Hushed Willows Follow the Pale Moonlight

@Lumiya

Celara had lost her second pack. It was almost funny, in a horrible way. Only a few months after she had arrived in her pack, that she had spent at least half of elsewhere, and she was forced to leave one again. At least the Northstar Vale was still around. And most of the members had moved on, instead of dying. And she had been able to rest as she journeyed without fear or nightmares. Altogether, this really was an improvement on the last time her pack had been destroyed. The she-wolf smiled at her own jest, though it hurt her inside.

Celara had walked, now, through a forest surrounding a lake, on the grassy slopes beneath a mountain, and now to a grove of willow trees. Willow trees smelling, she realized as she walked closer, of wolves. Yes, this was definitely the border of another pack. The grey wolf pushed down the worry she felt. This was what she had been looking for, was it not? And even if they attacked her on sight, which was unlikely, she was fast enough to escape, now the she was well fed and rested. 

Celara walked to the very edge of the border and howled.

At the edge of his late mother's garden, Sundance rested with his muzzle propped atop an outstretched forelimb. Pastel eyes swept sadly over her most beloved roses, wilted in muddied shades of ivory and crimson by Winter's approach. He wondered of that unknown force that changed the climate and encouraged the trees to shed their leaves; natures secrets had always intrigued him.

Then and there, however, the druid felt a great sorrow weigh upon his heart. Seelie Court seemed to be fading before his eyes, with its numbers having dwindled and its leader being particularly quiet. He'd seen very little of Lumiya since his arrival some months prior, and even less of her since the densite had flooded. More notably, both Valiant and Eleuthera had vanished. Sundance had scouted the surrounding territories in hope of unearthing where they might've gone, but there was no trail to follow.

As a result of these most recent losses, Sundance kept mostly to himself. He would trail the willows' borders and refresh their marks often, and held onto his quiet guilt for avoiding the other faeries - especially Teya. It was her he thought of until a summons rose from the outskirts and, having been resting close by, the silverwhite gathered to his paws and made his way quickly toward the source of a stranger's call.

"Hello," he greeted plainly, his ears pricked attentively as soft eyes took in the dark features of the court's newest visitor. "My name is Sundance. What brings you here today?"

Her call had been answered quickly, which boded well. The politeness of the answerer- Sundance was his name- was another good sign. It wasn't a sure thing she'd accepted, especially with the way her luck was going, but Celara was still glad of it. She bowed her head and tucked her tail between her legs before answering. "I am Celara Argenti, formerly of the Reneian Empire". She spoke as politely as she could. "But the pack has disbanded, and now I seek another. What is this pack called?" 

The queen had been caught up in her love affairs, duties and worries. It seemed like she'd been taking more and more time for herself rather than for the court, which filled her heart with guilt - though, the pack seemed to function well without her looming presence behind every tree. Still, when the call for action rose, she was ne'er one to cower.

When she arrived on the scene, she was able to pick up the last words the other woman spoke - Sundance had gotten there before her, and though she was unaware of the question he had posed, the answer unsettled her. The Empire is gone? She asked in disbelief.

The stranger's display of submission before him was a little surprising, for he found it a rather extreme response to his peaceful and gentle greeting. Sundance, having been reared by a family that saw one another as equals and did not support the traditional hierarchy often found among their kind, found his position before Celara a little uncomfortable.

She spoke of a pack she claimed to have hailed from and, although he didn't recognise the name of it, the young druid was quick to assume she might belong to one of the court's allies - until he took a moment to rethink what she'd told him. Formerly? Tall, tufted silver ears pricked forward. Had they moved on and left her behind? Had they been forced to scatter?

Jaws parted to request further information, but the mottled faerie Queen arrived in time to take charge of the situation. Sundance closed his mouth and dipped his pale muzzle to her as he stepped aside, pastel gaze flitting from their guest to seek her fine features in silent acknowledgement before blinking curiously in Celara's direction once more.

Celara stared at the newcomer in surprise. A small she-wolf, with mottled black and white fur. Startled as she was, it took her several seconds to process her question. "Yes. Yes, they disbanded several sun-falls- several days ago." Her speech was awkward, which hopefully wouldn't make too bad an impression on them. "The Empress and Emperer were both killed, and the heirs were too young to lead." She shut her jaws quickly before she could tell to much to what might be an enemy pack. Though, she thought, after what she had said, there wasn't much she could spill that would give them more of an advantage than what she had already told them.

"What is this pack called?" Celara repeated to the newcomer.

Her jaws clenched shut and the polite yet worried smile vanished from her face. No - this couldn't be true. Someone, anyone would've come tell her or ask her for help if this were true. Though she'd only been aquianted with Reiko and not anyone else in the Empire, 'cept those that wandered her borders now and again, surely her existence was known among them.

She stared off into the distance for a little while, unsure of how to process. How did they get killed? And why? Had it been the Saints, back on their killing spree? She sat down with a pained expression, sinking to the ground in defeat and disbelief. Reiko... is gone? She asked. She could still hear her wonder in her face - see her sunlit coat like a winter's morn', surrounded by the beauty of the Vale. Who could kill kindness incarnate?

As soon as the words left her mouth, as soon as she saw what they did to the other she-wolf, Celara felt guilt. It began to weigh down on her when she heard her response, the words carrying such disbelieving grief. Celara ought to have been more tactful, she should have been less suspicious- she pushed down these thoughts as they came. She could not have known, and she had said what she had said. It could not be taken back now. 

This did not help with the shame, however. As the other she-wolf bent her head, Celara did so as well. First out of respect, for her loss, but then her own grief began to well up. For the passing of the wolf she had only spoken to rarely, who had accepted her in so easily, who had always been so kind the few times they had talk. For the death of the Empire she had lived in for half a year, where she had been welcomed in as a newcomer, without fear or bitterness.
Silently, without tears, the grey runaway began to weep.

When confirmation came on the status of Celera's former pack, Sundance felt himself deflate. He frowned deeply, solemnly, and as the two she-wolves dipped their muzzles in quiet respect for the fallen leaders, the druid did likewise. "What is, is what must be," he murmured softly and sadly, knowing all to well that death was simply another part of living.

The Queen seemed visibly troubled by this sudden, grim news, though Sundance didn't feel it was his place to reach for her - nor could he find it in him to reach for the newcomer as she begun to weep. He stood there, fidgeting awkwardly, wishing bitterly that @Eleuthera could still be there to guide them before lifting his pallid snout in consideration of how to steer this gathering in a lighter direction. 

"We are Seelie Court," the druid announced, blinking up to seek Celara's fine features so he could look upon her with encouragement, "is this where you wish to make your new home?"

She sat like that for a moment longer, the girl from the fallen Empire joining her in her mourning. Though none would probably understand Lumiya's deep sadness when it came to her fellow, fallen leader, it was there nonetheless. To meet a violent end after bringing so much good into the world... it was unfair, and Lumiya could only wish for her fate to be shared with her.

She collected herself and was immensely thankful for Sundance as he tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. Right, how rude of me - forgive me for my manners, but this news saddens me deeply. She spoke from the heart, yet as dignified as her usual manner of speech. She turned then to await the girl's answer to Sundance question; it was all but a secret that the Court was open for any new soul wanting to join it.

The conversation had turned back to business, it seemed. Celara was almost glad; she was unused to sharing such emotion with strangers. Now, the Seelie Court... She remembered that name. And ally of the Empire, once. 

"I do. I can hunt, and..." She stopped herself. She couldn't fight, not well, anymore. Those training sessions had proved that. "I am fast. I can guard the borders as well as any other wolf, and I hunt more than I eat." It wasn't a glowing assessment she gave of herself, but hopefully it would be enough to not be a drain on the pack's recourses. Despite her cowardice, Celara would not lie to a pack leader

Edit: fading this to conclude

Though the silverwhite's powder blue stare lingered on the solemn face if the newcomer, a platinum lobe remained trained on the Queen for her input. She didn't have much to say beyond her expression of sorrow, nor did she attempt to take charge of Celara's initiation as Sundance hoped she would. Exhaling softly through his nose, he carried on: "I think there could always be room for friends of the court"

His head shifted then, alabaster muzzle pointed toward Lumiya at his side as his pastel gaze regarded her questioningly. It wasn't really his place to permit new recruits, he felt, especially in the presence of his leader. Sundance lingered there, awaiting her acceptance of the newcomer. When it came, the druid excused himself and took his leave, content to allow the she-wolves the chance to discuss the fate of Reiko's empire without him hovering awkwardly in the background.