In Hunger They Seek (SPIRIT SIGHTING!)

((Blitz/Fallon continued: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t45p30-hopeless#329 ))

Fallon made her way to Blitz's side, laughing all the way. Standing beside him and now having composed herself to just a radiant grin and a few escaped laughs, the red female looked up at him and commented, sincere and resolved, "It's good to be back."

The thick-furred female then began to scan the lake as she stood catching her breath. The beautiful lake was one of her favorite places in Silverlight, and she'd spent a lot of time here in the last weeks. But in all that time, the only prey she'd encountered were a small variety of various rodents. As for large prey, there'd been none. Hopefully, with two of them on the job, they'd at least be able to pick up a trail, no matter how old, and get some direction from there.

Blitz grinned as she joined him, nudging her shoulder gently before looking around and beginning the search. They wandered for hours, finding nothing but trees and grass and maybe the occassional bird or squirrel. But there was something different about the lands, something that had seemed to awaken when they had all gathered together. Blitz smiled, hoping that his assumption was correct. The pack was working together, and Silverlight was responding. He didn't know what it was, something like magic, but the forest felt more alive, like it was slowly but surely waking up from a deep, long hybernation. Suddenly, Blitz froze in surprise. There, standing in front of them, was a large doe and her fawn, staring right at the pair of wolves in a mixture of awe and fear. There would be no chance in bringing them down, since they were too far away and had seen the wolves coming, but it gave Blitz hope. The prey was returning, and so was Silverlight.

Fallon, though she cherished the land as the most beautiful place she'd ever called home, was not as closely connected to it as Blitz, or even as acutely aware of the force that lurked beneath the trees and streams as Inferno. The sense of progress Blitz was feeling was not shared by the female just yet, but as the wolves continued to work together and somehow revive their lovely world, it would come to her, too.

Meanwhile, the sighting of the doe and her offspring gave Fallon almost the same feeling of hope as Blitz had. A doe. And a fawn. Silverlight had been dying - everyone had seen that - but life was returning, seemingly out of no where. But it was here, and producing. Fallon wasn't so connected to the world of Silverlight right now that she immediately would begin to think that someone (things?) had anticipated the unification of the wolves, but just because she wasn't thinking of it didn't mean it wasn't true.

"Blitz," she spoke softly, in case more prey was near but hidden to them, "do you think they could lead us to a herd? Should we bring the pack back here, or track the rest down now?"

Blitz was too lost in surprise and pleasure with the realization that Silverlight was coming alive again to even hear her question. But as she finished speaking, he realized that she had been talking to him. He blinked down at her, still surprised and slowly bringing himself back to reality. "Uh...wait...what?" He asked, looking down at her and then back at the place where the doe and fawn had stood only moments before. They had bounded away by now, and he was barely able to conceil his excitement. This must mean that the spirits were returning! He couldn't help but wag his tail slightly in anticipation. "You know what, Fallon, I want to show you something. Don't worry about the deer, there'll be plenty more of that soon enough." He said, seemingly forgetting about their original goal and heading in what was almost the opposite direction, towards the moonlight meadow. It was starting to get dark, and if they left now, they could reach the meadow just before midnight.

Utterly confused, Fallon swayed on the spot, trying to figure out what was going through Blitz's mind before giving up and leaping after him. "Blitz," she said, shifting her head from keeping an eye on their path and looking up at him sideways as they hurried through the foliage, "what is going on? Where exactly are we going?" Though she was completely confused and a bit disoriented at the moment by her usually calm leader's sudden burst of energy (a different sort of energy than they'd experienced on the run to the lake), a tingling excitement began to spread through her body. It could have been Blitz rubbing off on her, it could have been Silverlight speaking, or it could have been her natural thrill and thirst for adventure, but whatever caused it, Fallon was definitely on board with this new plan. What was it he was going to show her?

He grinned as she followed him, turning to nudge her shoulder encouragingly before picking up the pace. "Trust me, you'll see when we get there." He said, soon moving from a trot to a slow run, obviously eager to get to his destination. It was nearly midnight by the time they reached the meadow, and he came to a stop at it's edge, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath. Then he turned to Fallon, smiling as he studied her face. "Wait here." He said, licking her shoulder in pack-like affection before moving slowly into the meadow, just about right at midnight.

