Swiftcurrent Creek even the sun is dressed in black

about the eclipse.

Everything in the creek seemed to be going well, aside from the recent animosity that had emerged between the Sunspire wolves everything was fine. Fox kept herself occupied while the many males of the creek battled for her attention and the whole pack had rejoiced with the birth of the little Sveijarns.

And while the youngest members of the pack spent the day dozing in the comfort of their den, the pack's oldest member did the same. Galileo had given himself the guilty pleasure of sleeping all through the morning. And he was about to keep sleeping-perhaps until nightfall- but his rest was cut short when the male's body jerked and he shot up, his heart pounding against his chest and his breath jagged.

A nightmare.
The peppered male took a second to recover his breath and sat down to meditate about his horrible dream. It had been long since he had thought of her. Galileo brought his head down in a thoughtful manner and as the image of her face materialized in his head, his eyes filled with melancholy. He then decided to exit the den, feeling the walls could begin to close on him and suffocate him.

As he stepped out, he noticed he was not greeted by the usual blue sky instead a mantle of darkness hung above his head, even if it was still early in the afternoon. A faint smile poised itself in his face and he wondered if the sun was also mourning Audrey's* death.

*Galileo's sister

Hope you don't mind me...!

The little red wolf was returning from a successful hunt when she encountered the dark sky. Her eyes glanced briefly upwards before she continued onwards. She had some meat she wanted to store in the pack's cache, and she would not be distracted. On the way, she passed by the den where the older wolf slumbered and would have paid no attention to the den had its inhabitant not exited with a faint smile on his face. "The sun is mourning," she said in a pleasant tone after she had dropped her day's catch at her feet. The rabbit slumped to the ground. "But he's handsome when he cries, no?" Waving her tail gently, she once more reached for the rabbit, determined to continue her way to the cache. She was a tireless worker.

of course not!

He remained motionless in a seating position, like a gargoyle poised on top of cathedral, his chin pointing upwards but his eyes closed since he knew that if he stared directly into the dark crimsom ring that ruled over the sky he'd damage his sight. He allowed the silence to embrace him and for a second he really felt as if he were at a funeral.

"The sun is mourning", a gentle voice called to him, waking him from his daydreams. He turned to look at the female, a little reddish wolf with a porcelain face. After studying her for a brief moment, he turned again to his original position; his chin lifted and his eyes shut. "He's been waiting far too long" he commented while he felt the itensity of the fire ring burn through his eye lids, then turning his face away he continued, "He grieves the loss of another star". His gruff voice gave away his sudden sadness, but he didn't think the wolfess would comment on it.

"Nothing as beautiful as when he laughs" he answered, while he locked eyes with the girl, he'd be alright whether she chose to stay or to go.

Distracted as she was with her rabbit, the little red wolf did not take into account that he was much, much larger than she, nor did she pay heed to his measured way of speaking. It was only until he turned away that she took notice and decided to linger for a moment more. She studied the profile of his face and jumped a little when he decided to turn back. "You're intimidating," she said aloud in a muffled voice, mouth still full of rabbits and completely devoid of good manners. She felt as if she were speaking to a sage--or someone very, very old. His peppered coat aged him. Placing down the rabbit, she glanced at him nervously before shyly sitting down. She did not want to presume that her company was welcome, but he seemed gentle enough, and she was now a fellow pack member. "Stars die all the time, though," she said in a matter of fact tone. "This one is still young," she said gesturing to the one above, "as it is still bright, but I think it's the older stars that have more character." She had not picked up that he was sad, at least not consciously, so it was without hidden intention that she asked, "Do you know who he is mourning for?"

The dainty wolfess reacted by staying standing in her spot, the freckled male responded with a grunt to let her know her company was well received, if she didn't already know so. She had something to her, something he could not put a name to..the way she spoke, surprised him. But what surprised him the most was the next word she directed at him. Intimidating, he had never been called that before --at least not to his face-- and truthfully he did not consider himself that way.

"I'm sorry" ,he barked while flattening his ears to appear to be less tall, and flashing her a heart warming smile to maybe make her see he wasn't a monster. "Yes this one still holds the fiery spirit of youth" he commented while he noticed the sky had gotten darker, the sun and the moon were now perfectly aligned.

He gave a solemn hum to her next question and after a bit of pondering, he responded "His laments are directed at the prettiest star, whose light was extinguished before she could fly", the words came out in a tumble, they seemed like a senseless babble but to him they held a meaning and that was all that mattered.

Had she had time the little red wolf would have corrected the misunderstanding. Her comment on his intimidating form had merely been an observation and not meant to offend. So with the little time she had, she gave a small, reassuring smile. There was a solar eclipse to be admired. This was not her first solar eclipse, nor if she were fortunate enough would it be her last, and each time it made her wonder. It was an old sprout of a tree that had told her such a phenomenon was in fact a bad omen. 'It is an eye restless for evil,' the bearded sprout said. 'Many battles have started and ended under this restless eye. Many lives, lost.' The resulting darkness seemed to match this interpretation. Feeling the air itself become cool, the little red wolf could not but shiver. Unconsciously, she scooted closer to her pack mate and even began to huddle next to him. His hum soothed her and prepared her for his response. "He must have loved her very much," she said with her eyes half-closed. "I also have a star that is being mourned. He's still alive, just lost." The little wolf yawned as the sun and moon finally aligned. She opened one eye and peered into the brightness before blinking. She tried once more. Maybe if I try hard enough, I will be able to reach you. I will be able to find you beyond the void. You will be found.

