Firefly Glen i seen an emerald in the sky

would like to try to get 3 scout/naturalist posts in but this isn't a trade heavy thread!
edit: also the weather widget hadn't loaded when i typed this but apparently there's 'heavy snow' which i'll be sure to mention starting in her next post bc fun stuff

polaris didn't like her new pack. it no longer came accompanied by a pang of guilt in its familiarity, she simply could not, would not try to make herself enjoy residing in such a place. she liked neither the woods themselves or the inhabitants that skulked about the looming shadows. where clay found a want to live out his days in such a place both perplexed and concerned the girl, along with his absence. since he'd brought her back he'd seemed to have completely abandoned her to get used to the change by herself, she didn't want to sound needy but...she was a tad hurt. maybe he hadn't wanted to bring her back there, did she seem too soft in the face of those soldier's? her nose wrinkles as she moves forth through the frigid air, long tail sweeping behind her. she didn't want to think about it right now, save it for when she was back under that suffocating canopy and left with nothing to do but think such oppresive thoughts.

right now her paws were light in their freedom and she would not let anything drag her down as she moved at an eager trot into new lands. she had decided she'd done enough moping and fretting about repaying the nightwalker's 'kindness' by always being present, she'd struggled to remain within beloved swiftcurrent so it would be foolish to believe the haunted wood could contain her wandering spirit. ears twist, even the name was unappealing. 

she inhales the crisp air deeply, so full of possibilities and intriguing unknowns. having grown older and taking to think more about the roles wolves took on, she was determined to become something of a scout. the idea of getting to have a home and also be able to wander guilt free as it was your duty couldn't be more perfect! of course she knew for her current pack these locations had likely been scouted to the point that they could wander them with eyes shut but she did this for her solely. 

despite having avoided forests like the plague, she had still ended up in a thickly covered area. yet what had enthralled her so to lose out on the weak dusk light was the source of another. little bugs flew about her, and they glowed. bicoloured eyes wide in wonder, the nimble girl leaned back to take in their full beauty as they cast dancing beams to chase away the lingering shadows. it was beautiful, at a loss for words; the girl opts to sit and watch, feeling lighter than she had in a very, very long time.

As night had descended, so had he in concluding his circuit of the Spear's boundaries to then head on out, beyond.

Even for him usually being the sorts that stayed close to home, it had become a bit of a routine--every so many days, even he ranged out off their slopes--searching, much like the rest of them did. Sometimes on his own, others with company. For several matters, though he was a known to peruse and take in the experience more than anything else whether he liked it or not, it was always duty that spurred him out initially. They had mouths to feed and a recent kill kept hopes inspired well enough. Still, he wanted to see more signs that they were actually in a rebound, finally, before he fully accepted any such notion; he needed more than one herd's puny offshoot.

But even so, there was no major urgency in this for him. On the whole, their corner of it all had done alright. He wasn't starved, and even the youngest Ostregas were growing awfully mighty these days. Jarilo did intend to help make it even better for them.. so dipped his head low and tracked, though so far, it was not yet any prey that lured him.

Since he traveled here often enough, he kept on his way. He knew some places to look towards before he'd give up and move on--some former hotspots and thoroughfares, back before the earthquakes and all else. But... not yet. Nothing down low, or even above, seemed to really catch.

Instead he only found a canine--wolf, young, and when the brisk winds played best into his favors, he realized her as of the.. neighbors. One of them, not the young commander's group that he knew better firsthand, but the others that he knew best of through others. Either way.. he was on his way to too close, and apparently unwilling to flag his momentum badly enough to stop it. It was a light trot that he approached on, mindful and poised before he settled a curious squint upon her from a few lengths away. Hey. You busy out here? he asked, half-halting long enough to say in the stranger's direction.

oops turns out fireflies aren't actually out in the winter, so we're just gonna roll with it i guess lmao

so lost in her reverie as she was, the young girl does not notice the proximity of another until a greeting breaks the lingering silence. ears swivel as she jumps lightly, instantly on her paws as she moves fluidly to look upon the shadowed form of another.  "sorry!" a soft laugh as her tail flicks "i didn't hear you approach i was a little distracted" she smiles a little bashfully whilst bicoloured eyes roam his frame curiously. he's older and cloaked in darkness yet her gaze is caught up by his eyes. polaris tended to have a little habit of assuming a wolf's character by their gaze alone and was constantly drawn to such coloured orbs. she believed them to be quite underrated, no one spoke much about eyes yet she found these glowing spheres of such different, vibrant colours and expressions endlessly fascinating. like clay's, they're green, yet unlike the boy's they don't remind her of the lushest of grasses on the warmest sunny days. there was something ethereal about the sharpness of this man's lighter gaze and it suited the sharp smell of air to cling to his pelt. her heart constricts a little, he smelled like mountains. 

