All the lights are flashing gold

@Sumayl :D inspiration is short today so we can send this in whatever direction you please!

Vienna had been itching for an adventure ever since her run in with Fox. The stories she'd heard had reminded her of how nice it was to hear what others had to say, their lives and adventures all fascinating to the enthusiastic girl. Some collected shells, others (like Summer) antlers. Vienna collected tales, real or imaginary, it made no difference.

Normally the ideal situations for meeting new people was by herself. However, she had found that this adventure she didn't quite want to take by herself. So she had enlisted Sumayl, who so far was making good on his promise to be up for anything. May hasp she could coax a story or two out of him before the trip ran out.

Vienna's first intention had been to head to the hot springs. But as they set out, she found her steps taking her southwards instead, preferring to tread a new path than one she had previously taken. This was her trip, so she took the lead.

Now she stood looking at a mountain before her, this one smaller than their own but holding the same rugged beauty and commanding presence. Here she paused, looking back at her adventure buddy. "Up for a hike?" She didn't want to completely ignore his input... After all, once they had arrived at the island, she had chosen the direction. If he would rather explore another avenue she was up for it, but her curiosity led her to want to know what was on this mountain and if it held any treasures apart from their own.

There had been little to no hesitation on Sumayl's part when Vienna had sought him out to pitch him her offer. She had been looking to take a trip and didn't wish to take it on her own. Flattered, but in a manner that was decidedly fairly narcissistic, Sumayl had accepted the offer. He had not forgotten his own desire to learn the layout of the Teekon Wilds, which would ultimately aid him in his tracking of herds. This, though, was not the main reason of why he agreed to go with Vienna. Mostly, the golden Ostrega enjoyed her presence, and what kind of gentleman would he be to turn down such an irresistible offer from a pretty girl? Vienna was much more than just another pretty girl of course, but Sumayl was shallow enough to notice such things upon the very first impression.

Their journey had taken them south of The Sunspire, all the way to a smaller mountain than the one the two of them called home, but similar. All mountains held that intimidation factor that tended to smack you in the face the closer you got to them. They weren't truly small. If anything the mountains were massive and it was them — Sumayl and Vienna — that were the true small ones in the equation. Still, Sumayl was up for the challenge of exploring, and if the chance arose, conquering. “Lead the way,” Sumayl encouraged with a small, cheeky grin, as he gestured forth with his muzzle, fixing her in his softened, golden gaze.

It seemed this was to be a trip of her own whims, for though she allowed him a say he seemed to have no intentions of taking it. That didn't bother her, for it meant she could satisfy her own curiosity without having to worry about him. He was quick becoming a favorite traveling companion, not only because he was patient when she sidetracked, but also because he seemed to appreciate the trip for its own sake just as she did. He wasn't tied up in the destination like so many seemed to be. Vienna took journeys not to get somewhere usually, but for the adventure itself. This was why her route could change at the drop of a hat.

"So, Sumayl, did you play many games as a kid with all those brothers and sisters?" Might as well start the stories now. And she was interested in what his life had been like . You could learn a lot about a wolf by the experiences they had lived through. Her own tale was rather uneventful (save the story of her scar) and this relative normalcy was probably what led to her sunny disposition. She just didn't have the angst. It was hard for her to imagine others who didn't have the life she did, which was probably why she asked a question that, if he'd led a rough life, might be seen as tactless.

Sumayl had never considered himself much of an Outrider, if because it tended to have a diplomatic side as well and while Sumayl could be diplomatic if the need arose, surely, he wasn't naturally into the whole “pack politics” thing. He was too confrontational for that, and at the end of the day if in some alternate universe if he ever became an Alpha he would much rather spend time and energy caring about his own pack then someone else's; perhaps that was why such a thing was only a possibility in an alternate world. Sumayl would never be a diplomatic leader. Though the Ostrega didn't consider himself the “settler” when it came to rank, he recognized his own personal boundaries and understood that him being a leader at any capacity was an impossibility. He supposed with how often he went out with Vienna on her little Outrider trips that he could be, if he wished to pursue it. Sumayl enjoyed the adventure part of it, at least, but shied away from the messenger boy part of it, for previously stated reasons. Instead, he used her little trips that she invited him too for learning the layout of the land for a different purpose than Vienna. Sumayl wasn't shy when it came to tracking and was willing to go as far as he needed too. Realistically, they would only hunt the herds that were closer to The Sunspire, but it never hurt to know which territories they seemed to favor, even if it was days away from The Sunspire. A hunting team could be sent out if necessary.

