Larksong Grotto Moves west, flowers' shadows

The grotto was a welcome change from the snowy taiga for Sobo, who climbed with care down into the vibrant little forest. Overnight, all colour was leached from the lands, leaving white as far as his eyes could see. It was a light layer of snow, but a novelty to him, and it took some time for him to get over how it clumped between his toes and rode high upon his shoulders. Only this little gem remained untouched, and he wanted to find out why.

Perhaps, he thought, it had something to do with how enclosed the grotto was. He breathed a soft sigh of relief when his feet were on solid ground again, hoping the journey up would feel less perilous than his descent. He had a few hours still before he needed to head back if he wanted to be home before dark. He took a few minutes to get his bearings, sniffing gingerly at the bases of trees as he went for a sign of salvageable herbs. The frost and snow above wreaked havoc on the plants, but maybe the grotto was spared.

Ooh, wanna be naturalist buddies?

There was another youngster moving through the grotto, also enjoying the small remnants of summer that still endured here, tucked snugly inside a protective barrier of tree trunks. 

After conferring with his mother, Veteran had learned that the "zombie deer" were not harmful to wolves, and so he had made it his personal mission to track down and kill any of the infected animals he could find. And if he were a sick deer on the taiga, this was where he would retreat. 

The boy stepped quietly, listening for any sounds of movement in the still air of the grotto. He soon picked up the sounds of the other child shuffling around in the underbrush, and he quickly set to tracking down his target. 

He was surprised, but not altogether disappointed, when he came upon the source of the noise and it was not, in fact, a sick deer but another boy much like himself. 

"Um, hi. What are you doing?" he inquired curiously, stepping out from behind a mossy tree trunk.

Aha! Sobo straightened up when a familiar smell drifted into his nose. It took him no time to find the little pink flowers with their characteristic yellow beard. Only a few in a small cluster. Sobo was a little disappointed, knowing these flowers took a very long time to grow, but at least he could take one or two back home with him.

He was so focused on the flowers that he ignored the sound of footsteps nearby until Veteran spoke, scaring him right out of his skin. Sobo started and scuttled several steps away before turning to see who was there. His two-toned eyes skipped rapidly over Veteran's dark coat and lighter patches, lingering on his eyes for a fraction of a second before ultimately landing on his scar.

His heart thudded in his ears, and not only because Veteran had frightened him. This was not Sobo's first time trying to talk to other wolves, but it never seemed to get any easier. Why was he so damnably shy? Uh, uh, he said between quick breaths, hi. Um. Fairy slippers, he said a little nonsensically before indicating the pink flowers with a nervous jab of his paw in their direction.

The boy jumped out of his skin, and Veteran felt a little bad. "Sorry," he voiced, wincing visibly. Honestly though, shouldn't the other kid be watching his own back a little harder, out here all alone? They were in unclaimed territory after all, and that made it inherently dangerous. 

The other boy's reply made zero sense, and Veteran's brow drew together in confusion. The belated gesture down to the plant helped, and realization dawned. 

"Oh, is that what it's called?" Veteran asked, noting the pink flowers. "Is it medicine?" It was weird for plants to bloom this late into fall, and so if those flowers were medicinal, his mom would definitely be interested. "My mom's a medic," he stated proudly. "The best in the whole world!" Now he was running away with himself a bit, but it stood to reason that since Lane was the best medic in Duskfire Glacier, and Duskfire Glacier was the best pack in the world, then his mom was therefore the best of the best.

When Veteran apologized, Sobo worked to slow down his breathing and calm his panic. It was his own fault for not paying attention to his surroundings. He was often alert due to being timid, but botany always had a way of distracting him. His tongue lashed nervously over his lips, but he did manage a small chuckle at himself for being so jumpy.

He was surprised when Veteran asked if the flower was medicine. He'd half expected Veteran's disinterest. That was what he expected of everyone now, which was a sad way to feel for a young boy who yearned for friends but wasn't the best at making them. The hint of enthusiasm in the Duskfire boy's voice excited and emboldened Sobo, who nodded vigorously and swallowed the lump in his throat. De root, he said, it be good f-for panic attacks and pain. But it be rare. He was quite surprised to find it growing here.