When he reached the center, he sat down, lifting his head to let out a deep, beautiful howl, calling to the sky in an excited desperation. When he finished his song, he waited silently, listening and watching the stars. It seemed like he had been sitting there for hours before he sighed softly. He slowly got to his feet, turning back towards Fallon and sighing in disappointment, but a sudden whimper behind him made him freeze in his tracks. He turned around slowly, spotting a pup sitting in the grass in front of him. He smiled, bowing slowly in respect to the spirit as he barely controlled his excitement.

"You have done well, Blitzen, and you have brought your pack together. The spirits are finally returning to Silverlight. You must continue to work together as a pack in order to bring the lands back to their former glory. Are you prepared to do this?"

The spirit asked, and Blitz would have been surprised by the deep, adult voice that came from the pup if he had not encountered it before. He smiled, nodding his head slowly in acceptance. "I am ready." He said, softly, trying to keep his tail from wagging in excitement behind him.

"Very well. Do your job well, Silverlight depends on you and your pack for survival."

The pup said, and moments later it vanished, leaving Blitz in awe and more than excited. He grinned as he sat there for several moments, letting the realization sink in. The spirits were returning! Silverlight was coming back to life! His tail wagged frantically now, and he slowly turned back to Fallon, his eyes glowing with excitement and his step bouncing with joy. "Fallon! The spirits are returning!" He said, reaching her and nuzzling her in his excitement, unable to control himself. He spoke as if she could not have heard or seen what had happened, but it had only occurred a few yards from her, and there was no doubt she had seen and heard everything.

As the pup and Blitz conversed, Fallon could only stare at them with her mouth open, completely stunned. She had never expected anything like this! She knew Silverlight was special, but...

Blitz's joy snapped her out of her slight bought of shock. Wagging her tail along with him, although she didn't understand everything at the moment, Fallon butted her head against his neck and licked his cheek, celebrating along with him anyway. Silverlight's former glory...that would be a wonder to see.

"Thank you so much," she said finally once she had calmed down slightly. "Really, thank you...that was beautiful..." she swept her eyes toward the place the pup had sat and reminisced over its powerful, soothing words. The female turned back to Blitz, moved alongside him, and liked his shoulder in yet another thanks. "I can't believe we waited so long to pull it together," she said softly, mourning her former failings. Never again.

Blitz couldn't help but keep grinning, licking her shoulder, neck, ear, and grinning in excitement. Finally he managed to calm himself down, smiling down at her as she spoke. Silverlight was coming to life again. He sighed softly, looking around and then back up at the stars. It was late, and they wouldn't be able to get any food in the dark. His mind returned to reality and logic, and he nudged her shoulder, heading towards the trees. "Come on, Fallon. We need to find a place to sleep for the night." He said, nipping her ear playfully as she joined him in search of a den. They were lucky enough to find a fairly large cave, and Blitz stepped inside, satisfied that it would do for the night, and laid down in the center, looking over at Fallon with a smile. "We'll hunt first thing in the morning." He added, resting his head on his paws as he waited for her to lay down. Even on an empty stomach, he knew he would have no problem sleeping tonight.

Fallon merely nodded in reply, though her eyes still shone bright with the excitement they'd ended the night off with. Living so exuberantly every day, the female always slept fast and deep so as to live the next day the same way. Tonight was no different, and she felt as if she were about to drop down dead in a second.
Gladly, the red wolf lay down next to Blitz, and after giving his ear a lick, she rested her head on her paws, curled her tail up next to her, and fell asleep.

Blitz smiled as she laid down beside him, grateful for her companionship to end this delightful night. He remained beside her as she licked his ear, earning a gentle nudge as she rested her head on her paws and fell asleep almost instantly. He grinned, sighing softly and resting his head on his paws, only several inches from hers as he too fell into a peaceful sleep. Morning came swiftly, much too quickly to his liking. But Blitz had always been an early riser, and he was up before the first rays of light shone on his face, leaving the den and successfully returning with a pair of rabbits hanging in his jaws. He dropped them in front of her, having already eaten his fill before returning to the cave. He smiled at her sleeping form, moving closer and gently licking the female's nose to wake her.

