Firefly Glen I'll Take to the Sky, Fly Across the Map

I hope this location works for you. uwu @Lex

Somehow, Asterr had gotten a bit mixed up during her travels. Originally, she had planned to stick close to the area she’d entered Teekon from, not wanting her friend to be forced to wander all over in search of her. Something had happened, though. She’d been woken by the sudden urge to move, and had taken off in a direction opposite to the way she’d been traveling thus far. Despite having no clue where she was going, or why, she did not stop. The dragon girl had managed to slip by one territory after the other unnoticed, which hadn’t been overly surprising. For those who walked on such light feet, going through places unseen was something they got used to—and the obsidian yearling was no exception to that. Her legs tired, but still, she pressed forward. She was being lead somewhere, she could feel it. The one responsible was, for sure, Draco, and so she had no problem wandering blindly. She did wonder, though, what the location she was being drawn towards held in store for her. The areas she’d seen already each possessed something that made them interesting, so wherever she was going, it was bound to be the same.
 
After what felt like ages of traveling, her steps slowed to a stop and she glanced around. Whatever she’d been feeling had dulled considerably, informing her that she’d reached her destined location. Walking through the glen, the Draconid could not decipher why she’d been made to locate it. There was nothing interesting, the sun still producing just enough light to keep the fireflies at bay. Still, there had to be a reason she was there, and so Asterr continued forward through the thick vegetation. It was difficult to get though, at first, but she soon found herself growing use to her new scenery, and even figured out little tricks to make wandering easier. For the time being, she planned to explore, getting a feel for the area and what life it housed. It was pleasant, in its own right, and seemed like a peaceful location. A good location, she decided. One that would see her in the future, too.

Each day Lex spent getting to know the mountain, he felt more comfortable on his feet.  He’d come from flatlands and the terrain was foreign beneath his feet.  He slipped a few times, scuffed up his legs, and yesterday he’d whacked the side of his face.  A scratch in front of his ear was the result and a pounding headache for the rest of the day.  It went away with sleep and the next day, he was ready to go.  

Of course, if he turned too quickly or stood too long in the sun, he could feel the dull throb form between his eyes.  

He carefully left the mountain and decided to explore the front yard of the pack.  He hadn’t spent much time outside the territory since Amekaze brought him out there.  If he had to visit the Sunspire, he would, but he wanted to make sure the nearby wolves knew there was something going on.  That the scent surrounding Moonspear were theirs and they’d be wary to continue their trek.  He was glad most of them stayed away, as far as he noticed.

This afternoon though, as he waded through the nearby glen, he caught wind of a scent he didn’t recognize.  Whether it belonged to a pack, he didn’t know—he didn’t know the neighbors yet—but nonetheless he was On A Mission.  He weaved, enjoying the shadows the glen gave with the rays of sunlight breaking through, but Lex didn’t stay on it long until he came across an ashen female poking her way through the territory.  

“Where y’headed?” he bellows, poking through the brush.

There was a certain way to navigate the glen, she found, causing her nimble movements to be her greatest asset for the day. She did little to avoid the creeks and streams that would cut off her path, the cool air still not enough to keep her from stepping through them. It was relaxing, at times, feeling the water flow around her legs and the smooth stones greet her pads. The location itself had quickly become something she wished to engrave into her memory, not wanting to miss out on what it had to offer when the warmer months rolled back around. It’d yet to grow bare, and she wondered if it ever would, but it still did not compare to how she imagined it could be. Lush greenery aglow with the suns unwavering rays, underbrush brimming with the life of small mammals… she wished to see that, if such a sight ever occurred within her lifetime.
 
The serene vibe that had engulfed her was eventually cast away, ears standing upright with instinctual vigilance. They swiveled, slightly, easily catching onto the sound of a distant footfall. Right away, she knew someone was heading in her direction, but that did not bother her. The land was free of a claim, she was sure of it given the lack of scents, thus there was nothing to fear. Besides, she’d never been one to scare easily, anyways. She couldn’t be, given her connection to the Dragon Lord. To live a life of fear would be the same as not living at all, and to do so would surely cause Draco to grow restless. Though he resided a great distance away, it would take only a mere seconds for him to come forth and engulf the world in flames—if only to lighten up his day a bit. Asterr could not allow that, given the life she was born into, and so she feared little. That showed, too, as a male’s voice sounded, pulling her attention into the direction from which he’d arrived.
 
