Sun Mote Copse And the sky is clear and bright

It was a pretty long trip back to the Firebirds claim, but fortunately, it passed without any issues.  It was a subdued Maia that crossed the borders, and that may have been part of it; she was a little too downhearted to get up to her usual distractions.  As a result, she'd found the way without any problem.  Probably she should have been thrilled!

Sigh.

She flopped down as soon as she got to her and @Wraen's sleeping spot and waited.  Probably she'd want to hear about what happened and oh boy, did Maia need to talk about it.  This was awful, awful news.  She needed some advice.

<3

Call it what you want, but Wraen had developed a sixth sense, when it came to Maia returning home. She just knew and, when that alarm clock inside her went off, she left, whatever she had been doing, and ran quickly to the comfy home they both shared. The instinct had not been wrong this time either - she had just finished with the courtesy visits to the both resident famlies and with heart pounding in excitement, she arrived to their quarters.

Before smothering her sister with 100% concentrate affection and love, she stopped to have a brief look at her. Wraen had never told this to Maia, but every time her sister left for an adventure outside, it felt as if piece of her heart had gone with her. Travelling was something her younger sibling needed, yet Wraen always feared that one day Maia would find a better and greater home elsewhere and that she would not return. Therefore she cherished every single reunion, no matter, how long her sister had been away. 

"Hello to the brave dragonhunter," she greeted her from afar. "How has the fate treated you this time?" she asked innocently, without realizing that this was not exactly the best question to ask.

Wraen! She looked up, thrilled, as her sister came.  She missed her so much every time she left, and coming home was always amazing.  There was pretty much no one on earth whose company she liked more.  Probably no one off earth either.

She expression fell though when she asked how it went.  Awful!  She exclaimed dramatically, and her lip trembled with the memory of it.  Man, she wanted to cry all over again.  I got to see Illidan, and he was super nice and said I could stay a while.  But then I met this girl who said they were partners and super close and.... I just left!  she wailed, burying her nose in her paws.

Wraen listened to Maia's story with the patient and curious expression of a parent, who has heard many such "my life is over" stories before and wishes to find out, what has brought the world's end this time. She had heard about the wolf prince, of course, but it had not occurred to her that he was more to her sister than just a friend. The knowledge that there were boys her age that caught Maia's interest was relieving. It meant that, whatever real or imagined (on her side) intentions Charon had, he had a competition. 

"I am so sorry to hear that," she reached over to give an affectionate pat (or a wolf equivalent of it) to Maia's shoulder. "Did Illidan himself said that he had a girlfriend?" she asked.

No, she replied plaintively, her voice muffled by her paws.  He didn't have to.  She helped him and they are partners and travel together and she's red and pretty and...  Maia's voice trailed off into a low whine.

I just visit.  It's not like he has any reason to like me. She added sulkily.  She liked him though.  Maybe not more than Epic, but more than she'd felt for Artaax.  He was sweet in a way that confident boys weren't and quietly sad in a way that made her want to make him smile.  But that didn't really matter now, because she'd run off like a spaz and now he probably wouldn't even want to be friends. 

I'm starting to think maybe no one will.  She sniffled and finally looked at her sister.  That wasn't true, was it?  Because someone did.

Oh, mom, where are you, when we need you... Wraen thought to herself as she listened compassionatly to Maia's troubles in romance, thinking that her sister might have jumped to conclusions too quickly. Then again she had no experience of her own to compare to and therefore she decided against remarking that either the guy was not worth Maia's time or that she had acted downright foolish. She loved her sister too much to shove cold hard truths in her face. 

"This is a tough cookie," Wraen said, after she had contemplated Maia's words for a while. "Let's start off that I have not seen that red and people pretty are any luckier in love life than others. To be honest - if there is any connection, then gray pelts like us have better chances," she explained with an amused smile. "Second - partner can mean many things for different people. If having a girlfriend was not the first thing Illidan told you, when you saw him last... I think that there might simply be a misunderstanding."

"Even if it is as you said - I do not see, why you should not continue being friends with him. If he is such a nice fellow, then do not let him go that easily," Wraen said, remembering now, what Wildfire had told her about her previous relationships and, how all three mateships had begun with being good friends first. "Nourish that friendship, take one step at a time and see, where it leads you. Making friends is easy - in my experience - keeping them is the most difficult part."