Vienna claimed his previously wandering attention when she spoke to him, golden gaze resting lightly on her face as she made her inquiry. “Uh, yeah,” Sumayl shrugged. “Sometimes we would play together and others we would section ourselves off in those little “boys only” and “girls only” clubs.” Pretty much what ever child with numerous brothers and sisters tended to do. It was an odd question to Sumayl, but the Ostrega found that he really didn't mind.

Vienna was of the opinion that you could learn a lot about a wolf by the way they dealt with their family. It could sometimes be a touchy subject, so she wasn't going to delve much deeper than that, but since he had seemed fine last time she'd brought up siblings she figured it was a safe area. She had never really thought about boy/girl only clubs, though since she and Jace were alone it wouldn't have made much sense at all.

She wasn't sure she wanted to mention this, for steering the conversation away from her brother seemed like a good call. He'd told her about the previous argument the two had shared and, while she wasn't pleased about it, she wasn't about to let it ruin her good, fun trip. Sometimes wolves clashed, and if it happened to be the wolf she cared about most and her newfound friend (who she was starting to care for as well, imagine that) then that was just really bad luck. So long as they didn't expect her to pick sides she would live with it, though she hoped they would get it sorted soon.

"I've never heard of that, though I can imagine why it would be fun." Secret clubs always were. "I used to make up all sorts of games as a kid. Seems I had a lot more imagination back then, though I like to think I haven't lost it all." As a child she'd never been bored, for when she couldn't drag Jace along she'd just come up with another friend to drag with. Maybe when you had as many brothers and sisters as Sumayl had you didn't need imaginary companions, but it made games a lot more interesting and fantastical. She had a hard time imagining Sumayl thinking such things though. "I think that's part of why I want to be a chronicler." It was an acceptable way to keep alive that child's thrill of the imaginary. "Did you always know you wanted to be a gamekeeper?"

No need to match the length — this post got away from me! :P

Sumayl loved his siblings but there was also a small part of him that was glad that he didn't have to compete with them as he had as a child. Now a days, though, they were all adults and though the competitiveness probably wouldn't have settled down all that much at least their fights wouldn't have been about who stole whose hidden fawn leg that they were saving for a secret snack. At the same time, if he didn't have his siblings and the looming fear of falling off of his foster parents' radar to push him there was no telling what kind of man Sumayl might have been this day. Some wolves were fine with being invisible, and in some cases, unfortunately for Sumayl he wasn't one of those wolves. His presence would be known, even if it wasn't for the better ...which half of the time, reflecting particularly upon his disagreements (which was perhaps putting it mildly?) with Jace, who also happened to be the Beta of The Sunspire — as well as Vienna's brother, oops — it wasn't for the better. It was a surprise that he hadn't found himself kicked out yet, mostly because bickering with leadership about how they treated their subordinates wasn't something that your typical wolf did. Not unless they didn't give a shit about if they were kicked out or not. The closer he became to Vienna, the more the idea of being kicked out of The Sunspire did bother him, and yet Sumayl couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut when he felt that Jace was treating him like a child. Sumayl had always lacked a filter between his brain and his mouth, and couldn't seem to keep it shut when Jace, to the Ostrega, reprimanded him for stupid, little shit and then verbally attacked him (or growled or whatever) when Sumayl spoke out against it. Or maybe they were doomed to always hate and disrespect one another.

