Lost Creek Hollow the stars are alive

@Polaris

Birds chirped from overhead in the trees, bustling about from branch to branch with little regard for the slumbering wolf beneath them. His dark figure was dappled softly in the light of the sun, or at least what could stream through the foliage. The rest was draped in dark shade. It seemed a suitable place for someone to find a moment of peaceful slumber. The way that his whiskers twitched, and his paws seemed to jitter in place, like he was running, suggested that Brave had lost himself to a world of dreams. Within them, he anticipated that he might chase an elk the size of the mountains and fell it for his family. They would feast for the rest of their lives without ever feeling hungry.
 
Rustling in the bushes just before a lean-framed fox burst into the clearing was enough to rouse the dark wolf from his sleep. Brave sat up quickly, locking eyes with the slender trickster just moments before it turned from him and scurried away into the dark brambles. The wolf watched for only a moment before his lips parted in a wide yawn. He stretched his lean frame to rid it of the sleep that it craved and he fell back onto his haunches in a seated position.

the breeze hugs tight to her bedraggled figure as she beholds the sleeping boy a few lengths away. it had actually been the abundance of birds singing melodies so sweetly lilting in comparison to the hissed jeers the wind had taunted her with since the moment she'd fled the borders of whitebark stream that had caught the attention of a wayward mind and resulted in wearied paws coming to a stop. only then had she noticed the tranquil figure at rest before her and although initial instincts had tried to tug her away from his presence; she'd become quickly fixated on the placid features before her. what lay before her could be a notorious criminal, a renowned hero or anything inbetween and yet in the blissful land of sleep they lost the claws of 'individuality', the whispers and croons of past experiences that shaped them into what roamed the world at that moment. 

a small movement tilts her head to the side as she marvels at the act of sleep, something done by every creature trapped here every single day and yet resembling the outlandish concept of death to an unnerving point. did it serve as a reminder? whatever force lingered in babbling creeks and rustling trees made them all sleep just as it had the ability to strip them of life with a single gesture. a chill danced through her as she beheld the fallen figure, had papa's face fallen into this slack state of peace when his final breath had shifted free from his body? did darkness wrap you into one eternal embrace when the end drew near, was it terrifying or...inviting? like freeing yourself to the caress of sleep after pushing forth for so long, stripping the pain and exhaustion for a little while. her nose wrinkled with surprise at the silent dampness to have slipped free, a few wordless tears slipping smoothly from wide eyes. nothing like the manic burning she'd experienced within her gaze ever since artyom had uttered the treacherous 'i'm sorry'. yet despite the consistent lingering of flaming pain within her eyes, the release of actual tears had never been granted.

why now? and why just those few, what had earned her this miniscule relief, the smallest breach in a dam. was it just because she'd been nearing the point of bursting free and it wanted to keep that roaring pain within, letting a few out so that the rest would settle? so lost in this winding dwam, she would start at the rustle of movement before her. luck would jump in only to have it that a fox appeared off to the side at the same time as her own rustle, drawing the newly visible gaze of the boy to it as she stuck closer to the tree reaching laden arms above her.

her mind yells 'go', yet this is a stranger and although the idea of coming across someone she knows, having to explain what...well this wolf expected nothing of her and so the small movement to pull her quickly from her cover before he could catch her spying would draw her closer as she'd murmur "i'm not disturbing you am i?"

The fox vanished, pulling the gaze of the dark wolf up to the image of a pale one. The jade of his eyes lingered on her features for some time before she spoke and asked whether she might have been bother him or not. The dark beast smiled softly at her before he shook his head and motioned so that she might draw closer.
 
“No, not disturbing me at all,” the young wolf’s voice sounded verbally.
 
The sunlight that glittered through the foliage had dappled her figure. He caught the mismatched color of her eyes and the dark that marked the backs of her ears, a contrast to the pale alabaster that he could see dominantly holding her fur. Though he had never met this wolf before, she seemed as though she was roughly around his and Journey’s age. This was a small comfort to him. Most of the strangers who had happened upon him had been kind enough. It was no surprise that there had been such a close-knit comradery with the wolves of the Morningside pack, when it had existed.
 
“Do you live nearby?” Brave inquired of the female.

she stepped further across the dappled floor at his invite, clement smile gracing her own angular features as haunches relaxed her back into an easy sit. keen eyes of kissed lustre would marvel at the intricate art adorning his dark pelt, what had appeared as laden shadows from a distance revealing to be an array of expertly woven colours at this closer proximity. for although the stygian darkness ruled a dominant hand upon his fur, it danced with rich chocolate and dusky earth whilst each slant of the shifting light streaming down seemed to delicately press drops of prowling gold upon his larger figure. she'd draw eyes back to his verdant gleam as he posed a casual query, starting a little despite the mundane nature of such an ask as she cast a quick look in the vague direction of the standing stones. she was perhaps, too close considering how the idea of having to look upon the gently cordial gaze of any of them and furthermore endure the awkward pity that would follow when she'd have to explain that her papa had...died. she swallowed a little, blinking back to the boy with a flighty smile. 

