Dragoncrest Cliffs take it on the run, baby

Although Blackbear didn't hibernate like her namesake, she still wanted to find someplace to sleep. She remembered being very small and sleeping with Daddy under the stars even in the middle of winter, but all on her own? Curling into a big snowball on her lonesome didn't really appeal to her, even with her thick coat to keep her warm. It just seemed - lonely. And she'd joined Drageda specifically so she wouldn't be lonely. So she was going to find herself a nice den or hollow where she could put her back up against something solid, and that was that.

A lot of the redwoods seemed suited for this desire. There were ancient, hollowed-out stumps in some areas, but all of them had - thus far - been either too small for her large frame, or too drafty for her comfort. Besides - the few that she'd crawled into to test out had left the silver part of her coat dusted with black. It seemed that, at some point, this area had also entertained a fire, but you wouldn't know unless you went looking for it.

Blackbear wondered how long ago it had been. Mostly, though, she wondered how anything could catch on fire where everything was so cold and damp. She poked her head into yet another tiny hovel, tail lashing in irritation rather than pleasure. Perhaps she ought to wait on looking for a den, since there seemed to be a move going on. Or a split, rather. And Blackbear was one of the ones being sent away.

Still, she hadn't spent the whole day exploring for nothing. She continued sniffing around, hoping to at least find some place to sleep for the remainder of her time here.

excuse my dopey writing, a lil out of steam/muse ;(

Again, evening was drawing it’s blazing, darkening cloak across the winter sky. The redwoods were awash in scarlet, as they usually were at this time; and again, Aure had retreated to the towering sequoias.

The brana, silvered as ever, began to make her weary return to retire early from patrols and Hougeda. It was her intention to rise alongside those other nocturnal creatures. The winter solstice had just been yesterday Eve, and she intended to spend tonight scouting the cosmos in full. A faint thrill went through her, anticipation for the stars to burn awake; apphrension from being kept from the trade she so fervently made to improve upon. For a moment, she cast her argent gaze to heavens; and chewed into her cheek that these earthen giants continued to covet the skies from her.

Her paws, lithe and fleeting, ferried her on the memory of the other night and to the redwood she’d since taken to sleeping in. In the setting daylight, it was clearer to her now why the chekra had been so hesitant to share it with her. What seemed like a cavern to her must have looked like some burrow’s entrance to him.

Lingering was a bad idea—as her mind preened at the idea of finding solace in Teekon’s constellations, her fur pointedly decided to shiver out in ruffles.

She didn’t let herself think or flush at those other memories, and quickly ducked inside. Kicking up a makeshift nest of leaves and nettles and loam, the astronomer swiveled several times before melting into a snowball with a soft huff. Finally settled, she gave a gentle sigh, lay down her head, and closed her eyes.

But even then, a pair of silvery-blues that were not her own stared back at her.

La naiba! 

Grimacing to herself, she flung both paws across her snout as a flurry of nerves broke out underfur. She remained like this, discomfited, before she sensed another presence wandering closer and closer. Before even considering who or what it may be, Aure rose to her paws and pushed her way out of her hollow and into the gloam.

Her wondering eyes peered into the deepening light before finding and falling on a dark, plush pelt, such a contrast to her own wraith-white; the girlish, oblivious twinge in her heart that she hesitated against leapt for it. But she stood where she was, rooted by some sensibility she still retained, for she saw too that the eyes scoring about were not duo and gleaming - but glittering orange and searching.

Her searching had not yet turned up any especially nice places to sleep, but the mottled woman did find several different trails from her packmates. One was newer than the rest, and Blackbear followed it until she saw a pale form emerge from one of the redwood burrows. Her heart skipped a beat, and she opened her mouth to say a name she hardly remembered, only to catch herself at the last moment as she realized it was not the wolf she'd thought it was. In fact, it took her a moment to even place the spark of recognition that'd risen up in her throat.

The wolf looked like Moonstone - a wolf that she and her father had both been quite taken with. Idly, she wondered what had become of the other girl. One day, she'd just been gone, and Daddy hadn't had much to say on the subject when pressed.

