Hideaway Strath Take a sad song and make it better

She hadn't been here too long, but she had spent enough time exploring to learn the area and form a routine. Her days consisted mostly of studying and gathering plants (she was still in search of something Rye might like), working to improve her hunting skills, or seeking out Rye to talk to him or ask him questions about the territory; she felt most comfortable asking him things, but she was trying to branch out and get to know everyone. Which was why she hung around the rendezvous site this evening. The sun had set some time ago, unfortunately taking all of the warmth with it. The night was clear, though, and it offered her a nice view of the sky. She didn't know much about the stars, but she enjoyed studying them occasionally. The moon was bright, as well, and she was thankful for the way it lit up the darkness.

Congrats on ACM!! And it's great to have you in AG! <333

A newer face was present at the rendevous site this evening. It certainly wasn't an easy time to be a new recruit in Asterism Grove. Many of the wolves were preoccupied with or grieving for missing loved ones, and the ground continued to rumble and quake ominiously at random intervals. Rue had a twisting, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that there was something even worse just around the corner. If that was the case, Asterism Grove would need every loyal recruit they could get. 

"Hi Effie," Rue greeted the woman in her usual quiet tone. She settled beside the new recruit and turned her gaze up to the sky as well. "On nights like this, you can see why Towhee and Phox named our pack after the stars." A smile quirked at the edge of Rue's muzzle. It was so blessedly still right now. How long had it been since she had slowed down and simply taken in the beauty around her?

TY! <3

She wasn't alone for very long, not that she minded; Ruenna was soon greeting her and settling down beside her. She offered the other woman a shy smile and politely dipped her head, careful to avert her gaze downwards towards her own paws. When Ruenna mentioned the stars, Effie lifted her gaze to the sky. I'm afraid I don't know much about the stars, she admitted. I wasn't aware of the meaning behind the pack's name, she added, interest piqued. The sky looks so pretty tonight; I couldn't help but stop and study it. She may not know much about the stars, but she always found time to appreciate the earth's beauty; that was part of her fascination with plants. She briefly glanced at Ruenna from the corner of her eye. What do you know about them? Effie asked, pointing to the sky with her slender nose. Maybe she could learn something new tonight.

Rue perceived the other woman's shyness right away, and the first thing out of Effie's mouth was an admission of ignorance. Rue tilted her head curiously. Effie's unassuming nature reminded Rue of a younger version of herself... which meant that it was likely that Effie knew more than she was giving herself credit for. 

"Phox is particularly fond of the stars," Rue replied, "All of our ranks are named after different types of stars, or so they say." Rue lowered her voice conspiratorially. "To be honest though, I can't tell the difference. They all look like dots to me." The woman chuckled. It seemed completely outlandish that there should be so many different names for types of stars, when they all just looked like pinpricks of light to Rue. 

"Hmm," Rue hummed thoughtfully. Like Effie, she had never given the night sky much thought, and it had certainly been outside her realm of study. "I know that even though the stars move across the sky, they never change position relative to one another. It's like they're all fixed upon one giant skin that slides and rotates across the heavens." Rue smiled at Effie, wondering if she had noticed the same phenomenon.

She was amazed that there were so many names for the stars. She rarely thought of them, so to learn that their ranks were all different names of stars was mind blowing. Maybe she would seek out Phox and learn even more than what Ruenna would teach her today. Although, she had to agree that they all looked like dots, and a shy smile curved her lips at the thought. 

She studied the sky as the other woman spoke amazed again to learn that they never moved from their spots. That seemed far beyond her scope of understanding, but she wondered: How did you figure out that they don't move? They all looked the same, so she had no idea how she was supposed to tell that the stars here were the same stars seen in the valley below. How did anyone tell them apart enough to learn that about them? All this time, she had been studying the plants and had completely missed the wealth of knowledge waiting in the sky above.

A great question. "I'm sure I didn't figure it out myself," Rue admitted with a shake of her head. She didn't spend enough time watching the sky to deduce something like that.

After some thought, she added, "I suppose it's because someone started pointing out star constellations to me. They're groups of stars that some people think form pictures." Rue lifted a paw. "Those four bright stars in that square shape? That's supposed to be part of a bear. The three stars trailing out that way are supposed to be its tail." It was weird that the bear's tail was longer than its body, but hey-- Rue wasn't the one who made this stuff up.

"Even though the pictures up there twist and turn, you can always find them somewhere in the sky, as long as they haven't sunk below the horizon." Rue pulled her gaze from the sky and smiled at Effie.

Effie followed Ruenna's gaze to up to the sky, studying the stars intently until she saw what the other woman as explaining. She saw the the four bright stars but wondered how anyone thought they looked like any part of a bear. She knew nothing about this stuff, though, so she just kept her focus on the sky, gaze traveling next to the line of three stars that was supposed to make up this bear's tail. Hmm, she said first, eyes moving from the square of stars to the tail a few times. Why do they say it looks like a bear? she asked when she had summoned up the courage to. She was always afraid that her questions might be stupid, but hopefully Ruenna wouldn't think that of this question. 

She would have to look up at the sky from different places to try and test this theory that they didn't move. Not that she didn't believe her packmate, it was just that she wanted to actually see it for herself to understand it better.

Rue shook her head. It was a good question; one she had wondered about herself. "I don't know," she admitted with a smile, "I think it looks more like a skunk with that tail!" Ruenna chuckled.

After a moment Rue added, "It's probably beacuse a bear makes for a better story. They say that there was once an alpha-- the mightiest alpha who ever lived. He cheated on his wife, and two illegitimate pups were born. The cheating alpha was worried his wife woud harm them, so he found a way to turn the pups into giant bears. He then grabbed them by their tails and slung them up into the sky. So now their tails are all stretched out." Rue ended the story with a smile and a shrug.