"sorry yes, my home is quite near to here. i live in the pack that occupies the curious circle of stones, it's called easthollow" her head tilts to the side now in a quick little bird like movement as her nose gives a curious twitch. he smells only of the earth and air, untainted by the scent of numerous wolves. "and what about you? i smell no pack, are you a traveller?" her feathery tail flicks across the twisting grass, heart lifting at the idea of such freedom as it always only did when she was pledged to a pack. of course by now she knew better than to listen to such impulsive yearns, for although she was touched with the 'wanderlust' that the moonspearian man had told her of; she knew that to live such a life was much too lonely for her affable soul. she would have to learn to be content enough to balance her desires and embrace the life of being a pack's eyes and ears, perhaps become a master ranger like valette herself.

There was something graceful in the movements of the girl. She stepped into the rippling light and closed the space that had existed between them. Brave did not move and allowed for her to find her own comfortable position in the hollow. When she had drawn near enough that he could truly see her features, he followed the flighty curl of her lips. Something about the way that she presented herself made him feel as though he might overstep, so he felt stiff and formal. The girl remarked that she was from a pack nearby, mentioning that it had a noticeable feature in the formation of the stones. At this, Brave narrowed his eyes with interest and leaned toward her a few inches. The yearling was not too familiar with their lands, and he had no reference for what the pale woman was talking about. The curiosity licked at him like fire.
 
“I’m Brave,” the inky young beast introduced to her in a confident tone. His features were lifted into a coy half smile that seemed to dance along the dark line of his lips. “From a place called Round Valley, outside of these territories. So, I suppose you could call me a traveler… for now,” Brave then went on to answer her question. He wondered if the young girl had met anyone who had belonged to the original Morningside pack. The inquiry had been a valid one. In just the distance that they had wandered from their valley home to the Teekon territories, the dark young wolf had gotten a taste for the vagabond lifestyle. It felt good to belong to nothing, if only for a short while.

she could not deny being pleased upon witnessing the telltale ticks of his heightened intrigue, well chuffed to have brought that about with talk of her pack as her coy smile lingered fervently upon dark lips. "brave" she echoes admiringly, what a title to have bestowed upon you as a name, brows furrowing a little; she wondered aloud "well i'm polaris, i've never really thought about what my name means but i doubt it's anything as cool as bravery" in all honesty, she never would have even considered such an adjective as a name and yet, it fitted well; without even knowing him, she could confirm that the dark stranger looked like a brave. what on earth did she look like? she knew her parents had referred to her as 'dove' and her admiration towards the feathered creatures of which her nickname hailed from had led her to hold it with pride, but admittedly it did not have the same cutting edge to it as bravery did. well, she'd puff her chest a little, screw the stereotypes; doves didn't have to be little delicate things- they were entitled to have the same fire in their soul as a lumbering bear or a slinking cougar should they wish.

ears flutter to attention, dragged back to the conversation as the boy speaks up again. the scintillate of her ardent look holding his gaze, falling subject to the same bite of curiosity as had he when he spoke of where he'd hailed from. so he wasn't even from the teekons, kind of fit the tall, dark and mysterious cliche adorning him so well. "wow, what brought you here? i was born in these lands but i did leave once and stay with a pack out there for a few months. ended up coming back though, guess this place will always be home to me" letting eyes lift idly to the coruscating canopy above, she'd murmur "i love travelling so much, i get restless when confined to a pack for too long and yet when i let myself give in to the wanderlust, i get lonely. it's all very annoying, i must have a greedy soul or something" a light laugh at that, mismatched eyes dropping back. this was, nice, the normality of it all, and she felt a deep gratitude for his presence stir. he had no clue how much of a favour he was doing her by just entertaining this talk.

The tone that she used to repeat his name was reverent. She seemed to utter the moniker as though it were rife with power that he did not see for himself. The dark young wolf had never had someone speak his calling in such a way. It was transfixing. After a moment, she returned with her own introduction and a name that sounded as though it came from a faraway place. Polaris then remarked that she did not know what her name meant, but she had doubts about its meaning and its strength. Brave’s features creased thoughtfully at this, and he seemed to genuinely take the concern and toss it around in his head for ways that he could soothe her. They may have only just met, but the inky wolf knew that first impressions were weighted with importance. After a moment, the dark wolf looked to her with a quick and toothy grin and a flip of his tail.
 
