do so.  It had been so long since he'd seen her in such spirits - he didn't want to consider this to be a permanent change in her demeanor if it proved not to be so.  He would love her all the same, no matter what her inner turmoils.  But to set himself up for such a hard fall would be a detriment to them both - him for obvious reasons and her because, how would she feel to see him in such a dark place as her?


Summer's paws turned to trek the path to Afterglow Falls almost instinctively.  It was by far his favorite place to seek solitude, even though it was a popular spot for the Sunspire's inhabitants.  As they walked, he anticipated their conversation would fall to comfortable silence as it often did, but Ty surprised him again - even more so this time - by breaking it with an announcement that he had not at all anticipated.

She had seen Osprey?  Given that Tytonidae was the only wolf who had ever spoken to him about the female, he would only have vaguely recognized the name 'Junior'.  But even further - she had though he was Ty's mate?  For a moment, Summer wasn't certain what to think.  Certainly he was fond of his current companion, but to think of her as a mate... It was a little strange, admittedly.  But intriguing... "Interesting," he commented airily, wanting to lead her into saying something about how she felt about that sort of relationship between the two of them.  By saying.. one word.  It makes sense.  You have to be an Ostrega.

If Summer had expected her to elaborate on that little diddy, he had another thing coming. Instead, Tytonidae took it at face value and assumed he merely thought her comment had been, well, interesting.. She wagged her tail at him (if such a thing is even possible) and returned to a comfortable silence. The most thought Tytonidae had given to a potential romance was, well, that it seemed like an idea that she didn't want to pursue. Not because she disliked Summer in any way. And he was pretty cute, but if there was something that was supposed to flutter in her heart, it did not. In its place was just a warm, content feeling. There were no nervous giggles or uneasy silences with him. And that was what she had been led to believe made romance.

After a few minutes, Ty led the conversation in an entirely different direction. "Once I’m good enough at hunting, I want to go visit my dad. And maybe the plateau. I don’t know if they'll want to see me, though." Would anybody from the plateau want to see her? Did she even want to see them? The last time she had attempted to make amends, their eyes had all been trained on Osprey, and they'd completely ignored her presence. She feared the same thing would happen if she attempted to visit them again. Her father, Peregrine, had always been a rock in her life, even if he had gone to live far away. She knew that, no matter what, she could turn to him.

The conversation fell away after his single-worded response, and Summer began to chide himself inwardly for thinking for a moment that she'd pick up on his lack of encouragement and move forward to explain her feelings about them.  He should've known by now that Tytonidae was not... Hm.  How to put it.  It wasn't that she was unintelligent, she simply saw things differently than most of the world.  And in seeing things differently, she often.. missed things completely.  Fortunately, Summer found it endearing instead of irritating, and so he favored her with a soft smile when she didn't respond to his lead and simply cantered contentedly at his side for a while in silence.


Summer's attention began to drift to the scenery that slipped away around them as they meandered between the tangled and twisted trees of Eldershade Grove.  His mind had just begun to wander as well when Ty reclaimed his attention.  Her comment intrigued him.  He had never told her about how he'd gone to the Caldera and invited her father to come.  He didn't want to take the chance that Peregrine would never show and thus Ty would sink into even deeper depression at his neglect.  To hear her desire to go to see them...  She really was feeling better, wasn't she?

"I have no doubt they'd be very pleased to see you," Summer said promptly.  She was aware of his visit to the Plateau, of course.  Both Lasher and Blue Willow had expressed their pleasure at hearing Ty was safe and well, and he'd been certain to inform her of it.  "I'd be happy to accompany you," the Ostrega added after another moment - not that he felt it was necessary.  Ty knew that he'd follow her wherever she chose to go.

Tytonidae continued at a steady pace, matching Summer's own strides with her own. She had known that Summer would offer to go along, but she shook her head. "I want to go by myself," she admitted. "I can’t rely on you forever." Ty said this with a sweet voice, nudging her friend's shoulder gently to make sure he knew it was nothing wrong with him (or with her, for that matter). She felt a distinct need to get out and do these things on her own. No matter how strong The Sunspire was, Tytonidae still was not a strong individual. And she would continue that path unless she made something of herself.

She would have continued the path toward the falls, but a rather pungent scent gave her pause. Deer was the word that came to mind, and Tytonidae knew that she could not simply ignore it. "But maybe… you can help me with this?" she said, quirking a brow and beginning to follow the scent trail that the deer had made. It went away from the falls, but they could always backtrack there later.

