Larksong Grotto you're gonna read about the way, the way a man can go

backdated a week or so, please!

"laurel!" she shrieked, huffing as her sister pulled ahead. "stop that!" the child sharply commanded, drawing forth from her little body the sternest voice she could muster.

but her command went unheeded, and her voice sunk quietly around her before being consumed in silence. sulkily she looked around her, shifting her gaze from the split pines to the rocky, stone-interrupted landscape.

laurel was too far ahead now for her to catch up, and instead of even trying indra hunkered down towards a shattered vein of gneiss-stone and started digging curiously at the surface.

Laurel!

The high-pitched shriek cut through the soft quiet of the grotto, alerting Phares to the nearby presence of the newest members of the church. A smile crossed his lips, knowing of Hiram's endeavour to bring his young back within his fold. Who was the mother, he did not know, but they were Hiram's by his right. They belonged here.

With fleet steps, the priest made his way to where the pup's voice had rung out, wondering what had caused her to cry out like that. Laurel. Was that another's name he did not know?

He came upon the russet-hued girl as she pawed at the rocky ground. He quirked his head curiously, though stopped a few meters away from her, allowing the child some distance. No doubt, she would be unsure still of her surroundings. "Greetings," he said with an air of warm formality.

indra paused from her upturning of the earth, a slender ear canted back. she thought she had just heard something, but perhaps it was the scatter of earth caused by her own clenched claws. she shifted from her hole, struggling to get out of it when a word flittered into audible measure. 'greetings'.

indra bolted back and nearly fell over herself in surprise, reeling as she tried to find the source of the noise. a wolf -- red like her -- was approaching; there was something about his manner that seemed somewhat imposing to the child. as if he were some mighty tree, and she but a sapling -- for a moment she was unsure if it was her he had deemed worthy enough to speak to.

her anxieties were fleeting, especially as she noticed the peculiar redness his fur possessed. it was a sharp orange, like the tuft of a fox -- she had never seen another wolf that was so red besides herself. "hey!! you're red like me! is reek your dad too?" she asked curiously, accentuating the query with the tip of her head.

I'm so sorry x_x

When she noticed him, she reeled back in fright and the priest took a step forward, a look of concern crossing his face for a brief second. She recovered as quick as she had startled, however. He feared the child would be fearful and skittish and would flee from him, but instead she surprised him with an enthusiastic question and Phares let out a loose chuff of amusement.

"Hiram," he corrected her, allowing the mistake to slide as she had only just been introduced to the church and would, he assumed, still only know her father by his old name. "But no, he is only my Cardinal and leader. Raas is my true Father." He regarded the red-furred youth. "As He is yours."

i SUCK i thought i replied to this!! sorry!

indra was still marveling over how red the wolf was when he answered. it took a moment for the correction to register. she stiffened somewhat, casting the male a suspicious and somewhat hairy eye. "that's not what my mom said his name was." she replied matter-of-factly, surprised by the vehemence in which she had answered. "who is raas? can i meet him? how come i have two fathers?" she furrowed her brow -- wait a minute.. saena and laika and casmir had never mentioned raas either. something this guy was saying didn't add up.