“Nowhere in particular,” the yearling answered, silvery eyes working their way over his body. He was a sizeable lupine, no doubt larger than herself, with a pristine coat of white. Though their physical differences were like night and day—quite literally, even, given their different colourations—she did not inch away from his mountainous presence. Instead, she offered up a smile, showing she was not some troublesome imp. “I’m traveling around the area, learning of what thrives in certain locations, and making note of the territories I find appealing.” Her journeys thus far had all proved to be worthwhile, having yet to encounter a terrain that did not hold something of interest. She’d also had the privilege of meeting some kind wolves, whose names she would keep alive within her thoughts. “My name is Asterr Draconid,” she began, introducing herself with a curtsy-esque movement. “You are?” The dragon brought her pale gaze up to meet his bright one, patiently awaiting his answer.

She gave him an answer that was honest enough.  He didn’t feel the need to press on it.  Her words and actions were routine, especially for anyone new, and he supposes he’s been doing just the same with his home and surrounding territory.  He had a handful of wolves to call upon if he needed and she seems to be alone but he wasn’t willing to test that out today.

“Lex.”

He quickly turns his head behind him as if he heard something and stares off into the distance for a few seconds.  One of his front paw lifts and he inches forward, looking back to Asterr and rotating his body so he faces the same direction as she.  He doesn’t say anything, shaking his head a little, and returning his attention back to dark wolf.

“Just be aware you’re in my front yard,” he tells her.  His voice remains calm, neutral, and he even offer a smile in return from her own.  It looks shaky but he tries to hold it a little longer.  “Moonspear,” he says and points his nose in the direction he’d come, the mountain looming in the cracks of the glen.  

Lex clears his throat a little, the smile fading from his features as he looks off into the distance.  His eyes narrow and he doesn’t break away to ask:  “Did you hear that a minute ago?”

An answer was given, allowing her to call the stranger by name from then on. It seemed that, once again, she was in the company of someone none too aggressive. It was something she found to be very pleasant, and was glad to have been met by such reasonable wolves so early on in her travels. When she was still a mere hatchling, she’d heard tales from those in the tribe who had traveled prior to her birth. Some had been interesting, building up on her own want to explore and see what she could, but others had been rather terrible. Stories of mad and vicious wolves, tearing someone down for doing nothing by passing through an unclaimed land. Of course, the territories may have been close to the homes of said wolves, but in Asterr’s eyes, that did not matter. A place nearby was not a part of a home unless someone had laid claim to it. That did not change no matter where one went, and to hear of such tales had worried her slightly. Now, however, she believed those worries to have drifted away from her mind, seeing as every wolf she’d met was either kind or neutral towards her.
 
She watched as the male’s head turned to look off into another direction, acting as if he’d heard a sound. Curious, her own ears perked up slightly, pushing forward in an attempt to listen in on whatever noise had sounded. She was met with nothing, however, leaving her to look upon the other as if he’d gone completely bonkers. It was a fleeting look, as she’d quickly hidden it away upon realizing it’d crossed onto her features. The Draconid was not a rude wolf, she took pride in being polite and reasonable, so to look at another in such a way was beyond her capabilities. Whatever he’d heard, or imagined, must have died down, since his attention was turned back to the obsidian girl. Following that came words she’d not been expecting to hear, but nodded anyways to show she’d acknowledged his words. “You need not worry about me entering your tribe’s land,” she returned, wishing to ease any worries he may or may not have. Asterr knew he was only doing his part to keep his family safe, and for that she could not blame him. “I will keep my distance.” Sincerity was evident in her words, making the truth behind them be known. She was not interested in joining another settlement—at least not for the time being—so keeping away from one’s claim would be an easy task.
 
The topic of conversation was soon returned to whatever the man had been hearing, or imagining, moments ago. When a question was directed her way, she shook her head. “I apologize, but I did not hear anything,” she said, offering a verbal answer in case he’d been unable to catch her movement in his peripheral. “Perhaps it was just the wind?” she offered, unsure what else to say. To think she’d crossed paths with a madman was worrisome, though she refused to let herself think of him in such a way. There could have been something, just a small noise, that she’d been unable to catch. For both their sakes, she hoped that to be the case.

