Hushed Willows where the world is in the making

That night he dreamed something very strange: he was back in the Elysian mountains, following carefree at Nine's heels. The younger man was saying something — bragging, maybe; Kin loved to hear him brag, even if he complained — when he suddenly dropped out of sight. "Nine!" he called, and rushed to the cliffside, only to see his sworn brother leaping easily from peak to peak, down the steep side of the precipice he'd led Kincaid up to.

"Come on, old man!" @Nine Lives called up to him.

"Which way did you go?"

But Nine was unwilling to lead him, and was soon so far down that Kin had no hope of reaching him. He looked behind him and could not see the path they'd taken to the top, and below him again to see his brother growing smaller in the distance. "Nine!" he screamed, and then he jumped.

Kin woke from a fitful rest beside @Eleuthera with a powerful need to stretch his legs. Coated both in the woman's scent, and in the whisper-and-rose scent of the woods, he felt safe enough slipping away and into the cool of the night.

Soon, he found himself sitting at the edge of a creek lit by fireflies, marveling at the ethereal quality of the place. The wonders never ceased to amaze him; he could see quite easily how a place like this had turned out a girl like Eleuthera.

For @Lumiya; all other tags for reference.

She hadn't been sleeping much herself. She had tried everything already - finding a quiet spot, finding a noisy spot, rolling in lavender to calm her nerves... The one thing she hadn't tried yet was drugs, though she wasn't very keen on using them herself when there was nothing to celebrate. It took the edge off, for sure, but she couldn't imagine facing the Saints while high if they decided to attack under the cover of night. She wouldn't allow it to happen.

The sleeplessness led her to wander a lot - eventually she tired herself out so much she'd fall asleep anywhere. Besides, she could get ahead on border work like this. She was about to go to the borders across the stream, which was when she spotted a figure. She didn't recognize him, though he smelled of Eleuthera and the woods. Was this her boyfriend or something? A long lost sibling coming to visit?

Good night, sir. She greeted softly, feeling it was a sin to disturb the forest at this hour.

The sound of another's approach had him turning his head, craning back so that he was looking at the stranger almost upside-down. The sight of her confused him, so he straightend up and stood as she drew near, and realized her coat really was quite a thing, and not just a trick of the light and angles. If ever there was a wolf fitting of being made into a rug, he thought it was a fine thing like this — if she were only just a little bigger.

"Ma'am," he greeted with a wag of his tail, already thinking that this "faerie" was more his speed than the irascible and impetuous Orlaith. He could see, however, that he'd made the right choice in sticking around, if this was the sort of backup Eleuthera would be getting at the borders.

The male's back nose twitched, and he thought to himself that this was more of a miss than a ma'am, but this only served to further soften him toward her. "It's late," he told her, eyeing her in a keen but friendly manner. "Somethin' keepin' you up, or are these your regular hauntin' hours?"

The ruddy male had an... interesting way of seeing who was greeting him at this hour. She blinked as his face was displayed the wrong side up, not one for visual humor. She liked puns and dry word play - though she wasn't one to attempt jokes. Despite being a sweety, the girl was awfully serious about near-anything.

She shuffled awkwardly before taking a seat near him as he started conversation, still a bit confused as to who he was and what he came to do. She knew Orlaith wasn't very keen on the guests they often received, but Lumi found no problem with it. I'm afraid it's the former. She answered with a soft sigh. I'm awfully distressed about the situation with the Saints — and now also about the red wolf that I know nothing of living in my forest. She added with a slight smirk, clearly not mad or anything.

Kincaid listened attentively when he heard the other wolf had also been woken from her slumber at the witching hour. His ears flicked in irritation at the mention of the Saints, and then flew back in quiet contrition as he was brought up — he sat down as she did and gave a few sheepish whisks of his tail.

"You must be Lumiya," he decided, since this was her forest. "Well — I don't know what t'say 'bout them Saints. It's bad business. But I can ease your mind on the latter topic. I'm Kincaid. Friend of Eleuthera's. I came by to visit her and thought I'd stick around once I heard things was gettin' tense."

The fireflies were enchanting even with company to distract him. He looked back out over the little creek, wondering at how peaceful the world could seem even while their little lives and drama played out so tense and rapid-fire.

"It's a nice place you got, here," he told her, his voice a little bit wistful. "I kin see how come you all wanna stay and protect it, 'steada just pickin' up and movin' someplace else."

You're correct. She answered with a nod - she was surprised at first of how he knew who she was, but as he went on to explain his friendship with the flower it became quite obvious. Of course, Eleuthera had told her friend of the queen who ruled the forest now. It was only natural to tell a guest who had the authority around the place they'd be inhabiting for a while, even though most would assume it was Orlaith with how she seemed to take over every situation. She really ought to talk with her about that - she could do whatever it is she wanted with the little warrior group she was trying to establish, but Lumi was the queen of their court and she was not about to step down for a loud-mouth, reckless fae despite her talents.

I see - it's nice to meet you, and we thank you for your help. Do you hail from the Empire perhaps - or some other pack I have yet to become aware of? She asked curiously. She chuckled then as he mentioned their forest. It was true that it'd be a shame to leave the forest in case the war was lost, but even then; Our kind doesn't run from things, but you're right too. I love this forest and would hate to leave it.

