The Sunspire i was all starry-eyed and later petrified

rannoch and his band of misfits had finally settled on the sunspire for good; her fears of traveling forever just as she and mato had to find a home were put at ease.

she had been breaking from the group more and more often to steal away to the afterglow falls; she missed the ocean and its brine, and the crashing of the waterfall made her feel somewhat at home even in the rocky expanse that they claimed.

it was there she went today, scaling down the sunspire to rest at the base of the falls, weaving underneath the waterfall to nestle behind a small indentation in the rock that had formed, dry and scenic.

for @Terance

the falls were on the edge of the territory-- so that's where terance was. patrolling, of course, because terance was already back to that. sunspire was new-- it was theirs... his-- and he had a stronger urge to patrol than ever before. he didn't quite understand it, but terance took the time and effort to patrol more than ever-- and he used to patrol a lot. 

he was around the falls at this point in the day when he spotted her-- resting calmly at the falls edge on a stone. terance paused on his patrol, nose twitching, before he ultimately decided to make his way towards her, letting out a bark to grab her attention. he didn't greet her verbally yet, but his face held a soft expression and his tail waved high in the air-- since his rank demanded a bit more posture, rannoch had reminded him.

she averted her gaze for just a moment and lowered her ears in deference to his stature, her tail giving an affable wag.  the subtle intricacies of pack life were holy to her; although her expression was somewhat coy as his barking pulled her attention back to him.

hey, she says amicably, trying not to think of their awkward meeting together beneath the stars.  she was trying to be smooth lest things crumble between them more.  border work?

the falls weren't as loud as he'd expected-- actually sort of nice. though terance was born by the sea, he remembered little of it. so it didn't quite remind him of the ocean, but it was peaceful and soothing and he could see why she chose to rest here. he looked at it for a moment, padding further into the indention into the rock with ears pricked. he focused back on her with piercing emerald eyes (lol), studying her for a moment before answering. she looked peaceful, he decided. 

"yeah," he responded easily, head tilting, "i thought i picked up on your scent... thought i'd say hi." was that casual? terance thought it was casual enough. 

he hesitated, briefly, before lowering himself to sit a little bit before her. "how do you like the mountain?" he asked her.

well, would you like some company?  she figured they could use the time to explore the sunspire together, and walking and talking was more suited to border work.  although she liked the indentation in the rock, she found it better suited for solitude.

i like it well enough, she says.  she did not care much where she was at so long as she was in good company.  i am happier here.  in tindome, there was no water.  i come from the sea, she explains.  so i thought this was nice.

whoop. terance had sat down almost as soon as she asked to join him, so his butt touched the ground and he bounced right back up. "yeah, actually, that'd be nice," he answered with a sheepish smile-- hopefully she didn't think too long on his sitting an standing mess. 

"i'm glad you're happy," he then said earnestly, smiling, and once she'd situated herself he motioned for her to follow him so they could get back to patrolling. he took a few steps before he turned to look at her, tail waving-- he was honestly happy to be patrolling, and it was kind of cool to be doing it with seabreeze. a new packmate? a new friend? terance was kind of happy about it. though, he'd be lying if he said he didn't wish he was patrolling with hydra. this was different-- but it was a good different. 

"[b]i was born in donnelaith-- sequoias by the sea,"[/b] he then told her, ears pricking, "my parents left for the winter to head down south, my mom was getting sick and... it was better for her health to be somewhere warmer." 

she had patrolled often in the vale but had shirked her duties in tindome after her falling-out with its alpha; it felt good to be back in the swing of things, especially with someone to hang out with.

choosing to ignore the awkward shuffle of his hindquarters, she chooses instead: donnelaith is such a beautiful name.  and it was!  sequoias by the sea?  it sounds like somewhere she could've resided.  

how are you, are you happy here?  she does not make mention of his possibly-dead parents unless he wishes to continue.  it's beautiful, at least. 

he supposed it was, he'd never thought about it much... donnelaith had not really ever been his home-- merely his birthplace. and then, moonspear, and now, sunspire. he pondered the comment-- just briefly-- before nodding. "maybe i'll go back to it one day, just to visit," he told her thoughtfully, "you could come, if you love the ocean." 

and though his parents were not dead, terance didn't make anymore comments on it-- since seabreeze didn't dwell on it-- it truthfully never occurred to him that she might've thought osprey and dante were dead. "i'm adjusting," he admitted, smiling weakly, "i definitely don't think we could've found a better territory... i'm certainly happy, but it's different than before." he shrugged, gaze falling on her pale features. "i'm sure you can say the same."

