Firefly Glen where life is beautiful all the time!

for @Meerkat , dated for whenever you want :P

 

the forest was a tad stuffy. as much as nüwu did not mind companionship, sometimes it was important to have a break from those familiar faces, and be with nature instead- and so she wandered and wandered until she found herself at the edge of the forest. there were greater things to see, though, like a great rock that rose from the sky in the distance- which made that hill back on the island seem pitiful in comparison. she eyed it curiously for a moment, and then slowly set off into the glen at a languid pace in its direction.

The trip to Firebirds made Meerkat's paws itch. There was still so much more to discover about Moonspear, yet she wanted to get out and travel more too. If she wanted to be an ambassador, she needed to visit more packs more often. And not just her family's pack. She couldn't acquire any street cred unless she reached out to strangers too, trying to make connections and hopefully establish alliances.

She knew she was still pretty young though. There would be plenty of time to really spread her wings and fly. In the meantime, she compromised by leaving the mountainside to revisit the glen next door. It looked quite a bit different in the daylight and soon Meerkat was ensnared by all the sights and smells.

It was only when she stumbled across a stranger that Meerkat suddenly remembered, Oh, shoot! I'm supposed to take someone with me... Would it count if she befriended this total stranger? She smiled at the thought even as she called out, "Heya!"

nüwu heard the stranger before she really saw her; too focused on the moonspear ahead to look at the things right in front of her. jade gaze swept down to the origin of the friendly greeting: a sandy looking girl who radiated positive energy.

though nüwu knew of "stranger danger" thanks to mom, she couldn't help but smile gently. this girl didn't seem dangerous... right? she only looked a bit older than the jiang herself... and so nüwu allowed her dark tail to set into a gentle wag. hi, she breathed awkwardly in a hush, ...where is your family? i don't see them? she wondered, gaze stealing to the horizon past meerkat and then back- presently not considering the fact that the same question could be returned to her.

Her eyes roved over the stranger's features, noting with a twinge of delight that they looked a bit alike. Her tail wagged to demonstrate her friendliness and she took a few steps closer, stopping and smiling almost sheepishly at the question.

"Well, most of my family lives on the other side of these mountains," Meerkat said, turning to look at Moonspear and the other mountains that made up the range before returning her gaze to her fellow youth, "but I'm living with my older brother and extended family here on Moonspear." She gestured a foreleg at the nearest peak.

"I'm Meerkat," she continued in the next breath, setting her feet back on the ground. "Who're you? And where's your family?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

nüwu felt at ease when kat's tail wagged, and though she momentarily stiffened when the girl got closer, she let up and relaxed when there was no sign of danger. when meerkat spoke of beyond the mountains, the child's eyes widened with wonder. already those mountains seemed so far away- could the world extend beyond that? and then moonspear- another word she did not know, and she blinked dumbly for a moment when a question was returned. oh, meerkat. um, cool name, she mumbled awkwardly, clearing her throat to continue. i'm nüwu jiang. um, my mama is back in the forest- and she paused to gesture her muzzle there momentarily. b-but we are not from there. we live on a big island, mama calls it yuèlóng. do you know it? she wasn't sure if she would- after all, nüwu didn't know what moonspear was yet either.

"Thanks!" came the chipper reply when her new acquaintance complimented her name before offering up her own. Meerkat's eyes widened. That was even more exotic than Kukutux! She quietly mouthed it, wondering if she could pronounce it correctly out loud. But Nüwu said something else, sidetracking Meerkat from that endeavor.

"Yuèlóng?" she tried, the word coming out mostly right. "Nope! But you live on an island? That's pretty cool! Tell me all about it!" She very nearly forgot to add the magic word: "Please!" Meerkat grinned, her tail swinging as she took a seat, demonstrating her eagerness to hear all about Nüwu's island home... and why she and her mother were currently residing in a forest instead.

nüwu didn't notice meerkat mouth her name- but she was stunned, and a bit delighted by the way her companion perked up about the island. was it cool? nüwu's gaze flitted to the mountain in the distance. she thought that seemed cool. 

when her new friend asked her to tell all about it, nüwu cleared her throat awkwardly. not everything needed to be talked about, she knew... they both had certain things like trees. accounting for the differences- well, where we live, on every side there's water. mama told me that's the ocean- it's really fun, and a little scary too. nüwu thought of the pull of the sea which longed to drag her into it. and- do you have sand? the island has sand on every side, too. she grinned. i don't know how to say it... it's, it's, soft ground. she shrugged. her shoulders fell slightly as she continued, but, mama said it's gonna rain a lot, and we gotta go to the forest. i don't really get it... i wanna go home.

