Sex: FemaleSeraphina stretched as she rose from her den. The Moon was rising in the night sky and it was difficult for a Faye to sleep when the light of the Moon was shining. She knew that she might have to adjust her sleeping habits; these wolves preferred to rise with the Sun and sleep when the Moon was out. This seemed odd to Seraphina, but she had expected wolves of different lands to have different customs. She had not, however, realized how hard it would be to change her sleeping habits. She had rose from her sleep early this morning and was tired by now, but her heart wouldn't let her sleep under the light of the Moon. Accepting that tonight would not be the night she was able to sleep like the other wolves, Phina walked around the pack den to see if anyone else was awake. She was still determined to win over her pack mates and prove herself to the pack as a whole. Only one pup had spoken for her, and this had bothered Seraphina at first. However, after speaking to Myrrhis, Phina realized that she needed to be more patient with her new pack mates. She knew better than anyone else that respect was earned, not given, and she should expect the same from these wolves. If she wanted their respect, she would have to earn it and Phina was determined to do this. She would not give up until everyone in Silent Moon Plateau acknowledged her as a worthy pack mate. "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
Sleep did not come easily. In fact, she hadn't slept more than a couple of hours in days. Eight to be exact. The last time she had been able to drift away without distraction was the night before she met Deacon. Since then it seemed that as the night wore on, and the pack settled in for the night, her thoughts would find their way back to him. She would close her eyes, only to find his picture painted in her memory, and each time a smile would trace the corners of her lips. However, that night there was something else was keeping her awake.
A shuffling of paws seemed to echo off the stone, and so with heightened irritation, Celandine cracked one amber eye. It was that girl. The one who Evy had spoken for. Fantastic. It wasn't like she had anything against the woman in particular, but Evy's word allowing her access was enough to set them off on the wrong paw. Sighing, she turned over seeking out some much needed sleep. After all, a princess had to be well rested.
Again, the scuffling sound of paw pads came, louder this time. Her anger flared, but the youth forced it down. Glancing up at Seraphina, she whispered, "What are you doing up?".
Seraphina paused at the sound of a whispered voice. As she turned to see who had addressed her, she was surprised to see that it was one of the pups. Not the girl who had spoken for her, but the other one. As Seraphina took a closer look at the girl she was surprised to see the resemblance the pup had to her own niece. They had almost identical pelts, and their eyes were similar. Her sister's daughter had eyes the color of dull gold, while this pup had brighter eyes. More like amber than gold."I am sorry that I woke you." Seraphina said sheepishly. She had been hoping to find someone awake who she could talk to, but she had certainly not meant to wake one of the pups. Yet, the girl's eyes seemed strangely alert and Phina wondered if the girl had not already been awake. Curiously, Phina commented, "Actually, you look wide awake. Can't sleep either, huh?" The question was rhetorical, and did not require an answer. Though if the girl wanted to answer and explain what was keeping her up, Phina wouldn't mind. Either way, any further discussion needed to be taken outside the den so that they did not wake the others. With a flick of her tail, Phina indicated the exit and said, "Well, I wouldn't want to disturb anyone else so I'm going to head outside. I'd like for you to join me. Perhaps you could teach me a little about the customs here. They are very different from my own." With that, Seraphina let the invitation hang in the air a few moments before starting for the exit to the den. Hopefully, the pup would follow, though Seraphina would not hold it against her if she did not. "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
Shrugging at both the apology, and the question, Cella felt a spoken reply was unnecessary. There was no point in waking anyone with whispered voices, nor entering in meaningless conversation. She'd had enough of these empty exchanges to last a lifetime. It didn't help that her previous assessment of Seraphina's time here still stood firm. The girl would be gone before spring, possibly even sooner. Although, leaving the pack's safety net with Winter in full swing would be foolish, the youth didn't know enough of the newcomer to put it past her.
Phina flicked her tail, beckoning. It was enough to warrant an eye-roll from the youngest Argyris, who felt her status was above such a gesture. Ready to turn over, and ignore the woman completely, something piqued her interest. "Perhaps you could teach me a little about the customs here." Ah, just the right way to word it. Seraphina wanted her help, and who better to let her in on the pack's customs than Silent Moon Plateau's very own princess? Celandine needed a distraction, and it wasn't like she'd be able to fall asleep anyway. Lifting her slender form off of the ground, she padded behind the tawny woman.
Hardly any light filtered into the den, so the brightness outside came as a sudden onslaught. Amber eyes took a minute to adjust, but once they had, she felt a sense of awe. As deign as she was to admit it, the plateau was beautiful at night, painted with pale silver hues. Not even the magnolias in full bloom could rival it's beauty, and for only a moment her nostomania seemed to be almost nonexistent.
"So what did you want to know?"
As Seraphina wandered out onto the plateau she was greeted with the beautiful sight of the night sky, alight with the stars and the Moon. How anyone could sleep through this she would never understand, but alas she would have to learn to do it herself. At least, some of the time. Perhaps, she could keep a paw in both worlds and still spend some of her nights playing under the stars. Seraphina smiled to herself as she heard the pup approaching. She turned just in time to see the girls eyes blink as they adjusted to the light. As the girl's amber eyes seemed to become adjusted, she asked Seraphina what she had wanted to know. Feeling as though the sight before them should not go unacknowledged, the Faye princess said "It's beautiful isn't it? In my home, we never slept through the beauty of a brightly lit night sky." Seraphina smiled as she basked in the ethereal glow of the Moon. As she turned to look at the girl, she noticed how her ivory pelt glowed beautifully in the moonlight and filled with the happiness that a night sky always brought her, Phina did not feel reserved enough to spare the girl a compliment,"The moonlight suits you, princess." Phina sighed, wondering if the girl would take the honest compliment as some form of insult. It did seem like everything she said to these wolves was taken the wrong way, which brought Phina back to what she had summoned the pup out here for in the first place."Well, there is a lot I want to know because this land and its wolves seem very different from what I am used to. I guess the first thing I would like to know is the role that woman play in your pack? Are they allowed to be Leaders? Guardians? Scouts?" This had been what was pressing Phina's mind the most because one day she would want to take a role, and it would serve her little purpose if women were restricted in this pack as much as they had been in her own. She did not believe they were, judging by how the Alpha had been swayed by the voice of his daughter, but Seraphina wanted to know the details. Just how far did a woman's influence extend in this land and in this pack specifically? "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
"You slept during the day?" Such a strange custom, one she had never encountered before. Perhaps there was more to life than their little pack. Other groups, living in the ways best suited to them. However, she had trouble accepting their sleeping habits. Didn't their prey sleep under the moon, hidden away in the brush? Then it dawned on her. Of course they would hunt under the cover of night. The herds would never see it coming.
Taken aback by the sudden compliment, Celandine had trouble distinguishing whether or not it was meant to be taken as a slight. Fortunately for Seraphina, the youngest Argyris had vain tendencies so her flattery was accepted. Sincerity smoothed her features, as she nodded her thanks. "You too."The princess felt an unspoken truce settle over them, at least for the moment, as Cella's moods were subject to change at will; Teen angst and all.
Celandine had not expect her first question to be so... difficult. Somehow she would have to explain things, but delicately. "There is nothing my brother is allowed to do that I can't. We are equal, but uh..." 'Uh'? When did that word, or lack-thereof enter her vocabulary? "Well, we don't have a queen. That's not to say we can't. We just don't right now." Her stomach did a flip, and then another. They were too close to a touchy subject, one she wasn't sure she was ready to breach just yet.