"Hello," she ventured, seeing that the other wolf had certainly noticed her, and perhaps had gone through a similar spark of hope. "Are you looking for a den, too?" Since she'd come out of one, Easy could only assume the answer was no - but she didn't know what else to say, and being stared at made her feel oddly flustered after being on her own for so long.

If she’d known how many wolves were reminded of some sort of pale relative in their lives, Aure would have been flattered. But she was not the loner this brana had once known in someone else—she wasn’t as pristine. A single glance at her frenzied scars was enough for most to come to that conclusion.

With a slight dip of her head, Aure adverted her gaze almost apologetically, “Evening...” And for a moment, she did consider saying ‘no’ to the initial question. But, then again...

”I am, actually. Ze earth is too sodden in that hollow,” was her contribution to the search for a place to settle for the night. But her gaze was a tad too squinted; her body angled a bit too stiffly away from it. Chewing on her cheek to keep from letting her mind have a chance to dally, “It’s been pitiful pickings, so far. You either choose ze cliffs or hollows, like these.”

Having led a loner’s life for some time as well, she also felt hesitant; but finally took the first steps towards the darker she-wolf—who was also built with a heft, like many others here. Quite unlike her, and her own ridiculously small, pale stature.

"Everything's damp in the redwoods," she agreed absent-mindedly. The woman seemed uncertain about something, but for once, Easy didn't take it personally. She was lost in her own thoughts, and she assumed that the stranger would be as well. That left her to her usual routine - finding a patch of soft earth to curl up on, never mind how lonely it felt. But if they were both having the same problem, perhaps they'd found a solution?

"If you want, we can star-sleep together," she offered, tail swaying gently. "I hadn't wanted to because it's no fun alone, but it's nice to be out in the open as long as you've got company, don't you think?" Easy certainly thought so, but she knew there had been those in Morningside - Pema, for example - who preferred to sleep in dens all year round, and not just when whelping.

At the mention of star-sleep, she instantly perked, as if merely hearing the word “star” had drawn her out of her huffy reverie. Looking back towards the burly she-wolf, she couldn’t help the faint curling of her lips and the lunar flare in her nearly-colorless gaze. All because of a word and she already felt something like a bond between them—at least, on her end. “I would love to.”

Perhaps it was the fact that she’d been so alone, and was still, in someway, lonely despite all of her wandering; and perhaps it was the half-loner in her that ushered her closer. “Usually, I chart alone. But ze company would be welcome—and having another pair of eyes would be even more so.”

"Chart?" said Easy, momentarily confused. Her eyes lit up a moment later, though, when she realized what the woman was talking about. "You know the stars?" Easy asked, her breath catching. Grayday and her other minders had taught her a great many things, but there hadn't been any astronomers in her natal pack, and she hadn't met anyone along the way who'd mentioned charting the stars, either.

"Do you think you could teach me?" she asked, tail whisking hopefully. For it was in looking up at the stars that a wolf felt just how small and insignifcant they were, and for Easy, it was a comforting thought. No matter how badly she thought she'd messed up, she was just one little wolf in the great sea of the universe. Life would go on. Even when it seemed like it couldn't possibly, it would. There was just no other choice.

She hoped that the stars would help her doubly today - if the winter woman was willing to bed down with her, Easy would be that much closer to making these wolves into her home.

At the inquiry of teaching, Aure tilted her head at the other she-wolf, tongue caught between snubbed teeth  as an expression of incredulity crested within her eyes. The look faded into a sheepish laugh, her gaze timid. ”I-I’m, I, I would be flattered to have a student. Yes, I know ze stars; at least, their uses—how they can guide you.”

Another gentle laugh followed all of this. ”However... I am not familiar with Teekon’s constellations. I don’t even know their names.” Stepping closer despite her humility, she went on, ”Perhaps we could help another, though, until there is time for proper learning of some sort?”

Her gaze full of clarity and earnest, but not unkind. ”Where were you thinking of sleeping tonight?”

lazy post is lazy im sorry!!

Easy's ears fell back uncertainly at the woman's admission. Still, she supposed studying together was better learning than not looking at all. And besides, the woman's experience would likely aid them more than her own. "I don't know them very well either - I'm a good scout, but I usually navigate with my nose and my memory," she explained.

