all welcome :) <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> Narcissa had spent well enough time within Willow Ridge to at least know some of her pack mates’ scents. She could tell one from the other, know who went where and more importantly what sort of role they partook in the pack. Even though she was simply set on scouting for Elettra and serving underneath the woman, she figured that it might be somewhat beneficial to at least observe the land and maybe run into a couple individuals. Elettra (as far as she could tell) ran a tight ship that Cissa wanted to be a part of for a while. If her daughter, Nikoleta, decided to stay out in the world and travel then that would be most welcome. Even if Niko just wanted to join another pack that wasn’t this one—she would understand. Besides, no one wanted to be attached to family for a long period of time. That she understood very well as she had escaped that family by changing her name altogether. That was not her any longer and she refused to revert back to it. Passing a few trees in aimless wander she stopped to sniff at one of the trees, scenting Elettra’s territorial markings that signified that this was the border. Taking a few steps to a tree nearby she allowed herself to mark it as well before taking off again. She continued to rub herself against some of the trees to accentuate her place among the pack and for the scent to be more potent to any passing wolves. It was then, just beyond that she noticed the Lagoon; but it wasn’t the lagoon that had her interest. There was a rainbow, set just over the lagoon as it reflected the colors right back. It had been months that she had seen a rainbow; that or she simply hadn’t ever stopped to look. With that she laid herself down at the territory’s edge and looked over the lagoon, occasionally looking up at the rainbow as if expecting it to disappear within a few seconds. Was she hallucinating? Narcissa felt it impossible for her to be hallucinating such a silly thing as a rainbow but then again, she also couldn’t explain why she was laying down watching a rainbow in the first place.

He'd paid quiet attention as his mother had given him details about herbs, as she tended to herself. He hadn't cried, but had gone to her side as soon as he saw her limping, with a liquid flame in his eyes which could have easily been mistaken for the glisten of moisture- had it not been for the grim set of his jaw and the rumble of a growl in his still narrow chest. Someone had hurt his mother- some fool had tried to fight with her. Haughty pride was stoked as she brought word that she'd conquered him- some male who'd been in the pack, who'd left without good reason. Yet again he looked upon his mother with renewed admiration- for both her and her gender. Thus why the boy so proudly stepped with the fluid grace and deft swiftness which one might characterize as distinctly feminine- the boy knew where the power was, and could fine the same within himself.

His jaw ached somewhat from the subconscious grinding of teeth. He imagined himself in his mother's position, a huntress who'd stumbled upon someone who'd wronged him. No,someone who had wronged his mother. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down his spine. No one. No one would dare touch his mother when he was grown. Already in his mind he saw himself, a man of ash and flames, yet still a prince to his mother. He saw himself growling and snarling, gripping the thick coat of some strong and able-bodied loner who he cast aside as though he were nothing but a yearling. He savoured this daydream, it would be one he would think about often, adding more and more to its elaborate story which always ended with him as the victor- sometimes barely clinging to life as he spoke a few last words to his mother after killing the enemy, sometimes with barely a scratch. It was such a romantic notion, and he relished it.

The boy's sharp eyes narrowed as he caught the scent of another pack member nearby- one he knew vaguely, as he knew most of the wolves in the pack, but not one he knew personally. It was in his best interest, he decided, to introduce himself- he was, afterall, the Prince and heir to the throne,and he would be well loved, as was his mother. He did not have the skills, yet, to make this happen, but this was not something that the vain boy was aware of. So he set out to find this woman and earn her adoration.

But it would be his age that foiled him. For as he approached, in his mind striking the appearance of a tall, dark, handsome adult male, his expression of cool indifference faded as soon as he saw the display of colours overhead in the sky. He'd never seen a rainbow before, nor heard tell of what it was. Childlike wonder spread across his features and for several moments he was the very essence of a 3 month old pup. "What is it?" He asked, his voice a quiet whisper, as though scared to frighten the illusion away with too loud a sound.

It’s probably pretty sad that I read that as RAAAAAGGGGEEE and not Paige. Then you said ‘sister-thing’ and went … narcissa and asriel aren’t sisters? It took me a couple seconds to comprehend! <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> From the moment that Narcissa had found the pack den she instantly smelled many wolves. At least four others that she had never seen nor heard within the pack but figured come night time, she’d see them at least. No words had been physically spoken to them yet but sooner or later she would likely cross paths with them and start idle chit chat. It was how most wolves worked in packs, she realized. They spoke occasionally, knew each other by first name and felt themselves better than others but never spoke it out loud. Narcissa believed that she was better than most—she held a fine spirit that was rare in certain crowds. Given Elettra’s reaction to her newest member’s determination to be in the Ridge, she knew that her fearless and powerful leader saw the strength. Sitting there watching the rainbow caused her to feel that strength but also a small sense of wonder that filled her mind. It felt almost as if she had stepped into the paws of yearling Paige. The one who would have done anything to keep Gabriel safe and who would constantly go exploring with Jesse and get into trouble. Sometimes, she missed both of them—one more than the other; however, she knew that the life she had left behind did not compare to the one she had lived since. The surprise appearance of another brought her out of her museful state. Apple green eyes looked around her and saw nothing, just the trees and the lake, then her gaze fell a little and was met with a young pup. It was like staring at a young Elettra but with less gray and more fire in the eyes. It smelled of her too. Automatically she assumed that this was one of the woman’s children, bright-eyed and likely strong-willed as their mother. The boy looked to be very confident as he strode up to her and whispered timidly, almost so much so that she didn’t hear him. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“It is a rainbow,” she answered sweetly and without annoyance or irritancy. It might have been a surprise to those that new Narcissa to see her be so kind to a child that was likely prone to asking irritating, repetitive questions. However, from the moment that she had become pregnant with Nikoleta something in her had changed and she desired the child. A small spot had been made for her little gypsy and she wanted what was best for her just as Elettra likely wanted her son to be a well-mannered and well-versed Prince. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“They are most common after a rain storm,” she pointed out to perhaps brighten his knowledge a little as she was almost sure that she had just answered a question that was sure to follow.