Veteran went on to announce that his mother was the best healer in the whole world. The boy's willingness to talk to him melted Sobo's nerves away like they were butter. Wow, he exclaimed, impressed. My manman be a priestess and healer as well. A very good one, but not de best in de world, I do not t'ink. Well. Dat be your mom, ya say. If she was the best in the world, she would have been able to save Haunt. Maybe Lane had the power to do that, but it was too late. Are ya one too? A healer?

"Oh, okay," Veteran listened, interest in the other child's description of the plant's properties. "Can I see it?" He asked politely, seeking permission to come closer. From where he stood, he could see that it was pink, but that was about it.

Veteran didn't know what a panic attack was, but it sounded really scary. Pain, on the other paw, was something he understood intimately-- the scar on his forehead would attest to that. 

Maybe the lady slipper was something that could help Dad. 

Veteran let the word manman slip through his mind, wondering if it was just a term of endearment or if it was a different language. It was not a Northern word: it had too many soft m's and "ah" vowels for the harsh, clicky Northern language. The boy's accent also drew his curious attention.

Was he a healer? "No," Veteran answered. His mother would have also answered no to this question, for the record. She hated being called a "healer." 

"I'm a mercenary," he said proudly, bursting with pleasure at being able to share his newly-acquired trade. "I'm going to be a guardian when I grow up," he added. "But I also help Mom with plants. When I walk my patrols, sometimes I find the plants she likes to use. I bring them back to her, and it makes her happy. She says I save her time. She doesn't have much time anymore, now that she has to be an alpha." Veteran fell quiet, realizing he was babbling.

The boy shuffled to the side so Veteran could get a better look at the curious blooms. He almost shared how he thought they resembled sea serpent heads with jaws held wide, but imaginative as Sobo could be, he was still a little too shy to open up that much. Suppose Veteran thought he was a baby for thinking that way? So he kept that thought to himself.

Good thing, too. The Duskfire boy was a mercenary and surely too serious to think much of Sobo's imagination. He could feel every bit of Veteran's pride when he shared his aspiration to be a guardian. Sobo was awed. Wooow, he said on a low, somewhat starstruck breath. Dat must be scary. Veteran might think that was odd coming from him. Sobo certainly looked like he could be a warrior, but there wasn't an aggressive bone in his body. Grumpy at times, but never aggressive.

Somehow, Veteran also found time to serve as a botanist for his mother. It made Sobo feel like he should be doing more for his family as well. Do ya get time for yaself? he wondered. The fact Veteran was here answered that question whether Sobo realized it or not. He imagined the other juvenile's days must be packed with gathering plants for his medic mother and training to be a guardian. Sobo's were rather less impressive. In fact, he began to feel inadequate all over again, a fact shown only in the sheepish and meek way his muzzle tilted down toward his chest.

Scary? Veteran hadn't really thought about it that way. Mostly-- in his experience-- being a guardian was very monotonous. It was a lot of walking the same patrol route over, and over, and over... so often he was dying for something to happen. But he did have to admit that if he ever was in an altercation, it would probably be scary. The fight he had already been in was scary, come to think of it, and that had been with his own sister. He imagined a fight with a stranger would be even more scary. So this other kid was probably right! 

Before Veteran could tell him so, the kid asked him if he "got time for himself," again throwing Veteran through a bit of a loop. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He was a kid. All of his time was for himself. 

"Umm.. I like to chase lizards. And I like watching the lights in the night sky," he offered, wondering if listing some more of his favorite activities would help answer the question. 

"My name's Veteran," he added. "I live in Duskfire Glacier." Had the other kid heard of it?

So it seemed Veteran did get some time for his own pleasures as well. Sobo couldn’t help feeling like he was wasting his life in comparison; his days were mostly filled with his own fancies, and only occasionally did he have a proper job to do. Maybe it was high time he fixed that. If he kept busy all the time, then he wouldn’t have any need for the friends he seemed to struggle to make.

Oh! Dere be some lizards on de cliffs sometimes. Dey hang dere all day. Do ya t’ink it is boring ta be a lizard? Are dey fast? Sobo thought they must be very slow, but not if Veteran was able to chase them. He didn’t know about the lights in the sky that Veteran mentioned and schooled himself from asking too many more questions. Sometimes his brain ran off with him, but conversing was a give and take and Sobo needed to learn to be better at giving and not taking.

Duskfire Glacier? Where is dat? he asked with a slight frown as he tried to recall if he had ever heard that name. Nope. He only really knew about Rivenwood. I be Sobo, from Sapphique by de sea. Have ya been ta da sea?

The boy had lizards where he lived too! Veteran smiled and wagged his tail, happy to find something in common. 

He asked if it was boring to be a lizard. "Um.." To Veteran, it seemed boring to be any kind of lesser animal. Most of the time they seemed like they were just sitting around and waiting to be chased or hunted. He especially understood what Sobo was saying about the lizards-- they were still as rocks, until they were spooked. What could possibly be the function of such behavior?

The next question was one he was more prepared to answer. "So fast! You wouldn't believe it! When they're sitting around, I think they must be storing up all their energy because when they move they take off!" Hie panted in excitement, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It wasn't very often he spoke with someone who was willing to linger on the subject of lizards. 

Oh, the Glacier? "It's the big hunk of ice on the mountains, uhh.." He turned over his shoulder to look, but trees obscured the skyline. "That way." Surely the boy had seen it before? It was hard to miss.

His name was Sobo, and he was from the sea. He wanted to know if Veteran had been to the sea. Veteran shook his head. "Some people, when they visit, they say that the glacier is like 'a sea of ice.' But I've never been to a sea of..." What were actual seas made out of, again..? "..-a real sea," he amended quickly.

It occurred to Sobo belatedly that he had asked one too many questions at once, so when Veteran exclaimed about the speed of lizards, he nodded his head with excitement but chose not to comment again until there was a lull. He for sure wanted to revisit the subject.

He followed Veteran’s line of sight into the trees. He couldn’t say he’d ever noticed, but he would look that way someday and then he would see the way the sun turned to flame on the glacier’s icy face. Veteran explained more about the glacier, comparing it to the sea, which made Sobo frown.

How can it be a sea when it be ice? he wondered without any condescension. The sea was alive, wild and powerful. Ice was… Well… Ice. Da sea, she be black water far as de eye can see, but at de shore she be gentle. Most days. Sometimes de sea, she takes lives. It be dangerous ta swim in, he smiled then, a daring little smile that would look very much at home on his da Njord’s face, but ya feel alive in it, too. Is de glacier like dat?

Had Veteran known Sobo's line of thinking, he might have argued that the glacier was alive, wild and powerful in its own way. But as he could not recall exactly was a "sea" was, he was stumped as to how to answer the question. 

Thankfully, Sobo continued on to explain that the sea was, in fact, black water as far as the eye could see. The way he spoke about the sea was lovely, and Veteran could appreciate the artistic quality even though he was quite unable to reproduce it in his own description, as Sobo was about to find out. 

"Well.. yeah, kinda," Veteran answered after some thought. "The glacier stretches really, really far, like the sea. And it does move like water, but slower. It melts in the heat of the day and re-freezes at night, so it's never exactly the same. We have this one place, the Grotto-- it's a cave in the ice. The inside changes all the time though, so even if you learn it perfectly one day you can still get lost in it the next day. My mom says its really dangerous to go inside." 

Veteran wagged his tail, hoping that would satisfy Sobo.

Hope you don't mind me fading here, I'm trying to clear out older threads from my logs and I think this one has enough to count for our trades!

Try as he might, Sobo could not wrap his head around the concept of the glacier. Solid water that moved like the sea, but slowly? A labyrinthine grotto that changed day to day. It was like something from his nightmares, only those featured the grotto at the Sound, which was equally unknown to him.

He told Veteran about that grotto and how he had never gone inside, then invited the other boy to look for more herbs with him, content to spend some more time getting to know Veteran now that his nerves were a gentle flutter instead of the choking beating of wings inside his heart. At length, he would have to depart and head home, but committed to memory that Veteran was from the glacier so he might seek him there in the future.