Conversation turned to where they ought to sleep. "There's a nice little rise just east of here - not much cover, but we'll keep each other warm," she suggested, pointing her nose toward the area she had in mind. After all, they were both far past the age for worrying about being swept off by owls, and Easy was a light enough sleeper that she didn't worry about anything larger getting the drop on them. The only thing left to worry about was the cold, and Easy's pelt was thick enough that this was not really a concern.

Seeing someone be let down, no matter how faintly, because of her didn't settle well in Aure's mind. At the same time, however, the last thing she wanted to do was to be insistent and intrusive. So she listened to what Easy had to say, falling into quiet step with her. Aure's own pelt, though wispy and full of fly-away strands, was nevertheless one that was truly northern; they'd be able to fend off the cold, and it was better together than having spent so much time alone.

As they began to slowly make their way east, biting her lip over her next words, she lent, "Well... I suppose that I could teach you of what I was taught, when I was younger. In my Rhaesuial, I studied how to relate locations to ze stars at different points in ze year, and then some." She let her gaze cast about, languid yet halting. "It's common knowledge, I suppose. It's unfortunate that I do not know ze names of Teekon's constellations, though." Her gaze flitted to the other (at the time) brana, something mischievous in them. "Perhaps... we could make up our own names, for ze time being?"

Blackbear listened with interest to the other wolf's suggestion. "Anything's better than nothing," she agreed. "I can teach you things in turn, if you like. Navigating without the stars, or hunting and tracking perhaps?" Since coming to Drageda, she'd realized that not everyone placed as high a priority on hunting skills as her natal pack had. "My dad taught me everything I know - but he was mostly blind, so things like star-watching weren't really part of our lessons."

She wasn't sure about making up their own names in the long run, but perhaps they could do that for the time being, as the woman suggested, and then find out from someone else what they were called. It was, of course, only a passing interest for Easy - she wasn't sure learning it twice would be worth it. Still, she'd already asked the other woman for lessons, and it seemed rude to back out at this point. "I'd be very grateful," she said honestly. And then, realizing quite suddenly that she still didn't know her new bedroom-friend's name - "I'm Blackbear, by the way."

”I would appreciate tracking, or hunting,” she began, and then sheepishly chuckled, ”Or even all three. Tracking eludes me, and a successful hunt is by pure luck or ze elemental of surprise.” Her tail swayed, refinedly amused at the prospect of a blind father teaching his youngers to chart; but kept the words between a bit lip and tongue. ”I confess, I have been looking at ze stars for most of my life... sometimes I wonder if I should attend to herbs, or histories.”

Ending her soliloquy with a shrug of a narrow shoulder, she nodded at the thanks that was given, but couldn’t help the soft giggle when she heard the brana’s name. ”Blackbear?” Lips pressed, she glanced over at the she-wolf, a bit apologetically, ”Forgive me, it’s only... ze last name I would expect.”

”It is loveable name, of course! I am Aure.” Looking down in a sudden bout of giddiness, she relented, ”When I was little, ze other whelps used to say that my name was ze sound that a seal makes. Like, ahm, a... a bark, I believe?” Obviously, this was in an attempt to turn Blackbear from the hurt the pallid she-wolf’s jesting might’ve caused.

Easy smiled down at the woman. "Hunting first, then, since that's what I have the most experience in," she decided. She couldn't tell her whether she ought to think about herbs or histories rather than the stars, but Easy did think that healing was a more useful skill than star-watching. It seemed rude to suggest this, however, so she held her tongue.

"Well, considering my large size and dark pelt, I thought it was pretty apt," she said with a chuckle, not too put off by Aure's surprise. It seemed odd that Aure was surprised by the moniker, though - Easy did bear a great resemblance to her namesake. She chalked it up to the other woman being polite and decided to offer an alternative, just to keep the conversation going. "It's just a nickname, anyway. My dad named me Easy when I was born, but - well - that just came with its own host of problems." She scowled when she remembered the first time the name had been turned against her by some smart-mouthed male. Thanks, dad, she thought to herself, but didn't dwell on it.

Presently, they reached the rise on which Blackbear hoped to sleep. She settled down, leaving ample room for Aure beside her, and looked up at the stars. "Which one is your favorite?" she asked the other woman, thinking that this would be a good place to start.