blinking rapidly, polaris shakes her head at his question. "no i was just...exploring" a soft shrug as she glances about "i'm new to the area and i wanted to learn more about it, i'm a bit of a wanderer i guess but i got distracted by..." she turns to the glowing bugs once more, wonder alight in her mismatched gaze as the ever shifting light dapples the earth. they're so spectacular, to get to live and contain such light and beauty. "what are they..."  she exhales softly, breath shifting visibly forth in the chilled air. and as soon as she utters it, a soft noise has her ears lifting curiously. the softest of patters and she suspects rain yet no; it drifts down in the form of solid purity. snow. eyes widen as she looks about, snow was yet another thing the girl couldn't imagine ever finding mundane. no matter how many years she lived for, she could never imagine becoming immune to the earth's beauty like some seemed to be. her nose wrinkles as the substance grows heavier and flakes land on the leathery skin. a soft giggle slips free as she looks back to him; he probably thought her to be crazy but she couldn't find it in her heart to care. it felt good to be exposed to so much after past weeks of dark nothing.

Seeing how surprised she was, he almost apologized back at her before she did, and did not particularly need hers to him. Though he could credit her, maybe he had been accidentally sneaking and not entirely realized it. Still, it hardly mattered by now so to simply brush it all off, his posture was relaxed, and tail swung light against his legs. It's fine, it's easy to do here.. he replied, for he too understood reveling in the scene. Though, if he thought about it enough, she was probably lucky he was what came upon her. Something more foul might take her distraction for gain.. but he, of all wolves, was not here to fault her for enjoying the views of the lands.

Then, he followed her gaze in the next breath. That, too, he understood as he traced after the dots of light afterward. Fireflies, he answered, blinking up at them. They're all over here in the summer evenings. The place is named for them, actually: Firefly Glen. he took care to mention, partially since she had said she was new to the area. Facts like those might interest her, he supposed. I've lived nearby all my life, he cited with a soft nod. There's a lot to see.. Jarilo said. Trained up by his naturalist parents, he had been raised to take it all in, regardless. Are you wandering to anywhere in particular? he asked, trying to gauge some details about the girl as the snow started to pick up as well--to him, all part of nature.

tags for reference! - also sorry for the length & do not feel any pressure to match i tend to ramble sometimes ;;

'fireflies'

oh how fitting a name for such marvelous little creatures! envious of their ethereal mien, bicoloured gaze tracks each intricate manoeuvre of their winking dance, forlorn in nature as beams highlight the uncanny gleam to such wistful eyes. how her heart twisted in her chest- even the most enchanting of moments could not truly quench the flames of pain. which contradicted her belief that felicity would always overrule the chilled claws of despondency. the softest of shuddered exhales slip forth to disrupt the frigid air as it stirs in the presence of this sudden heat. it appeared, in fact, that the more euphoric in nature the situation was; the stronger her heart hissed back in such aggrieved states. how could she not let the teacherous wanderings of her mind; as unbound as her very paws; trail forth to whisper how @Lainie would bubble with such uncontained excitement at these little fallen stars whilst @Helios would wonder after their flourishes, reposeful in his curiosity. of course one could not forget @Zephyr , and it is the thought of her svelte silvered sister that caused the sharpest of throbs. imagining her peering from helios' protective wing, always seeming so shielded as if there was a wariness that corruption leered behind even the prettiest of surfaces.

polaris did not understand what had been twisting itself throughout her sister's mind; shadowing her waking moments and it is now with the most sickening waves of guilt that she realises she never would. why, why had she never fucking tried? so naive to shut out the frosted wolf for naive misgivings, she cited such 'goodness' yet had never acted on what was right in front of her? winds prowl greedily over the curves of her nimble frame, evoking shivers throughout her as they trailed fingertips of disdain up her spine. swallowing hastily, eyes flick sharply to the shadowed wolf, bashful at her distraction. luckily, with the destructive element to such tangents; the thoughts had roared through her mind as quick as a raging hurricane so that such faraway looks had only glazed flickering eyes for brief moments and she'd still picked up on everything he'd said.

offering a weaker smile, she is quick to tuck away the name of this place; firefly glen. so lyrical she wishes to roll it off of her tongue if it was not for how dry and heavy it feels in her jaws at that moment. eyes do not fail to rake the surroundings in hazy wonder at the idea of a humming summer night with even more? considering she'd never laid eyes on one before this, even this sparse scattering seemed unreal. smile still dancing softly across black lips; she gazes back at him with a little tip of her head. "i'm determined to see all of it" she breathes, some determination leaking back into lilting tones at the want to complete such a goal. at the question, slender shoulders simply rise and fall in an effortless shrug. "not really, i just...i feel trapped if i stay put too long, so much of the world just waiting to be seen..it drives me crazy to ignore it's pull" not to mention the nightwalkers' forest was completely suffocating, but forms of such feelings would always exist in this wanderlusting soul. 

