Firefly Glen beautiful glass

for @Wildfire <3

it was time for the man to travel from his homeland, both current and future, and seek out the pallid man he had not seen in some time, to inform him of their departure. his heart stung with the pain of it, that he would be even farther removed from his lover, and saltwater licked at his cheeks as the man moved through the cold air of that late afternoon in the direction of the creek where mordecai and harlyn had decided to stake their claim.

but the night's shadows grew, and the man was forced to veer from his path and seek out shelter for the night. he found a stand of birch alongside the waters of a creek that birthed the moonlight back at itself, and here lasher settled himself, gazing into the reflection as the weariness of the day stole over him.

Thanks for starting (and moving). <3

She couldn't decide which was sweeter, the taste of blood or the taste of victory. Wildfire experienced both as she stood over her kill (a fat hare) and waited to catch her breath. As she panted, her eyes scanned her surroundings. The rabbit had led her on a wild chase into the glen just east beyond Moonspear's claim and she had plunged after it, mindless of the encroaching dusk. During summer, this place would be rife with the radiance of fireflies. Presently, the darkness was cold and complete.

As soon as she could breathe again, the young she-wolf plucked her kill off the ground and began trotting toward home. She wanted to share her catch with Floki; the two of them could sup together. But despite the thick scent of blood and flesh in her nose, she detected another, a decidedly canine odor. It was vaguely familiar. Wildfire paused, then gently set her rabbit back at her feet and tipped her muzzle into the air. It took her a moment to place the scent. Taltos...?

Rather than try to track him, which would be a complicated endeavor with the rabbit taken into account, Wildfire chuffed to announce her presence. She waited to see if he would make a reply. Then perhaps she could follow the sound of his voice.

anytime! <3

slumber threatened his consciousness, but a low sound roused the druid, and he came fully awake, standing to his paws. his eyes did not pluck a figure from the cold gloom, but he gleaned the information he desired from the sound of the announcement and the scent of the approaching wolf.

returning her chuff with one of his own, lasher relaxed, for the wolfess was familiar. his gaze searched for her -- he did not move closer, but would instead invite her step toward him, and her fragrance was fringed in the hot scent of prey's blood.

A low woof announced his position and implied a willingness to entertain her presence. Wildfire mouthed the rabbit again, then trotted through the gloom. Her ears picked up the sound of running water and a moment later, she stepped onto the shore of a brook. Beside the water, her amber eyes plucked out a figure slightly darker that the darkness itself.

"Taltos?" Wildfire said after depositing the carcass once again atop her petite red forepaws. "It's Wildfire," she said, just in case, unaware that she had given a different name at their previous introduction. "What brings you here...?" she wondered, creeping closer so that she could make out his face and better grasp his scent. The soft fur of the rabbit now tickled against her ankles, its warmth fast fading.

it was the child of fox and peregrine -- she introduced herself once more, with her true birthname, and lasher moved to greet her, though he stopped some feet away. "i am on my way to visit a companion in another pack," he explained, his plume waving once. her scent had changed -- the reek of the caldera did not hang around her sunny fur -- and she had grown older since the last he had seen her, but wildfire still appeared to be hale despite the encroaching winter.

"it is dark -- were you returning home?" the druid asked carefully, wondering if she had settled nearby, and a brief flicker of worry entered his heart that she was alone.

His answer immediately satisfied her curiosity. She briefly wondered about the identity of Taltos's companion, though she did not ask, partly because he made a query first. Wildfire bobbed her head, though she folded herself to her haunches to indicate that she could spare a few moments for him. She accidentally sat on the rabbit (such an odd sensation), then shifted and sat beside it.

"Yes, I live at Moonspear now," she answered, indicating the nearby mountain with a flick of her slender snout. Her amber eyes briefly dropped to her kill. "I was just working on my hunting game." Get it? "I'm considering picking up the trade," she mentioned as a way to make conversation.

"i would say you are making a fair start at it," lasher smiled, glancing at the hapless lapin lying before her paws. she did not press for further details about his journey, and likewise he did not ask why she had left the caldera, or if she had been driven out by her mother. the girl appeared pleased, however, and that satisfied the druid for the present. "my son seeks the rank of outrider," he went on.

"i myself am a lowly counselor," he added with a wry smirk at himself. "but, i have not heard of this moonspear before? will you tell me a bit of its lore?" he was reminded of the sunspire by the name, and wondered only briefly at it before training his full attention upon wildfire.

