Dragoncrest Cliffs girl of your dreams, sinclair regime

miette sulked for a few days after their raid on @Tousaint’s foxtail. she avoided the tree burl and completely abandoned her mission to acquire the tail, which as far as she knew, was still where astera dropped it that night.

moping about the den wasn’t entertaining for long.  over time, miette grew bored and began to fuss with a particularly long stick just outside of seaflower. it was heavier than usual, and she dragged it behind her like a great cart horse — searching for @Astera to show her the new, better toy she’d found.

Astera also sulked. But sulking would do no good, and as the days shortened, she resumed her daily routine. A priority was collecting gifts for the offended pups. Autumn brought berries on bushes, and she swiftly identified the possibility of a treat. 

A blackberry gently held in her mouth, she began her search for Miette. She wasn't hard to locate, fiddling with a large stick near the seaflower. Astera yipped to get her attention. A pale paw rolled the berry towards Sobeille.

seeing her partner in crime’s form, miette’s mouth parted in excitement. shit! she fumbled as the stick fell from her jaws, reaching down for it and then hauling it against her shoulder once more.

a small, juicy berry fell from astera’s hands, pushed towards the stick-hauler and tail-thief. miette considered it with interest, remembering the funny berries they’d eaten before.

mine? she did not wait for an answer; it was pounced upon and consumed in one move. tasty!

then, she was back to the stick — which she paraded in front of astera with delight. little did miette know, there was something special about this stick- it was hard, with knotted edges and long fluted points. there was no bark upon it to be seen, and when picked up it did not feel hollow. look at dis stick! it’s heavy. and sharp! an idea came to her, transforming her dark face to something delightfully impish. we can poke trespassahs wit’ it!

Not exactly sure what the stick is. Please correct if needed, I can edit! :D

Astera smiled as Miette pounced upon the berries. All yours! And there be more nearby. Her little sister seemed to be returning to bright spirits. Astera marveled at the stick. It was strange. Was it a piece of driftwood. She snickered at the idea of punishing trespassers. Mhm. That will make em think twice!

i was thinking an antler! but driftwood would work o:

miette’s lips smacked. the berry had been tasty with none of the bitter tang of their last fruit meal. she was about to ask where astera had gotten them, but that thought was steamrolled by her partner-in-crime’s interest in the stick.

ya! miette swung it around excitedly, nearly beheading herself in the process. we can slice an’ dice dem up, or stick dem wit’ de pointy ends! she thrust the stick towards astera so she could have a sense of the weapon’s power. we should name it!

Hey! Hey! Be careful! Her warning ended on a cheery laugh. We should poke them! That'll teach them a lesson. Astera caught the stick as it was passed to her, placing it down to marvel at it. We can name it.... hmm I don't know. She was at a loss for ideas, maybe Miette had inspiration?

the girl’s laughter echoed down seaflower. how many generations would this continue?

glancing down at the not-stick, miette marveled its gleaming edges. not so long ago those edges had seen more than just trespasser pelts — though she would not know it.

hmmm. she looked around them. pylons of sunlight cut through seaflower, transforming the glade to something idyllic. in the sun’s gleam, the stick almost resembled a bone. boneflower!

Boneflower! Excellent! The boneflower! Astera announced the name with pride, beaming down at Miette. A thought clouded her cheery mind. Why were they having fun, when Tousaint continued to sulk and wallow in his sadness. She lowered her voice as she whispered an idea. Miette, do you think we should say sorry to Tousaint? She had no idea how Sobeille would react, but it was worth a try.

boneflower! she swung the blade with a grin; it felt right — powerful, even, as it sang its new name to the wind.

considering astera’s question for a moment, miette placed the stick on the ground with eyes downcast. just like astera, tousaint’s avoidance troubled her too. i’unno. we didn’t steal it! indignity flushed her features, as if she forgot it was she who initially planned the heist. mebbe we poke ‘im instead. take HIS tail to de borders for bein’ mean.

of course, she didn’t mean it. she loved her brother, and it hurt very much to hear he hated her in return.

Astera instantly regretted her words, as Sobeille's face fell. She attempted to appear cheery. We can figure that out later! Swiftly changing topics, she brought attention to a thing of interest. Have you ever been scouting, Miette? Perhaps she could take her on an adventure soon. That was, if she wanted to of course. Astera didn't doubt she would have an interest in exploration.

even as downcast as miette was, she could not turn away the promise of adventure. her gaze lifted, hopeful -- yes! they could figure that out later.

scoutin'? she peered past astera's pale ruff, where the hinterland beckoned with its windchilled leaves and distant, unknown caves just waiting to be explored. where we gon' scout?

Her ears pricked happily as Miette expressed interest in an adventure. They would go everywhere, see everything, together! I don't know. There is beaches, mountains, forests too! Perhaps taking her to the beach would be the safest, as Miette had started to learn to swim. Maybe I take you to the beach? It would be a start, a step in the ocean of exploration.

beaches sobeille had plenty of -- but mountains and forests? her saucer-rim eyes widened. she knew just the place.

'ow about we esplore de SOUND! miette practically bellowed the last word, her conspiring whisper giving way to an excited shout. dere is a forest down there by the beach! 'bal (read: val) tells me dere be loa in de woods.

miette's gaze looked upon astera expectantly. didn't she want to commune with spirits and prank loas in the woods?

It was almost as if the younger one of the pups had read her mind. Yes, they would go to the sound. Astera herself hadn't explored it too many times, perhaps it could be an experience for both of them. How about I take you tomorrow, Sobeille?

tomorrow?! miette's little face crinkled. dat is so far away! i want to go now! she hefted the boneflower in her mouth, feeling its weight press against her fur. a hidden energy sang from it.

astera had good reason to suggest tomorrow -- it was a few hours' climb downhill from here, and the adults would surely notice their most troublesome pair missing. miette sighed, acknowledging this with a long-suffering glance. fine -- we go tomorrow. but! we wake early. her voice dropped in a hiss. and leave at dawn.

Astera, for a second didn't know what to say. She didn't want to disappoint Miette, but morning simply wasn't a great time to set off. The adults would be waking up by dawn, and would surely put the expedition to an end. How about we go in the evening, tomorrow. So we don't get caught. That would surely be a shame.

as always, astera was the voice of reason. miette pretended to give her suggestion some serious thought, but in truth, astera could say anything and miette would likely follow.

mkay. she nodded, her face leaning in. oh! we can see dat cave! a sparkle shone in her gaze. val told me it’s haunted by a witch!

Cave? Witch?! What in the world. While she didn't correct the pup, Astera made a not to stay as far away from those places as she could. They could go to the beach, but not a creepy cave. Not the most superstitious wolf, Astera simply didn't have an appetite for ghost stories. We can leave at sunset. Giving Miette and the boneflower a smile, she turned around to leave. There were preparations to be made. She couldn't allow her small companion to go on the adventure hungry, nor tired. Get plenty of rest! It's quite the journey.

Fade? Perhaps a follow up later? <3

miette hoped astera would be as excited as she was about a cave — but the girl’s tone shifted. okay. she breathed, shouldering the boneflower — which would now live upon a mantle of stone in the small hollow she’d made her own. good night astera.

with that she waved to her sister-friend and toddled home, boneflower in tow.