Swiftcurrent Creek let heaven and nature sing

@Moony

we will be with you.

it was with this weak assurance that bhediya trudged between mountain peaks, stalling her return. muddy slush lined the path from the lair to the emberwood, where uaine gorsedd was settled. she could have gone back to courtfall, but knew that it meant potentially implicating andraste in her mess. she'd already done that with kukulkan; she would need to be more careful.

she hadn't seen pygmalion since the scene on the mount. the seraph wondered where he'd gone, if he'd be back at home when she got there. bhediya couldn't stomach even the thought of seeing him again. soon, she would have to tell everyone, but that was even scarier.

moving slowly and without much purpose, the tiny sylph continued on her route, hoping to be home by sundown.

she's not been here before, and her path is a wandering one as she moves to investigate whatever might catch her eye. her hunger had been sated earlier, and she was hardly in any rush to return to the mountains. loving her family did not mean she felt obliged to be beside them always, especially now as she crept towards adulthood. 

moony isn't alone long, however, and finds herself close on the trail of another woman. she's small, enough so for her to think her a pup were it not for her scent. and her pelt—"hey!" she calls, an easy greeting as she pauses. "your fur's neat." she's not seen anything like it before, gentle waves of ebony draped carefully over her tiny frame, reminiscent of waves by the lakeshore.

in truth, bhediya was grateful for the interruption. the scent of her heat was fading but present, so she tucked her tail as a courtesy. a smile was slow to form as she called back, thank you! there was still a short distance between them that she moved to close, taking small steps toward the stranger.

your eyes are...very nice. it felt strange to deliver compliments so early in conversation. she was used to receiving them, most often in relation to her size, but bhediya wasn't accustomed to returning the favor. golden, like the sun.

the woman turns back toward her, and at her compliment Moonshine nods with a small smile that breaks up the serious lines of her features. "thanks," she blinked, rather glad for the information, seeing as up to this point she'd had no idea as to what colour her eyes might be. golden, like the sun. 

"do you live near here? it's pretty." she's grown quite fond of the whole valley, much more so than the mountains. she likes the open spaces and the forested ones in equal measure, though is far too clumsy to aptly navigate the mountains.

bhediya opened her mouth to speak, but found herself momentarily speechless. excuse me, she laughed, shaking her head free of embarassment, i- yes, i do. she drew in a deep breath and turned toward the emberwood. it was where her family lived, where ibis was.. could she really leave them?

she would mull it over later, once she was alone again. my pack is just a little ways north of here, but — but what? — oh, do you live here, too? she wondered if she might have been intruding, the seraph's ears falling back to convey her apology.

she seems taken aback for a moment, for reasons moony can not immediately pin down. her auds flick back easily at her comment, as if to imply she shouldn't worry. she follows the woman's glance, wondering what lays beyond the glade in the direction she motions. "what's it called?" she asks, easily curious. 

"no. my family's settled in the mountains, but I don't like them much. their cold, snowy, hard to navigate." a simple explanation as to what she's doing here, besides the fact that she can not be content unless her paws are moving somewhere, it seems.

uaine gorsedd. bhediya had never asked ibis what the name meant, but thought that it might be worthwhile. i'm one of the leaders there. the rest of the council, would they mind her leave? they'd managed to build a decent bond; at the least, she hoped that they would remain cordial.

she turned back to the girl, her brow knit together above a toothy grin. they aren't that bad, bhe laughed, the range hides some pleasant surprises, if you know where to find them. two nights prior, she hadn't even known of the lair's existence, and now... i was thinking about moving there, actually.

she takes in this information with a nod, rather curious as to what the name means, and where exactly the pack lies. she'll visit it, moony decides, and her auds flick with interest when the woman continues. "maybe I haven't given it a good enough chance," the pup admits, considering takign the woman's word and seeking out the hidden gems she mentions. 

"just you?" she asks, before wondering if she's being nosey. in an effort to alleviate it, she offers a proper introduction on her own part. "I'm moonshine - but you can call me whatever you like." it was sort of a mouthful, anyways, and hardly anyone called her by her full name.

moonshine. bhediya remembered aatma in the cave and wondered if this meeting was his doing. a way of making peace, beginning the reparations needed to mend their broken relationship. maybe, she replied, i haven't thought about it much, but i don't think i'd like to live alone. it sounded tortuous, to live such a lonely existence. 

i'm bhediya, the sylph replied, i'm not sure how you might shorten that, but you might surprise me. she remembered andraste's name for her; bees, as it were. turning toward the cave, she motioned for moonshine to follow.

she didn't plan to walk all the way back, but thought that a stroll would make their company more enjoyable. do you have a place to live? she asked, wondering why someone so young might be on their own.

"diya—or bee," she suggests rather seriously, "or maybe edy," she quite likes the woman's name; it sounds rather different than most she's heard, and now that she thinks on it, realizes the amount of ways she can play with the sounds of it. she's very certain that the woman doesn't want to hear all of them, however, and so drops the subject. 

"sort of - a place called courtfall. I don't really think it's the right place for me, though, and it's almost claustrophobic with the mountains all around." she's more honest with the relative stranger than with her own family, a fact she should probably remedy upon her return.

one of my very close friends calls me bee, bhediya commented, her ears perking as moonshine mentioned courtfall, andraste, actually. the leader of your family's pack. she would wait a moment for her companion to respond before continuing, i won't tell her, i promise. she doubted that andy would be insulted, anyway.

bhediya looked toward the lair and said, i wouldn't mind having a friend around, if you are interested. it would make her time away from the emberwood easier to bear, she thought. it's close enough to visit your family, but still has some distance.

a pause, and then a softly surprised, "oh," but she promises to not mention it, and a somewhat sheepish smile cross her features as a "thank you," leaves her lips. 

then the woman offers a preposition, and the youth is silent a long moment as she considers. on one hand, she's just met the woman, and finding a place that better suits her has not crossed her mind. but she finds herself warming significantly to the woman already, and so is given pause. she chews her lip a moment, before a decision is made. "where can I find you again?" 

the same sequence of events as had transpired during her first meeting with ibis; an offer, and a half-promise to return. either there, she said, nodding toward the mountains, or at the emberwood. any territory in between, really. she planned to wander until she felt comfortable enough to go back home, whenever that was. i don't plan to leave anytime soon.

"alright," she issues, with a nod. "I have some things I need to do, first—but I'll find you." she blinks, shifting slightly. she's eager to get going, then, hoping to see as much as she can before the promise begins to weigh on her and she'll be spurred to return. she'll have to talk to moonshine, rowan too, but doubts they will move to stop her. 

"thanks, bhediya." that's it, then. muzzle curves into a half smile and then she's gone, stepping lightly back into the trees.