Sleeping Dragon Immortal

Wildfire wanted to disappear. It was a tempting thought: she could pack her bags and just vanish. But she could not bring herself to do that—to run away from her heartache—not again. Just because the commander didn't reciprocate her feelings didn't lessen the yearling's attachment to her. Sure, she intended to avoid her for the foreseeable future... but she couldn't bring herself to just up and leave Drageda. For better or worse, they were stuck with her.

Besides, she didn't have the energy to make a great escape. After spending a few days on the outskirts of the territory, Wildfire shuffled back into the pack's heartland and slumped down on a scanty patch of grass. Oh, she noted dimly, brushing her nose along the new green shoots. Thoughtlessly, she cropped the short sod with her teeth, savoring the taste of hope and new life on her tongue.

Maybe @Magpie...? Anyone, really. :)

With the ministrations of Drageda's newest healer, the fleimkepa was becoming more active; it was hard to say if her wounds were healing, but Magpie certainly felt less pain. And some of the herbs Gluskap had given her to chew on— too ease both mind and body— had some unexpected side effects. Her depression was subsiding, but only to make way for a constant sort of dream-state. Her dosages were low and often ran dry, for the stores had not been full before the locusts, and life was only beginning to return to the lands... but they seemed to be enough.

She had emerged from her den after a long nap, chewing a small mouthful of something herbal before heading out into the territory. Her progress was slow, but not quite as labored as it had been, and it was after several minutes that she recognized the fiery form of her niece up ahead. For a moment, the Corvidae remained frozen— they hadn't spoken since the bear attack, and that had been weeks ago. It hadn't resolved the tension between them, either, but Magpie knew they couldn't continue like this.

"Wildfire," she chuffed gently in greeting. Magpie swallowed, her tongue feeling suddenly thick.

The grass wasn't particularly palatable, despite its refreshingly earthy flavor, and Wildfire began to scrape her tongue against her teeth and let the little clippings dribble from her mouth. In the midst of this, someone called her name and her dull amber eyes lifted. She perked up a little when she saw it was Magpie, happy to see her aunt out and about after the attack. The yearling pushed upright with a slight grunt, lips twitching into a faint smile.

"Feeling better, I hope?" she asked, her own eyes giving away her inner turbulence, even though she didn't (want to) speak of it. Unbeknownst to her, a piece of grass clung to the corner of her mouth. She leaned forward slightly, inspecting her relative's wounds. "They look better," she observed with a tiny, sage nod.

She was grateful, she supposed, that Wildfire did not acknowledged the awkwardness that had formed between them ever since Magpie had stumbled upon her niece and the Commander in the den all that time ago. It was a self-inflicted wound she had allowed to fester. But this clear thoughts and epiphanies were soon swept away as Gluskap's herbs took hold, and Magpie swayed dizzily as Wildfire divided into two images, swimming in and out of one another.

"Better," she agreed simply, moving slowly to sit and steady herself.

Oblivious to her aunt's sudden swoon, Wildfire's lips twitched into a faint smile at Magpie's confirmation. She waited to see if Magpie would say anything else but she didn't, leading to a slightly awkward pause. This might have been smoothed away easily enough, except suddenly the yearling became hyper-aware of the recent tension between them. Wildfire still didn't understand it. The idea of broaching the subject made her uncomfortable as hell too, though as the silent seconds ticked by, she felt her tongue moving of its own accord.

"We're okay, right?" she blurted simply, swallowing a bit apprehensively. They were both seated now, angled toward one another, but Wildfire's eyes darted anywhere but directly in Magpie's direction.

When no answer was forthcoming, Wildfire forced her amber gaze to her aunt. A muted, "Uh huh..." was given even as the other woman tipped forward and slid languidly into a prone position. The yearling blinked, rising partially in mild alarm, only to settle back down as she watched Magpie roll onto her side, eyelids fluttering. She must be on something, the yearling slowly realized, lips twitching into a crooked smile as she sat there and awkwardly bore witness.

When Magpie quite evidently slithered into sleep, she nibbled at her bottom lip. This was sort of a tiresome trend: the leaders of Drageda falling asleep in the middle of important conversations. She supposed it was somewhat amusing too (but mostly frustrating). Wildfire bit out a quiet sigh, then rose and departed. Hopefully they would get to talk some other time, when Magpie was more clear-headed, and clear the air between them.

I edited a conclusion onto this... if you ever wanna revive this and continue, Em, just hit me up. :)