Fallon's eyes fluttered open in surprise at Blitz's wake-up call. "'Morning," she said with a sleepy smile up at the alpha before stretching out and yawning. Catching sight of the rabbits, the female perked up considerable, her ears swiveling forward eagerly. Casting a grateful smile at Blitz, Fallon gently raked one of the rabbits toward her with her paw and took began the satisfying meal. "How are you this morning?" she asked between a few bites, looking at him with an anticipation in her eyes that suggested she wanted to know everything that was planned for today, as well as how his morning was. The female proceeded to finish off the rabbit, still watching him interestedly, as he spoke.

Blitz grinned as she spoke, sitting down and yawning as she began to eat, speaking between bites. He shook his head, nudging the second rabbit towards her as well. "This one's for you too. I already ate. You'd be surprised at how many prey animals have returned, just overnight." He said, ecstatic at the fact that Silverlight was once again becoming alive. He waited for her to take it and begin eating before he devulged the day's plans. "We need to get to the pack and alert them of what happened, tell them the spirits are returning and that we need to work together to keep them here. We need everyone to have a specific job, and to do that job regularly and faithfully. But first, we need to get everyone together again. I think the best place for that would be the dens. Khalessi is already there, Inferno and Molly are heading there, we might as well head that way as well. Hopefully Khalessi will be able to organize and lead a hunting party soon too." He said, smiling at her as she finished eating. He stood slowly, stretching lazily before waiting for her response and opinion. The news they received the night before needed to be shared, and he was more than excited to do so.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, finishing off the second rabbit in satisfaction as Blitzen laid out the day's plan. After finishing, Fallon stretched and sat up responded approvingly, "Sounds great - everything does." They had food, a pack, a plan, and a great leader. Things were really starting to fall into place. The female replayed last night's wonders in her head again for about the eightieth time that morning as she sat watching the white male. It was incredible that it had happened; it was life-changing that she had seen it. She hadn't known the story of Silverlight before and, in consequence, didn't understand the impact of the relationship between the pack and the spirits. Now she did, though, and she was ready to follow Blitz anywhere to keep this alive.

"Let's go, then," she said with a grin and a hop to her feet, announcing that she was ready. As the wolves walked, the one worry that nagged in the back of her mind was of Chaos, but she was willing to trust Blitz - especially after yesterday's display between the white and black wolf - and force herself to come to terms with the fact that she'd just have to put up with the little wretch as well as she could.

Blitz grinned at her enthusiasm, heading towards the dens at an easy pace. It would be quite a while before they reached the dens, but then again, he figured that Molly and Inferno hadn't quite made it there yet either. Maybe Khalessi would be feeling better by the time they reached the dens as well. He grinned, nudging Fallon as he broke into a relaxed trot, his tail swaying lazily behind him as they moved closer and closer to the very distant dens. The lands were more beautiful than ever, and he couldn't help but drink it all in as they walked through the trees. There seemed to be new life surrounding them, a magic that he couldn't quite place, that is, if he didn't know about the spirits. It was clear they had returned, and not just the pup that he had spoken to in the meadow. No, there were more, and he silently prayed he would get to see or even speak to others in the furture.

Fallon nudged him back with her signature, exuberant grin, and sighed deeply as they trotted on. The world was different today, and it almost made her shiver in ecstasy that she knew what had caused it. Spirits...this land really was as magical as it had looked the first day she'd, angrily and exaustedly, laid her eyes on it. She couldn't help but look at Blitz with the same wide-eyed fascination she had drinking in the trees today. For some reason, he'd been chosen by the spirits, that strangely ancient pup, to watch out for Silverlight, this beautiful land. Fallon could see why, easily, but it was strange that she hadn't known before.

"Do you know what Silverlight can become? It's potential?" she asked softly, still looking around happily at the woods, as she pulled along side the white wolf. "It seems like there's still so far it can go...I wonder what else it's hiding right now..."

Blitz smiled as she looked over at him, feeling her eyes seem to bore holes into his face before she began to speak. He shrugged slightly, looking around before looking down at her and slowing their pace to a walk. "The lands were stunning, breathtaking when I arrived. But by then, they were already dying, the spirits were desperate. I have no idea what the potential of this place is, but I definitely intend to find out." He said, looking around and then smiling down at her, determined and excited for the future ahead of them.