He mentioned a son who wanted to become an Outrider. She didn't make a verbal reply, though her expression seemed to say, What a good idea. It was the one trade she had never doubted since its selection. If and when she shuffled her remaining trades, she would probably come to think of it as her primary, even if it was her most recent.

Wildfire wondered what prompted the comment about being a lowly Counselor but, again, he distracted her with a question. "I don't think there's much lore yet," the teenager replied honestly. "It's only been around a month or two. The Sunspire and Stavanger Bay decided to join forces. It's led by Charon and Ame, from the bay and the spire, respectively."

There really wasn't much more to the story, as far as she knew, anyway. So Wildfire seized the opportunity to inquire, "What's so lowly about being a Counselor? I feel like you have to be pretty wise and stuff to do that." She had briefly considered it herself. Though her personality lent itself to hospitality, she didn't feel she was experienced enough to provide any sort of sage counsel, which knocked it off the list. "Do you only counsel your pack mates or anyone who needs it? Do you charge for your services?" she wondered in a slightly playful tone.

her features expressed her approval of the outrider rank, but to her questions he settled to answer. "i do not claim any great intelligence -- my ears are but ready to listen." he laughed aloud at her jests, filing away the talk of the merger betwixt two packs. it was interesting, though their talk had turned to his own role within blacktail deer plateau.

"i provide said ear for any who need it, and i would not charge a soul for the pleasure of helping them," taltos answered gently, sobering somewhat. his eyes briefly found hers in the darkness -- he wondered if she sought such counsel, despite her outward projection of confidence.

He insisted he would open his ears to anyone and that his counsel did not come at a price. Spotting the opportunity, Wildfire said, "Maybe you can advise me then." She paused, waiting for a signal to proceed, before elaborating, "Like I mentioned, I'm thinking of becoming a Gamekeeper. I have three trades already: Naturalist, Warrior and Outrider. I'm the best at the latter. I was considering dropping the former but I recently reconsidered. But I am pretty sure I am going to drop Warrior."

She had laid out the basic framework of her problem. Now she drew in a breath and then embellished on her hangups. "When I lived at the caldera, it was a requirement to pick up either the Warrior or Warden trade. So I picked it because I had to, not because I was particularly good at it. With that said, I took training very seriously and I thought I was halfway decent. Yeah, I wasn't as big or strong as others but I was quick and crafty. Or so I thought. Lately I've been sucking a lot in that department, though. I lost a fight with a loner in front of my Alpha, who called me 'fucking rubbish,' and then a bear confronted the pack and I sort of acted like a coward," she admitted.

Her ears suddenly fell back. She had really rambled a lot there, which was quite unusual for her. Wildfire didn't tend to talk a whole lot (except with her closest companions, perhaps), nor did she make a habit of unloading problems on strangers. But Taltos had professed himself a Counselor, so it was only natural for her to unpack her issues given the chance. With that said, she peered at him with a sudden tinge of bashfulness, feeling slightly awkward about blathering on like that.

surprisingly, wildfire launched herself into a sudden bid for his ear, and lasher settled himself to listen. the fact that a trade had been required at the caldera was not shocking, but the idea that the girl had believed herself honed when she was not gave the druid pause. surely someone had been there to guide her training? then again, he would not put it past fox to merely demand a rank from her daughter, leaving the girl to discover its logistics for herself. still, wildfire was to be admired for her dedication to to the improvement of her packland.

when she had finished, the man flicked one ear and mused. "your leader is harsh. the sentiment may have been warranted, but the delivery is wanting. in times of attack, every able body is necessary to defuse the danger, and so cowardice is not an option." he pondered the fire-hued girl. "but this you know. why did you shrink from the bear when it came?"

If he found her rambling strange in any way, Taltos didn't make any indication of it. Perhaps that was why he was a Counselor; he could be observant but impassive, reserving any implication of judgment. Now that she thought about it, there was something very mollifying about his mannerisms. Something about his calm, stoic and well-spoken demeanor invited trust, even though Wildfire had only met him the once.

All the same, she still felt strange about rambling on like that. Her lips pressed together as Taltos answered succinctly, condemning Charon's delivery before moving on to the importance of all hands on deck. Indeed, she did know. She nibbled at her lip, then paused thoughtfully as she weighed his question.

"I honestly thought I was going to die," she said simply. "It was just two of us at first. I took one look at its claws and I knew it could easily chop off my head with one lazy swipe. I was too small, so fighting back seemed pointless, I guess. I didn't really think, I just... I cowered, until backup arrived," she confessed quietly and guiltily.

