Sun Mote Copse Private Citizen

@Colt 

It had been almost three weeks, since Wildfire's passing and life had returned to it's regular routine at Firebirds'. Borders were guarded and reinforced, hunts were done and kids were raised to become upstanding citizens and useful members of the society. If not for the Eljay and his daughter, who were suffering still, you could hardly tell that the founder of the nest, the figurative mother of Firebirds, dearly beloved family member and mom had left them. 

Wraen had done her share in hunting and helped out with the kids, where it was possible, and having rare, precious moments, when she hung around with Maia, enjoying each other's company. It would be a while still, before they were able to hit the road for a longer travel, therefore Wraen tried to compensate it the best she could with more native journeys. 

And at times she felt like socializing more with her pack mates, who - she hoped - over time would become just as much a family as her birth pack had once been. All of the prerequisites were there. This time she happened to catch sight of their King-Fisher in service Colt. "Hey!" she called out to him, in an effort to draw his attention away from, whatever he was doing now. "Have a moment for a chat?"

Of all their packmates, Colt found it easiest to breathe lately around Wraen and Maia outside of his own small circle.  They, like he, hadn't been nearly so close with the departed queen as the rest, and though time was passing, the pallor of sadness still hung over a lot of the Firebirds.  Colt did his best to keep up and support, but it was wearing thin, and he couldn't wait for the kids to be old enough that they wouldn't need constant supervision anymore.  He knew he'd regret it later, wanting this time to pass a bit quicker, but he couldn't help what his mind wished when it was tired.

So while he hadn't had a ton of time to spare lately, Wraen was a welcome distraction regardless.  Wraen!  Hey, and always.  What's goin on?  He gave her a smile and sat down, waiting.  He had no idea what she could want to talk about, but that fat duck he'd seen fly over could wait a minute.  He figured he knew the pond it was aimin to set down in.

Wraen felt the same way about Colt - he was probably the only person besides Maia, who was not totally blown away by the former Sovereign's sudden death. You did not need to tiptoe around a "forbidden" subject or you did not need to feel awkward, if the other person did not wish to talk much, but you were stuck together. 

"So... earlier today I was playing with the kids - Finwoods and the rest," Wraen explained. "And I kind of talked myself in a corner," she tried to word her problem in a way that would make sense and sound serious, but she was in a very real danger of failing. "Long story short - I need someone to impersonate a dragon," she exhaled. "I would usually ask Maia for the task, but she is away scouting at the moment and I figured I needed to solve stuff fast. Would you be up for this?" she asked, hoping that with the new rank Colt had not turned too high and mighty to fool around a bit.

Colt slowly began to smile a bit wider as she spoke, though he nodded as if it were a very serious matter.  A dragon, huh? Colt knew somewhat what she was talking about, though stories like that had never really been his thing.  I'm not sure.  Might need a refresher on what a dragon sounds like.  He cocked a questioning look her way.  He could take a pretty good guess, but he definitely wanted to see her attempt at teaching him.

"Sounding is up to you entirely - think of, how do you want to impress a bunch of little Blackthorns," Wraen left the sound effects for Colt to figure out. Surely a man of his age could play with his voice-box just enough to get out the otherwordly and heathenly sounds that were necessary for becoming a fire breathing beast.

"However, we need to think more about a disguise - those kids will guess that you are no real dragon, if you do not dress up," she told him, giving him an up and down look, making mental measurements and calculations, as she did this. "I say that some mud caking and frosting with leaves and ferns could do the trick? Of course, I can't promise that your wife won't sack you from the den afterwards."

If she does, maybe I'll get some sleep, he joked back, a reference to both Niamh and the kids he now shared space with.  He was intrigued, though, and a playful enough guy that hell yeah he'd do it.  Just because he was gettin older didn't mean he had to start losing his fun.

He cleared his throat theatrically, then let out a guttering growl, one that started low and then rose.  That was fairly draconian he figured.  I'll toss a roar or two in for good measure, he added, a spark of mischief in his eye.

"That's settled then," Wraen sealed the deal, assuming that Colt had agreed to everything she had proposed (and reminding him of this later, whether he remembered this or not). "When I have the game all planned out, I will give you a call," she said, not realizing that this dragon-hunting plan would be postponed indefinitely in the light of Sovereign's life and death fight with Kiwi few weeks later.

"So - the next thing on my list," she jumped to the second subject she wanted to talk with the representative and fine specimen of the opposite sex. "Any tips you could give a bachelorette soon-to-be old crone on, how to entangle a good fellow?" she asked him with a good-natured smile, but in a perfectly serious tone.

He liked her style.  He was actually looking forward to it - from what he could tell, both Wraen and Maia had the makings of great sitters.  Wraen was in the powerful position, therefore, of advising a first time father who was willing to try about anything.

He definitely laughed when she asked the next question.  You have to be joking.  She looked serious, but everything about her would have been kryptonite to a younger and unattached Colt.  There was no way she had issues getting offers, right?

If there's a problem, I am betting it isn't interest level.  So why do you think you need my help?

"Perfectly serious," Wraen grinned. "All promising fellows either: a) disappeared without a trace; b) went off to marry someone else; c) were married to someone else," she listed the categories of all the boys in her life. And there was category (d), those, who she had weirded out and scared off and the very vast and broad column (e), under which all guys, who might have liked her, but who she did not fancy the least bit were listed. 

"I want an insight," Wraen explained. "What makes them tick? I could ask my brother, of course, he is on his litter number 2 already, but somehow his love-life is not very exemplary and he lives in a kingdom Far-Far-Away," she added and thought - Sorry, Terance! -

They continued their friendly banter for the next half an hour or two and then each of them were called away for their own business.