“Well, shoot… you could just make up a meaning! You could make it anything you like. Polaris could mean something cool like ‘winter’s grasp’ or something,” he spouted with an expectant look to the alabaster woman. The pressure of coming up with a good meaning in such a short time had been what had stifled his attempt. He’d gone with winter because of her coloration, but that was no determining factor. “Anyway, I think it’s got a nice sound to it. Even if it doesn’t have a meaning, it suits you,” Brave then added, nodding his head in a knowing manner.
 
The conversation carried on to his reason for being there. That was all such a jumble, he wasn’t entirely sure how he should respond. Polaris had explained to him that she’d been born there, had already left her home to journey on her own, and had determined that she was better suited where her roots were settled. There was something loyally romantic about that – the love of a home – and he cast a warm smile toward her. Brave’s thought traveled to his own home with fondness. “My sister and I are here to see if we can find some of our family members. They used to belong to a pack called Morningside. Met anyone who fits that description?”

aaa the kuroo fc; i love him even more now c':

eyes widen a fraction, plume rustling at her hocks at his proclaimed suggestion. anything you like...gaze lifts to the shivering canopy, startled by the rush of emotion to piggyback on that sentence and settle snugly within. on one paw it evokes something akin to euphoria, the taste of tantalizing freedom and power. she controls this narrative to at least some degree, even if she has no power to stop what crumbles around her- she can control just how this shapes and prods at herself. but there is a melancholic edge present too, the awareness that she is in fact the only one left to decide on who she was, that the girl would never so much as get a chance to ask her parents what the name they'd gifted her even meant. was it selfish to feel such dissatisfaction at something as miniscule as having to decide what her identity stood for? ears slunk back a fraction as she inhaled deeply; was it bad that she wanted to scream that it wasn't enough? that she wanted to know what polaris meant and why her parents had chosen it for her, that she was so enraged at the world for making it so that she could never know. 

but- "winter's grasp" she echoes softly, scintillating stare dropping back to the boy sat before her. but she's not truly alone in finding herself, is she? they were not solitary creatures after all, the world could steal from them and strike blows at them but as long as there was more than one of them...they had the ability to thrive. lips quirk up, shadows retreating somewhat. beautiful, tragic winter. she'd had a deep disliking for the season when she was younger, too cold and barren for a girl that thrived in dappled light and radiant blossoms but with time she'd come to appreciate it's ethereal allure. it was a harsh, brazen beauty...unafraid and potent...she definitely had no qualms with being referred to as such a thing. "i like that a lot actually, i mean...unless you're trying to say i come off as icy" whimsical hums lilt into attempted humour, an effort to shake off the dazing press of such unalloyed emotion as wavering smile returns to a more ardent state with the arch of slender brows. she knew well of course, that he wasn't suggesting such a thing, which was hopefully made clear by the teasing hitch to her voice. 

she's not sure what exactly it is, but the easy pass of his next words has her ears splaying a little; eyes flicking away to focus on the coruscating dance of intertwining leaves as warmth tickled at her figure. what the hell was wrong with her? get a grip girl. it wasn't as if the dove was new to the realm of compliments, and at that all he'd said was that her name suited her. tipping her chin a little, her jaw would set as she drove eyes back to press against the lustre of his own as if she were facing off a challenging threat- which was all well and good but, what was she exactly supposed to say? swallowing against a vexingly itchy throat, she'd keep that grin planted firmly upon dark lips with a hastily thrown "oh- uh- thanks! yours suits you too! i didn't say that already did i?" did she? jeez she didn't have a clue, and actually why did she ask him that just made her look dumb! damn, her position seemed to slack further as brows furrowed a little- what was wrong with her? she wasn't used to feeling so...lame.

at least the conversation shifted back to talk of their homes, surely she wouldn't manage to sound like a confused whelp now. her head cocks, a quick little bird like motion. morningside? a thoughtful frown as her head shakes slowly "no...no i'm sorry i've definitely never heard of a morningside. there are so many packs around here though that i know nothing about so i wouldn't lose hope! if you know the names of anyone you're looking for i can see if i've ever met them? there are so many wolves around here though so i can't promise anything but..you never know." it has her wondering, not for the first time, if she has family outside of her immediate circle. it had never occutred to her until west had spoken of his plethora of relatives and now brave as well, on the hunt for distant family...it was a bit startling to know that she may meet someone very dear to her papa, mama or maman and wouldn't even be aware of it. focus drifts to the dappled floor, teeth absent mindedly picking at her lip against the ache, damn she really missed her family.