The little red female returned his smile and with that simple gesture Galielo forgot how intimidating he was. He was glad to see her smile, it made her face look brighter, prettier. Then he turned back to admire the eclipse, that wasn't his first either.

The peppered male had always had a passion about the celestial bodies that covered the sky; the moon, the sun, the stars and sometimes he even found interest in the clouds. Eclipses had been by far his favorite espectacle, followed closely by the red setting sun that took cover in the sea. But this time he wasn't enjoying the incredible duet of sun and moon as much as he would've liked to. Audrey was in his mind.

"He never stopped loving her, even if she's gone now" he muttered while he rested his tired gaze on the female, who was scooting closer to him as they spoke. She held the innocence of a little girl, he turned to her once more and gave her a comforting hum, "Maybe he's lost in a cloud somewhere, you'll have to ask the moon," he concluded.

Leaf laughed. The thought of her little brother being lost in a cloud was so ridiculous and yet so fitting. She loved it. "Do you think I can ask her now?" she asked before reaching out to gently nip her pack mate on the chin. He looked tired now. She did not wait for him to respond. "Oh moon, oh moon. Do you know where my brother went? Is he hiding among one of your clouds?" The eclipse was silent, though it seemed to radiate energy into the skies and into the trees. For another moment, she waited and waited before finally perking up. Her ears swiveled forward, and she leaned upwards as if she were listening intently to a quiet voice. "Oh, I see," she said. "The moon told me to tell you that you have lost but you will find even greater treasure than these." It was a simple lie, but one that she spoke innocently enough. Her tail was wagging again, and swaying her head in rhythm, she began to mimic the other wolf's hums. They would create their own duet.

i love this thread

Galileo recieved the playful gesture and watched the girl with loving eyes, she was unlike any other female he had met before. She was..genuine. Not that the others weren't, he could not generalize in such way! Bazi and Fox had proven to have golden hearts, and Danica, even if it wasn't shiny gold it was pure. But this little redhair had something special, she was careless like the wind but warm like the morning sun.

When she made her question at the moon, Galileo lifted his head to see if she found an answer in the middle of the eclipse. Then he gently turned back to her when she was done speaking with the moon. "Oh well that's marvellous" he answered with laughter stuck in his throat, "I'll look forward to find my treasure" he added and continued to sing with her, they were a great duet but what was even better was their sorrowful song to the moon.

Aw! That makes me happy to hear.

Leaf shook her head sideways in disagreement. "The moon says you've already found it," she said before glancing upwards, turning her head so that one ear was facing closer to the moon. Listening intently, she then nodded again in the affirmative. "Uh huh, yeah that's what I told him," she said to the moon. Turning back to him, she shrugged her shoulders."Maybe you need to look harder to notice it." She was not entirely sure what the other wolf had that could be treasures, but she knew there were certainly many things that he had of value. She, for one, was thankful for the eclipse, and for the pack--though sometimes when she looked at sights like these, it made her wonder how long she would be here. There was something deep in her heart that told her she would be disappearing soon, but she did not know where the feeling came from. If she probed deep enough, she could probably find the source, but who ever wanted to plunge the depths of a soul? Certainly not her. "What is your name? she asked. "Maybe it can be Gray Star," she offered, referring to both the coloration of his coat and also his mood.

His amber eyes rested on her face while ahe spoke, he had no way of knowing if she was kidding --which was highly unlikely-- or if she in fact had a out worldly connection with the moon. He'd like to believe that she did. "Oh, I must've missed it. .but I'll keep my eyes open" he apologized to her and also to the moon by giving the celestial body a smile.

The show was almost over, the moon and the sun were giving their kissing each other goodbye while the stars gave them a standing ovation. Galileo joined the celebration by giving another harmonious hum. At the same time as the girl asked for his name. Though before he could answer she gave him a name of his own. "Gray Star.. he mused while giving her a broad smile, "That'll do. What's yours? He barked softly.

Hm. Seemed appropriate to end it here. It was fun! Let's have another sometime.

With the eclipse bowing out to the roar of a standing ovation, it seemed appropriate for the little red wolf to also take her leave. Rising suddenly, she laughed as the older male approved of her name. "Gray Star it is, at least for now," she said, alluding to them meeting once again. She would not mind spending another afternoon with the peppered wolf, with or without an eclipse holding their attention. "Red Cap!" she said before bounding off. Her body streaked through the air, and for a moment, it did seem like a red cape unfurling itself in the wind. If only she had a picnic basket with grandmother's goods in hand. Then she could truly be a fable.

gladly! thank you for the wondeful thread

Deep amber eyes fluttered across her little face, she had a captivating smile almost as enchanting as her personality. He didn't even blink when she stood, he knew they'd meet again, besides for now he'd like to watch the eclipse's Gran Finale alone. Her company had been soothing to the ache Audrey had left in his heart but he wanted to have a word with the moon before she dissapeared from the sky.

With a gracious bow of his head he said goodbye, following her path with his eyes. "Red Cap" he whispered silently as she vanished from his sight, "you too are lost in the clouds" he smiled while he turned his gaze to the horizon.