Jade Fern Grove as dark as the fallen star

For @Kaskara! I'm really kind of setting this vaguely on the timeline since I'm not sure what's going to happening with or during the search party thread. :X

Early evening brought cooler weather to the boughs and shadows of the Grove, where Pasha restlessly moved. He did not stray far from the den, certain that his father would be returning soon. If not him, perhaps one of the others. At any rate, Pasha would have prefer it be all of them, all at once even. The discontent that had made its appearance to him finally left him with a sense of unease. He wondered briefly, perhaps far more intelligently than his youth boasted, if it were the cause for how Swift had been feeling about things. His negatively radiated from him at times, though it had yet to once truly penetrate Pasha's optimism for long.

But the thought did not stay with him either, far too distracted by the low call of an owl somewhere in the eaves. He came to stop in the middle of a path he was crossing, his muzzle raising skyward as though he would truly spot the creature in the depths of shrinking light. For a moment, he wished to be one of those majestic birds — it would have made figuring out where everyone had gone much easier. If anything, he hoped when all of their family was reunited again, they would be whole. Anything bad that had transpired or anything that had upset them would suddenly be nil in light of them being together.

kamelot — fallen star

I love Kamelot. <3

She was beginning to worry about Bazi. Where was she? What had happened to her and Swift and Allure? She hadn't seen them all in a long time, but she chocked that up to her being a new mate and being busy securing the borders of their home. She thought they were probably busy, too, doing whatever they did. The pack had yet to come across the crimson moss, the warning that something was wrong, but it would happen soon. And their world would change forever.

But for now, they were living their relatively quiet lives. Kaskara smiled as she scented Pasha ahead and followed his trail. The hoot of an owl caused her to pause, her ear turned toward it, and then she continued. Pasha stood still ahead and she smiled at him, giving a soft bark to announce her presence before she bumped her nose against his shoulder and kissed his head. He was looking more like Scimitar every day. "You okay, Pasha?"

His eyes continued to scan through that dark expanse, but the owl did not reveal its hiding location.  For all he knew, it was sneaking through the heavy boughs above him, studying him and his fruitless search.  But his attention was drawn away swiftly as someone called out to him, his body turning and conforming to that of his aunt's as she drew near.  With splaying ears as she kissed the top of his head, a warm smile emerged in its wake.

"I'm fine," he said, as though the feelings he had been carrying along were gone.  "I just heard an owl, I think.  I was trying to find it in the trees."  The owl had been a decent distraction from going on around him and try as he might to grow up so quickly, Pasha did not let go of the youthful tendency to stop and look for things.  He had never seen an owl, at least not up close, but he had heard them many times in the night and morning.

edit: i just saw your ooc note lmfao; but yes, I do toooo. I don't know how I feel about Tommy still though... nice vocals but the newer albums are hard for me to enjoy. I have to admit I was a total babe for Roy's voice nugughuhguhuhhh. That man could serenade me anytime. ;___;

Kaskara settled in beside him and crouched, wanting to hide her dark fur in the underbrush of the grove. "Which direction?" Her eyes sparkled in the shade as she looked toward Pasha, wondering if he'd play along. Maybe they could spook the owl, or at least find where he was hiding in the boughs above. And in the meant time, she could get her mind off her missing family, the way she hadn't seen them in days, and the feeling that threatened to squeeze her heart out. Pasha was her family, too, and she knew he felt the loss as keenly as she did, if not more so. She nuzzled Pasha gently then, forgetting their owl-watching, and then settled back. She just wanted him to know that she loved him, and she would always take care of him.

His aunt sank towards the earth and instinctively he followed, picking up on those subtle nuances as the owl hooted above them once more. Her query prompted him to scan through those trees again, and he did so carefully as though it would truly aid in his budding precision.

But before he could respond, he found himself caught off-guard by her move to nuzzle him. It almost prompted him to shy away as young boys were wont to do, but he shrugged the feeling off just in time to hear that owl call once more. His attention stolen, Pasha honed in on where he thought the bird to be tucked away.

"There," he gestured with his muzzle, towards a towering tree he knew nothing about. "Probably up high, way up high, right?" he went on to say, his voice dropping into a whisper. And ever keen for that reassurance, that ego boost, his gaze was swift to turn back to his aunt.

Let's wrap this up soon? <3

"That's right." Kas smiled at him and turned her gaze up toward the trees, ears pushed forward to catch any sounds of the owl hidden above. They sat in silence for a while, a companionable silence as far as she was concerned, and waited. Kaskara wasn't one to fill the air with small talk, and she hoped her nephew was comfortable enough around her to do likewise.

The wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves and bushes of the verdant oasis they called home. She liked it here, but it definitely wasn't Nova Peak or even the creek. But what made it home was the wolves she lived with, her family that surrounded her on all sides. She could live anywhere with them and feel at home. Above them the owl hooted again and her eyes snapped toward the sound, and in the branches, she spotted the dark-feathered creature. "Can you spot it?" She whispered, encouraging her nephew with a smile.