Fireweed Rise Frolic in the Rain

<i>Thump, thump, thump, thump...</i> The easy rhythm of her paws gliding over the damp earth had begun to grow aggravating, especially since with each beat a sharp ache collided with the offending paw and worked its way up the corresponding leg. Just as the pain faded, it was renewed by the same paw again hitting the ground. Cessair had been walking at a quick, steady pace for almost the entire day, and she knew that she would soon have to take a break. Thoughtfulness still led her to wander, but she could no longer decide whether she actually liked traveling ceaselessly any more. It used to bring her comfort, but now the constant change of scenery seemed almost more wearying than anything else.

The principal object of the thoughts that were driving Cessair all over the Lore consisted mainly of packs. Now more than ever, she felt that she simply needed to quit her loner ways and pursue more than her own individual interests. Just which pack should she join, though? The amber-eyed girl was making too big a deal of it, she was sure. Certainly she could convince herself to be loyal to any pack that would take her in? This train of thought led only in big circles, and Cessair's mind was growing as exhausted as her paws. In search of any other subject to dwell on, her eyes turned up to the sky. Dark clouds blanketed the sky in a satisfyingly melancholy display that matched her own current dismal air. It could rain any moment.

Just as the moisture dropped onto Cessair's back in a light drizzle, she was forced to stop moving to investigate a rather sudden change in terrain. She looked down at her paw to find that it was crushing the stalk of a lovely red flower. In absent confusion, she dropped her head down to give the bloom a sniff. She had never seen such a flower before, and in a sudden wave of guilt for having killed it, she stepped backward. This time when she looked up, her gaze got no further than the horizon, as the entire sweep of her vision up to that point was filled with the sight of these colorful wildflowers. Forgetting all of her previous thoughts, Cessair leapt into the gently swaying field of flowers and immediately began to prance and roll around, relishing in the scarlet sea and its intoxicating fragrance in puppyish abandon.

Clumsily ambling along in this manner, Cessair left a trail of bent stalks and crushed blooms as the drizzle settled into a rain. The little girl, now sufficiently satisfied with and distracted by the fiery flowers' scent, straightened up and immediately noticed an oddity. Breaking the beautiful monotony of the flower-covered rise was a sudden line of mushrooms, standing at attention in a way that the delighted Cessair could only describe as adorable. Without a second thought, the damp brown form marched along in front of the line, imagining herself a pack leader sizing up her subjects and encouraging them for a hunt. A minute's continuance in such a manner brought Cessair suddenly upon the scent of a wolf. The rain made it difficult to analyze, but it smelled recent and worried her greatly. One more confirming whiff brought her to the embarrassing realization that the scent was none other than her own. Stepping back, Cessair could see that the mushrooms weren't in a line at all, but rather a giant circle. Her mood in no way dampened by this prospect, she playfully jumped into the center of the circle for the sheer joy of being in the middle and resumed her shameless rolling.

Tenzin had no desire to make friends. Not that he was too much of a social butterfly. Every pawstep he took made his heart pound until he thought a real live hummingbird was dwelling in his chest about to bust out. He had been moving quicker and quicker, sprinting until he finally realized that he wasn't in that plain yellowish meadow, but in a heavenly dance of colors. His silver, cream-tinted pelt made him a stick in the mud as he trotted into a lush aura of blooming wildflowers and the occasional bright colored tree. Neon reds speckled the knolls, and every once in a while, an orange or a yellow speck stood out uniquely. At that moment of peace, a snake could've bit him, and he probably wouldn't had noticed. Yet, Tenzin hadn't thought anything of the crushed pieces of flowers when he finally looked down and took a deep breath. Of course some other wolf has been here before. But he had noticed that the scent of flowers was extreme, covering up a good amount of scents he would usually smell: rabbits, other wolves, water. Nothing. Just a utopia of tulips and such glistened, laying out before his cream paws. His gaze wavered to the sky just when rain poured down onto his pelt.

He froze in his tracks and stiffened, the drizzle hadn't smudged his sight of another individual in this bittersweet tea party. His ears perked and his eyes widened. He looked like a deer being pursued by a wolf for minutes. This relaxation he had just felt vanished in thin air. Was he in for a fight? His amber eyes studied the shape for what seemed like hours, although it was only a few seconds. A damp brown wolf was rolling around in the flowers cutely. He could see by the slimming waist and soft fur that is was a lady, wagging her tail and letting the perfume devour her pelt.

Tenzin scented the air. He wondered if she was with anyone. But her actions showed that she wasn't talking or playing with anyone. His eyes glittered curiously, fear disappearing like thin air. <i>Now, now, what would you be doing here all alone?</i> The man thought, taking a deep breath but getting sick of the flowers. He wondered if she could see him. To see if this was true,he waited for a while but her rolling didn't stop. So he finally took a few pawsteps forward and murmured a greeting. He dipped his head and did not show any dominance.