The word empire had him blinking in surprise — it sounded more like something out of a fairy tale than something that should be in the real world. Maybe the whole region was a world apart, since a faerie court didn't seem like something that should be real, either — and yet, here he was.

"No ma'am. Haven't heard of any empire," he reported. "I'm kinda between packs. Or kinda part of Easthollow, if they still want me when I get back." He gave a brief account of where Easthollow was, and of what a good woman he imagined Valette to be.

But he was more interested in discussing Lumiya's pack, since that was where he was, and that was what she could tell him about. "And who is your kind?" he asked her, his voice curious and free of judgement. "I've only met Eleuthera and Orlaith, and them two's about as different as I kin imagine. Now I met you, and I ain't too sure what t'think."

But he did think that he liked Lumiya. He liked to look at her, certainly, and the way she carried herself made him think of a cool little crick in a hot, dry autumn: refreshing and rare and often, just what one needed to come across.

Easthollow. Now that was a name vaguely familiar to her. Moons ago, when she'd only just returned to the Wilderness, she'd gotten herself awfully lost and was helped by a sweet, blind woman called Blondine. This was at Easthollow's borders, and they had had a lovely time together before she had to leave on her journey again to find her old stomping grounds. Why hadn't she thought of an alliance with them sooner?

I've been there - it's a lovely place. Though the name Valette hadn't been dropped before. Do you think your leaders would oppose to meeting me? The more friends we have the better in these trying times, after all. She asked. Perhaps she was being a little selfish, wanting so many allies, but it was also to spread word of the Court and its settlement - she wanted them to have a good reputation.

She chuckled then. I don't blame you - different kind of faeries are, well, very different. We often add an element to the title of faerie to reflect that wolf's personality. She explained, knowing that they even had ranks in the old court reflecting those elements. For example - Orlaith is very much a fire faerie, rather hot-headed and aggressive. I myself believe to be an air faerie, peaceful and soft-spoken. It's quite fun to see what kind of element your soul reflects most, but I don't think it's very useful for anything else. She yawned quietly, tongue sticking out ever so slightly. Explaining a lot drained her energy, especially in the these late hours, but she'd continue for as long as there were questions to be answered.

Kincaid's tail wagged unconsciously as his "home" was praised. He thought it was quite a place as well, and didn't mind claiming it at all. "I don't know," he said with a little shrug. "Valette's a sensible gal. I kin try'n bring it up, if they'll still have me. Thing is, I been gone a little while, now. I ain't wanna leave while things is still worrisome in these parts."

Both for Eleuthera, and for the sake of a poor little faerie like this. Her kind didn't run away, she said, but her kind seemed very soft and fragile to him. Some of this sentiment showed on his face when he looked back at her, but he was quickly taken in by more talk of faeries, and his worries were put on the backburner once more.

What kind of faerie would he be? Not one of fire, that was for certain — but while he was a little more like Lumiya than he was like Orlaith, he didn't think that quite fit, either.

"How'd you end up a faerie in the first place?" he asked her. "I ain't ever met one before. Eleuthera talks 'bout you all like she ain't quite one of you — not that she don't hold you all in great esteem."

She was worried for Kincaid then - what if he wanted to return, but wasn't allowed to anymore because he was worried about his friend and her court? She'd hate to be part of the cause that would not allow him a place in Easthollow upon his return. Likewise... Though please, if you feel it's time to make your way back there, do not fret about us. I have a strong feeling we will be okay. Also a strong feeling that told her things could go very very wrong, but those were only "ifs". When things quiet down, I'll go speak with Valette myself - see how they're fairing.

And Kincaid — though I doubt it will be the case, but should it be that you are no longer welcome there, know you are here.

She looked to the sky then, a slight frown on her face as she thought. Well, to become one of them, I had to go through an initiation - before you become an official faerie, you must provide an offering to the court, then the others bathe you as a sort of cleansing... The last part becomes rather messy, as you're supposed to have some herbs that make your mind all fuzzy and at peace. She explained. She remembered being quite scared of the Weeds of Wisdom, her mind being her strongest asset. She was glad to find out the effects were temporary and wore off during the night.

Kincaid gave a reassuring sweep of his tail at Lumiya's concern for him. Her sweetness easily endeared him, so he was quick to try and soothe her: "Don't worry none about me," he said with an easy grin. "I been back and forth over the world all my life. But I should like t'take you up on that — I do plan t'be back here pretty regularly."

The "initiation" didn't sound bad at all — although, he might've thought differently if she had called it a ritual instead. "Maybe y'all have some use for a scout?" he asked her with another wag of his tail. "I wanna do right by Valette, but Eleuthera's a real good friend of mine, too, and I'd like t'make myself useful while I'm here. Is there somethin' I gotta do t'make myself eligible for initiation?"

She smiled. It's all fine by me. In the end it was whatever Kincaid wanted that would be his law. Though her band was small, they were tested and pure and all free to do most they pleased. Of course, traitors would be punished - be their actions against the court or to individuals - but other than that, she felt the court was an open place to explore whatever passion you still had.

We could always use more. She answered with a hopeful little nod. And no, just that you are open and willing.