Fool's Gold Chasm fortunes told

@Caelyn @Marrah & @Enera
A belated surprise "christmas gift" thread because December was too hectic for me to post this...
No pressure to participate, but know your gift(s) just might be stolen if not!

January 14th; Afternoon; Cloudy, Chance of rain; 47° F, 8° C

It had been quite a while now since Sawyer had come to visit and Adelard was starting to wonder. Had the lad made it? Frankly, he even speculated whether Woya remembered her promised playthings. Winter, despite it being a season of comfort and rest, had been quite busy on their side of the Lore.

The Leader stretched as he brought himself out of the pack den, stepping into an easy stride. He was going to locate a cache he had been keeping in secret. Having almost forgotten all about the Giving Season, he figured it was all better late than never.

Behind a grand tree with peeling bark and drooping boughs he began to dig. The first gift unveiled itself with a swipe of his paw. This one, he had found just before the recent storm. He scampered back to the den and set it to one side before returning to the tree. A little further and three more oddities were unearthed. The second he clutched carefully between his teeth. This he set down with utmost care. The third and fourth gifts he carried in one trip.

He lined up his quarries with the greatest of care.

One, a paw-sized mussel.
Two, a severed snowy owl wing.
Three, the top of a small turtle shell.
and...
Four, a cloudy white translucent river stone.

Even if Aweho had gone missing, the last one had become a bonus prize. Dominance, he supposed, would be key here. It would be Adelard's first opportunity to see how the cubs ranked amongst themselves.

The cubs were nearly full-grown by now, but that didn't mean he could not dote upon them as if they were his own. As Leader, he had to carry on a tradition from home.

A call went up for the youths of the Chasm. One last chance for a round of carefree play and full enjoyment of the winter season. The next time he would call for them, there would be a more serious test.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Enera was lazing about the central den area, trying to figure out what do with the rest of her afternoon. It was looking like it might rain, although lately snow seemed to come down more often. Enera hoped not; she didn't like the snow, and Marrah didn't like the rain. Both girls much preferred sunshine and Enera longed for the warmer days of her puppyhood. She was still a puppy, really, but when she was really young. She wanted to nap in the sunshine with her sister-friend, and she wanted Aweho to come home so they could collect pebbles together.

The young girl sat up, ears erect when she heard Adelard's call. She jumped to her feet and trotted towards the original of the summons. What could he want with them? Nobody ever called for the pups.

When she arrived she saw an array of fascinating objects before the leader. She looked at them curiously. "What're those?"

The young Macieo-Tainn had gotten to the point where he was making the best of their current weather situation. At first, he despised the cold and wet that came with the dreaded snow, though as he realized how boring it had become sitting within the dens, Caelyn decided to make the most of it. So, the boy would find out that the snow drifts were fun to jump and if for some reason his coordination got the better of him, it wasn't terrible falling into the snow. At least then it would soften his fall compared to when it was dry.

So, that was where Caelyn was when their leader called for the youths, playing in the snow. He figured out what a snow angel was and couldn't help but keep littering them all over the territory. Rising from his last attempt, the boy shook the excess snow off his heavy coat before he made his way to where the call originated.

As he arrived, he saw Enera and Adelard along with four interesting looking objects. Caelyn had heard Enera's question, so he didn't ask any of his own, but he went to sniff the objects to study them more.

 

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

Marrah had been napping, one of her favourite activities now that they were getting into the depths of winter. It didn’t help that she was staying up so late at night to sneak out alone to search for her missing brother. It had been a few days since her and Caelyn had the big discussion with Auntie Woya, and she still wasn’t really sure how to feel about it. The girl kind of wanted to ask her Mom, but also didn’t want to hurt her feelings in case she was already sad.

All of this was to say, the girl was the last to come upon the scene that Adelard had laid out for them. And, not only did she get there last, she walked in with a huge yawn that made her eyes water and need to be blinked away. Looking a little dopey from her grogginess she didn’t really know what was happening, just plunked her rump down next to Enera and looked to the male leader.