“Usually it was fun, until one of the girls got upset that we wouldn't let them in even and went and tattled on us,” Tattling always ruined all the fun. Always. Sumayl was quiet when Vienna admitted that she'd had an imagination as a child and that she believed she hadn't lost it. The golden Ostrega, as she suspected, hadn't ever had to make up imaginary friends. His six siblings kept him on his toes , and there was always one that would want to do something with him. “Looking back on it I can't imagine the patience it took for my foster parents to handle all seven us without ripping all of their fur out,” Especially when it came to Sumayl. “Especially me since I'm pretty sure I was the worst child,” Sumayl admitted with a cocky little smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. Between dominating all of his siblings, keeping himself at the top of their puppy hierarchy and the rebellion against adults that came with the mini swell of power he'd earned surely he was the cause of early graying in fur.

He didn't comment on her admittance of wanting to be a Chronicler though it made sense to him. After all, a story teller needed to have a big imagination to keep it alive. To Sumayl, that sounded like a lot of pressure, though he didn't think he had much of an imagination. He was too deeply rooted in reality to look into the fantastic world of fairy-tales, though this might have came from the trauma he had suffered with his parents' brutal death as a small child. It was hard to believe in such things when he'd seen his mother burn alive, her screams haunting like a nightmare he couldn't get rid of. Sumayl's philosophy on that had been if fairy tales were real then she should have been saved.

His attention went back to her at her inquiry, ears cupping to the sides as he considered it. The question in and of itself was simple. “I guess I have, I've always liked tracking and while I'm good at everything,” He smirked cheekily, having to get in that narcissistic little comment. “I was the best at hunting,” He couldn't say what it was specifically that he liked about it: the tracking, or the actual part of taking down his prize (which felt a little sadistic to him). “I'm going for Warden after I get Gamekeeper,” Sumayl admitted. “It's hilarious when others think I can't take them down because I'm not hulking huge,” Granted, he was built more for speed than brute force but that didn't mean he couldn't kick ass. With the right training even a dainty girl like one of his sisters could be worthy opponents in battle. “Plus, gotta protect what you care about, right?”

danni if you read any of these and I am off on some aspect of their history then let me know!

Vienna shook her head when he spoke of tattling. That was one thing she hadn't done much of, nor had her brother. Most of their arguments had been handled amongst themselves... Until the day he'd attacked her. Her parents had encouraged resolving it themselves unless it was serious enough (it never was). They hadn't known of Jace's anger though so could hardly be blamed for the culmination. Vienna blamed genes and nothing more for that incident and would fight any who insisted differently. She'd had a hard enough time controlling herself with Fox when she had made but a passing mention, and may not have done so had she not been on the ginger Alpha's lands at the time.

"How does that not surprise me?" She teased, glancing at him before once more training her eyes on the slope that they climbed. She wasn't sure who between she and Jace had given more grey fur... Probably Jace, though she'd had her own share of warnings and frights. She had liked to wander even as a child. Her punishment had never been harsh, for she was a daddy's girl through and through. Her parents had been stern but kind and she missed them greatly. "Something tells me you were one of those who take punishment as a challenge," she added, laughing. "Just an invitation to wreak more havoc on your poor grey parents." She didn't know if it was true.

"Everything, eh? Well, I accept that as a challenge. I'm gonna find something you suck at, mister." His narcissism didn't bother her, she actually found his confidence refreshing and more than a little adorable but she couldn't help but see the fun in knocking him down a peg. Just one, though. She hoped he didn't mind.

When he spoke of protecting what you care about, a warm glow of pleasure lit Vienna. "So you are glad you joined?," she asked. A part of her had worried that he was regretting the decision between arguments with Jace and such. It was good to hear that he cared about the Spire enough to wish to defend it like that. Vienna felt the same, though she would do so when necessary in a less official capacity.

