Larksong Grotto XL

augur did not often leave the rise. but now it bristled with young warriors.

their claim was safe. he stepped out to hunt, to measure the herds.

the air was clean and warm. elk and deer had passed, coyotes in pursuit of fawns. once, a bison, and then the stale track of a mountain lion.

something new caught the hunt-leader's interest; he lifted his heavy muzzle, analyzing the scent with narrowed yellow eyes.

Knowing that her sister would be due to give birth in the coming week, Chacal decided to take her leave and roam outside the pack to stretch her legs. The mountains to the Northeast were always tempting- and she continued to visit the Glacier in hopes she might someday cross paths with Imaq once more. It had been quite some time since a group of wolves had inhabited the region- though the cool air was a treat for the beach wolf nonetheless. 

On her route back toward the Cliffs, she caught a scent that was familiar- though at first she could not place it. It stirred warm memories for some reason, and she recognized her emotions before she could even recall the wolf that the scent belonged to. Curious, she travelled down the harrowing footpath toward the cavern in the ground, where the grotto lay. 

It was only when she caught sight of the boulderish man's pelt that she fully remembered who he was- and how she'd thought of him, once. Perhaps more than once, to be honest. 

Her tail waved, and she uttered a quiet melody, to fetch his attention- hoping he might remember her, and look upon her fondly once more.

goldfinch.

the mountainous man moved toward her with a sonorous rumble of welcome. his eyes were sunwarmed and yellowgold.

augur had a mate in new snow. he had children, and expected the salt-woman had those of her own. 

extending his muzzle he showed he wished to exchange the stories hidden in their withers.

the man tossed his head a moment, licking his lips comfortably, asking how goldfinch had been.

Invited and welcoming him as well, Chacal moved forward, benevolent and peaceful, to brush her muzzle through the guard hairs of his fur, pulling from his scent the stories his coat carried for him. The waning scent of milk from the breath of children made her smile. Augur had made himself a family man, and she could sense his devotion to them by the way his scent had become an amalgamation of several. She heaved a soft breath into his shoulder, and nuzzled the thick muscle there- a means of extending her congratulations to him. 

She pulled back and smiled faintly. He had not aged much, despite having a family. She was aware that the Rise had gone on a hunt to seek out a nuisance they sought to destroy- but it felt like so long ago, now. His eyes were still gentle and soft; he wondered if he could see the faint grief that had worn lines  into her brow. She exhaled softly; things were not as simple as they had been, the last time the two of them had crossed paths.

goldfinch was not so pleased as him.

augur growled gently and returned her investigation. children. others. power.

then why was she not pleased?

playfully he butted her carefully and then leapt sidelong, his great body curving into a playbow. perhaps the release of stress in diversion might soothe the spiked edges of her energy.

and now the yellow eyes brightened, tail waving.

Her gaze fell away, knowing he sensed the way she admitted ruefully to her grief. It had been a hard year, and she had some reservations about how it would continue to go, knowing that life was unpredictable and heartbreaking the more one invested their love in others. 

But with someone like Augur, she didn't have to delve too deeply into those things. Her grief was acknowledged, but he would not feed it and make it grow. He turned away and instinctively she was drawn toward him, and when his paws splayed before him, she too sank into a playbow. In the same way in which dance partners know to anticipate each invitation and gesture, Chacal would prance with him again- and when she lifted from the invitation she sprang away, every bit the playful warbler he'd come to know years ago.

goldfinch, glowing.

augur pawed the air with a massive paw and then pursued her jetstone figure.

his tongue lolled in laughter; he took prancing steps in his gallop, pretending to nip at her hindquarters.

and all through the man, delight.

Chacal sprang and flitted, as a little bird might flutter from branch to branch to skim the shadows and avoid being seen by the wheeling hawk above. But she did not fear the man who pursued her- she glanced over her shoulder, and veered away from him with nothing less than a joyful laugh, occasionally whirling on her toes to randomly choose another direction to bound off in. 

She felt a glowing in her chest, to know she could stiil bound and romp and play with someone who was not her own- someone who had boundaries that should keep her from putting her heart out on her sleeve. Augur was safe, she felt- and a worthy investment in friendship.

goldfinch too elated augur.

she was the taste of sunlight in an open field of richness.

he enjoyed her company, even if the core of him belonged eternal to new snow.

goldfinch dodged; augur chuffed and followed some steps behind, attempting to veer as sharply as she, a secondary game.

His voice brought laughter to her lips and a smile to her eyes. With the grace of a great owl he moved, careening in her footsteps in a way no tumbling mountain Boulder could manage. It was only when he was still that he was a snowy precipice; when he moved, he was every bit a diving owl. 

She whirled and twirled, casting a coy side-eye in his direction to see if he would mimic her movements, and dance beside her in a way that stirred dragonflies into a tizzy around them.

wanna fade w ur next post? <3

more clumsily, more thickly, but augur did attempt.

his tongue lolled with the joy of it all.

he snapped playfully at the roiled bugs and pranced after goldfinch with one of his rare loud boofs which rolled thunderously across the landscape.

Her joyous laughter peaked like bells. The insects rose in a whirling cloud above them, dancing amongst themselves as they whirred on the rising air. 

She lost track of her grief, at least for a few moments. She forgot judgement and betrayal, and in the presence of one of very few wolves, she became her inner child. 

It was soothing, healing. When they parted ways, it was with happy smiles and soft, private laughter.