Willow Ridge so, so many stars

Iseldir made his way up to the mouth of his family's den, pausing to look back for the moment at the restful forms of his mother and siblings in the darkness. Then he continued, walking out into the bright moonlight. His steps were growing more steady by the day. The boy had ventured out of the den before, in the bright and overwhelming light of day, and always under careful watch by his mother and the other adults who frequented near the den. This... this was different.

Instead of the bright sun overhead, there was a soft silver shape in the sky, like half of a circle, casting a gentle dream-like hue over the area. It was the color of his ma's and brother's fur, cool and soothing. The night breeze was soft, and through the gently swaying boughs of the willow trees, a clear night sky full of stars glinted back at him. So, so many stars.

The boy stared upward, enraptured by it all. "Cor..." he murmured to himself in amazement.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2023, 12:56 AM by Hagar.)

Hagar hunted best at night, as he'd been taught to, but he also strove to assimilate with his pack who were largely diurnal. Anymore, he was only up and about under the moon's watchful gaze when seeking to keep himself and the others fed. Tonight he had succeeded in his efforts, and carried back to the hive the bloodied gains. He prioritized the cache kept nearest to Avella and the children, most of the food gathered intended for others rather than personal use.

It brought him about just after small Iseldir had emerged from the den and set his young sights upon the inky black sky and it's many pinpoints of light. Smiling, Hagar went to the boy.

He dropped the slain marmot into the grass and took a seat next to the child, his son, and tilted his own round crown back to take in the view himself.

A shadow loomed up in the dark, but it was one that the boy recognized, by now familiar by sight and smell and sound. The boy's eyes focused on Hagar, and as the man seated himself, the small shadow scooted sideways to sit closer to his paws. This one was around a lot, often bringing new things with him, and so Izzy grew to look forward to such visits.

A metallic and musty scent touched his young nose and he looked back down, eyes re-focusing on the thing that lay in the grass. He remembered how Hagar had brought gifts for his siblings to play with and mother to eat many times before, but this time the thing almost seemed to be sleeping in the grass. Except, it wasn't. Iz looked back up toward the sky. Tilting his nose up, Iseldir followed Hagar's gaze. What was all of that, up there, he wondered? It was so strange and pretty and seemed very far away and yet near at the same time.

All of a sudden, he felt tiny. Of course he was tiny, but he was growing every day and learning more and ...no, that was just it. He hadn't changed, but once again his world had grown by a leap and a bound, containing new things and ideas he could scarcely contain. A small whine escaped the boy, who lacked even the rudimentary words to phrase his feelings, and he leaned against Hagar's leg for reassurance.

There was a spot missing. A spot which once was warm with a fluffy body now had grown cool at her side. Nineve roused lazily, mouth opening wide for a big yawn. Puppy blue eyes (which would never end up changing) looked near herself to see that her brother, Iseldir, was no longer at her side.

She lifted in protest, expecting to drag her brother back to the forest den and have him lay back down next to here where he belonged. She could see clearly beyond the large den opening where the pack often slept in this rock formation and a felled willow tree. At her brother's side was Hager.

Hager, like Avella and Scully, was a large wolf she knew best in their little group. Her and her brothers were small wolves. Tiny, even, as her brother thought. Eve wondered if one day she would be a large wolf too.

Nineve came out from the cavern and towards the two of them, yawning and huffing as she did so. Wot? What exactly were they staring at??

The quiet boy shuffled closer, warming Hagar's heart and bringing a broader smile to his lips as he watched him from the corner of his eye. When the child let out a soft sound and pressed into his leg, Hagar lowered his nose his small, dark forehead and gave it a comforting lick. Whatever he needed, his father was here for him.

Wot?

Hagar lifted his head to look over his shoulder, spying little Eve. He chuffed at her with a smile rather than give an answer, tail thumping the ground as if to encourage her to come sit with them.

His questions were not answered by the comforting touch, but still the boy's heart eased. Though he still wanted to understand things, he felt safe and watched over, free to mull on his curiosities under the watchful protection of his mother, Hagar, and the others. Even in a world as big as this, he was never alone.  

His sister announced her presence with a yawn and a question of her own. Izzy's skull swiveled to look up and back at Hagar as the man turned to welcome Nineve. Izzy hoped he had not woken her up by accident, which might make her less than happy with him, but was still pleased to see her come to join them. Being up and out so late at night felt somehow clandestine and exciting. It was well past heir usual curfew, and the three dark shadows were a perfect match for the night that embraced them.

His gaze fell back to the food Hagar had brought, stomach stirring. What could be better when one was up in the middle of the night, pondering the universe, than a midnight snack?

A huff from the large chocolate wolf and a thump of his tail to the earth. Eve came forward curiously, coming to stand on the open side of Hagar.

What were they doing out here? Nose twitches, taking in the blood and musky scent of the marmot and soon her eyes there followed. She lifts a paw to smack at the dead creature and huffs. But that wasn't what they had been looking at. Baby blues would then turn upward, nose to the sky and in that vast black, dots of pale color shined. It had Eve's mouth opening in an 'O' of wonder then. What were those speckled things??

It took her a moment, but Nineve eventually realized what exactly was so high above her head. He saw her tiny crown tilt back, and looked in time to watch the little expression of awe fall over her features. Hagar chuckled fondly, and only then realized that perhaps they thought these were something explainable, as most things, if not all, had been up until now. He looked up again at what was an arm of their galaxy and remembered the conversation he'd had with his friend Moore, when the sky had flickered with colored lights. Hagar still knew nothing of what really inhabited the sky so far up, but he could share what he was familiar with.

"Stars," he began by giving them their name.

"They're so high up, no wolf I know of has ever gotten to them, and so we don't really know what they are. They could be anything. What do you think?"

They might have any guesses or impressions, and that was okay. Thought was important, and he knew he had begun to see the world just a little differently when Moore had posed his queries. He wanted the children to have every opportunity to grow and expand.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2023, 05:50 AM by Hagar.)

Iseldir gnawed on the fresh meat until he had sated himself on a portion of the marmot before abandoning it once more, drawn to listen to Hagar's words. Sinking happily into place next to Nineve and Hagar's paws he drew up his gaze to revel in the night sky.

Beneath a span of darkness illuminated by the glinting universe, Hagar illuminated a bit of that universe for his children. None of them would know their full part in it, but tonight they might ponder just a little. Stars, Izzy thought, how beautiful. So far up that nobody had touched them (at this age he still considers Hagar and his mother to have nearly omniscient knowledge of the world) but right there for them to see so clearly.

Glancing over at Eve he shares her expression of wonder, erupting in a small giggle as the giddiness is too much to contain.

A chuckle blossomed from her father's mouth and she turned back to him then, a laugh of her own coming out though only in mimick of her father, as she listened as he did his best to explain. Stars, was the name of those bright specks up there in the vast dark sky. A sky that was black at night but blue in the day. It made her imagination run wild. After all, her father couldn't explain. Which was, odd that even he didn't know- maybe mother would! One day, Ra would tell her of these stars, with stories of spirits and gods. The "Gods of Old" had yet to be preached to the children.

"Fireflies." She then decided with a rolling of her shoulders and passing her haze between her father and her brother to gage their thoughts until then, Eve decided it was due time for her to have some late night snack as well.