She appeased him, assuring she wasn’t going to get too close to his home.  He wasn’t really paying attention but he heard enough to put it together later.  For now, however, he was distracted by whatever was or wasn’t out there.  “That’s good, that’s good,” he says quietly, glancing back to the female.  She goes on to also explain she hadn’t heard anything and going as far enough to offer a suggestion instead.  Lex narrows his eyes as he shuffles his weight.

“You sure?”

He takes a few steps the way he’d came with ears cupped forward.  Nothing happened.  Lex hums quietly to himself, pivoting halfway to Asterr.  He takes a few seconds to consider it, eventually shrugging it off to nothing.  

“You’re probably right.  Things have just been on edge lately in the area, with the weird death that happened a few miles south of the mountain.  I guess y’can’t be too careful.”

In an attempt to brush off the sound, he offers the wolf a smile.  No need to look any crazier than he already made himself out to be.

“So,” he starts off anew.  “Are you from around here?”

The encounter with the male had been, by far, the strangest in her entire life. Even as it progressed, it appeared to have no plans of easing back with the oddness. Still, she’d remind herself, it was better than the alternative, and so she’d continue to go along with it until the male came to his senses—if that ever happened. “I’m positive,” the yearling answered, confident in her sense of hearing. Never had she had an issue with her ears, and she was never without her hearing. Ever since they’d first opened up and introduced her to the sounds of the world around her they’d been able to catch every little sound that was possible to be caught, just like with any other wolf. While she knew of the existence of deafness, she did not know of what could possibly cause one to hear more than what was actually there, rather than less. Perhaps, though, the male was a vessel for a deity like herself… no, that couldn’t be right. She cast that thought aside, unable to find any evidence to support the theory. If that had been the case, then surely he would have known of the foreign presence, and therefore wouldn’t be so intent on finding the source of whatever he’d heard. Yes, she was just in the midst of a madman, nothing more.
 
Carefully, Asterr gave a slight tilt of her head, silver optics watching the man with a whit of curiosity. “Weird death?” she repeated, a question sitting on the edge of her words. “What happened that made it strange?” For something to be deemed ‘weird’ was not new to her, but also not any less intriguing in her mind. She held a desire to learn of what had happened, what had made the death be labeled as being abnormal. The chances of her investigating the area in which it’d occurred were slim, but only because she didn’t feel the need to—at the moment, anyways. Currently, she only wanted to hear of the oddity, but there was no pulling sensation in the back of her mind that urged her to witness it firsthand.
 
Before the explanation was given to her, however, there came another query. This one she found answering to be much easier, if only because it didn’t relate to something that may or may not exist. “I am not,” the Draconid answered. “I come from a tribe that is a bit far from this land.” Of course, she’d taken some precautions upon leaving, as well as gained her parents support. “What of you?” she asked, returning his question. “Are you originally from around here, or did you have to travel in order to find your pack?” Not being one to pry, her sentence was presented with a tone signaling his answering was completely optional. Conversing with another was nice and all, but Asterr would not poke and prod if silence was preferred.

Sorry my posts aren't as up to par as yours, I'm having a hard time getting into Lex. :/ *kicks him*

Asterr asks for clarification for the weird deaths and Lex fights to hide the smirk creeping up on the corners of his mouth.  He looks away in the direction he thought he heard the sound and stares for a few seconds, letting his thoughts sink in and collect together.  When he’s composed enough to keep a straight face, he looks back to the dark wolf and licks his chops.  

“Well,” he begins, leaving a pregnant pause before he continues:  “there was a hunting expedition a while back just south of the mountain.  We’d been tracking a herd of deer for a few days and then when we’d gone after them, they were all dead.  Smelled horrible.  Disfigured.  No explanation.”

Lex doesn’t know what he gains from this story, doesn’t know if the female would even believe him, but he even adds a quiver to his voice and a shudder down his spine.  He shakes his head and clenches his eyes shut for a second before clears his mind and relaxes his features.  