She let the ugly truth linger in the air between them a moment before adding, "I'm not usually a coward, though. Even though I'm small, I've never failed like that until now." Why was that? Was it because she'd left home? Was it because of her lost fight with Eigma? Was it because of Charon's disparaging criticism? Did the reason really matter, if it was clear that fighting battles wasn't her forte?

he would have been pleased to know that he engendered such comfort in wildfire -- it was what he indeed strove for, in all of his dealings. lasher did not like shows of undue aggression -- he would never attack a creature preemptively, and perhaps that was a failing of his own wolf's-blood, but it was not in his nature. the glen-beast was a thorough servant.

she paused, and then began to recount her understandable terror at seeing the large ursine. the fiery child implied that she had not been alone with her cowardice for long, and lasher took this to mean that the bear had not done damage to the wolves of her new pack, only to wildfire's own faith in herself.

"it seems that you must find that confidence you had in the caldera. you have moved, and away from all of your family, if i am not mistaken. such a change has taken a toll on your mind; you seek to hold yourself to the same standards as before. you must first be kind unto yourself -- you are in need of a period of acclimation. keep from conflicts if you are able; devote yourself to the skills you have clearly honed, such as hunting."

he paused. "the bear may return again, but you will be ready at that time. find ways in which to buoy your own confidence -- ask for sparring practice with the members of your pack -- request helpful criticisms and assessments of your skills from them. it is a humbling experience, to be sure, but you shall only improve yourself through it, wildfire."

She listened to each and every word of advice he dispensed. Like his general nature, there was something soothing, even a little bit hypnotic, about his speech. Yet Wildfire did not fall into a mindless trance. She absorbed the message and found herself nodding here and there, acknowledging and appreciating the wisdom he was imparting on her.

"That's... good advice," she said lamely when he was done, laughing lightly at herself. She felt a little less silly for having opened up to him now. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way." She truly didn't hold Charon's remark against him, yet Wildfire did better with positive reinforcement rather than the negative variety.

A brief silence ensued. It didn't feel awkward to her but Wildfire nonetheless broke it to ask, "Would you like a drumstick?" She held out a petite paw and placed it gently atop the rabbit to indicate what she meant. "As a token of thanks for bearing with my verbal diarrhea..."

she was the daughter of fox and peregrine -- it was not in her lineage to fail in anything she attempted. to her words her gave a wry smile. "it was my pleasure," the druid answered, "but i would be happy for any sustenance you provide."

it was upon the tip of his tongue to ask wildfire her take on the recent events that had transpired between casmir and behati, but he felt that would be rather odd, given the closeness in age between the trio of them.

"how are you settling otherwise? have you companions?" lasher inquired after a moment, resting his murkwater eyes comfortably upon the little russet face, so like fox's in its beauty and determination.

She halfway expected Taltos to decline. When he accepted instead, she smiled and bent over her kill, quickly nibbling off a hind leg and making a point to include the meaty thigh. Wildfire waved her tail as she plucked up the morsel and set it near him, then reposed back onto her haunches. She licked the blood from her lips and teeth.

He asked about her new home. Wildfire paused thoughtfully before answering, "I'm settling in pretty well. It was hard at first and I had to take a few days to be miserable and homesick," she admitted, "but I'm pretty happy there." Her amber eyes traced over the shadowy flank of Moonspear. "I do," she continued. "That's what drew me there. Specifically, Charon and his brother, Floki." There was a particular warmth in her voice as she uttered the latter's name.

he took a bite of the delicate meat, savoring the taste as he listened to wildfire detail her travails in the new land thus far. again, the curiosity as to what had caused the move flared, but lasher ignored it. to ask for the information would be impolite -- if the fire-girl wished to proffer it, he would listen, but the druid would not mention the caldera.

charon. "i know of the former name, but not the latter," lasher murmured, though his tone told the young wolfess that he had not overlooked her small drop of inflected warmth upon floki's title. "new friends of yours, then?"

"Charon's the aforementioned Alpha," Wildfire said. "I've known him a while now. I met Floki when my Aunt Fl—Finley went missing. They both helped me search for her. That's part of why I came here. They helped me and they wanted me to be a part of this." Once again, she motioned at the dark mountain. "There were other reasons but they were—are—a big part of it."

Despite her earlier candidness, Wildfire did not volunteer any further information about her aunt, nor Floki. Speaking of him made her suddenly eager to get back home to share the rest of the rabbit with him. He would be proud of her catch and they would enjoy it together. The youth did not want to be rude and cut Taltos short, however.