He's so far away, and besides that, I always go to him.  He was right here I guess running around with her and he didn't even bother to say hi.  He could have at least tried to find out where she lived, and come by.  Obviously he didn't care as much about seeing her, which supported her hypothesis completely.

Maybe I should find someone closer, she said, and she got a little more tentative.  Like, ummm.... well.  Charon took me to see fireflies, and just like when we went to his mountain and saw the fallen sky, he said so many nice things.  He said I was different, and that he liked me better than any friend, and that if he could have one wish it was for me to live with him.  she trailed off, waiting to see what her sister made of that.

Oh, Charon, you creepy old man... :D

"Did he know, where you lived?" Wraen asked, not fully understanding Maia's grudge against Illidan, but accepting that her sister's current mindset meant finding all of the faults with the fellow. Maybe, when she calmed down and slept on it, she would be inclined to forgive him and try again. 

However, the next thing Maia told her shocked Wraen completely. She sat there speechless for a while, staring at her sister with a mix of disbelief and great disconcern in her eyes. True, she should have seen this coming, ever since catching a glimpse of him and Maia slinking off somewhere, while she had remained hidden with a binoculars in hand and a shotgun ready. 

But the guy's name had not come up until know and the way Maia spoke about him, rang warning bells inside her. This was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! The second thing - I can't handle this on my own. The third - why does Terance live so far away! "Did he also tell you that he has a long-term mate that won't stand any rival for his affections? That he has a clan of children that distrust and dislike all outsiders?" she asked, slightly annoyed - not with Maia, but with the old bastard. 

"Or that he has said all the same things to our mom and that he once attacked our dad?" and now he dared pine after her sister?!

No, I guess.  He never asked.  She was full sulk now, and Wraen was right; she needed everything he did to be wrong so that she could be upset and then get over it.  That way, when the same thing happened with him that happened with Epic, she wouldn't have to be sad.  She could be mad instead.

No! The part about attacking her dad didn't bother her; he had changed since then obviously.  But hearing that he had said the same things to her mom was a hard, hard reality check.  I thought mom was just his friend and storyteller.  He really said all that to her?  Her ears drooped  back, and she sat up, looking at the ground.    So no one did like her.  Of course, that shouldn't surprise her.  Why would they?

"Along those lines - yes," Wraen sighed, regretting now that she had spoken and acted out on impulse and had not chosen her words more carefully. She hated seeing her sister upset, she hated even more being the reason behind it. But the need to shield her from a potential relationship that could go very, very wrong was stronger. Heartbreak now was better than having a life destroyed. 

"Look..." she said, closed her eyes and composed herself, before going on, what she wanted her sister to know. "I do believe that Charon meant, what he told you and that it is very likely he is fond of you both because in memory of our mother and because you are special and one of a kind," she wished to give Maia more confidence in herself by saying this.

"But Charon is not a generous man," she went on. "He is the person, who lives, as if the world owed to him. At the end of the day, no matter, what he says or does, it's all about, what he wants with little regard of, what others feel or wish," she tried to express the harsh truth as softly as possible. "If you wish to keep him as your friend - that is your choice, but I ask you to be very careful. Keep in mind that he has a mate, has a family, has commitments and draw a fine line, where your friendship ends and where something more begins," she said. In other words - don't sell yourself cheaply.

Wraen was totally right.  He did have a mate, and kids, and honestly Maia looked up to him as a friend and a mentor.  But she knew the difference. She didn't feel the butterflies around him like she did with Epic or Illidan, or even Artaax before he turned out to be a little wacko.  It had just felt so good to be wanted and complimented.  She didn't want to give that up now that she was worried she'd never feel that way again.

What if he's the only one who ever feels like that though? And this is my one shot? Maia asked, a little plaintively.  Even if what's her face isn't Illidan's girlfriend, there's no way he's gonna want to see me again, even as a friend.  I just left without even really saying goodbye.  She let out a little groan, flattening on the ground.  What is wrong with me?  They both probably think I'm crazy now.  Maybe she was?