“I am not originally from here but I am apart of the founding of Moonspear.  My former pack was small, family mostly.  Before a large pack wanted to take over our land.”

The details were tucked away elsewhere.  A small pack against a large pack is obvious enough for the outcome and Lex is still in one piece.  His family may be scattered, but they are safe as far as he knows.  Perhaps he’d make a trip back to see his sister, to make sure they are healthy and happy, but for now he doesn’t want to raise anymore alarms and cause trouble for those left behind.

No need to apologize, your posts are fine~

The girl’s attention remained solely on the male before her, interested to learn the details of what he’d mentioned. When an explanation was given, her expression did not falter. Instead, it continued to reveal her fascination with the strange deaths. Not an ounce of fear or worry was able to slip into her features, as such emotions were not things she felt towards the tale. She could not bring herself to be weary of the unknown cause behind the death of an entire herd, feeling it would never be of any concern to her. She wished to learn more about it to, perhaps, investigate the event and see if she could come up with a rational explanation to what had happened, but the idea of running from it did not enter her mind for even a second. To turn tail and run simply wasn’t how she operated. Whether an immediate threat was present or not, Asterr was not a coward, but a philosopher or sorts. “That sounds awful,” she began, an air of wonder entering her voice to give way to her next words. “Yet, mystifying at the same time. I wonder what could have caused such destruction.” Someday, maybe, she would go see the scene for herself to try and piece the past happenings together—not that she’d come up with anything, of course, given the fact that the story was untrue.

Asterr nodded slightly to show she was listening as her query received an answer. So, he wasn’t a native, but had made himself at home in the vast land. “Moonspear… by name, it sounds like an intriguing place,” she voiced, silently rolling the name over within her head. It sounded strange, but not like a terrible place. Her presumptions were based entirely off of its name, however, leaving plenty of room for false assumptions. “I am sorry to hear about your previous home. I’m sure that was quite a troubling situation for you to be put into.” Her own tribe had not been small nor large, but somewhere in between. It was comfortable, filled with immediate and distant relatives alike, as well as those of no blood relations at all. The dragon had loved it there, for the most part, but there comes a time in everyone’s life when they must go out and explore the world for themselves. Such a time had arrived for Asterr, and she was doing well to honour the calling.

“I suppose,” he adds on but shrugs a shoulder before she moves on to another topic.  He leaves the mysterious deaths alone for the time being.  He ignores the haunting unheard sound alone when Asterr is not fazed by the information.  A little dull, perhaps, and doesn’t quite indulge in the fantasy behind Lex’s imagination.  He clears his throat instead to consider his former home and what had come of it’s downfall.  

He thinks back to what Charon and he talked about and the benefit for two packs to come together, taking the opportunity to exercise his story-telling ability.  The history of Moonspear isn’t a long one but she at least expresses interest in the name.

“Two packs of this land came together to forge one.  Strength in numbers for the Winter.  I wasn’t apart of either,” he tells her.  His pack was given an ultimatum to assimilate into their culture but he, as the Alpha,  wasn’t given the choice.  A threat to their current leadership, he supposes, and he didn’t question it.  “I came in just before the declaration and helped bind them together.  There’s a satisfaction in starting something from scratch.”

He’d done the same with his pack, settling into an abandoned orchard.  Even if he’d been given the chance to settle into the larger pack, Lex isn’t sure he’d have done it.

The topic pertaining to the odd deaths was dropped, perhaps sooner than the female might have wished it to be, but she made no effort to drag it back into play. All to say had been said, she supposed, so there was no use in trying to pry more words from the male. Still, she couldn’t help but step back, figuratively, and allow her mind the space it needed to carry on with itself. One or two theories popped up, but the second she recognized them they were safely tucked away with the promise to investigate further someday. Someday, someday, though she couldn’t yet know when that day would be. Possibly soon, though a distant part of her mind suspected that wouldn’t be the case. The direction in which the mass graveyard stood did not call to her as other places did, but for now she ignored that. It was always best when one did not get ahead of themselves, and she was keen to sticking to the best course for herself.