Seraphina nodded as the young girl explained. So her brother and her were entitled to the same roles, then. This, at least, was good news. Seraphina wasn't sure exactly what role she wanted but she fully intended to pursue a role that would not have been available to her at home. She was too small to be a Guardian, but perhaps she could be a Scout. As the girl continued and explained that Silent Moon Plateau did not in fact have a Queen at the moment, Seraphina frowned. Had that been why the pack moved? Did that explain the Alpha's surly mood? Had he lost his mate? These questions bounced around Phina's curious mind, but she quickly picked up on the uncomfortable emotional atmosphere that the young girl's explanation had brought on. If the Alpha had lost his mate and these were the alpha's pups, then logically it would stand to reason that they had lost their mother. As pleasant as Phina could be while influenced by the night sky and Moon, she was still not equipped to have that kind of conversation with anyone. She was not known to provide good emotional support, even at her best. Carefully maneuvering her way around the emotional mine fields, Seraphina commented, "In my land women are not allowed to take on roles that might be dangerous. We cannot be Scouts, or Guardians, and certainly not Leaders." Seraphina frowned in disdain at the thought of her father's discrimination against women. "We have a Queen, but she is not much more than a Teacher." Seraphina's voice became more cynical and bitter as she added, "Mother always wanted me to follow in her footsteps, but I wanted more than what her and the King had to offer." Phina spat the word King. Anyone could call themselves a King, but royalty had certain standards and her father did not meet them. With a sigh, Phina realized that the conversation was becoming very deep and personal and this had not been her intent. She decided it was best to steer the conversation back to its original purpose as she glanced at the pristine young girl. This girl was far too young to be sucked into the darker parts of the world. They were better off focusing on more cheerful topics."Tell me more about your customs. Do you have any festivals here?" Seraphina asked allowing her voice and expression to become lighter. "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |
Thankful that Seraphina was able to dance just as gracefully around the subject, she listened with renewed intent. Pricking her ears at the right times to show the woman she was following, Celandine took care not to interrupt. These were all things she needed to know, and it was kind of nice to hear more about the tawny girl. Although she was certainly not a fan of becoming close to anyone save for her own blood, the youngest Argyris enjoyed hearing where newcomers came from.
Once she had finished, and a short silence followed, the youth spoke up. Her voice was small, barely above a whisper, but she felt it. "I'm sorry. That is just awful, but you're here now." A world in which she couldn't pursue her dreams, sounded like a living hell. One she definitely didn't want to experience. Somehow she understood Seraphina a little more. Like Celandine, she was a girl, who had obstacles. Walls, and rules holding her down. So if she could break free, then so could the snowy princess.
"As for customs, we don't really have anything too special. Just the basics, like valuing dedication, hard work, and loyalty. Everyone has to pull their own weight." Hoping that her answer was satisfactory, she moved on to a more pressing issue.
Festival? Toying with the word, Celandine rolled it around in her head over and over again. The youth had never heard it before, but she was intrigued. "I'm not sure. What is a festival?"
Seraphina's warm brown eyes widened ever so slightly as she heard a whispered, but powerful apology come from the young girl's maw. Then, a subtle smile settled on Seraphina's regal features, happy that she might have actually made a connection with someone within Silent Moon Plateau. As Celandine listed the customs of her pack Seraphina was relieved. She was already dedicated and hard working and as for loyalty, well Seraphina would be loyal to this pack because when she made a decision, she stood by it and she had decided to join them. Perhaps, one day, her loyalties would have more sentimental roots. The Faye princess was already taking a liking to the confident ivory princess next to her. With time, perhaps she could build lasting relationships with the other wolves in this pack. When Celandine confessed that she had never heard of a festival, Seraphina's eyes widened significantly. Festivals had been a major part of her childhood and she was surprised and sad to learn that this child had never even heard of them."You've never had a festival?" Seraphina asked surprised. The tawny Faye blinked as she tried to think of how to describe a festival."Well a festival is a way to celebrate. For instance, on a Hunters Moon my whole family goes on a pack hunt. We all work together to bring down the largest animal we can find and then have a huge feast. During this Moon, a wolf who wishes to become a Hunter can lead the pack hunt and if it is successful, the King will bestow the wolf with the role of Hunter at the end of the feast. We all sing a beautiful song to the Moon to celebrate his or her new role and to pray to the Moon that our Hunters will be able to find prey through the winter." Seraphina paused as she tried to think of another example of one of the many Faye festivals. A broad smile appeared on her maw as she continued,"One of my favorite festivals is the Sap Moon festival. It is the fifth full Moon after the Hunter's Moon and it signals the beginning of spring. During Sap Moon, parents announce the names of their pups and present them to the pack. After they do, all of the wolves collect the sap from the Maple trees and present it to the pups. The pups love it, and some of us older wolves sneak in our own tasting of course." Phina giggled as she thought of the last Sap Moon where her sister, Rozalea, had presented her three pups. Her heart ached a little less for her nieces and nephews with Celandine's company. "Speech" |
Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief |