Firefly Glen i've got scars, even though they can't always be seen

@Floki? <3 AW though (: stop 2 on aria's trip! 

Aria wasn't aware that this would be her next stop. To her this seemed like your run-of-the-mill glen. Nothing fancy about it. But she arrived at nighttime, and it's beauty caught her by surprise. When she first arrived, there were some glowing bugs that lured her in. Aria had never seen such creatures-- being from the north and then the coast-- and was absolutely mesmerized. It was a good thing that it hadn't rained recently, otherwise she would've been nose deep in mud by now. She neared a particularly soggy bit of ground, but was unaware. She stopped just before it, standing and taking in the scenery. What were these creatures? What was this place? 

The sun had set, and while Floki should have retired for the night, he didn't yet feel sleepy. Absently, he allowed his paws to carry him down Moonspear's slope and into the familiar grasses of Firefly Glen, where he browsed about under the cover of darkness. He was alone, save for the moon's friendly face and the soft flickering glow of the lightning bugs that gave the field its name.

When he looked up and saw a ghastly figure, he didn't jump to conclusions; twice before he had met pale-furred wolves under the moonlight. A closer look revealed that this wolf was one of his midnight acquaintances, and he smiled. He hadn't expected to see Aria again so soon.

"Aria," he called out as he approached, weaving towards her beneath the dancing fireflies.

The girl stared still, the lights shining and disappearing as they flew around her. The girl's ears perked as the crunching of grass pulled her attention elsewhere. She soon saw the familiar coat of Floki, the man she'd met her first trip down south on her search for Casmir. She smiled, turning her body to see him as he called her name. Her head dipped once.

"Look who it is," she replied, white eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "I must be close to your home again, hm?" she then said, looking the man up and down with interest.

"Yep," he replied, turning to gesture over his shoulder at Moonspear looming protectively in the background. He shifted his gaze back to Aria, lingering once more on her uniquely colored eyes. They were just as colorless as her coat, and while this was unusual, there was something captivating about them.

With a smirk, Floki teased, "You must like me if you keep hanging out around my front door." She gave him a once-over with those eerily pretty eyes and he shifted, his tail tip twitching.

He wasn't so down tonight, and Aria was glad to see he was returning her suggestion for playful banter. She returned his smirk, her own tail twitching. "You could say that," she replied, settling herself among the glen. The pale princess turned her head, gazing behind him to look at the mountain that he had motioned to. She'd remembered it from their last meeting, but she couldn't recall the mountain exactly. She stared at it now, making a note in her head of it's location-- she'd remember it this time.

When her attention fell back to him, she studied his gaze for a moment. They were the same oceany blue she had remembered from last time-- still not Casmir's eery yellow, but just as intriguing. "I'll assume you didn't sense my presence and drag yourself down from your mountain..." she teased, her ears cupping forward, "What brings you here?" she asked.

He chuckled, appreciative of her playful attitude. He couldn't help but wonder why she was out and about, away from Donnelaith after nightfall once more, but she beat him to the punch with her own question of similar merit. "Just a moonlit stroll, I suppose. Sometimes it's nice to leave the mountain for a few hours," Floki replied. He thought briefly of Lazarus, the older wolf that had challenged his authority; he hoped that Moonspear wasn't changing.

"What about you? Do you make a habit of wandering so far from home in the evening?" he asked. Over her shoulder, the fireflies kept blinking, their patterns erratic yet somehow graceful.

Aria smiled, rolling her shoulders. "You seem to like midnight strolls," she commented before she answered, quirking an eyebrow. "And no, I'm away from home on an adventure tonight," the girl informed him, chest puffed out cheekily. "I'm exploring the south, mostly for my own sake. It's nice to know what's out there," she added, further explaining. She followed his gaze behind her, her head turning to view the sporadic lights. The white girl stared curiously at them for a while, her tail waving behind her. "Do you know what these are?" she then asked, turning back towards him.

The mention of adventure caused Floki's ears to perk. Aria continued, explaining that she was scouting out the southern territories for her own mental map. As an outrider himself, he was particularly interested in this tidbit, especially since he had been planning his next trip in his mind. He hadn't yet approached the subject with Amekaze and Charon, and now was a little reluctant to stray too far from Moonspear after his confrontation with Lazarus, but he could almost hear the open road calling to him.

"Are you an outrider?" he asked, blinking owlishly as she made another query, this time about the twinkling fireflies. Momentarily sidetracked from his interest in her exploration, he looked around at the insects as one in particular flashed just inches from his nose. "These? They're called fireflies," he said, thinking of warm summer evenings spent just outside of the family den in Stavanger Bay, the twilight illuminated by the sparkling bugs.

Her ears perked, surprised to see that he had found such an interest in her exploration. "Are you?" she turned the question back to him, her head tilting to the side, mouth turning upwards in a smirk. "I wouldn't call myself one, but I'm trying something new," she told him. She paused, her gaze looking him over again. "It's nice to try something new every once in a while," she added, moving back to the bugs.

"Fireflies," she repeated, voice ending with a sort of hum. "And they can glow like this? I've never seen anything like them," she informed him, not that it really mattered. Her diamond-white gaze jumped from bug to bug as they lit up and dulled in turn. "Quite beautiful,"

"I am!" he replied promptly, his tone enthusiastic. "I'm also a mercenary, but outriding is really my calling, I think. I love exploring, but I haven't gone too far from home lately," he added, the words spilling out of him before he could stop them. Maybe his trip would need to happen sooner rather than later; just talking about it was enough to get his adrenaline pumping.

With a sly glance at Aria, he continued. "I could give you some tips sometime," he suggested. Then, to answer her other question, he reached out to bat a firefly out of the air with his paw. It fell to the ground, its body still flickering as he leaned down to peer at it. "Yeah, I'm not sure what makes them glow. It's kind of weird -- look, it's their butt that lights up," he said with a snicker.

"Mercenary," the girl repeated, a smirk sliding it's way onto her lips. "You have quite the skill set-- I've yet to settle with any trades, dabbled in everything and yet to find something I love," she shrugged a little, watching him carefully. "Perhaps this is it though, I will admit, it's the most exciting so far," An eyebrow cocked, and she held her smile, "I'd like that," she replied.

He moved to the fireflies, batting one down and lowering himself to the ground. She followed, her body slinking down as she viewed the dying beetle. She stared curiously at it, and found it was indeed it's butt that lit up. "Nifty," she agreed, head tilting to the right. She raised her head, watching Floki with interest. "I wonder if they're actually made from fire," she offered curiously, but she knew the idea was rather unlikely.

Floki squinted down at the lightning bug, examining its tiny body though his ears were pointed at Aria. "I have no idea," he mused -- could its innards be made of fire? He couldn't imagine what else would make a bug glow, but that just didn't seem like it could be correct. He grew bored of his scrutiny quickly and gave the insect a gentle flick, just enough to cause it to spread its wings and take flight. It hovered between the two wolves for a moment, its light blinking uncertainly, and then it finally buzzed away.

The sandy-legged boy settled back onto his haunches then, regarding Aria with a thoughtful glance. As loathe as he was to leave Moonspear for too long, he found that he wanted to get to know her better -- and scouting would be the perfect opportunity. It would be irresponsible for the Beta to take off with her at that very moment, although he did consider it briefly. He quickly came to the conclusion that it would be better to plan ahead.

"So, how long are you planning to be on this adventure of yours?" he asked, tilting his head. "'Cause maybe once you're done, we could have our own expedition." His suggestion was somewhat out of left field and he accompanied it with a shrug of his shoulders.

He grw bored, it seemed, but truthfully she wasn't sure how she'd managed to stay interested in the creature for so long. Perhaps it was only because she'd never seen one-- Floki was at least used to it by now. She looked up to him after he flicked it away, and she was shocked that it was able to fly again. Bugs were strange beasts, after being knocked from the air it was still able to fly... she'd never really dealt with bugs before though, so she really wasn't sure.

Ironically, Aria had done just that. She'd let them know-- sort of-- first of course. A quick howl and off she went. Lasher trusted her, she knew, she had an obligation to her pack and she'd never leave it to fend for itself-- especially with pups. But Floki at least had gone through the situation and made a wise choice, she wouldn't have blamed him. 

Ears perked, surprise clear on her face, the girl's jaws curled into a mischievous smile. "As long as it takes," she answered vaguely. "I know nothing about this territory, but I've positioned myself to south, that's all I've got," she told him, her tail waving behind her. "Where haven't you explored that you would like to take me, Mr. Scout?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow as she spoke.

She had no planned end date for her trip, which drew an appreciative smile from Floki. Sometimes, that was the best way to do it. He usually plotted out his destination, but the length of time and territories he visited varied greatly, often depending on things as fluid as the weather or his mood. He had all but worn a path between Moonspear and Stavanger Bay, so often had he visited, but now he was itching to go elsewhere.

"You'll enjoy the south. That's where I've done most of my travelling -- really between here and Stavanger Bay especially. I think I'd like to head north," he said, making the decision even as he spoke. Anything further than the upper reaches of the coastline were unfamiliar to him, and he wanted to go inland. Glancing at Aria -- as he had looked away thoughtfully, watching the fireflies dance -- he said, "Why don't you just come back by Moonspear once you've seen what you want to see of the south? We can go from there."

The north-- she knew the north quite well-- at least, until you reach Saltwinter. Until there it was all uncharted, and she was unsure what she would find there. The girl smiled, eyeing him now with more sweetness in her gaze than mischief. She had no intentions of leaving early, but perhaps she would cut her journey short if it meant having a travel companion. She weighed her options right then and there, gaze still locked upon the dusty-legged brute who sat before her.

"Hm," she hummed thoughtfully, head tilting as she looked him up and down once again. "You have yourself a deal," she agreed with a smile. "I can't give you a date. Regardless if I finish my journey tomorrow or next week, I have my own pack to take care of. I'll want to hang around for a bit-- I'd hate to abandon them for so long," she informed him, standing. The girl took one last look at the beautiful landscape around her before she gave a sweet smile to Floki. "Don't run off without me, I'll be back," and she turned and left. She left at a trot, hips and tail swaying as she went. She was pleased with tonights encounter-- a friend outside her home was still a friend.

!! so exciting. last post from me, thanks for the great thread (:

:D

She accepted his offer, with stipulations of her own. Floki, of course, understood -- especially since he had just been weighing the considerations of his own pack. He would postpone his solo trip, feeling much like Aria in that he would not want to be away for too terribly long. Instead, he would wait for her return -- and in the meantime, he would strengthen his presence in the pack so that his absence would not be sorely felt.

He nodded. "Sounds great," he said, even as she was beginning to skip away. "See you soon!" he called after her, and while she had departed more abruptly than he had anticipated, he felt good as he watched her go. Perhaps things were looking up for the young Ostrega. He waited until Aria's pale figure had been swallowed by the night, then turned to make his way back towards Moonspear.