A strange sensation came over Cessair when she heard another voice, almost as though she had expected another wolf to be there. She scolded herself for not noticing the scent sooner before remembering that she really couldn't smell much of anything besides the flowers. Rolling onto her paws, the little wolf realized that she must look ridiculous covered in tattered petals and leaves, so she shook her pelt heartily before addressing her new acquaintance. The action didn't avail much, as the majority of the plant matter insisted on clinging to her damp fur, but Cessair decided not to bother with it any more for the moment. Besides, the other wolf had probably already witnessed her rolling around like a fool; surely there wasn't much she could do to make herself look any less laughable in his sight at this point.

<b>"Hello -- I'm Cessair."</b> The grey and red male, although much larger than herself, didn't communicate any threat to Cessair, so she allowed her muscles to remain in their relaxed state. If he were a threat, there wouldn't be much she could do except turn and run. Stretching almost to the horizon, the field of flowers afforded lots of space to build up speed and hopefully outrun her potential pursuer, but no maze of trees to get lost in or sufficient hiding places for refuge. Cessair was confident in her ability to run, though, and so refused to stress herself about this prospect. The other wolf would probably have attacked her already if he had been watching and if that were his intention. It was difficult to feel anything but calm in the midst of this sea of flowers, anyway.

<b>"I'm sure you saw me rolling around like a pup just now? If I may make an excuse for myself, I've been travelling for a while and really needed a break. What brings you here?"</b> It didn't matter to Cessair how he took her excuse; she just felt better for saying it. The light rain continued to fall and soak her pelt as she considered the wolf before her. He was definitely large, a fact which in itself never failed to remind Cessair of a certain large rogue she met long ago, but not in any way particularly malicious. So far during her time in the Lore, Cessair had managed to befriend every wolf she'd met; a good start in her eyes, since she so loved making friends. Thus, she easily determined to try to continue the trend with this new stranger. Whether or not a friendship actually formed, however, would be decided by him, and Cessair had every intention to leave him alone if he would rather she did.

The large, <span class='word'>teratoid</span> male snapped his tail up as soon as he realized she was much smaller than him. He was quite satisfied to show dominance over her. Her quickly remembered one of Tip's teachings about Jupitus, <i>"If thou is to realize his power, show dominance over the subordinate." </i> The old, hairless and blind wolf would whisper out of his crippled body. Tenzin has sucked up the sickly wolf's words of this powerful god like nectar. He showed his teeth slightly, a cruel aurora around him as this "Cessair" spoke. The man's amber eyes narrowed and burned like cigars as he watched her, and his snorting was barely audible while she excused herself for her puppy behavior.

<b>"Tenzin Laylani. Could you tell me where I am?"</b> His gruff voice muttered blandly while his head tilted to the side. He would NOT tell her what he was doing here. Tip would've told him not to trust the pretty little she-wolf. But he needed directions desperately. The big monster wanted to get out of here. He didn't wish to make friends with a lonely pup. Tenzin's tail remained high. His body was poised in a raggedy way that made him seem rough and screwed up. Painful battle marks ran down his body, his chest, and a split ear made this odd wolf effectively experienced.

The little lady in front of him was a mousy brown and cream-mottled wolf with coppery eyes. She was pretty to him, but still very puppy-ish. She had a clean look. Very innocent, Tenzin thought, for she had no battle scars and her eyes glowed. This made him quite envious, and he wished to meet his family again. His young pup life was actually a pleasant one. This made him think of his siblings: Kamota and Namara. His pelt bristled slightly with the thought of his bully-like nature to them as a pup.

(Sorry for taking forever to reply!)

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cessair recognized a faint wisp of tension through the overpowering happiness of the flowers. This Tenzin seemed guarded and in no spirit to keep company. Even if he didn't want a friend, the persistent girl could still be friendly, although she toned down her sprightly happiness anyway so she wouldn't annoy the male. Observing his now more dominant posture, Cessair also took care to keep her tail sufficiently lowered; she had no interest in opposing his dominance.

<b>"Where we are? My guess is as good as yours."</b> Cessair fixed her eyes on the ground as she thought. <b>"I know there's a lagoon to the west and lots of forest north. Half-a-day's journey south-west is the edge of a meadow where I first entered this land, I think."</b> Her tail twitched, the shadow of a pleased wag, as she recalled her first day in Relic Lore. At the time, she was so lonely and unsure. Now, while she was still on her own, she had friends and hope for security as soon as she joined one of the packs she'd discovered. A huge raindrop suddenly landed on Cessair's nose, causing her to unconsciously shake her pelt again and drag her mind back to the present.

Despite the large male's experience, which Cessair could tell by the scars scattered over his body like the plant matter on hers, she was immensely curious about him. Every wolf had a story, and while that meant that there could be thousands of stories to hear, Tenzin was the wolf in front of her at the moment, so it was his story she wanted to hear. Of course, it never left Cessair's mind that he didn't seem to be in the friendliest of moods, so she tried to quell her enthusiasm. It still couldn't hurt to ask, though... <b>"So, I imagine you haven't been around here very long?"</b>