Rising Sun Valley Acorn

hoping for one of the other youths from Bearclaw or Kvarsheim :D

Arric had returned- and Cygnet hated the fact that it appeared Arlette had forgiven him for storming off. Her mood darkened, and when Akavir went off for a few days, she found herself wandering as well- hoping to avoid the woman who had reared her and the man she seemed to have chosen. 

Sovereign and Ensio had also been…Busy, distracted by one another it seemed; Cygnet disapproved, of course, as she felt as though she was now left on her own. 

She could handle that.

She could do alone.

Secretly, she hoped she would run into Akavir and that he might take her along with him- but she’d long since lost his tracks. Huffing slightly in frustration, she began to meander through the valley in search of something that might give her a serotonin boost- life had really been the pits lately.

tags for ref!

Despite repeatedly telling himself that it was her choice, that he needed to accept her disappearance just as he had his mother’s, Kristjan could not help but to search for a scant trace of @Astrid. The brothers had worn themselves ragged looking for her, and everyone had been calling for her again and again, hoping for any sign of her.

But if she heard them, she was silent. And if she’d left anything to be followed, he could not find it, so it was in vain that he hunted for her now. His resentment came and went, ebbing and flowing, until the tide of it had weathered down the stone of his resolve. He knew that he could not be a part of Kvarsheim and go off in search of his sister, and he knew that his choice would be his pack, no matter how much he loved her.

She will return.

He forced himself to repeat it, as if he could somehow turn the mantra true.

And I will be here when she does.

He spotted a figure ahead. Astrid! But it was a trick of the mind, and the wolf he approached was a slightly younger girl, pale in complexion and serious of face. Hallo? he queried a greeting, tail up and waving.

A voice caught her attention. As if struck by a jolt of electricity her head snapped up, ears pricked and her bobbed tail raised. She eyed the other wolf, bristling when she realized that this wasn’t an adult- this was another youth, like her.

Had she seen one before? She couldn’t recall. She stared as if in disbelief that any other wolves her age could have ever existed- and yet here he was. 

His posture and expression were curious but tentative. Weak. She felt compelled to assert herself and bounded forward a few paces with a growl, fur lifting along her shoulders. She came to a halt with her front paws side by side, standing as tall as she could. Genetics paid her the favour of being tall and thick-boned. 

What he would do next, when presented with her claim for dominance, would determine her next move.

Kristjan’s pace slowed as he registered the threatening stance, and his uncertainty seemed to trigger a negative reaction that had her pounding aggressively towards him. Having never encountered a real threat before, the boy took an unwitting step back, more out of surprise than fear.

But despite his immediate confusion, he recovered stiffly, arcing a fluffed-out tail over his back in defiance.

He knew he was not afraid, and yet even he was surprised to find himself mirroring the pale jouster. Kristjan tucked his chin, just as @Tauris would have taught him, and he did not give up another inch as she stood tall in an attempt to intimidate him. He would’ve admired her if his mind wasn’t hyperfocused on defending himself.

His pelt bristled, and for the first time since experiencing thunderstorms as a puppy, Kristjan loosed a serious growl.

She gained ground, just enough to convince herself that she’d shocked him with her approach. She continued forward when he stiffened and balanced himself, his chin lowering. She remembered what wolf’s blood tasted like- but she did not thirst for it, not when her curiosity was much more appetizing.

She weathered his growl and approached, whiskers pushed forward as she sniffed the air. She avoided direct eye contact, but sized him up. Like two battleships, they remained defensive of their position. 

He smelled of a pack, and of other wolves. She remembered the warning given by the men who wandered in search of an attacker, but this wolf did not meet the description. She wasn’t familiar with his pack’s scent- but to her knowledge, they weren’t exactly at war with any other packs, either. 

She snorted and shook her shoulders to ease some of the tension.

Many panic neurons started firing off as the girl continued to close the distance.

Ó nei – she isn’t stopping! This is it! WhatdoIdo? WhatdoIdo?

But she didn’t attack. His ears slicked backward, and the flamelick upon his brow was pulled taut by his frown. Instead of challenging him further, she scrutinized him, which he was too offput to rebuke. He took the opportunity to do the same, noting her own packscent, her ash markings, and a pair of aurora eyes.

He started to relax as she did, ears rising again and tail beginning to sway as the threat of her ebbed away. Is this how you make friends? Kristjan half-teased, half-scoffed, trying to pretend as if she hadn’t rattled him at all.