"where are you from..?" asked quietly as eyes fall upon the fading movements of their little night lights, scarcity increasing at the sudden arrival of competitive, whimsical snowflakes. the sharp scent wafting about hinted the mountains, yet there were other wolves lingering on his pelt which suggested a sky seeking pack was settled not too far off and polaris was nothing if not curious.

He has no idea of what distracted her or sparked that faraway look to come over her mismatched eyes, and assumed it was thanks the scene, or at the very least, something inspired by it. Almost he very keenly considered asking, but it did not seem to be the time nor place for it just then, even urged by the endless depths to his curiosity. After the words never ordered just right, he swallowed the notion entirely for the present, keen to take the pace she set; she seemed to have more to gain from it anyway.

Good, there's plenty of it around to see, he replied like it should match the knowing sway to his tail--but he largely spoke through the experiences of others when it came to lands much further than what neighbored his home. Some of his sisters were scouts, and Dirge was another he relied on for his maps of the worlds beyond his own. He knew it was certainly out there though. Wherever she went in this life, and maybe even in the ones after it, she would have something to see. You'll be busy for a long time with that goal, he supposed in the next breath to come. I've heard others call that wanderlust, he smirked a bit, sympathizing, though he was a homebody most days; his ventures never extended for long but it was another thing that he had seen in loved ones so he knew how to nurture it instead of fight against it in the long run.

Moonspear, the big mountain. Jarilo answered while he watched her for any sense of recollection or even interest if she may have it. You smell a bit like the Nightwalkers..? he returned, tilting his head because he was able to be mistaken. He was still testing the meaning of their packs' alliance himself, so came at the mention with no expectation. Regardless of her answer, or whatever affiliation she did have (better if they were allies, because he was more willing to share any information and time with them), he was happy to keep the conversation steering more towards the natural shows at hand so long as her interests seem to suggest. Once he got a good groove, he could easily prattle with facts about one of the subjects most near to him: the nature from which they had all sprung, and co-existed with too.

wanderlust

the word struck a chord in her, humming and reverberating through her entire body as she rolled it over in her mind. smiling faintly, she let it roll luxuriously down her tongue before jumping nimbly into the air between them "wanderlust" it was beautiful. she blinked up to him, so grateful to have such a word now lodged within an ever expanding knowledge of vocabulary. the lust to wander and yet somehow when scooped together to make that one word, the ethereal element clinging to its vowels left her imagining stepping delicately through star scattered skies. a soft sigh heaved forth as memories of the rancid stink clinging to her pelt and the suffocating woods that had tainted her so, faded into the background and it was just her, the fireflies and the ebony boy that smelled like air and freedom. 

shaking herself from the reverie, eyes roved tentatively to what he spoke of. 'moonspear' the word was automatically tucked away for safe keeping, the wolves of air and stars...it made sense that they'd call the brazen claw of their home the moonspear. a shiver danced up her spine but she winced a bit as her gaze dragged away from its sneering presence. shame she'd hollowed out into such a pitiful fool, scared of the prideful mountain and instead hiding within the cruel shadows that sucked the joy from her. she was a coward. what he said next didn't help. wide eyes snapped to him quickly, heart thudding painfully against her chest...he knew of the nightwalkers? irrational fear was quick to stroke claws across her conscience, crooning into the shiver of velveteen ears. were moonspear just like them? or did they despise them? she didn't know which she wanted..if they hated them then she could be in danger but if they held no ill will towards those wolves...if they agreed with them....she felt a little ill. 

shifting back a step, she swallowed and cast a longing look over the mystical progression of those luminescent bugs before snapping back to the shadow...he'd seemed...kind? too much of a risk. at least in the nightwalkers she was a nobody, they didn't notice her but out here...to a stranger she merely represented them and so it sickened her to realise that she was probably safer in the forest. guilt battled the anxiety in her gut but she merely blinked and mumbled "i'm sorry i uh..i gotta go" before turning swiftly and streaking in the direction of that leering darkness. since when had she sought to be a nobody? the thought left a sour taste in her mouth as she continued to rove forth. but she kept the new discoveries tucked carefully in the grasp of her mind. at least during nights when the darkness pressed the hardest, she could wonder about those twinkling bugs and the wolves of the moon and air.