“Because it shouldn't surprise you,” Sumayl murmured with a soft laugh, despite that he understood that her teasing question had been rhetorical. “Mostly because I'm still trouble,” There were some aspects of Sumayl's childhood personality that had changed as he grew up, but mostly that was the only thing that changed: he'd hit puberty and had grown up. He knew why he acted the way he had back then, which was basically the same reason that he acted the same way now, a year and handful of months later. He didn't want to be invisible, and fading into the background was one of the worst things imaginable, second to burning alive, of course. But definitely the worst thing on the less morbid scale of things. “I haven't changed much,” Sumayl reflected in a thoughtful tone. “I still take it as a personal challenge.” Which was astounding that he hadn't been kicked out of The Sunspire, though Sumayl got a little giddy at the thought that Jace was probably wishing that he would. Certainly, without Sumayl life would be better, and though the idea of being kicked out bothered him it wouldn't be the end of the world. Namely, the reason that the idea bothered him was a walking beside him. His affection towards Vienna was while not wholly surprising it was unexpected, especially that it went beyond the shallowness of physical attraction. It was sort of unnerving to the Ostrega that she had, somewhere along the line, became more than just a 'pretty face' to him. She had a gravitational sort of personality that pulled him in without his conscious realization. The embers of something were glowing, waiting patiently to be stoked to life. He wasn't sure what, and Sumayl wondered if it was something he wanted to pursue, or rather if he should. Though it was Vienna's opinion that mattered, Sumayl got the feeling that Jace's approval also held some weight ...if these affectionate feelings told him what he thought it was telling him. As it stood: Sumayl didn't expect much of anything from Jace.

Plus there was the definitive line of, too soon. Sumayl wanted to get to know Vienna. It was reckless to propose something when nothing was barely known about the other. In that respect, at least when it came to 'relationships' the Ostrega tended to be rather traditional. It was weird to be thinking about it, especially given that he had no definitive reason to think that she wanted, or would want the same thing that he did. Especially when he had previously admitted to being a playboy; but Sumayl had no reason to lie to her. Honesty was the best policy when you were trying to get to know someone. Sumayl supposed that the “dates” were specifically for getting to know each other, which was basically what they'd been doing since their trip to Wheeling Gull Isle. Which might have unofficially constituted these as “dates” under the guise of exploration trips ...but that was only if both parties agreed to it.

Sumayl had let his train of thought wander to the point that when Vienna spoke again, he'd nearly forgotten about what they'd been talking about in the first place, though the fact that they were talking about him came back fairly quickly. “Everything,” He confirmed with a mischievous laugh when she spoke that she took it as a challenge to find something he wasn't good at. “You have fun with that,” He murmured confidently, implying in the tone of his voice, though teasing, that she would have a hard time finding something that he wasn't good at. Of course, Sumayl wasn't perfect — he simply liked to pretend that he was. “Though fighting with my superiors isn't a good way to stay in the pack,” It just sucked that said superior also happened to be Vienna's brother which put Sumayl in between a rock and a hard place. Sumayl had no intentions of bad mouthing Jace to Vienna, out of respect for her, though Sumayl disagreed with the ebony man's abuse of power or what seemed like such to the Ostrega, at any rate. When Sumayl had mentioned protecting what he cared about, though it had been vague, and without a doubt included the pack as a whole (though he wondered if he was putting in a lot of effort for nothing) it had been somewhat specific as well. “I'm not sorry you swept me off my feet.” He some-what teased her. Sumayl was being as subtle as he could, gauging for her reactions, attempting to get a feel for what she thought of him without bluntly asking her outright.

Not that he was shy, by any means. More so that he didn't want to make a giant ass out of himself if his stirrings of feelings weren't returned.

sorry sorry!

He took her teasing in stride, and she didn't argue with the fact that he was trouble. She already was beginning to realize he might spell trouble for her, though not necissarily in a bad way. It was the sort of trouble instead that brought excitement, a thrill and rush of adrenaline despite the possible consequences. And Vienna didn't doubt there would be consequences here. Her friendship with Sumayl had a strong start, but she didn't doubt he was looking for a little more experience than what her own childish self had to offer. Vienna wasn't much for being down on herself but she was well aware that when it came to seduction she was extremely lacking.

Not that she wanted to seduce him, per say. But to say she wasn't developing a small crush for her companion would be a lie. He was magnetic, charming, and was willing to tromp around god knows where with her anytime she asked. She'd either have to be blind not to.

His response to her offer of a challenge made her laugh. "It is on," she responded with a glint in her eye, already scheming, "though I think catching sliding maidens might be one I already got you on."