Nüwu described her island home as being surrounded by water, specifically ocean water. Meerkat had never seen an island for herself, though she'd heard about them in stories. The same went for the ocean. Someone had told her that seawater was salty, a concept she didn't really understand. Surely Nüwu would know all about that, so she'd have to ask her.

Sand was yet another thing she'd heard about but never experienced firsthand. She listened raptly as her new friend described it, the words immediately reminding Meerkat of the silt by the riverside back at the copse. Before she could say anything about it, Nüwu grew suddenly melancholy. Because of all the recent rain, she and her mother apparently couldn't go home.

Meerkat's ears flattened sympathetically. "Oh no! How come?" She thought about her recent visit with the Firebirds and all the mentions of flooding. "Is it because it might flood?" she guessed.

flood was a word her mother had mentioned briefly, but nüwu had little understanding of what it really meant. at the time they had been in something of a hurry and the girl had not asked about it, though her curiosity had prodded her to. now she frowned slightly as her brow wrinkled in thought. um. that is what mama said, she agreed, nodding to herself as if to overcome her doubts before jade gaze drifted back to her companion, uh, what is flood, anyways? little tilt of her head.

That was the given reason, though Nüwu admitted she didn't know what the word meant. Meerkat favored her with a soft smile and explained, "I guess it's when there's a lot of water and it covers up the ground where it's not supposed to." She paused. "I'll keep my toes crossed that your home doesn't flood."

There was a serious, sincere look on her young face, though it suddenly brightened again. "Maybe once the rains stop, I could visit your island! Do you think that would be okay?"

a lot of water covering the ground where it didn't belong. nüwu stared at her feet and tried to imagine the sea there, but it was hard for her to visualize and she looked back to meerkat again. she thought of the island then, if only the peak of dragon heights soared beyond the water level. that was hard to imagine, too, but the mental imagine created some sickening pit in her stomach, and she was happy for the distraction of meerkat's question. 

yes! um, you really should, meerkat. nüwu encouraged, dark tail batting the air. she didn't know a thing about protecting their borders or pack- meerkat was nice, so certainly mama would let her come on the island. besides, nüwu wanted to see her again too. can i come to your- your moonspear too? she wasn't really old enough to go that far on her own... but maybe if she could convince mama to have someone go with her.

This lil' girl is gonna stop by Yuèlóng sometime soon, I hope!

The idea seemed to cheer Nüwu. When she asked if she could visit Moonspear, Meerkat readily replied, "Of course!" She'd never yet entertained a guest and didn't know the pack's protocol, though there would be time to figure out these details. "You'd be welcome to come call for me anytime," the youngster assured warmly.

Speaking of going to Moonspear, though... "I should be getting back," Meerkat admitted reluctantly. "But I promise we'll see one another again, especially since you're one of my very first friends outside of my pack." She paused. "Until then, take care, Nüwu!"

The sandy youth stretched out to ever so lightly brush her nose against her new friend's, before slowly drawing away and, with a final wave of her paw, retreating. She paused a few times to glance over her shoulder (and wave, if Nüwu was still there) before disappearing into Moonspear's shadow.

sweet! :D

 

meerkat welcomed nüwu to visit, and the girl's tail wagged rapidly while a smile grew on her maw. though her companion had to exit, she promised they'd see eachother again, and nüwu nodded warmly. when meerkat brushed her nose against the sandy girl's, she blushed beneath her fur and blinked awkwardly. but soon her new friend was leaving, and nüwu called bye-bye! after her, before turning to head home.