Still, he was impressed, or at least his racing heart told him he was, so he was quick to hand out praise as well. You are a brave wolf. So much like— He tried to stop himself from thinking about Astrid.

Her eyes narrowed as he summoned a remark, warning him not to press her good humour. It was the next comment that saved him from any further rebuke- and she accepted the praise with a lift of her chin. Her lip lifted only enough to reveal the tip of one long canine. She was brave because she had to be-  but still her heartbeat did not slow.

She pushed forward a bit, driven to learn more from him b my his scent, boldly stepping close enough to begin whisking her muzzle above his pelt if he would let her and accept the invite to greet her as well.

He eyed the curled lip and the lift of her chin with caution, but most of his anxiety had begun to ebb now as he felt that he needn't fear her proud display. After all, the boy king was more than happy to let her be in control of their interaction.

Sighing through his nose, Kristjan dusted away his remaining stress with a more friendly wave of his tail - which felt more natural to him, if he was being honest. Defending himself was scary!

And yet, he couldn't shake the excitement of it all. Adrenaline continued to course through him as they stiffly circled one another, sniffing and snuffling and shaking proverbial hands. My name is Kristjan, he offered when they faced one another again, wondering if the girl spoke at all. If not, it hardly mattered. He could feel a desire to be rowdy and roughhouse, which required no speaking, as evidenced by a tense sort of friskiness to his stance.

The swish of his tail initially caused Cygnet to startle lightly, but she froze to avoid giving her fright away. She noticed then how her heart raced, to be standing sidelong with someone her own age- not some stiff, posturing adult. She was at last on equal ground with someone, and wouldn’t be dismissed simply because of her age. 

He gave her a name and she bristled slightly, reluctant to speak. She noted the sound of his voice, the crispness of his diction, and began to feel the weight of social anxiety trying to convince her to keep her mouth shut. 

But if she did, then he might think he was better than her- and she was having none of that. 

”Sssssssssignet,” She hissed softly. Her gaze caught his, sharp and tense. For a moment, silence whisked its way between them, and held her frozen in place. Abruptly, she dropped her front end, elbows crushing the soft, new grass beneath her as she dipped into a swift, inviting playbow.

Sssssssssignet.

Though more of an onomatopoeia than a title, Kristjan felt himself smiling at the reluctant way her name was pushed through her teeth. His curiosity intensified. This mixture of distrust and competitiveness wasn't exactly conducive to a friendly first meeting, but it made his skin pulse in a way it never had before.

When she dropped suddenly, his head reared back a little in surprise before realizing her intention. He met the sly challenge in her eyes with a bow of his own, kicking up dirt between them in his excitement. His tongue lolled goofily and even his pale eye twinkled playfully. Bet you can't catch me!

Kristjan spun, leaping put of her reach, hoping she would give chase.

She leapt up from her playbow so quickly that her claws left rake-like marks in the supple earth. As Kristjan bolted for her, she uttered a chattering, gurgling growl- a mark of both surprise and amusement as she frisked sideways, tearing up green grass with her paws as she hopped sideways to avoid being tackled, only to realize that he had done the same. She scrambled to lunge toward him- but the young man was quicker on his feet, and began to bound off. 

She uttered a soft growl and scrambled into flight- pursuing him with a maddening happiness in her eyes, a macabre look on her face which was the closest thing she'd ever managed to a smile.

Though Kristjan galloped with a longer stride, he could barely keep abreast of the wild girl. He could feel her hot of his heels, keeping pace with every breakneck fakeout he attempted. It was exhilarating — better than any moment like this he had shared with his family.

Breathing hard, muzzle wide with a clownish grin, he decided to turn the chase into a grapple. Whirling to meet her, he caught a glimpse of her feral-happy expression just milliseconds before they crashed into one another.

She breathed hard, and pulled up short in a dizzying skid, catching a glimpse of his features for a moment before they collided. For a second, she felt a shred of fear- this was a stranger, after all, and he had no reason to spare her life if he decided on a whim to draw blood. 

Trust wasn’t something she gave freely- if ever. But swept up in the momentum, and catching a glimpse of the merriment in his eyes, she allowed her limbs to soften and bend, and willed momentum to carry her toward him. 

She realized only then that in the exhilaration, all hostility had been left behind, as if it had been no more than a hat caught in the breeze. She grappled with paws, shoved with her shoulders, and gave him only a widened jaw- one that would not clench or pinch. 

For the first time in her life, Cygnet played.