Asterr listened with unveiled interest as she was told a small story, and learned something of the man, too, in the process. “Was the want to get through the cold months unscathed their only reason for coming together as one?” she queried, the idea of consolidation still quite new to her. It was true, she’d heard of groups joining forces in the past, but it was hardly ever a permanent thing. Perennial unions were not an everyday event, and most were only made everlasting due to a hostile takeover. Tyranny is alive and well, after all, and often thrived among tribes especially. “The feeling you obtained from assisting in the formation of something new… can you describe it to me?” Just like she’d never been involved in the unification of two separate tribes, she’d also yet to build something up from scratch. Whatever emotions came along with the act of doing so were unknown to her, as was their intensity.

Lex considers the question for a moment, thinking about everything Amekaze told him as well as Charon.  They didn’t seem to have chemistry between them but he hadn’t seen them together.  Amekaze had a few years on the male leader, though that didn’t always mean much.  As far as other reasons, Lex isn’t able to come up with anything else.

“As far as I know,” he offers once he’s sure of his answer, even if it’s unsure all on its own.  “They’ve known each other a while, though, so it didn’t seem like a farfetched idea.”  

However, she queries about his own motive.  It involved the need to find a home for the winter and having been apart of something that had his blood in it, he wanted to keep that legacy.  Even if he didn’t have the same ideals as some.

“I don’t know,” he replies with a slight tilt of the head.  It was an odd thing to ask and Lex didn’t know if he had words to back up the feeling.  “My last pack had my blood in it from the beginning and so does this,” he tries to explain.  Obviously he had no wounds noticeable to make that literal, but nonetheless it is there.  Moonspear helped come together because of him.  “Something that belongs to you, in a way, I guess.”

Wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, so some parts of this might seem a bit odd? Aha

A group formed under the pursuit of the same goal—survival. Some aspects of it seemed odd to her, but at the same time it was perfectly normal. Many laid claim to land in order to have a set home, a place they could always return to. To let others into said home to live there as well was a natural thing for most, for everyone sought the necessities to survive. To come together in such a manner was simple, it was how the world worked. The only thing that could make it better was if desiring a lengthy life wasn’t the only thing pushing it to happen, such as appeared to be the case in the pack the male was from—or so he’d said, anyways. Whether there was any truth to his words or not, she could never know for certain, but she did give him the benefit of the doubt. If it turned out she was being duped, well… what could she really do about it? They were strangers, after all, and nothing connected them together in a way that would strive for pure honesty between the two.

Asterr nodded, acknowledging the explanation and thinking further on it silently. She could understand why one might wish to have a part of them in something as big as the founding of a claim, especially when it came to males. They often seemed to focus on their family, their bloodline, and what they could do to continue it. “Perhaps someday…” she began, but never finished. Instead, she gave a slow shake of her head, dismissing the words that’d been left to die in her throat. They weren’t of much importance, for the time being, and she saw no reason to share her potential plans with the man. “It sounds as if it is something you can take great honour in,” the Draconid pointed out, a hint of a smile crossing her maw as she imagined the way it must feel. The description given was decent enough, though she doubted any words would ever be able to do it justice. That left her with only one option, of course, meaning she would need to accomplish something of her own. Do something grand without her parents having their paws in it, so that, perhaps, she could someday experience the sensation for herself.

It was an interesting thought, the notion that ran through her head. It was something she grew pleased by, and wouldn’t mind acting upon. Yet, she knew the present was not the time for such an act to be carried out, nor was her location ideal. She would have to wait, yes, and then complete her task at a later date. “I should be going now,” the girl announced, her mind already urging her to, once again, journey away to a new location. She permitted herself to take only two steps away, before stopping and meeting the male’s gaze. “Unless you have more you wish to say?” Whatever the answer would be, it would not bring her to waver in either direction, whether it be negativity or positivity. She would feel neutral towards whichever words were destined to follow, and react accordingly. It was Asterr’s way of living, after all, and nothing would force that to change.

He doesn’t have much to say when the other considers his choices in starting something new and he doesn’t know why it’s so interesting.  Her facial expression doesn’t really give him much to work with so he shrugs it off and isn’t surprised when she states she needs to be going.  Which expression will she trivialize next?  Lex quietly laughs to himself before he shakes his head and allows her departure.

It’s only a moment before he takes his as well.