Long Lost, Recently Found (Acceptance)

Coven wagged his tail and grinned as Laek sprang lithely off the tree and ran around. He tilted his head in surprise at Laek's comment about them being similar, but the more he thought about it, the more truth it merited. How miraculous that he'd found such a friend in such an unexpected place! The wolf was so full of energy that he was already darting off after the speedy wolfess before she even could call out to him.

He should have foreseen Laek's capabilities by the small spurts of agility she'd demonstrated earlier, but her quickness caught him off guard. Invigorated by the challenge, the wolf grinned and kicked himself to his top speed and gradually caught up to the female, but only because she wasn't putting in the kind of effort he was. They broke through the trees and into the meadow just before Coven gathered up his last bit of energy and sprang at Laek with a playful growl, both of them tumbling into the snow.

Fallon kept her pace brisk, and didn't speak for a long time, just hissed occasionally to herself. As they traveled through the forest, she edged further toward the edge of the trees furthest from the center of the pack lands. This was actually important. Finally she exited the trees and began trotting along the edge of essentially a snowy desert that consisted of nothing but a random gnarled, bare runt of a tree. "This is the Banished Plains. Set foot here, and you've doomed yourself," she commented harshly, not looking back at Pravin. Chaos had liked to come out here sometimes, and that just proved how creepy this place was, and how nice Blitz was. Wolves that entered this lands pretty much kicked themselves out of the pack.

Laek was going at her own common pace when she saw Coven catching up to her, using every bit of energy he could muster in this cold land of snow. She smiled, and when they entered the meadow, she marvelled at it's beauty, but for only a second. I didn't know there was a meadow he- Her breath was knocked right out of her when the black wolf tackled her, little bits of frozen snow flying up in their tumble. She playfully growled in her struggle, and when she finally wiggled her way out of his grip, Laek bounded away. She buried herself into the snow, yelling out, "You can't see me!"

Pravin gave a hard look at what Fallon introduced as the Banished Plains. Even before he had met the pack and entered their lands, he knew this portion of the land was not to be messed with. And now he knew exactly why. He'd travelled right around the Plains, and he was very glad he did, who knew what might have laid there? But maybe, if he'd entered injured, everyone might have acted and thought lighter of him. He stopped thinking of all the possibilities, and took a step forward, careful. He hadn't wanted to speak to Fallon on their return trip, but his curiosity got the win, "What's the worst that can happen to the wolf who steps foot into the Plains?" He didn't look at her, examining the empty field with it's one tree. What could possibly be of interest out there that a wolf would want to leave Silverlight for?

"I can still hear you!" he declared, laughing and trotting over to her hiding place, scooping the snow away with a paw to reveal Laek's head. She had lead the two even further out into the meadow, and now even Coven had to stop and look around in wonder, though not before nipping playfully at the female's ear and bounding out of her reach. "You ever been to the meadow before?" asked the black wolf as he sat down and scanned the snowy meadow. He'd been once before, in the evening, and it was almost tempting to stay until that time again and once more witness the colors of the sun reflected on the snow.

"The worst?" she repeated, voice softened as she gazed soberly at the barren land. "You die, everyone would say; killed by rogue wolves...but I think it would be worse than that. I think the land would drive you insane. It's like the opposite of Silverlight out there," answered the wolfess, trying to stop herself from continuing, but as usual unable to control her tongue. Her thoughts on this were purely her own and unfounded, but she really did believe it, fear it. It was so real to her that small tremors swept through her as she spoke, shivers not caused by the cold. Fallon added with a shrug partially designed to hide her chills, "The wolves have to be kind of crazy to go out there anyway, which explains why Chaos likes it."

Laek laughed as Coven found her position, nipping her ear to run away. She pawed after him but didn't move out of the comfort of her hole. Resting her head down, she looked around. She tried to picture it without snow, and she guessed that it would be a wonderful place. She made a mental note to return, but she knew she would forget before the snow even melted. Shaking her head, she looked back to the black warrior after he'd asked a question. "No. I must have completely missed it when I went to the forest. Somehow!" She laughed softly as she saw the huge area the meadow took up. "Have you?"