When the answer came, the prince's fiery eyes finally flicked to look at the woman he'd approached, the one he'd decided to meet and charm. Her coat was soft-looking and earthen, but her eyes were bright, like new spring grass, or fireflies from early June. She'd spoken with a kind tone, impolitic and reasonable- not in any way condescending, which he appreciated. He did not like being treated like a child, after all, though he realized now as he looked at her that he was in fact nothing more than a youth and felt even more so, having been taught what a rainbow was. He didn't like the name of it- he wanted something more powerful and mysterious than 'rainbow' as a title for the pretty thing. But it wasn't as though he could go about changing that, now, could he?

She offered a bit more information which pleased the child who, having regained some of his composure, nodded lightly and moved forward to join her, sitting down in the grass near her shoulder. His eyes moved back to the brightly coloured arch in the sky and he pursed his lips somewhat. He could tell that in the distance, it was still raining, though the lands beyond the rainbow were lit by sunlight. This seemed curious to the child who had always assumed that sun was for one day, and rain for the next- except for those days which were split half and half, but he'd never seen both happen at the same time.

"It's sunny too," He stated, merely pointing out something else that was unusual. "Why isnnit called a sunbow?"

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> Rainbows were a strange concoction by nature seemingly put there to make others stop and look at her creations for a moment. Nature sure did have a way of creating nice things as well as bad things, constantly changing it up to keep everyone on their toes. Narcissa had been through many storms, hot days, cold days and days that she simply didn’t want to move. For the briefest of moments she remembered a moment way back in her younger days when a man had crossed into her life. Their first encounter had been a sinful act but others that followed were fun and fulfilling… briefly she wondered where he was now. They had gone on a few journeys to find rare things like this—a rainbow, find a carcass so that they could grab the skull and pretend to chase but it had been a Romeo and Juliet situation. He was destined to marry another woman and Narcissa had been nothing but a peasant. Finally her eyes looked back to the youngster that had crawled his way over to her to sit, staring at the rainbow in front of them. It felt almost eerie to have a child of Elettra settle down next to her but she would cope. After all, Elettra was a fine woman and a child would not stand in Narcissa’s way of earning her keep. Besides, children were something that Narcissa enjoyed whether it completely stole her image or not. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“It can be both sunny and rainy out, as the rain comes and goes. Clouds, the fluffy stuff in the sky, is what brings the rain and it moves across the land. If they’re dark clouds then they likely have rain but if they’re white and fluffy then they’re there to protect you from the heat.” Unfortunately, that was the best explanation for it that she could find. Though, she really wasn’t sure why it was called a sunbow but she could try. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“Because the rainbow isn’t made from the sun, it is made from the rain.” Yup, that was the best explanation she could do with for now and hopefully that was enough answer for him otherwise she was at a loss for words.

Having already exposed himself as a pup and therefore the student in this relationship, Asriel's pride, which normally breathed fire into his being like a great dragon, had settled and subsided. Had the female made a fuss over him as females sometimes did, he would have rejected any notion of staying with her or, much less, learning from her. No, he'd settled into the reality that this female knew what she was talking about, but the way she spoke to him was likely the best way to speak to someone like Asriel...As though he was an adult, someone who would understand and contribute to a meaningful conversation and ask intelligent questions. That being said, he naturally couldn't quite grasp everything- he understood the words, but wasn't so sure he believe the whole 'sun and rain at the same time' thing. Even though it was happening before his eyes right now. This couldn't be some commonplace occurrence, could it?

He looked up when she mentioned clouds- he knew what they were and was a bit miffed that she had to describe them as 'the fluffy stuff in the sky' but as he was learning useful things about them, he didn't make a fuss or show any signs of disdain. Plus in his mind, that's what they were- fluffy things in the sky. She went on to describe that different clouds meant different things, which interested him quite a bit. And he was impressed by how much she knew, and stored this information away in his memory so he could show it off at some point to his mother. Wouldn't she be pleased? The mere thought of telling his mother this stuff made him feel giddy, and it showed in a faint smile on his lips.

