Lost Lake Live my life by moonlight

Emo Galen for @Magg

There was a melancholic ambiance that clung to the cove still since the passing of his papa, a giant hole Galen doubted would ever go away. Some days would go by easier than others he would admit, but others not so much. The coal-coated child didn't want to admit it aloud, though, but it kinda stung still watching his fellow age mates in the pack tussle and have those special moments with Uncle Nash. Of course, they always tried their best to include the Vuesain litter yet it never quite felt the same to him.

Under the guise of darkness Galen slunk out from beneath the weight of his siblings in their cramped den, stealing a glance over a dark-clad shoulder to make sure he hadn't disturbed anyone inside; especially mother, before making his way toward the lake. Oversized paws fell as quietly as they could against the ground until they reached the more pebbly soil, rump taking a seat and once blue eyes that had now transitioned to yellow shifting their focus on the big round moon hovering above the lake.

It was here that Galen released a sigh he hadn't known he was holding during the walkover. A small sense of peace washed over the young pup, content in his temporary solitude while basking in the pale moonlight.

Magg had indeed not been overly bothered by Aleister's passing, and displayed what was likely a confusing duality of behaviors over it. When those around her, like callous @Monatalia for example, were happy then she was too. When the fallen alpha's mourning family were the majority of her company however, she would don the solemnity and wistfulness they exuded. It had started with trying to soothe Mother, Aquene's sadness deep and evident despite her efforts to project normalcy. Now, it was for her own consolation. Agreeing and reflecting always made her more comfortable than trying to rub against the grain.

Sometimes that couldn't be entirely avoided though, and that was why she was here upon the shore instead of tucked in blissfully with her own, intact family. Mona always had to have a problem, be a problem and even after each one of them had fallen asleep Magg had felt something build inside her chest until it took up so much space she didn't think she could breathe. She'd fled to the lake's side, and by now lay prone upon its sand, gentle waves stretching out toward her toes.

Sound caught her attention from further down, and her brown eyes lifted to catch a dark shadow further down the coast. @Matos? With a frown, she pushed herself back up onto her paws and headed toward the barely-discernible shade. She should have assumed he'd come to drag her back, but... he didn't look to be searching.

"Why'd ya follow me?" she demanded despite there still being plentiful distance between them. The chilly night carried her voice easily.

For the first time in what felt like forever the faintest tug of a smile began to etch itself onto Galen's leathery lips as his gaze drunk in the dancing reflection of the moon upon the surface of the lake. The sound of the lapping waves rolling back and forth as if they dared play a game of tag with the raven pup's toes was rather soothing. Alas, it was until a sudden and unexpected voice floated down along the edge of the lake. The last thing Galen had expected during his nighttime excursion was to be found out by another. Let alone someone that didn't exactly sound thrilled by his company.

"Why'd ya follow me?"

Dark ears splayed back in direct response to the voice's tone, gaze shifting away from that of the moon to narrow itself along the shoreline in search of the voice's maker somewhere in the dark. It wasn't until its owner grew closer and blurred shades of brown and creams sharpened into more defined features did Galen recognize who his late-night companion was. "Didn't know you were here." Galen answered honestly, offering Magg little more than a shrug of a dark-clad shoulder. Why was she out here so late, though? Didn't she have a warm den filled with siblings, a mother, and a father to be with? There was a small twinge of jealousy within the depths of his chest at such a thought, head turning away from the earthy girl to steel himself for a moment. Galen shoved down the strange emotions and sadness that began to bubble up, swallowing once before looking her way again. "Why are you out here anyways?"

The moment the other wolf turned their head, Magg realized her mistake. Instead of the mixture of color that marked her brother, specks of gold glinted back at her. Galen. Habitually her tail curled toward her stomach, and her ears relaxed back into the coarse guard hairs of her scruff.

Didn't know you were here, he told her, and she thought that made plenty enough sense given he wasn't family like she thought. Everyone but her and her siblings seemed to always be preoccupied with their grief. She crossed the rest of the beach remaining between them quietly, even after he offered his own query. It wasn't until she was at his side and they could speak in normal tones that Magg responded.

Just felt crowded, had been her initial thought when question had reached her, but it had quickly occurred to her how backhanded those words could seem. Perhaps if it had been Mona she was seeking to impress she might've gone ahead with that impulse, but given the young Vuesain was her sole audience she gave a more thoughtful answer.

"Sometimes I like being by myself," she said instead.

"I thought you were Mat. Glad you're not, though. I don't feel like a scolding."

(This post was last modified: Oct 05, 2022, 05:15 AM by Magg.)