In fact she looked at him very closely, she was beginning to put some puzzle pieces together about what a dad was and wasn’t. A dad was an older man, they weren’t supposed to not be around. So what was Adelard? He wasn’t family…. But he was always around wasn’t he?

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard

Next round is here! No post order; first come, first served, unless ya wanna squabble amongst yourselves~
@Enera @Caelyn @Marrah

Enera was the first to appear, having only been just out of his line of sight. Adelard welcomed her with a warm smile and a bob of his head. She was quick to cut to the chase, "What're those?"

He did not answer yet; Caelyn had emerged from the forest beyond them. The boy said nothing, but the Leader watched as he investigated with his nose. A good sign.

With Aweho's absence into account, Marrah was the last. Had she been smaller, he might have licked the top of her downy head and ducked his nose beneath her chin. A gesture of affection and encouragement to come to. All he could manage was a gentle "Eyes sharp, little shadow."

His golden eyes glossed over without warning as he looked the three of them over. Puppy down had been replaced by their adult fur. Their young blue eyes had long since shifted or changed color. Most importantly, they had all come so far from being the tiny little furballs he remembered them as. In fact, all three now met his gaze. Gone were the days when he had to crane his head down or tuck his chin to address them.

Adelard steeled himself, drinking them in and preparing in his head what he was about to say next. "These," he put some weight on the word as he looked from Enera to Caelyn, then Caelyn to Marrah. "Are for you. One for each." He made sure to make that last part clear.

"Where I come from, pups are offered a gift before they join the adult ranks." He sat down with a pause for effect, "These gifts usually have an important meaning. A fortune if you will." A small smile tugged at his maw, remembering now how his mentor had given him his choice of offerings, "So... close your eyes and take a deep breath. Clear your mind."

Another pause.

"When you open them again, take the gift that calls to you first."

(This post was last modified: Feb 12, 2022, 10:34 PM by Adelard.)

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

It didn't take long for the other two children to arrive, Marrah yawning and blinking sleep from her eyes as she plunked down next to Enera. The paler girl nudged both her friends fondly before turning her attention back to Adelard as he spoke. Her ears pricked. Gifts? She liked gifts, especially important ones. His explanation of tradition where he was from caught Enera's interest. Where had he come from where they had such a tradition? Did this mean they would be adults soon? She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be considered an adult right alongside her mama.

Her wandering mind was snapped back to the moment by Adelard's final instruction: Close her eyes and clear her mind. She did so, breathing in deep and letting it out, trying to still her ever-swirling thoughts. When she opened them again her eyes fell on the turtle shell and she opened her mouth to claim it, but then her gaze caught the stone. She paused. Aweho loved stones, and he wasn't here to pick his special gift. That didn't seem very fair. Her brow furrowed and she puzzled over the conundrum. Should she claim the stone and save it for Aweho, and risk losing the shell to one of the other two?

She looked back up at the man standing before the trio. "What about Aweho?" she asked. "He really likes stones. Can't we save it for him, for when he gets back?" She glanced at the siblings to either side of her. "If I take the shell, I can keep the stone in it so it doesn't get lost," she added, eyeing the dried turtle shell again.

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

The girl was nothing but observant, and after looking up sharply at her nickname little shadow she saw the older man’s eyes mist. Why was this making him sad? It seemed like giving presents should be a joyous occasion, she started to chew on the inside of her cheek. His expression reminded her of the way that Mama looked at them sometimes, especially after any ‘first time’ thing they did. Inside, the war of coming to terms with an absentee father waged on.

Marrah did as she was told, closing her eyes diligently, took a deep breath, but could not quite clear her thoughts. She peaked before being told, and her eyes fell flat on that beautiful stone in the middle. Ears perked up when they were told to move open their eyes, and she was ready to move forward to claim it. In fact, she had even got to her paws and was moving forward when Enera’s words made her freeze. She had forgotten her own brother was not here to claim his gift!

Ears slammed back, and her lip quivered with guilt. She grabbed the first thing in front of her; the mussel. Slinking back to take her seat near Adelard, dropping it at her paws and looking down at it in shame. She didn’t deserve the rock, she wasn’t being a good sister.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard