Larkcall Lowlands Little Caterpillar

For @Chan

She wasn’t sure how she felt about these open plains, the endless snow far too similar to the northern tundra home she had left behind. She wasn’t really sure how she felt about a lot of things, which was nothing new. With a silent growl, the fiery shewolf paced around the rim of a small waterhole, the snow crunching under her feet. Though the ground was still frozen, the air was growing warmer, prompting thick fur to start shedding, leaving the usually unkempt girl looking even more disheveled.   And then there was the other thing brought on by the heat. Itching, gnawing, making her feel hot even at night, so she had to pull away from the others and burrow into the snow, just to try and cool down. She hated it! Like she did every year, but especially this one. She didn’t want to distance herself! She enjoyed travelling with Chan and @Gwendolyn, she felt at ease around them – well, most of the time she did. But this damned season was messing it all up, further muddling her already jumbled feelings; I hate spring…! Word count: ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Chan couldn't shake the feeling of loss at his discovery of what had come of @Colette and the pack they once shared. He started pulling away from Flair and @Gwendolyn more often so that he could discard his sunny disposition and process his grief without distraction. He'd undertaken just an escapade when he'd inadvertently come across his fire-coated friend. The wind was strong enough to steal her scent away from him completely, and so he only became aware of her presence once she was in view.

He suppressed a sigh, and put on a smile before continuing to press forward, closer to her.

"Hey," he called out in greeting, tail now swaying behind his wolfish heels.

She should have noticed her travel companion becoming more withdrawn as well – any other time, she would have – but the season’s influence was playing tricks on her brain. She found herself simultaneously overly focused on herself, and acutely aware of whenever someone else was near, especially Gwen. It was an odd thing, a feeling she couldn’t entirely pinpoint, nor decide if she liked or not, like a sort of buzzing throughout her body, as if a flock of bees were trapped in her chest, struggling to get out.   Added to everything else, it quickly became overwhelming, leading to her slipping away as she had, not realizing Chan was looking to do the same. The spring-wind carried his scent to her before she spotted him in the distance, oddly sharp to her raw senses. Surprised, she halted, watching him approach, falsely – foolishly - thinking he’d come looking for her. Only once he drew close did she see his head down, thoughts clearly somewhere else, and then he looked up, noticing she was there. Fir a fraction of a second, she thoughts she spotted something dark in his eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by the usual Chan smile.   Flair smiled back easily, though her brow furrowed slightly. “Hey,” she replied, voice low, her own tail giving a slow swish at her hocks. Not knowing what else to say, she fell silent for a moment, eyes drifting out over the slushy water. She absently chewed her lip, mind still whirring with all her jumbled thoughts and feelings. Finally she spoke, looking back to her friend with just a hint of a crooked smile on her lips; “How are you?” ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Chan slowed to a stop no further than a yard from her, ears sweeping back as she asked her innocuous question. His mouth opened to reflexively answer good but a brief indecision made itself painfully noticeable as his jaws came back together without uttering a word. His eyes dodged away, now he had to give a little of the truth, but at least he could make it quick.

"Ran into an old friend out here, wasn't what I would have expected. Just weird I guess, you know?"

He spoke the sentences casually enough, with only a mild delving of his brows. Nothing that would speak of carnage and twisting grief. He dismissed it with a shrug and a practiced clearing of his features, like the sun peeking out from ebbing cloud cover.

"What about you, how ya holdin' up?"

It was meant as a light tease, as he had guessed she would feel as she'd appeared to last year.

She could feel his closeness like heat radiating against her fur, her skin prickling underneath as her body reacted in its annoying, instinctive way. Suppressing an irritated growl, she shrugged off the feeling, focusing on her friend as he made to answer her question. Except, he didn’t. Fiery brows furrowed further as she watched Chan stumble for, probably the first time ever. His gaze evaded hers, another very uncharacteristic move, making her attention peak even more as he finally spoke.   Oh… She hadn’t expected that. It occurred to Flair that she knew very little about Chan’s time outside of the lore – which, she supposed, was the same the other way round. But now she was curious, wondering who exactly had managed to rattle him so.   However, Chan moved along quickly, turning the conversation back on her before she could figure out a delicate way to ask any further questions. A surprised smile spread on her lips, a few breathy chuckles escaping her. “Better than last year,” she admitted, giving a shrug of her shoulder. It was true, the stress she was under now was a very different kind from last spring; And a nicer one…!   The crease between her eyes didn’t quite smooth though, eyes serious as she glanced his way, asking in a low voice: “Y’ sure you’re alright?” If he didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine, but she wanted him to know she was here for him. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Chan expressed mild surprise and emphatic mirth at Flair's answer. His friend feeling more comfortable was certainly good news, and he hoped it became a pattern for her - that everything coming her way would only get easier and easier. He'd wanted to talk with her along that vein, continuing with something lighthearted and hopeful. Instead, she asked again about him and he realized this was sort of the nature of these talks of theirs. They were always so quick to shift the light off of themselves and it became this back and forth like tennis.

Still, he wasn't ready to talk about this. He looked away again as he answered, a frown beginning to pull at the corners of his mouth.

"...she just really disappointed me."

Now he was actively seeking a way to distract his traveling companion.

"So Gwen's pretty great, how long've you been friends?"

It seemed to be the way of their friendship, one always asking about the other – putting it in a positive light, you might say they cared more about the other than themselves, and that wouldn’t be a lie, but Flair suspected the truth was more that they both preferred not to talk about themselves.   Still, when put on the spot, Chan offered a little more, but the dismissal was clear. Flair nodded, swallowing any further questions, accepting the closing of the subject. ”If y’ ever wanna talk…” she started, letting the unfinished statement hang in the air. For now that was all she could do, though it pained her to see him upset, no matter how much he tried to hide it.   She wanted to reach for him, offer comfort in some other way than words, but then he spoke again, his words making her start. “Oh, uh yeah, she’s…” She stuttered, inexplicably feeling heat rise in her cheeks. It was an innocuous question, yet it made her flustered, and now it was her turn to look away, biting her lip for a moment as she gathered herself. When she continued, she went straight to the facts, trying to surpass the butterflies suddenly filling her stomach; “We met last year, her dad used to be part of the Woodlands.” That was all she could manage, though she found herself smiling as she looked back up at Chan; despite her gripes with the season, she was happy, more so than she ever remembered being before, to have her two best friends at her side. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

If y’ ever wanna talk…

He did appreciate the words, but in the moment all he could give them was a nod of acknowledgement. Thankfully, the shift of topic proved juicier than he'd anticipated. It would have been difficult for Chan not to notice the effect that mentioning the other third of their trio had on Flair. While the smile she finished with melted his heart a little, he couldn't help the growing amusement and interest playing across his own features. Did Flair... have a crush? Well if that wasn't just the cutest thing ever.

"She's... ?" he encouraged with a toothy grin, eyebrows bouncing to hint at his own deduction of what the sunset-coated woman thought of their traveling companion. Gwen's indirect tie to the Woodlands explained their initial bonding, but Chan understood Flair to be someone who didn't keep company just for the sake of sentimentality. For her to be here with them, she was truly a wolf that Flair felt connected to. He doubted she would have had an issue simply saying 'yeah, she's a good friend!' if that were really all there was to it, however.

It was silly, but she felt her smile getting wider, a strange giddiness coming over her as Chan probed her. She chuckled, shaking her head at him, but answered anyway; “I like her, alright.” The words were defensive, but her voice remained light; “She’s… nice to be around, doesn’t make me feel anxious… Like you!” There was a glint in her eye as she looked to meet his, a teasing hint to her smile, only wavering when she added: “What do you think? She’s nice right?” His opinion mattered a lot to her, as much as her own. And, as much as she liked spending time with Gwen, she couldn’t help but worry; she’d been burned before.   Expression growing thoughtful, she looked back out over the pond, watching spring melt the ice into water right before her eyes. Voice barely more than a mutter, she mused: “Y’know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately… About fam’ly.” They’d had this conversation before, but back then, she’d had no ide what she wanted – nothing but vague ideas she couldn’t put into words; Now… She might not be completely certain, but things felt a lot more clear. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Part of him had expected her to deny there being anything special about Gwen. The warmth that spread across her dial as she openly admitted her fondness caused him great happiness as well. It was wonderful getting to watch Flair bloom, and he felt privileged to be along for the ride, even if just for a little while.

What do you think? She’s nice right?

Chan nodded his muzzle up and down, yes. There certainly wasn't anything he disliked about Gwen yet, and he didn't anticipate anything cropped up, especially given the glowing approval she had from Flair. He felt his fire-coated friend to be a proper judge of character. The conversation grew a bit more somber then, however, his ears pressing forward to hear words more softly spoken.

"Yeah?" his own voice had abated, a gentle encouragement for her to go on.