Wild Rye Fields Scaredy Cat

Private for @Jessie
Random Event: A meteor shower overtakes the sky! Takes place the day after the meteors appear. 53 ° F, 12 ° C.

While Neko was more than happy with her new home, there were things about it that worried her, things that gave her the creeps, and things that outright frightened her. As far as she knew, all the members of the pack were fine. Granted, she hadn’t had much interaction with them since she’d been buried in her work, but she also hadn’t had any conflicts. It was just that so many things about the environment bothered her.

For starters, the pack’s territory was an open field, a very flammable field. Reyes had even described the location to her before she joined, but she had failed to pay attention. It constantly reminded her of the grass-fire that had taken her old pack away from her. Then, there was the occasional eerie greenish glow of the sky to the north. She had never been able to see it from where she lived previously, and she knew nothing about it, other than that she thought it looked haunted. Next, there were the rolling clouds that had appeared recently on more than one occasion. She had grown up a nomad and had been taught how to read the weather, but she had never seen or heard of swiftly rolling storm clouds before. Then she heard about the incident with Hearthwood River and wondered how it would affect relations between the packs, not to mention that she didn’t want Askan or Reyes to leave. To make matters worse, the fields were invaded by thieves who stole food from the pack’s cache. What if someone invaded with the intention of harming someone? Finally, worst of all, she saw shooting stars again.

The last time Neko had seen shooting stars, some of them fell out of the sky and set the land and forests on fire. Smoke filled the air and corrupted the sky, making the land uninhabitable. She and one friend had narrowly escaped with the lives. Even worse, the falling stars had made it impossible for her to return to look for any family members who might have survived the grass-fire that had separated her from her former pack.

The day after the shooting stars crossed the sky, Neko saw no evidence that any had fallen to the ground yet, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be more, and if that happened, she was ready to alert the others and run for her life if needed.

She finally realized that her fears were beginning to get the best of her, and she finally decided to try talking to Jessie about them. She found Jessie near the pond and waited until she was alone to approach her. She walked towards Jessie with her ears pinned back and her tail tucked between her legs. She stopped a short distance from her and said, “Hi Jessie. I’m... Um... Do you have a minute to talk?” Perhaps Jessie could explain to Neko some of the things that frightened her, and maybe she and Drestig already had contingencies for any real dangers.

The Rye Queen had been jittery ever since her very unpleasant conversation with Inna and Lorcan at her borders. Even worse, was the conversation she had with the boys – Askan and Reyes – afterwards. While their punishment was not exactly something she wished to dish out, Jessie knew it had to be done. Especially, if Lilya of Lacheisis decided to actually make a visit to their home. The monochrome woman also could not accept how the two dark men had acted, it reflected poorly on her in the end. What would have happened had she not been the first one to arrive? It was thoughts such as those that caused anxiety for the aging woman. Luckily, Drestig was home now and the Tainn woman did not have to worry about dealing with the pack on her own. She had her partner back. If this is how things were with only a few weeks separating them, Jessie could only imagine how hard it had been when she’d gone away on her two month scouting trip. Now that her mate had returned, the pepper-and-salt colored woman took some time to herself. The Rye woman walked towards the pond she would often find herself lounging in when the weather was too hot. That was not her intention that day. Instead, she leaned down to have a drink, her reflection rippling with each gulp. When the woman was satisfied, she sat down, staring down at her reflection in thought. The night prior, a meteor shower had flown beautifully over the sky. The sight had left a hollow ache in her chest but she continued to stare up in fascination. Meteor showers reminded her of the good times between Hotei and herself. It only made her paws itch further, begging to take her to a home away from home. It was not a good time for such a visit though, but maybe sometime soon she would make her way back over the mountains to stay for a day or two – if they allowed it. Approaching footsteps drew the Queen out of her thoughts. Head raised from its lowered position and ears flicked back to hear exactly who it was that decided to bother her. Neko. The petite woman blinked and turned to look at the newcomer – and much needed – member of the pack. The girl had made strides since joining the pack, even going as far to make space for an infirmary. If she needed something, the Rye Queen certainly had no reason to deny her. “Of course, Neko. What can I do for you?” The lady’s tail waved behind her, waiting for the younger woman to reply.