"Yup, you are crazy," Wraen agreed with a semi-serious expression, while the look in her eyes betrayed amusement. Maia was being a bit over-dramatic and, of course, as a good and caring older sister she should have indulged in telling that everything was fine and dandy and, what an amazing, beautiful, charming etc. creature her sibling was.

But she did not.

"Certifiably nuts," Wraen went on mercilessly. She lifted one of her forepaws and placed it on her sister's forehead as if giving a blessing. "Queen Maia Bonkers of The House Cuckoo, Queen of the March hares, The Crackers and The Not All Theres, The Rightful Queen of The One Sandwich Short of Picnics and The Protector of The Loonies, Queen of Wacko-stone, Queen of Non Compos Mentis, Away with the Fairies of the Fairy-land, Round The Twist, Of The Wall and Bats," she said, removing her paw and looking her sister in the eyes.

"Now, what are you going to do about it?"

Reference to all of the fancy titles of Daenerys Targaryen fused with the most creative synonyms of crazy.

Wraen didn't pull any punches, that was for sure.  But Maia knew it was in good fun, and as the titles got more and more dramatic, she couldn't help the grin that broke out across her face.  Trust her big sister to know exactly how to cheer her up.  First I name you Sir Wraen, Advisor to the House of Cuckoo and Honored Knight of the Realm of the March Hares.  She sat up and giggled.  Then she sighed.

And I guess I'll go apologize sometime, maybe.  And tell him where we are, so if he wants to, he can come.  And if not?  At least then she'd know it was her and not just random chance.  Would my advisor like to come along when I do, to make sure my apology is proper? She asked, smiling and reaching out to nudge Wraen on her shoulder.  It would be fun to go to the coast again, just the two of them, and they hadn't had a trip together in forever!  But she hadn't seemed much into traveling, and Maia wasn't going to be upset if the answer was a no.

"I will wear that title proudly," Wraen replied, glad to see her sister smile again. Maia was lifted from her somber contemplation about unfairness of life and reached for a practical solution to her problems. And - the older sister sighed in relief - Charon was out of the picture for time being. She made a mental note to herself, however, to keep an eye on the old and cunning cradle-robber and do everything in her power to find Maia a proper, likeable fellow her age. Even her own aspirations for marriage and family could be postponed, until her sister was way out of reach of the Moonspear's alpha. 

"With so many little puppies around, I don't think I can leave for many days, but we could go and visit the place, where I was born," Wraen said. "The Sentinels - where Donnelaith once stood - are mostly in ruins, but the last I went there in winter, there were some places that I still remembered from childhood," she explained. "We could do this as a start. And, when in a month or two moms are able to hunt for themselves again, we can go and visit that boy of yours. I would love to meet him."

That would be amazing! Maia exclaimed, glad that Wraen has latched onto the idea of a trip as well. She figured it would have to wait a bit, and she kinda didn't want to go back right away either since she'd.... yeah, completely ditched on him.  But after a while maybe he'd forget about that and it wouldn't be at all weird for her to stop in again and say hey to her friend.

I'd love to see where you guys grew up, I feel like mom and dad talked about it all the time.  Do you think anyone lives there? Just because it was destroyed didn't mean it would be completely gone.  She was also curious about what could happen to a forest like the one dad used to describe.  He'd said the trees were bigger than any he'd ever seen before.

"Not that I know of," Wraen shook her head, the furrowed her brow, remembering that she had - in fact - met someone there the last time she had been. But he had openly admitted that he was a lone wolf and had had no intentions at settling down there either. She did not see the point of living there - it would be a very long time, until the once beautiful forest healed to it's formery glory. She was not going to see this. 

"But the den is there. And the beach, where we went scavenger hunting," she offered. "And that's about the extent of stuff I remember, though, if we are lucky, we might find Sarah's favourite toy Mr.Bone there. You would not believe it now, but at one point your older and super-serious sibling had a toy she did not wish to part with."

