Sleepy Fox Hollow sharp

the rock was yielding now to grass, soft and supply underpaw. all around, stone rose up, almost like a wall encasing this place. to moonshine, it was perfect - her own little place in the mountains, she'd decided immediately. in reality, she'd discovered it by mistake, taking a wrong turn while attempting to follow the same path her mother and herself had taken not to long ago. she'd been nervous all the while, desperate to get out of the woods but not quite willing to do so alone. 

but now she was here, and being without the careful gaze of her mother didn't seem so bad. she darted from place to place, inspecting all she could of the glade and delighting in the birds that weren't ravens, the trees that weren't gnarled, dark beasts

praimfaya is never too far out of the ferocious wanlida's hawkish gaze. even now, close enough to diaspora for the wanheda to probably not get into too much trouble @Blodreina is present though she hangs back to the shadows, the ever vigilant setnes. it makes sense to praimfaya now, knowing that her mother had once served as cheka to the last commander as she slowly deigns to tell the curious wanheda to be more of her enigmatic past. praimfaya suspects that there are things that even ingram doesn't know, things that blodreina has kept close to her chest for so long.

sleepy fox hollow is remote and a bit isolated from the world outside of the sunspire mountains ... not unlike praimfaya's favored northstar vale, another slice of quiet and open meadow'd paradise ample with woodland prey. namely it's namesake: whose pungent scent marks majority of the territory. except for a fresh scent trail that is decidedly not fox. praimfaya bows her head to inspect it, before glimpsing over her shoulder at blodreina. in soft spoken trigedasleng her mother assures her that she will go hunting but will remain nearby and disappears into the tall swaying grasses as praimfaya turns back to the scent trail and follows it.

gaze of frostbound silver touches upon the mocha and milk chocolate colored girl — similar to the wanheda's own age — a small smile curling her lips upwards as she watched the girl dart from here to there before the smile vanishes and is replaced by the cool hei, called in trigedasleng to catch the girl's attention, assured that it is close enough to the common equivalent that she does not feel the need to offer a translation.

her attention is drawn away rapidly, and she whirls to see the first non-packmate she's seen. it's a girl, her age, and her stomach automatically twists. moonshine avoids all the other pups in the woods, since they're mean and bitey and probably capable of tearing her eyes out. she's had a nightmare about that once, in fact. 

but this is different - this is her glade, and far out from under the darkness of the woods, perhaps things can be—are, different. "hi," she says then, with a small smile that is a little more nervous than friendly. "I'm moonshine." that's pretty good, she thinks, and her voice has held steady. the girl looks friendly, and from her understanding thus far, looks rarely lie.

an analyzing sweep of frostbound silver gaze is given to their immediate surroundings, unsure whether she feels relief or suspicion that there is no guardian or parent lurking in the shadows. though it is true that her own setnes is elsewhere in the hollow hunting foxes to take to ingram and diaspora's caches she still lingers nearby, her stalking footfalls heard by the wanheda in the distance. yet, there are no sounds of any other adults lingering nearby from the other girl's side.

the earthen girl returns the greeting in common — for a brief moment praimfaya suffers disappointment for it seems that her lucky streak of running into other kru spread out thru the wilds has come to an abrupt end — and offers her name. moonshine. initially, this strikes praimfaya as a bit strange for the girl didn't look like the moon at all ...but is forced to remind herself that neither does she look like face melting fire. praimfaya, the wanheda offers the other girl an then adds in an offhanded remark that hints at her intrigue, i haven't seen you around here before. northstar vale was praimfaya's favorite haunt when she wasn't training around the lake but she knows the girl isn't diaskru and thus that automatically makes her 'not from around here' in her book.

the name the girl offer's is pretty, differing vastly from her family's habit of two-word names, all in the common tongue (save Rowan - she's not really sure what that means). "it's my second time in the mountains - I'm from blackfeather woods." there's no pride in the fact, rather, her tongue darts out to lick at her lips a little nervously as she wonders if she's supposed to reveal that. she almost regrets bringing up her birthplace, really, she'd come here to get away after all. 

"do you live here?" she asks, referring to the mountains as a whole. she didn't think it possible. they're difficult to navigate, and while she's learning, she can't imagine wolves choosing to live here unless they know something she doesn't.

blackfeather woods. it means nothing to praimfaya, though it does not fall beneath the wanheda's notice that moonshine displays an edge of nervousness, though she writes it off as simply being nervous at a new acquaintance for moonshine's exuded nervousness upon first encounter, too. it baffles praimfaya that not everyone she meets has the same self-assurance that she does ...but she supposes that not many wolves have a setnes nor did they bear the burden of a future bloodset as she does. all the name 'blackfeather woods' does is confirm what praimfaya'd already assumed: that the girl is not of the sunspire mountains.

yes. she replies and then clarifies, well... i'm from diaspora. praimfaya gestures in arrow lake's direction with an inclination of her muzzle. it's not too far from here. and then because she can't help but ask — still half expecting an angry guardian to come rushing from the treeshade asks, where is your setnes? your guardian?

diaspora. the name sounds as it belongs to a mountain pack, strange and hard. she tests out the word, mouthing it. moonshine is curious, but not quite enough to overcome her reservations and ask further questions of the girl. praimfaya's next question confuses her, the foreign word coupled with the title. "I don't have one," she says, though understanding dawns a second later. "well, I have a mother, but I didn't really want her—I came here alone." admitting that sends a little jolt of fear through her. should she really have admitted that? too late. 