Fallon grinned and returned her gaze to the land, excited that they'd all be finding out together just what this pack and this land could be. Now since they were talking, Fallon softly nudged his shoulder with her muzzle, much more mellow at the moment than she was usually, and said, "The spirit was right, you know. You've done great with the pack. To bring together so many different wolves and make it work...it was, and is, a big job. I know I haven't been the easiest to manage," she admitted, pinning her ears back sheepishly, "but I appreciate that you've endured it anyway." She perked back up and laughed, shaking her head at random memories of her and her craziness.

Blitz smiled as she seemed her always-eager self after he spoke. Her sudden mellow tone surprised him slightly, but he smiled at her words. "I could never have done all of this without you and the other pack members. I cannot take all the credit." He said, shaking his head and looking forward once more. "This place captured me the moment I arrived. I wouldn't dream of doing anything else, or being anywhere else." He said, smiling as he looked up at the clear blue sky and then back down at her. This was his place, his purpose, and he accepted it fully and with determination each and every day.

Fallon just chuckled at the first part of his response. She really didn't believe that much at all. But she nodded her head and smiled in thanks anyway, continuing to listen.
His next statement, she completely agreed with, and told him so. It was amazing what one look at the land did to her on that fateful day - it completely transformed her attitude and caught a hold of her heart.
"I'm glad all of us are here. I love this pack - even with Chaos - and I can't imagine being here without you guys." She really was talking about the guys, since she knew them best, but somehow, even the presence of the others made a difference, too. This really was home and her family.

Blitz was glad to hear that she agreed with him and loved Silverlight just as much. With members like Fallon, he knew they could be a successful family and bring all of the spirits back, all while surviving and supporting each other. They would need each other more than ever, now, and he hoped that the other members were as dedicated as the female beside him was. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I believe that every pack member is a part of my family, and I only hope that each and every one of them believe the same." He said, nudging her affectionately and smiling. They had a bit of a ways to go before they reached the dens, but as they passed a thin creek, he stopped, lowering his head to lap up the cool, clear water. It felt wonderful going down his throat, and he sighed softly, enjoying the feeling and savoring the sweet taste of fresh water.

Fallon only had to smile to express how she felt about that. No wolf could be in the pack for more than a day and not feel the immense love Blitz had for them. It just wasn't possible.
Gladly, the female followed the alpha over to the creek and lapped up the water with relish. Was it just her, or did the water even taste better? She snorted to her self, smiling as she shook herself and went back to their trail, at that thought. It was possible that she was getting a little too wrapped up in this feeling of invigoration.

When he finished his drink, Blitz lifted his head and sighed, looking over at Fallon who looked ready to go. He trotted to her side, bumping her gently and playfully, setting off at a trot in the direction of the dens once more. He was tired from traveling, and his stomach growled slightly, but he wanted to get back to the pack, so he put off hunting for a bit later. They could stop and catch a few things before he called together a meeting to prove that the prey was growing more and more frequent and active.

The female butted her head into his neck and set off at a slightly quicker pace with a laugh. She also was tired from traveling, as well as tired /of/ traveling. Usually in these situations, she would find some way to amuse herself. After weighing the pros and cons, Fallon turned her head to look back at Blitz and grinned mischievously. Suddenly swirling around, she bounded up to him, nipped at the air around his cheek, and took off, hoping for a chase. They'd be exhausted when they reached the dens, but it would be quicker, less tedious and they'd be able to rest a bit anyway before attending to their other duties today. The wolves were strong enough in body, but she really was getting to antsy to not have a bit of fun right now.

Blitz couldn't help but chuckle as she nipped at him and sprang away. His tail wagged lightly as he leaped after her, nipping at her ear and darting off towards the dens, his eyes darting around the forest in front of him to avoid obstacles as they ran. He dodged trees, lept over rocks and roots, aiming for the dens at three quarters of his full speed. He was growing more and more tired, but he wasn't too worried. They could hunt some small game while they waited for the others, and they would have time to rest before he had to call the meeting together.

Fallon chortled merrily as she leaped along. She put on a quick burst of speed and zipped past Blitz for a few seconds. Proudly grinning in triumph, she looked back at him and turned back to the front just in time to get whacked in the face with a sprig full of leaves. "Eck," she moaned, now once again racing behind Blitz, but this time she was spitting out leaves. Paying more attention now and slightly embarrassed by her mishap, Fallon still ran along like she was in her first year, enjoying life and forgetting all the hardship that had been or would come. There was nothing like this moment, racing in joy.