Galen watched in mirrored silence as Magg closed the remaining distance between them before ushering forth some form of an answer to his posed question. The small bit of tension that had begun to build internally eased slowly now that any form of immediate danger was nonexistent, opting to slide his slender frame down into a laying position with his head rested upon outstretched paws. A small hum of acknowledgment was given at first, understanding quite well himself how nice it was to be alone sometimes. For Galen, it was the only time he could process the million and one things that ran rampant through his mind. Hence his beachy escapade.

"Fair enough." He gave shortly.

An ear twitched at the mention of the other smudge-pelted dude in the bunch, an earnest chuckle faintly escaping from Galen imagining the potential look on her face had he indeed been her brother here to ruin her alone time. "I'm glad you're not Di or Star. They'd run and tell mama on me in a heartbeat." His face made a grimace. Anyone that knew how tough his mama was could easily make a bet she'd have his hide in no time for sneaking out after bedtime. The thought alone had the boy shuddering, easily enough disguised as a natural reaction to the chill that clung to the air. There were pros and cons to having siblings, he would admit. As much as Galen admired them they were also thorns in his paws in their own rights.

Something in common. That small, casual connection sparked a unique kind of happiness that would feed her maladaptation in her youth and haunt her adulthood for it's emptiness. She didn't yet know it, but what she saw in these moments was promise. It would rarely come to fruition, however, her desires near to impossible to sate.

Where she felt moved to smile and wag her tail, Magg instead remained as she was. Standing with idle paws, mostly subdued and even mildly distant in her demeanor as she mirrored the impression she had of Galen. The only indication of her amusement was the wry lilt to her lips, a shadow of a smirk.

"It's annoying, right? We're almost as big as they all are now and they still gotta treat us like babies."

(This post was last modified: Oct 05, 2022, 07:20 PM by Magg.)

Out of the corner of his eye, Galen caught the slightest glimpse of a smirk that dared adorn Magg's lips before his attention was once more snagged by the girl's commentary. "Yeah, you're right.." The inky child mulled over this concept while lifting his head to glance down at his outstretched paws, flexing his toes as if doing so would suddenly make the adults in the pack see them differently. Maybe it was because of losing his papa that they treated them so, a preventive measure to keep them from succumbing to the same fate. At this Galen gave his head a vigorous shake and stood up on all paws.

"It's stupid." Galen declared in further agreement to what she had to say, a single paw swiping at the pebbly soil beneath them in frustration as a wave lapped at their toes again. "It's not like we're gonna go and get ourselves hurt like my papa." Had he been wiser and understood more of what he had said perhaps he would have recanted, but in the heat of the moment, his tongue refused to hold back anymore what his mind was thinking.

The conversation seemed to drift there, and had Galen been content to sit staring out across the water in silence, Magg would have too. Instead, something seemed to rise up in the other child. Her small brown head twisted slightly as she watched him make his declarations, unexpected with his words. What was he thinking, feeling? She wanted to know, but of course she wouldn't just ask.

For a moment, the young girl was quiet, trying to decide on the best way to react. She settled on bumping her shoulder lightly against his own, and giving him a solemn smile that shone up into her brown eyes.

"We'll show 'em, won't we?"

Especially if they watched each others backs, what could possibly ever harm them?

So consumed after that moment by the toil of his emotions washing over him like rogue waves in the ocean, it wasn't until Galen felt a bump to his shoulder that his mind jolted back to reality. His golden gaze shifted from his paws to the solemn smile that adorned Magg's face and managed to reach its way to the chocolate brown of her eyes.

"We'll show 'em, won't we?"

At first, Galen remained silent in response to her statement, letting his body answer for himself physically before daring to utter more words. An inky shoulder brushed back against a tawny one of hers, the lining of his lips mirroring the smile she wore before the edges of his pearly whites peeked out in the form of a sideways smirk. "Yeah, they don't know what we're able to do." He chirped, whatever remnants of the anger he formerly felt inside soothed away by the comfort he was finding in Magg's presence.

Magg was glad to see she'd been able to lift his spirits even if by just a little. Her tail kept beat against the snow behind them, and she held his gaze for a few moments more. Whatever way Galen felt about all of this, the young Eastfall was happy to be at his side through it for as long as he'd have her. Hopefully, she could keep saying the right things, too. As much as she tried to stay on everyone's best side, Mona was quickly showing her that sometimes it was just impossible no matter how much effort was put in.

With a relatively contented sigh she looked out over the lake, and the dark of the sky mirrored above with its many specks of silver. The night was still and silent and that felt right. Rather than disturb it more, she was content to enjoy this placidity with her inky companion.