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Neko suspected she might have interrupted something important that the alpha had been thinking about, but Jessie showed no objections to her interruption and invited her to speak. The second hardest part was done, which was approaching the alpha, and now the hardest part was next, which was putting her thoughts and fears into words. She was not sure how to tell Jessie that their home, which Jessie had surely had at least some part in choosing, scared her. Moreover, she didn’t want to seem ungrateful for the blessings that the Fields offered. She did in fact appreciate her new home and her new family more than anything. But she still had her fears, and she would have to deal with them.


“Well, There’s...” She stammered, “Um... It’s just that, well, I love Wild Rye Fields, but... I guess some things around here just kind of scare me. I mean, some things really scare me.” She was too overwhelmed to try to list them all, so she started with the one thing that scared her the most. “Like last night. There were shooting stars. Have you ever seen them fall completely out of the sky? I saw that happen last winter. Stars fell from the sky and destroyed the land. I barely escaped with one friend, and I’ve never been able to return.” For all she knew, that land might have recovered by now, but she had traveled so far since then, and she certainly didn’t want to leave her home just to satisfy her curiosity. “I’m afraid that could happen again. Do you think that could happen here? Stars falling to the ground?” She suddenly fell silent, her body quivering slightly as she remembered that event.

Jessie was trying to make an effort to be more open towards her subordinates. If they could be open with one another, then maybe there would be no misunderstanding about what was expected and that it was okay to talk to her about how they were feeling. The Rye Queen did not say anything after she proposed her question, allowing Neko to swallow her thoughts and process what exactly she wanted to talk to Jessie about. Nothing in particular came to the monochrome woman’s mind. The woman seemed to be fitting in well enough with the rest of the Fields since her arrival and the widowed Tainn had yet to see any red flags pop up around the girl. When the yearling began, it became quite obvious that it was not an easy topic for her to talk about. In an attempt to make the dark girl more comfortable, Jessie made it a point to face the girl more and open her shoulders, to show that she was paying attention. The alpha’s eyebrows creased in concern as Neko went on, nodding her head in encouragement for the young girl to continue. As she went on, Jessie felt her own anxiety rear its ugly head but the pepper-and-salt colored woman shoved it down and focused back in on what she was being told. Never had she even imagined that the dancing stars could crash into the ground, very much less into her home. Never the less, it was her job to do her best to calm the young girl sitting in front of her. The older woman offered Neko what could be called a reassuring smile – though it was strained. Her words were soft but still coarse, “That is not something I’ve ever thought about. I suppose it could happen…but the Fields is an open space and if it did happen, it’s Drestig and I’s job to ensure that everyone gets to safety.” She paused then, pursing her lips before continuing, “And you know…in all my years of life, every time that I’ve seen stars dancing around the sky, it’s been a happy moment. And it’s my hope that the chances of a star falling from the sky here, are very low.”

foxstox @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Neko’s nervous shaking began to still in response to her alpha as she listened. She appreciated Jessie’s honesty in saying she had never considered the possibility of stars falling to the ground as well as her assurance that she and Drestig would make sure the pack was safe if it happened. What she did not expect was for her to describe the shooting stars as a happy event. She thought perhaps it wasn’t normal for shooting stars to fall, and that maybe her first experience with them was a fluke, especially considering how calm Adelayde had been the night before when they actually appeared. She would still be on the lookout just in case, but it was a tremendous relief to know that she wouldn’t have to worry too much about it.

“That helps a lot,” she said. Her voice was noticeably calmer than before. “Maybe some day I’ll get used to seeing them and won’t be so scared of them.”

There was one more thing that really scared her. She had several other concerns, but they were more tolerable. “Another thing that scares me is the fields themselves. The rye seems kinda like tall grass, and it reminds me of how I lost my old pack. We stopped for the night in a grassland, and the entire field caught fire. My brother woke me up and led me to a river and told me to stay on the other side away from the fire, but he went back for the rest of our family, and... and that was the last I ever saw of any of them.” She managed to keep from crying, although she really wanted to. She continued, “Do you think that could happen here? Have the rye fields ever caught fire?”