His mention of her brother brought back that little fly in the ointment and she shook her head . "Guess not." Honestly it annoyed her that the two of them couldn't seem to get along, though she wasn't miffed with either of them specifically. For once her presence had made a situation worse instead of better. If she hadn't been there perhaps the two would have gotten a smoother start, but there was no changing it now. She could only hope they got over whatever it was that was between them and moved on . At this point she hardly had enough sway over Sumayl (so she figured) to get him to come around, and while she could likely convince Jace to try and play nice, it took two to mend bridges. She didn't want to ruin their outing by attempting to discuss it but she didn't intend to let things stay as they were forever either.

She brightened as he moved on, glad he wasn't content to dwell either. The double meaning didn't escape her, but she did not assume he meant anything serious by it. He was teasing as he had when he first had met her, and she appreciated it (even as she hoped it wasn't completely a joke). "Well I am, you interrupted a particularly good slide," she teased back. "It wasn't a complete loss though. I'm glad you decided to stick around." More serious, but said with a smile.

No need to apologize — my own post came a week late. xD

Sumayl was little without his sense of humor, noting that outwardly it was one of his few good qualities. He supposed when the exterior was peeled back he wasn't a bad guy; but few took the time to get behind the razor sharp edges of his metaphorical guard and were left with the lingering impressions of what he put off. Confrontational. Narcissistic. Brash. Vulgar. Those traits didn't necessarily go away when someone did take the time to get under the wall he put up because they were not false to his character, simply they tended to be a bit more tone down, making way for the charisma that tended to lie beneath. Sometimes, his charisma came out regardless, but opinions of Sumayl, the golden Ostrega knew, tended to go one way or another. Either they loved him or they hated him. Not often was there a middle ground. Some couldn't stand his personality, while others couldn't help but be charmed, if not sometimes slightly annoyed by it. “Are you implying that I didn't catch you?” Though, remembering back to it she had swept him right off his feet in a very literal sense. Gravity and slippery conditions had not made for idea standing ground when she had came sliding towards him.

Sumayl let out a laugh when Vienna stated that she was sorry that she had swept him off his feet because he had interrupted what she had considered to be a good slide. Sumayl wasn't sure he had ever went mud sliding, and with the amount of mud that had caked her — and him until he had found his feet again — wasn't all that easy to get off. “Well, you know, I have to make myself the center of attention and how else was I going to do it if you didn't slide into me?” Truth be told, Sumayl had not known she was there, but it was fun to joke about his own attention seeking problems. You had to make fun at yourself every now and then, the golden Ostrega liked to believe. “What can I say? I am perfect after all,” Sumayl spoke, his lips twitching at the corners into something of a devious grin. “The Sunspire would be lost without me.” There was nothing remotely true about that statement, and Sumayl understood that being the realist that he was.

Vienna shook her head. "Are you implying you did? Because unless your definition of 'catch' is quite different, my memory has it different." She looked at him sideways. Center of attention, eh? Well in that he'd certainly succeeded. And Vienna wasn't the most attentive of wolves, so catching hers was rather an accomplishment. True, she would be engrossed in an individual for a time. Long enough to hear their tales and learn their name. But then she'd flit on, flighty as a bird in springtime, moving on to the next story and next place.

"I dunno, we did pretty well for ourselves before you came along," she responded with mock haughtiness, but then had to laugh. "Though I'll give you one thing... these trips are a lot more fun with someone else along for the ride. I was starting to think I was the only explorer in the Sunspire." She appreciated his willingness a lot.

Speaking of explore... spotting a ridge, Vienna changed course, jogging over to it and looking down. They had gone a ways up, not nearly as high as they made their home but high enough that the view overlooked some of the forests below, if just barely. They'd need to go higher if she really wanted to survey it. Which she did, of course. Cocking her head, she glanced up to check the sun. Westish, it seemed, was the direction she was looking. She could not see the coast from here, but she knew it to be there, as well as the island they had first explored. "Higher then," she said, somewhat to herself. Then she looked back at him. "You, sir, still owe me a crab hunting trip, by the way." She intended to make good on that offer one of these days.

They likely would not stray from the mountain too long, but Vienna was determined to explore as much of the place as she could before they left. Sumayl could remain with her or leave earlier should he wish, but she did hope he would stay. She would end up parting with him anyway for the return trip, a decision she would regret sorely,