The reason she gave him for the name of a rainbow held up for a few moments, until his brow furrowed and lips pulled taught in thought. "How come it doesn't fall with the rain then?" He asked. Surely, if the rainbow was made from rain, it too would fall, would it not?

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> It had been somewhat near a year since she had been teaching Nikoleta a few of these magical things. To be giving the answer to someone that had no idea what anything was because it was considered new. To Narcissa, there were not many things that were considered ‘new’. Once upon a time she had hoped that being a mother would never become a necessary title and while she sometimes cringed at the idea of being called one, she knew it was what she was. It was not a hated thing for she did treasure her daughter’s individuality and personality, but from what Narcissa assumed she had not come from such a loving man. Not one that would have given his all to be with her so they were better off without him. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“Some have said that it is because of the light reflected in the sky that hits the rain and makes the odd colors,” though she wasn’t really sure on that because even that seemed a little strange, <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“even I don’t have all the right answers some times.” She wished she could give this boy every correct answer for every question he had but unfortunately there was some knowledge that even she didn’t possess. Gazing at the rainbow, she too began to wonder how it got there and why. She knew what it was and why it was here, but as to how it came to be she couldn’t be sure. The things she knew had been told to the boy and hopefully those would be good enough answers for him until he asked someone else that had the matching information. It came to her attention as she brought her gaze back to the pup that she had not even asked for his name nor had she given him hers. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“I’m Narcissa by the way,” she introduced herself first just in case he didn’t want to give her his because she might still be considered a stranger. Some adults taught their children to ‘not speak to strangers’ but then again, here they were having been talking for quite some time.

This whole rainbow thing, though beautiful, was becoming so complicated that he was beginning to lose interest. It was made by the rain, but there was something about the light too, that kept it from falling. The prince of ash and flame pursed his lips as he took this in, not quite sure if he understood what she meant by saying that the light was reflected in the rain.He'd never seen any reflections in the rain before- and he knew what a reflection was- and wasn't quite sure he believed what the other wolves said about them. Still, he didn't want to blame Narcissa for this- she'd only been trying to make him understand, and it showed that she was smart and considerate.

"That's OK." He said, in a rare act of generosity. She'd said enough and had explained enough to tell him that she was useful to him and, therefore, the pack as well. Plus she was pretty and nice- she had the sort of qualities a woman needed to have, and Asriel, having grown up as the prince of a lone queen, expected a lot from women. They were to be strong, smart, beautiful and able to wield a great deal of power. Narcissa seemed very humble, but this was only right- she wasn't the queen, after all. For her to act high and might would have been blasphemy.

"I'm Asriel," He said with a small nod of his head. He didn't bother to say that he was a prince or the son of Elettra as he assumed that that would be fairly obvious- he looked enough like her and she'd been the only one in the pack to have children. "Where did you live before here?" He asked, interesting in learning more about her.

<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;"> Rainbows were still quite the mystery to Narcissa who had very little experience with them but she had been told a couple things as a child. Information that was both necessary and unneeded at the same time, though she appreciated it when she was little even if she barely understood it. The thought counted all the same. Although the boy likely didn’t understand all that made a rainbow he was at least somewhat interested in the idea behind it. That was enough motivation for her. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“It’s nice to meet you Asriel,” she smiled politely and bowed her head to him. After all, they were new acquaintances and she would be fooled if she did not properly address the boy. It was obvious to her that she was Elettra’s child, a very handsome one at that, so she would not be caught saying or doing the wrong thing. <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#D6C7B6;">“I have lived in many places—atop mountains, aside rivers, I’ve even seen the ocean.” Narcissa did not believe that there was any landmark that she had yet to see. Every place she visited still amazed her by its uniqueness but for some reason she could not imagine leaving this place now. This place held promise from the very beginning; something had set a fire in her heart when she had seen Elettra within the underground sea. From there she knew that she would go nowhere else—at least, not for a while and not without Elettra’s permission. Home was here, where the Ridge was.

This woman was meeting his standards- which was not an easy thing to do. With the bow of her head she proved that she respected him as she should- he was a Prince, and therefore had a good deal of respect to expect. His pride was stoked, but not so much that he looked down upon her. Instead, the opposite happened- he found himself liking her more for the excellent treatment he was receiving. As though it was a gracious gesture, the boy moved closer to her so that their sides could touch, the golden fur of his cape blending flawlessly with the beautifully black-tipped beige fur of her side.

Her experience intrigued him as well- though the child felt no wanderlust, unlike his brother @Skoll who seemed the most adventurous of the three pups, he was still interested to hear of the travels of others. Narcissa enlightened him when she spoke of the ocean- something he'd heard mention of, but he desired to know more, especially from this woman who was very enchanting. She knew things, but did not flaunt her experience in a way which made him feel boxed in and inexperienced. She made him want to learn more.

"What's the ocean like?" He asked, turning his blazing eyes up to hers, seeking adventure through the tales he hoped she would tell.