her nervousness has her ramble, and she adds, "I don't - I had to leave the woods, but I don't want her, them, to know. they love it, blackfeather, and I, well, don't." guilt comes again. she shouldn't be feeling this way, she's wrong. she's also an idiot, for admitting this all to a stranger, and in such a jumble of words, too. still, it feels kind of good, and she can only swallow thickly, willing praimfaya to understand.

than, lamely, "what's diaspora like?" 

to say that praimfaya understand's moonshine's exclusion of her mother ...of not wanting her ...would be a lie. like how she could not fathom what isi and dragomir or any of the basilik's children've been through, she could not fathom not wanting her mother or her father. praimfaya doesn't realize that as far as parental units goes: she has it extremely lucky and extremely rare. she doesn't pretend to understand for she feels like that would just come across as insulting.

praimfaya is studious as she contemplates moonshine's words and what she can do to help. not much. blodreina might treat her like a commander-to-be but praimfaya's not so entitled to realize that she's nothing but a child to those that look upon her, to diaspora. still, it doesn't seem right for anyone to stay in a place that they don't like regardless of age. what is it about this blackfeather woods that you don't like? praimfaya inquires, not able to imagine disliking diaspora to any extent.

diaspora is full of strong kru. the entire sunspire mountains belong to us, at least that had been the late basilisk's vision: that they would move from season to season as mountain nomads though as far as praimfaya's been alive to witness they haven't relocated yet; but with her and the other cubs aging perhaps that would change. these mountains can be harsh but we endure and for that it makes us stronger.

she asks the question she'd never thought she'd be able to answer, and she's relieved that they've moved past her jumbled rambling. "well, it's always dark. there's a great big poisonous tree, a cave full of bones, there's someone living in the tunnels, a-" she cuts herself off, swallowing again. it feels horribly wrong to say that aloud, especially because it is her pack. she feels the same right now as she does when the neighbourhood ravens leave rotten things in her favorite haunts. "it's alright." she adds weakly, grabbing onto the girl's next words in the hope they can stop talking about blackfeather. she just keeps messing it up. 

"what are kru?" she asks, blinking when the girl reveals the whole mountain belongs to them. "am I trespassing?" she continues a little worriedly, though at the same time failing to understand the logistics required to claim this much land, and such formidable land at that.

dark. poisonous tree. bone cave. and someone living in the tunnels. no, praimfaya thinks, blackfeather woods doesn't sound very pleasant at all though that could easily be claimed about the mountains. praimfaya sees them and thinks they are more than risen rock: they are jagged earthteeth. fortresses of nature. it doesn't sound very nice, praimfaya agrees with her companion and doesn't hold back from saying so even if it comes across as blunt and formed just from what little bit of information she knows. praimfaya suspects that moonshine isn't about the chide her for speaking so of her residence.

kru are wolves that make up a pack or a family, praimfaya explains, forgetting easily enough that those that do not speak trigedasleng will not understand what she means. how do i explain it... praimfaya begins though mostly mumbled to herself. i am from diaspora so i am diaskru. so you'd be blafeadakru. praimfaya explains hoping she was doing it right, though without blodreina in the vicinity there was no one to confirm or deny her attempt to 'kru-ify' blackfeather woods ( although, truth be told, blodreina would've had a fit at the mere mention of blackfeather woods unbeknownst to her daughter ).

no, praimfaya says with a soft laugh and gives a small cough to hide it. no. she tries again, attempting to be more reassuring. we can't claim the whole sunspire mountains at one time but we're supposed to move with the changing seasons.

praimfaya replies that blackfeather doesn't sound like a very good place at all, and in a moment, her regrets about bringing it up vanish. it's a relief to know she doesn't have to be the only one feeling the way she does about the woods. she smiles, and dips her head in agreement. 

praimfaya's following explanation prompts an "oh! that's cool." she means it; and though she's never heard any from blackfeather call themselves that, it might just be because she's so good at avoiding them. she is relieved to hear, however, that she isn't trespassing. claiming an entire mountain range is impossible, and when the girl clarifies, moonshine smiles, a little abashedly. "it sounds exciting, living with them." she offers. 

but her courage is faltering, and the thought of her packmates somehow realizing that her repeated sneaking out means she isn't like them, doesn't belong (if that isn't obvious enough already) is pressing. besides, praimfaya is cool and put together and sharply pretty, all the things she isn't and wants desperately to be. "I should get back," she admits, "but thanks-" for sharing her opinion about the woods? answering her stupid questions? not treating her like dirt? she rethinks her last words. "it was great meeting you." 

praimfaya is contemplative, weighing her response as the girl says that it sounds exciting to live with diaspora. it was praimfaya's normal so she knows no different but replies it is. anyway, because its her home and its her job to make it sound appealing to those who might one day seek to join it. would she have been older, would she have had more of a standing in diaspora, praimfaya would offer moonshine a place with them. alas, she doesn't and they have their paws full with cubs as it was.

a small part of praimfaya's heart breaks for her newfound friend and she wilts with sagging shoulders and lowering ears as she wishes she could help. what was the point of being wanheda if she couldn't do anything with it? it was horribly frustrating sometimes. we'll see each other again, moonshine. praimfaya tells her. i'll come visit you! she promises, not realizing that her mother would forbid it before she could even finish the question. be brave. praimfaya encourages before she turns and heads in her mother's direction wondering if the wanlida is ready to head back to arrow lake.