Firefly Glen vuulnax ❦

with her children in the watchful care of their father, kukutux left the growing babes and @Jarilo behind for a short trek beneath the moonbow. the mountain lately, somehow, felt crowded; or perhaps the girl had grown more reticent since binding herself to the homestead. and so she left over the borders, not daring to travel further than the firmly claimed glen.

there, the girl let the ever-present strip of hareskin fall from her shoulders, and looked down at her newly-thin self in the clear surface of the pool there, lit against a backdrop of tiny glowing insects. her roundness seemed as though it had been absorbed into herself; there remained only her belly, which rippled with milk, and a lasting curve to her hips. girlish no longer. kukutux smiled quietly, wading into the half-warm waters for a silent bathing.

HEY GURL. Been a while :D

Wow. Robin had not exaggerated — this place was huge. The brown lupine had come quite a distance to Great Bear Wilderness within the sprawling Teekon Wilds, all to hunt for some ripe family history. Toad had expected a lot, given the grand stories that her older sister had told her long ago, but this was something else entirely. It made their home pack territory laughable in size. She knew that even though the place stretched all of the miles to the sea and to the twisted peaks to the east, there was a great deal more beyond.

As she quickened her pace, feeling that her destination must be close, Toad strolled through a wondrous glen. It was one of many sights she had come upon since her arrival, but it was the first time she saw another of her kind since her journey had begun.

A young woman with ivory fur stood in the waters beneath a drapery of great trees. Her colour played the firefly light beautifully. Toad, being starved of attention, casually huffed a friendly greeting and nodded her fluffy brown head at the she-wolf. Hello! She called, grinning as though she'd just discovered something very wonderful. Actually, there was more method to her quaint demeanor; she had questions. Experience told her that not every strange wolf was one to be approached, however, and she kept her distance, waiting.

HEY U YEAH IT HAS <33333!

kukutux had begun to relax into the water, which still held the touch of the sun. mintglow eyes drifted to close in silence; the young mother experienced a hand of breaths that were completely alone. without the tug of young mouths to feed, nor the duties to her hearth and homage to her mate that she had resumed, kukutux heard her inner name speak once more.

its words were lost at the sound of a nearby tred. the girl's eyes flew upon; she splashed in surprise at the called greeting. backing somewhat as she gathered her composure, kukutux swallowed, steadied. "i greet you," she told the strong-limbed stranger standing near, wondering at the other's elated nature.

The young lady was startled. Toad bowed her head respectfully, not meaning to cause any distress. The squat wolf had hardly a dangerous look to her, though her voice had no doubt felt loud in such a tranquil atmosphere. Had the water been below the white wolf's belly, Toad might have noticed she was a new mother and felt very much ashamed at interrupting the peace. As it was, she was happy to butt into the quiet, and moved to the water's edge.

She did not, however disturb its warmth with even a toe, keeping a good foot distance from the water. I'm new to the area and I'm looking for somewhere specific, she explained, offering a friendly smile and swift wave of her fluffy tail. I.. assume you are from nearby?

kukutux relaxed somewhat as the girl spoke, explaining her reason for being so near. "well," the bird began shyly, "the mountain, there," she gestured, "has the name of moonspear. that is where i live." a gentle blink, and she thought of the other place she could offer her unexpected companion.

she shifted down in the water once more, determined to have her respite while she had quit the peak for a while. "if you travel beyond moonspear, you will come to the great salt. there is a place called yoo ... yoo-lan," kukutux finished lamely, glad that the pearl-girl was not present to hear her mangle the title of where she ruled as empress.

The lady’s voice felt clean, somehow, maintaining a sense of purity in the air around her. The smoothness to her answer, perhaps coupled with her accent, kept Toad listen intently. She looked at the mountain, noting a great peak with snow dusting it, though the month was warm. Moonspear, she thought, wondering why they had named it such.

Toad heard of the great salt, and by this she assumed the lovely woman meant salt pans. You-lan, she misquoted, nodding once as an “I hear you” reply. The chocolate wolf stepped forward, plunking her paw into the water. It was warm, but she had no intention of invading the lovely white wolf’s space.

What would she give in her younger years to look like that.
She brushed that thought away.

And the Redhawks? Do you know of the Redhawk Caldera? she asked, cocking her head sideways. She knew that the Redhawks were done as a pack. But she wanted to see. Toad wasn’t sure where she would go from there, but history was important to her.

when the stranger grew closer, kukutux realized she was not girl at all, but a strong woman, with kindness behind her intelligent gaze. further soothed, the girl withdrew to the far bank, allowing space for the newcomer to join her, if she so chose.

suddenly she felt weak and girlish, paling to nothing in the shadow of this wolfess who had surely seen more than her. mother though she was, kukutux had come to admire those like hydra. and yet she knew she would never be such.