Pravin gave a quiet "hah!" as Fallon mentioned that Chaos enjoyed the area. It seemed to be the character of Chaos and even Pravin wasn't suprised. The lands that sprawled before them sparked interest in him, but he wasn't crazy enough to investigate. Or was he? He shook his head a little. "So insanity or death. What a worthwhile choice." He found the stories odd, though. He spun through his memory, trying to recall if he'd seen other wolves, the rogues and the outcasts. He hadn't. Not here. But how big was the plains? Pravin had only travelled the edge, what lay in the center? He tried to look farther, but nothing showed up beneath the snow.

((Fallon/Pravin continued: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t85-a-journey-to-something-new-jenn#1275 ))

Coven nodded, smiling at Laek's comment about missing the meadow somehow. "I've been here once, just recently. It was so beautiful...so colorful." He shook his head wistfully as he narrowed his eyes at the beautiful but bland landscape around him. With a glance up at the sky, the wolf knew there wouldn't be terribly long to wait for the sunset, when the colors would show up again. Turning to Laek, the black wolf tilted his head and asked, "How opposed would you be to sticking around here for a little while longer? I promise - it'll be worth it."

Laek smiled as Coven remembered his last visit. "Why not?" she answered, looking up with him. The day had gone by so quickly, what with the disease, and with their exploration. Laek was more than likely to crash when they returned to the dens. She had exhausted herself, she knew, as she put her head back down. The meadow was what kept her awake. It was something that this place held. The certain mystery that it could hold even in daylight. "This is a special place, isn't it?" she thought a loud so Coven could hear her.

He nodded to her, wagging his tail at Laek's agreement, and looked back over at the meadow and the sun steadily making its way down to the tips of the mountains. The male was feeling as exhausted as Laek, even though both of them had slept through most of the afternoon, and this time spent just watching was like heaven. "This is where Blitz first saw a spirit," Coven affirmed, eyes still on the sky as he related the story Molly had told him about the pup and the message it delivered to Blitz about reviving the lands. He wasn't sure if Laek had heard the story before, but even if she had, everyone deserved to hear it as they witnessed the marvel that was the meadow.

The wolf lapsed into silence as the sky burst into flames of red, pink, and gold, setting the white snow on fire with its colors. All Coven could do was sit and watch.

Spirits? Had she heard the stories of the spirits yet? She couldn't remember as she gazed at the colours that seemed to fly off the snow and back into the sky. She had no words as she witnessed the beauty that Coven had not been able to say with his own tongue. Laek lifted her head back up and watching the setting sun and it's effect on the meadow. She couldn't help but think of what it would be like without all this snow. It made her even more excited to see it all. Her tail swished in the snow, breathless. "Wow. I'm sure glad we stayed." She said, just loud enough for Coven to hear.

(Sorry it's a bit short.)

The wolf smiled and wagged his tail in reply to Laek's words. "I am, too," he murmured back as the colors started to fade and then eventually dim to grey as night started taking over. It seemed like the moment just moved so fast, even though the two had probably been sitting ten minutes.

With the image of the sunset still strong in his mind, Coven got up happily and stretched. "Ready to go?" he asked, tilting his head and then turning in the direction of the dens. Thankfully, since he'd been here before, he both knew where to head and that it wasn't far at all.

Laek stretched, pushing snow aside with her legs, and got up, nodding. She wasn't about to say that they hadn't finished their tour, as she was exhausted, the nap she took earlier not helping at all. She bounded over the snow, so that she was by Coven. There she started at a slow, comfortable pace. She wondered what was on the north, but she figured she could explore that at a later time.

She arrived at the dens, and called goodnight to Coven. Steering clear of the contaminated Warrior's den, she rounded into a small den a little further from the center of the dens. She didn't feel like sleeping with the hunters tonight. And she fell asleep quickly, the sunset burned into her mind and wedging their way into her dreams.

((Laek continued - with small time lapse: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t84-bravery-or-foolishness-open ))