No way!  It was crazy to think of Sarah having anything to do with a toy, let alone one called Mr. Bone.  If we do, we have to take it to her.  I wanna see her face, she said, giggling.  Maia loved her sister a lot, and respected her a ton, but Wraen was definitely her closest confidant in the family.  They had the same fun air about them that Terance and Sarah seemed to miss just a bit, stuck in serious roles and mindsets.  It was fun to imagine them as pups, back before all the responsibility.

"She would probably not remember it and claim that it never happened," Wraen replied, playing with Maia's idea for a bit, before letting it to rest. She had no desire to meet either Terance or Sarah at the moment. They were reminders of a family that was lost to her. She had managed to build a life elsewhere and draw a happy bubble around her that she was unwilling to leave. Not yet, anyway. 

"How is your story-telling training going?" she asked then, recalling that Maia had been very set on following in her sister's footprints. "Have you got anything you wish to share with me?"

Maia hadn't quite been ready to drop the conversation so fast - she didn't realize Wraen might not want to visit. But fortunately, her sister broached a subject so exciting that she had no problem shifting gears.  It's going really good!! She replied enthusiastically, and her eyes lit up.  I told a ton while I was traveling!  I gave Illidan one I made up, and his friend Cadeau... y'know, the one who... yeah.  But I told her mom's story about the dragon who lost his scales.  She'd never heard of a dragon before, can you believe it?!?!  That was the biggest surprise of their conversation, and it was clear Maia was floored that anyone could live their life without knowing certain lore.

She told me this really strange story first about a butterfly, but it had no ending.  Do you wanna hear it?  So it wasn't her own story practice, per say..... but it was something she had learned! And telling it was technically practicing.

"Never heard about a dragon??? That's outrageous!" Wraen pretended to be shocked and shook her head in disbelief. Though she did believe that a person had missed out a significant chunk of their childhood, if they hadn't heard at least one dragon story. Those beasts held the story-realm on their shoulders the same way Atlas held the weight of the clouds.

"Bring it on," she encouraged Maia and got herself comfortable to listen carefully.

Right!? What even is up with that!?  That must have been some sad childhood times to not play games like dragons and ogres with siblings.  

Oh boy, she had to remember it first.  Maia thought for a bit to recall the story as Cadeau (mostly) had told it, strange ending and all.  Retelling would be helpful because then she'd remember it even better.

There was this egg, and it hatched with all these other eggs, but this caterpillar was different than all the other caterpillars.  Turns out as they got older it was because it was a butterfly and everyone else was a moth.  Well, the boring moths didn't like the butterfly and made fun of it because it was so much prettier than all of them.  Maia thought back to Cadeau's bright, fiery coat and her face heated up a bit.  

Yeah, kinda like that compared to her dumb grey fur.  No one liked grey, it was boring.  Grey fur, grey eyes.

She was a little distracted, but tried to continue.  So anyway, the butterfly finally got tired of all the teasing and figured he didn't have to put up with it, and he left.  In the end he just kinda flies off, 'towards tomorrow', she said.  That was mostly right, she future.  I guess it's up to whoever's listening if he makes it?  Or if he gets eaten by a bird or something, she added, frowning.  No, it was a story, it should end happily.

"Well, getting eaten by a bird certainly gives a twist on a more common "happily ever after"," Wraen remarked and smiled. Maia's way of story-telling was a lot different from hers, but she enjoyed it for it's simplicity and the storyteller's comments at various points as well. It made it colourful. 

"Speaking of butterflies, reminds me something mom told me and she had been told by..." she furrowed her brows, seeking for the right name. "People called Wind nomads, I think," she shrugged, not sure, if that was correct and having no one else to ask. "Anyway, interesting people, full of wisdom and an unorthodox view of life," she said. 

"So, there was once this great thinker of their's, whose name has escaped my mind, but - " and here she told a rather famous story by Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi - because, why not stretch the reality just a little more to enrich the story-telling realm and hear the second narrator's thoughts on the tale. 

"Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a fluttering butterfly. What fun he had, doing as he pleased! He did not know he was Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and found himself to be Zhou. He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly had dreamed he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is what is meant by the transformation of things."

"What do you think?" Wraen asked, when she had finished talking.

They talked for a while longer and then went to sleep. Funnily enough, Wraen's dreams that night featured butterflies. Thousands of them.

(from WikiQuote: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zhuangzi )