"i do not know redhawks, no," the duck answered in her polite, swallowed tones. what sort of wolves might they be, with such a name? perhaps they were all warriors who wore the color of blood. "i am kukutux," the girl added, refraining from her formal greeting. that was not done in this place.

The white wolf in the water, seeming to gesture for Toad to join her. Pleased, Toad gave a very warm smile in response and pushed her way through to the space alotted. The temperature was surprisingly warm and quite pleasant. There was something about that moment that felt very peaceful. If it wasn't the whispering trees and occasional calls from the crickets, then it was the glowing air about the other woman that made the chocolatey wolf feel calm.

It was unfortunate that her new friend did not know where the Caldera was, but no matter. Toad knew that she would find it eventually. She suspected that it was relatively close by — her trustworthy gut told her so. Also, Robin's directions had been reasonably clear.

 Kukutux. That's a very fine name, she smiled, watching the woman. I'm Toad. Toad Amelia. It wasn't often she introduced herself with her middle name, but the woman seemed so illustrious and fine that she felt as though she needed to make up for her own drabness. The Redhawks don't exist anymore from what I understand, but I came to visit the old territory and see what it's like. My sister told me about it when I was little, she explained casually, looking once at Kukutux before staring at the tower of a mountain again. Now, she was curious what Moonspear looked like up close. Perhaps that would be her next stop on her little tourist adventure.

ripples cut across the surface of the pool as the stranger entered. soon not to be. "toad." the word was round and clung to the underside of her tongue. "amelia." this was lighter, a profusion of fresh flowers. "i like this name." she looked with new eyes at the woman, who seemed to glow with an amber kindness.

"you are a collector of stories?" she asked then, thinking of osiris and his aspirations toward such. "i do not have the mind for it," kukutux added, a bit self-deprecatingly. she enjoyed the tales, but could not carry them. her heart was made for green things. like perhaps toad amelia had a heart inclined toward words.

sister. hydra and lyra and alya were her sisters now, she supposed, though the duck ached still for the severed bond of what the falling rocks had taken. an aunt for her babes, blood-tied and beloved. "your sister, she is here?" she went on, blinking down toward the glimmering water.

Toad grinned as the white wolf commented on her name. It was part of her family's customs to name youngsters after whatever animal they happened to look like. Part of her was sure that this convention of naming critters for what they appeared as actually had an effect on how they developed. She simply couldn't believe how stocky she'd grown in comparison to her mostly lithe and pretty siblings.

You could certainly say that, said Toad on the story comment. She loved stories and legends and always had. Others in her family assumed that she would grow out of this fascination as she reached adulthood. I suppose it's not for everyone, she commented. Toad herself was terrible at many things. Finding a husband was one. She frowned a bit at the thought.

Fox was asked about; an emptiness hit her stomach subtly. No, she passed during childbirth several years ago. She was once Alpha of the Redhawks, a wonderful queen. Her name was Fox, explained Toad, frowning a bit as she looked to the glitter from the water and the occasional firefly. We never actually met; she left home before I was born. But, I had always hoped to meet her when I was young. I feel like I knew her from the bits and pieces I heard. More than anything now, Toad wished at the very least that she had a place to belong. Had the Redhawks remained, she might have.

Now, she searched for information on any other siblings who might have remained in the Teekon Wilds, or even their children. So far, no one knew.

a sadness-spirit seemed to enter toad amelia for a moment, flickering in her gaze. kukutux too looked toward the glowing insects, listening to speak of this dead sister. dread entered her, for such talk was forbidden. you did not say the name of one who had passed, lest you call them back to earth. 

fox. it weighed stonelike upon her ears, and kukutux was momentarily breathless with horror. she clung to the thread of reminding herself her ways were only her own, and nodded with a forced warmth through her caution at the broken taboo. "she sounds strong. perhaps she will guide your steps if you ask her." 

the ways of the spirits were great. there had been a time, after howl, and before jarilo, that the duck believed she might become their speaker. but it had not been meant to be. now she was mother in moonspear, given the name of a great clan. and while many parts of her still felt foreign within those fierce borders, she had not forgotten the teachings of her mother.

Toad was staring at the water. As she had spoken, she had not noticed the discomfort in Vuulnax; the chocolate wolf was off in her own little world. Strangely, a faint smile had overtaken her features. She was thinking of the pleasant nature of false memory. Though she'd never met her vixen sister, it pleased her to think that others had allowed her to live on. That Toad had knowledge of the dead at all was itself a small miracle.

If I...ask her? Toad looked at the woman, puzzled. How? While Toad was not a terribly spiritual animal, she was also fantastically naive in many ways. She didn't know where wolves went when they died.

The moon calmly watched them from beyond, pouring a pleasant blue light onto the surface of the pool. It helped the young woman to glow, her white coat like starlight. Toad watched her, ears perked, waiting, hoping.

kukutux blinked. "they go beyond the dancing lights," she mumbled, and then more loudly: "the spirits of those who pass are never far." a quirk of her lips, a pang in her heart. "i do not know any here that speak to them as i was taught, but if you listen, you will hear their words."

a swallow; she straightened in the war, a ripple chasing itself into a shiver. "even if you did not know her face, you may know her after." the words came from kukutux in a rush like melted water. the duck halted, worried the inside of her jaw, longed for guidance of her own. "i still hear my mother, at times," she said thoughtfully, carefully, bringing the light pressure of her springmint eyes to bear upon toad amelia.

"you bring an offering. and you ask for their voice to come to your dreams."

The...lights? Toad perked her ears, listening closely and wading a step closer to the young woman, who seemed wise far beyond her years. She blinked, thinking of the idea that Fox's spirit could be somewhere close by. They were not far from the Caldera after all, and it had been her home for some time, from what Toad knew. 

Speaking to them seemed like something Kukutux truely believed was possible. Toad wasn't certain. She supposed that, if spirits of the dead really did linger beyond life, they might choose to speak to the living. Toad didn't know what she would do if she was dead, and had never tried to speak to a dead person. The whole thing seemed a bit ludicrous, but the world was something the brown creature believed to be mysterious and sometimes, perhaps even magical.

You do? Toad wondered about Kukutux's mother, locking her dull gaze to that of the foreigner; the white wolf's eyes were lit in the light such that it was a shock to the naive older woman.

What sort of offering..? Food? Flowers? Now it was getting technical.

the other drew closer; ripples in the water once more, half-circles that broke gently against kukutux' shoulders. "i bring meat. berries. yes, flowers," and here her small fine teeth showed in a shy grin. "whatever thing you think will call to her spirit. bring her red fur," she suggested, though was careful not to say the name of the wary crimson creature allowed. it had also been the name of one who was now dead.

"she will know if you bring the things that might have spoken to her in life," kukutux went on, unable to pull her eyes away from the interest glowing like an ember in the other's earth-hued stare. "you are considering it, toad amelia?"

Toad tried to think of items and objects that might please Fox in her afterlife. What she knew of the deceased mother and Alpha was limited to the lore that surrounded her rather exciting life and death. For the most part, Toad had really liked the idea of her sister rising to become all she was from such humble beginnings. The Crestwoods in general favoured men over women, and a strong female leader seemed almost like a superhero for Toad during her childhood.

Thus, the idea of items that might please this mythic figure seemed unlikely to her. Toad wanted to try, not knowing if there was any merit to what Kukutux told her. The white wolf seemed not just to firmly believe it, but it was as though the belief was a part of her. She seemed somehow...timeless.

Yes, I'm considering it, but I'm just not certain what she would truly love me to bring her spirit, she thought hard for a moment. Would... no, that's stupid, she whispered under her breath. Toad wasn't sure she should say her idea, but after a moment, it tickled her brain enough that she felt forced to speak it. Would perhaps the offering of a vixen please her? Killing a red fox was not something that would even make her blink, for Toad considered the beasts among the same level as squirrels and deer.

a nod. a blink. toad amelia was a swift learner. "bring the fox for it is her namesake." kukutux did not wish to speak the name again; even the thought that she might call the unknown dead to her rankled the duck. she rocked backward in the water, hummed quietly to herself.

"you will see it for yourself. be reverent," the pearl warned, and then she was lifting from the firefly-glow surface, shaking shimmering droplets from her moonwrought fur. by this time saviguk and sialuk would be stirring, wishing the presence of their mother. as calming as jarilo might be, he could not sustain them. "come up to moonspear, toad amelia," she invited. "one day." now her jadestone eyes flitted to that of the other woman, wondering what might now come to pass.

The way Kukutux spoke made it sound as if she knew everything. Toad was fascinated by this, and strangely excited to attempt her experiment with contacting the dead. The brown creature wondered what her sister might tell her from beyond the grave. What grand wisdom might she glean from her experience? What new tales might she hear? Part of her wondered whether Fox would even bother, for she'd never met and probably didn't even know of Toad's existence.

Be reverent. Toad nodded deeply, knowing that this was advice to be taken quite seriously. As the white spectre stood, Toad could not help but notice the visible teats as the water dripped from her fine body. Toad didn't react beyond blinking, though it gave her calm pleasure to know that this wonderful woman was a mother this season. As the gracious creature invited Toad to the mountain, she also rose and smiled sweetly. Of course, Kukutux, she said, the name rolling oddly from her lips. Thank you, she said simply, wading out of the water.

As Toad also shook off the water from her thick pelt, she glanced at the young mother and her warm smile broadened for a moment. It was truly a pleasure, she nodded once, bowing her head. She imagined the Moonspear mother to be quite excellent with her pups. As Toad turned away and set off at a slow walk, she thought about the mountain. There was a drive in her to try to locate someone from her family, but she knew that given the time between the Redhawks and the present, it had always been a long shot. Perhaps Moonspear would be in her future, should her search go fruitless.