"You know, I don't know a whole lot about you. I was a bit shyer when we first met," the youth said, canting her head slightly to see how Taltos would respond.

he listened attentively as wildfire spoke, filing aside the names for another time. he sensed her reticence, and wondered at it, but decided it was the natural progression of things. "you told me your name was attica," the beta reminisced good-naturedly, "but i knew you as wildfire from the beginning."

the shadows were deep indeed -- soon she would hurry onward, to her home, but for now he would entertain what he supposed to be her curiosities. "you are correct, however, that i know much of you but the scales are unbalanced. what would you like to know?"

His admission caused her lips to purse. That could only mean one thing: he knew her parents. Had he mentioned that at their previous encounter? Wildfire honestly couldn't remember. Most wolves who knew Peregrine and Fox loved or hated them with a passion; there wasn't much of a middle ground. She wondered into which camp Taltos fell.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I guess I'd like to know how you knew my name was Wildfire."

he had half-expected her to beg his leave and depart, but instead the girl lingered, and posed the one inquiry that would perhaps turn her against him. the muscles along his jaw leapt, but the man composed himself and chose the honest words. "i am lasher, the beta of blacktail deer plateau," he began softly. "i was once ... very close to your father, amiable with your mother."

the ruby's visage swam before him; hate swelled in his breast, but it must be quelled, for the exact image, almost to the finest detail, of the loathsome wolfess sat before him. "peregrine was my leader for quite some time. in addition, your aunt, your sisters of whom you may not know -- i know them." knew, in the case of osprey junior, but he would not mention that -- not now.

Taltos spoke rather neutrally, though Wildfire sensed that he was carefully controlling himself. It made her think briefly of Saena and she appreciated his restraint, if that was indeed what he was doing. He mentioned a history with her parents, then made an implication that didn't settle well with her.

"I know about my half-brothers and sisters," she corrected him quietly. "I'm actually on good terms with Saena, I think. I wouldn't necessarily call us friends but we're on civil terms. I've never met any of the others, except for Junior. And I don't really count her, considering..." Wildfire looked him in the face, nibbling delicately on her lip and searching his expression in an effort to deduce whether he knew about Junior's attack (and death) during her infancy.

there was no title of 'half' in lasher's world -- one was either a brother or a sister. he did worry briefly that he had offended wildfire, but decided that she was intelligent enough to decide such for herself. he nodded warmly at the mention of saena, pleased that she knew of the pallid girl, though it was apparent that wildfire considered junior in the same manner that had led to her disposal.

he would not seek to impress upon the fire-hued girl his beliefs -- lasher was weary of it all -- and so he blinked in respect of her words, dipping his muzzle once. "i understand, and i am sorry that it happened to you, wildfire." her death would have engendered a sense of tragedy in him, the same that junior's demise had wrought in his heart.

He knew of it. Taltos offered condolences and she looked at the grass at her feet, then back up at him and rolled a red shoulder. "I actually don't remember it very well." It was the honest truth. She didn't feeling anything in particular toward Junior, except a strange sort of pity. "Saena said there was something very wrong with her," she recollected aloud, then realized how that might sound and pressed her lips together, an apologetic look flickering across her face.

Changing the course of the conversation while still sticking to the topic at hand, Wildfire said, "I know about my other relatives too. The name I gave you—Attica—that's for my dad's brother. I know about Osprey and Crete. There's a lot of others too. My grandparents were, er, prolific?" Was that even the right term?

"I think dad's mentioned you before, now that you mention it," Wildfire said ponderously in the next breath, it being his actual name. "Your name's familiar." She just couldn't place it, which could be because her father hadn't spoken frequently of Lasher or because her memory could be faulty sometimes. They were equally likely and it was possible it was a little bit of both. In any case, she hoped Taltos Lasher did not take offense.

"there was," lasher agreed softly, though that was all he said upon the matter, quite relieved at the change of subject. wildfire had the grace to look apologetic, but the druid would not hold such a thing against her -- he had different ideas in regards to the information they shared, and that was that.

the man was altogether pleased that the fire-hued girl knew of her family, and this showed plainly upon his features as she spoke. "prolific indeed!" he confirmed with a wry twist of his lips. his heart seemed to pause in its cadence as wildfire revealed a possibility unto him, and he chided himself for his juvenile foolishness.

"i am also called taltos," the druid murmured softly. "perhaps it was one of those names that you heard." he would not confirm the likelihood of wildfire having known his title before -- he and peregrine were forever ended, and it was a moot point unto him -- or so he told himself.