"very beautiful," he added with an airy breathe. it really was.

she held her breath as his innocuous comment struck her bare in the chest.  he could not known of the trek she had taken with mato to find their new home, and it would be true that they would not be staking out a claim of their own... but the thought would not be shaken from her head.  sure, she says even though her thoughts swell, i would love to.  it has been a long time since i have seen the ocean.

she noticed his weak smile and another mention of her divorce nearly caused her to bristle.  it certainly is.  she leans closer, laughing at least the wolves here are nicer.  she did not know if he could say the same; it was she who had spilled everything last time, really.

she stood and stretched, her spine arcing gracefully as her toes splayed in the soft earth before her.  her ears flick back as she yawns, and then dusting herself off with a shake of her pelt she bounds to the front of him, her tail high and wagging gently in excitement.

i'm glad to hear you are happy as well. let's go check everything out, i guess.  

terance hadn't meant to be insensitive-- he just wasn't all that fantastic at socializing all the time. but seabreeze didn't directly mention it so, thankfully, terance didn't have the time to feel guilty for bringing up a still open wound. he couldn't say the same-- not about wolves being nicer-- for though the cerberus made some very questionable decisions, terance held them amongst some of the more respected wolves in his book. but, he did clearly prefer rannoch and liffey-- for he followed them. and wraen was the nicest wolf he'd ever met. he voiced this opinion. "you should get to know my sister, wraen, i think you'd really get along," he told her with a small smile. wraen and seabreeze would pair nicely, he thought.

and then, almost suddenly, she got a brief burst of energy, jumping before him and offering that they get a move on! terance, struck suddenly with something far too familiar, was woozy for a few seconds as he took it in, and then gladly followed behind. 

"lead the way," he purled, his next few steps with a little skip-hop in them, and then he moved into a more comfortable, regal stride, nose twitching as he went.

she felt a peculiar golden glow that manifested itself in the gentle swaying of her tail and the bound in her step.

she wondered if he noticed, too, whatever it was that thrummed just under the surface of her flesh... but there was no way she was going to mention that.  it made him appealing; she had never felt this way around zada or mato but she had yet to realize that it was not her feelings but her body doing the work.   she looked back and caught a glimpse of terance's woozy smile and a her abdomen burned and tightened.

what was that? she chose to ignore it for now, instead focusing on the border work ahead of them. she flicked her tail back to its usual position, but the bounding in her steps did not cease.

she hadn't done much exploring of the internal territories and she would be excited to see the rest of their mountain; she easily led the way for them.  oh, you have a sister here?  that's lovely.  i'll be sure to seek her out after this.

she wonders what mattias is doing, but passes it off.  if he had wanted to do anything but accost her, he would have by now.  so what was it like?  in moonspear?  rannoch, when we met the first time... it sounded like he feared for his life if he left.  are you safe?

boy howdy, i'll tell you what, terance certainly did notice-- but he didn't say anything. would it be rude to say something? he decided it might be, but he padded after her with his head high, even when her tail swished back low at her hocks. she was glowing, terance decided, but in a different kind of way. "you should," he tacked on airily. he wanted nothing more than for wraen and seabreeze to be acquainted-- somehow. 

"moonspear was safe," he replied with a frown, head shifting out of a state of something and into something a bit more stoic. "i think it... was bias, i guess-- that's the best way i can explain it. there were a few wolves that were in charge that liffey wasn't comfortable around, they made a lot of impulsive political decisions. i understand why rannoch and liffey didn't feel safe," he explained to her, shrugging a bit. "i actually really enjoyed my time in moonspear, it was hard to leave." 

well, this put her in an awkward position.  rannoch and liffey seemed to despise moonspear and her companion seemed to revere them; she wasn't sure what to say to maintain balance lest they speak with each other about her feelings.  oh, i understand.  

impulsive political decisions, where as in tindome those decisions were nonexistent.  she is almost grateful that tindome was tucked in the king elk, away from pack disputes.  delight would be safe there.

i'm sorry, that was insensitive.  even with everything that went on in tindome, it was hard to leave.  are you still on good terms with them?

he shook his head. "no, i think we've burned all our bridges... unfortunately," he replied quietly. it was still a sort of... well, sore spot, but terance knew better than to get all sad and lumpy around his packmates, he didn't want to put them in that position. "but don't worry about it, really, i'm glad i came-- it's in the past now," he told her, leaning forward to nudge her shoulder-- hopefully that was reassuring. he tried to change the subject-- maybe neither of them would dig themselves into a weird emotional hole this time.