Much to Summer's surprise, Ty was quick to turn down his offer to accompany her to the Caldera.  He lifted his brows as he regarded her, his gaze softening at her touch and reassurance.  While he wanted to allow her whatever it was that would make her happy, he did not like the idea of her going on her own.  It was a long journey, and she was such a fragile creature (at least, she was in Summer's mind).  The thought of her travelling alone without anyone to protect her made his insides burn uncomfortable, but before he was able to argue, she suddenly was moving onto a different topic entirely.

At her words and sudden attentiveness to their surroundings, Summer too began to breathe deeply the scent of deer.  It was an enticing odor, and though he wanted still to make his case for going to the Caldera with her, he couldn't deny her a hunting partner.  Not when he knew that to be a gamekeeper was one of her greatest desires.  He smiled and gave her a nod, "Lead the way, huntress."

Leading was certainly not her strong suit, but the yearling was hoping to change that. Okay, maybe not change it, but at least nudge it in a different direction. A beaming smile was given to Summer before her nose went to the ground, coming up only briefly when she needed to make a slight detour here and there. The journey to the beasts wasn't too terribly far. That wasn't surprising, considering the smell had been so immediately pungent.

The scent trail took them around the spire's base for several hundred yards before Tytonidae spotted them on a flat patch down below. "There," she whispered, thrusting her nose in their direction. "Do you think we can take one ourselves, or should we gather some more folks to help us?"

Summer followed Ty obediently.  His own nose never stopped working to ensure that they were going the right way.  He had no doubt that she would lead them right where they needed to be, but he did know that being in the lead would likely make her uncomfortable, and mistakes could easily be made when nerves got in the way.


He had little to worry about for it wasn't long before the pair spotted their quarry on a lower shelf of the Spire where the land evened out.  They were mulling innocently about, nibbling upon the grass that stretched across the ground, completely unaware that two hungry carnivores were stalking them from above.  His gaze never wavered from the deer, though his ear twitched towards her as she whispered.  "If we call for more, they'll run," he answered, "We'll try and if we can't, we'll call for back up and just stay on them until the others arrive to help us bring one down after we've exhausted it."

He couldn't help but take charge of the situation once his opinion was requested.  He had wanted this to be her hunt and all of its decisions to be hers to make, but the young wolf had yet to learn how to get his dominant tendencies under control.  Fortunately with Ty, it wasn't something that would get him in trouble. 

Summer's advice was welcome, and Ty listened with open ears. His reasoning was solid, and she had to admit that he had a good head on his shoulders. A nod was all that was given to acknowledge his advice, and Ty gave him a soft cheek-nudge with her nose. With their plan (or rather, his plan) agreed upon, Tytonidae began to skulk down the side of the spire, watching her step and crouching low as she made her way toward their intended target. She wanted to avoid anything that might alert the deer to their existence.

Once they were a short sprint away from their hopeful next meal, Ty froze, lowering herself even further to the ground and readying herself for the chase. Emerald eyes locked onto dinner as her rump began to wiggle from side to side. She gave Summer a brief glance to ensure that he was ready, and then she made her move. In a flash, the girl became an arrow, her body aimed at a smaller, more weak-looking deer than the rest. She made no sound except for her feet upon the ground, and yet the entire herd was alerted to her presence thanks to their evolutionary instincts.

Ty made no objection to his suggestions and with a silent nod and a nudge, the hunt began.  He followed her as she descended the cliffs down to the same plane as the herd, creeping up to her side as they stepped quietly upon the lush grass their prey so innocently feasted upon.  As they moved towards the deer, he began to put some distance between himself and his companion, knowing that to be approached from different angles by the predators would incite even more panic.


Though the Ostrega hadn't set his gaze upon Ty since they began their final approach, he stopped just when she did to await the perfect moment to make their move.  He turned to share her gaze when the time was right and barely a second later, they were off.

Almost instantly, the herd was aware and fleeing for their lives.  Summer's gaze was attached to their bodies as they darted away, shifting only to keep check of Ty's position so that he could adjust his accordingly.  For a moment, he wasn't certain which one was their target, but soon enough he had followed her trajectory and spotted the deer she'd set her sights on.  With a rumble of excited approval, Summer quickened his pace while the herd scattered around him.

Wrapping up!

The two young wolves descended upon their unlucky prey. The hunt was not terribly brutal, nor was it anything special. Things went, for the most part, according to plan. Tytonidae made the killing blow, and stood panting over her kill as she attempted to catch her breath. Her eyes gleamed something fierce, and it was clear that something had been awakened in her. She backed away, allowing Summer to eat first (as was deserved of his rank, no matter who did the killing) before she ate her own portion.

Only when the two of them had consumed their fill did they call upon the rest of The Sunspire to feast upon and store what remained.