"what kind of trades are you into? you probably guessed i was into astronomy... and mercenary stuff," he asked, smiling.

she leans into his nudge and a hormonal tingle of energy burns from her flesh to the tips of her guard hairs and she quivers almost imperceptibly.  while normally she would have been fine with such a gesture (and maybe even initiated it herself), it causes her breath to catch.  

which was weird because this was some random (but sweet) boy who she had just met like, a week ago.  while she wouldn't pretend to be a girl who was capable of a slow burn she had never fallen for someone instantly, and  she didn't have any of the associated feelings that came with it, either.  so what the hell was going on?

unsure of if he wants to breach the subject of burning bridges with her any more, she leaves moonspear alone.  it certainly seems to be a sore spot for him and she understands.  she will allow him to move at his own pace...  it is her specialty.

speaking of!  oh yes, i could gather you were interested in that!  they suit you well.  but i'm actually a counselor.  i was a cemna in tindome.  i'm interested in midwifery as well and i'm excited that there are so many girls here who know about it here.  she'd seen many pups in her lifetime but could recall only snippets — a side effect from washing up on shore.  but i am no good at fighting.  maybe one day you can teach me, she teases.

they come across a scar in the rocky borders big enough for each of them to walk comfortably, and she pauses to peer down it.  quite far up ahead, it seemed like there was more water!  hey, do you care if we go check that out?

the feeling is not the same in terance as it was in seabreeze, but he enjoyed the contact. it was something else to him, and his mind lingered on it even as he pulled back. but it was not his place to mention it-- he felt that'd be weird. 

his ears pricked. "counsellor?" he repeated curiously, "that's ran's specialty as well." he felt that was useful information-- perhaps she already knew. and midwifery-- the word was sort of funny to terance, it forced a smirk upon his dark features-- that would come in handy, he thought. "and he and liffey wanted to start a family this year... maybe you'll have the chance for some hands on learning, or, something," he added with a shrug, he wasn't sure how you learned midwifery otherwise. his smirk remained. "maybe," he said in an almost teasing manner. 

and then she was suddenly distracted! his ears pricked, nose twitching as he studied where she was looking at, and he nodded. "yeah," he said simply, but eyed her curiously, "lead the way?" terance rather liked her in front of him.

yeah.  people used to tell me that i was inviting, that they could talk to me.  i like to help people... she trails off, not sure how to explain.  she'd become more bitter, more jaded, and now she was the one who often needed comfort.  but it would help her grow, help her become a better counselor.

the couple's happy news draws the breath from her lungs.  puppies?  here in sunspire?  oh, please let it be true!  really? she exclaims, her eyes glistening, oh, that is wonderful.  i hope so!  puppies, in her eyes, were the most innocent of creatures.  she simply adored them, and she just couldn't believe that there would be some here!  his toying smirk goes entirely unnoticed.

lead the way, he requested, so she set out in front of him and obliged his request.  she was no scout but this area did not seem to be dangerous.  the further they got, the more water pooled at their ankles although it was not very deep.  the edges of the body were frozen to the rock around them, but the centre of the pool rippled gently beneath her paws.  in front of them lay a few rock formations that were dry enough to hide or bed down in, and she cannot help but be awe-stricken by this secluded area.  oh, she almost moans, her eyes wide and glistening.  it's beautiful!

her comment held truth, terrance had experienced that first hand. she was very easy to talk to, and terance decided early on that he very much liked talking to seabreeze. his opinion still stood. he nodded to her when she brightened up about puppies, his own smile widening. terance too liked puppies, it just so happened he didn't have much experience with them. but the way that she lit up was really cool-- terance liked that she was passionate about something, especially something as close to him as rannoch was. "i hope so," he replied softly, tail still waving.

when she made off to check out the area, terance followed, a little slower, keeping his ears pricked for anything around them. there seemed to be no immediate danger though, so that was nice.

and then she gasped, and the noice hit terance like a train-- but like a nice, soft train that just muddles up your insides and makes you all hot in the face. he sucked in a breathe, gaze finding her and staring hard as she gazed around at the space, looking away only when he realized he'd been staring. his gaze followed hers-- finally-- and when he'd been so focused on her a few moments ago he'd almost forgotten where they were. it was beautiful. terance looked to his feet, submerged in clear water and standing on smooth stones. his green gaze traced the secluded area, jaw parted in gentle awe. "it really is," he admitted, ears against his crown as his head craned back to look up. moonspear didn't have anything like this.

she was unaware of the effect that her excitement had upon the dark boy, too enraptured by the natural beauty before them to pay any mind to terance until he spoke again.

she turned her attention to him, her entire body giving a soft and excited wag.  well, we get to name it then, right?  she laughs, trotting through the water exaggeratedly, trying to keep as many feet out of it as she could at a time.

any ideas?

not a single idea came to mind. the yearling huffed thougthfully, eyeing her little wiggles and prances in the water before deciding it just wasn't important what the place was called. he had a better idea! "rain check!" he barked, and with that took a diving leap after her, deciding instead that he'd much rather play a good ole fashioned game of chase through the space! it seemed that seabreeze agreed, and so they ran and rolled and splashed for the rest of the afternoon.