Perseus hummed to himself as he navigated between tussocks of brown grass and bare shrubs. Only the most stubborn of leaves still held fast to their branches, twitching rebellion against the cold wind. It had been a day or two since the last snowfall, and the afternoons in between were just warm enough to leave behind muddy patches of bare earth wherever the sun could reach. Slush and muck clung thick to his legs, almost up to his belly, but Perseus didn't mind in the least. With sunlight streaming down on his back the cold wind felt invigorating rather than irritating, so much so that he turn his head to face it and breathed in deep. The rich smells of summer had fled these lands months ago, but he could still appreciate what was left behind. Damp leaf litter in the midst of decay, churned mud, and pine sap snapped together in harmony. Somewhere up ahead was water, not just ice, and he intended to find it. Head high and tail streaming behind him like a standard, Percy picked up the pace until he caught sight of a silvery line peeking out between the trunks up ahead. A thin crust of ice held to the sand and rocks of the shore, cracked and broken in places where other creatures had also come to drink. Percy added his paw prints to the melee of deer hooves and raccoon hands that had preceded him, refreshing himself with water so cold it was almost painful to drink. Better than hot water, he decided, before shaking out his coat and heading off down the shore. A pair of loons eyed him suspiciously from farther out in the water, and he found himself envying their tolerance. Who knew how long it would be before he was brave enough to give his paws the wash they deserved? "What, you have wood for flippers or something?" He would swear the male shot him a glare before guiding the other farther yet from the shore. Percy snorted. "Wooden flippers and no manners. What a shame!" His eyes continued to wander over the landscape as he carried on without goal or direction, more than happy to just be moving forward. "Talk" "Listen" Think

It was all very exciting being out in the world. She always made sure to loop back to check in with her mother and siblings, but it was never really for long. Now that the shrine was behind her, and she had the freedom to really explore this great world that He created, she planned to seize the opportunity before they found a new place to settle.

She had seen trees that meshed together into a staircase, a deep and boggy swamp, and all the lands that stretched between. Growing up sheltered in the bamboo boughs, she never would have thought so much variety existed out there, just waiting to be seen.

Her kite flew ahead, circling over something ahead. She caught a whiff of water ahead and parted her lips, tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth for just a minute. Modesty offered her companion a smile, knowing he would catch it with his very keen eyesight. He always did look out for her, that one.

Fresh scents of other animals wafted to her as well, but she didn’t pay them much mind. She hadn’t really been taught to worry about strangers, and hadn’t had enough negative experiences to feel any fear yet either. Just a deep, burning curiosity.

She sated her thirst and then raised her head, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of movement. Weird, she thought to herself. She could have sworn that scent was a really fresh one. Maybe if she called out? Her tail began to wave before the words even left her lips. “Hello? Is someone out there?”

“Speech”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

Percy continued humming along to the forest's winter chorus as he walked, harmonizing with the rustling reeds and wind-lapped ripples where the water met the shore. To his ear he sounded pretty good, too! The loons kept a close eye on him, drifting in opposition of wherever he went but the bright man didn't mind. He had nearly completed his circuit of the lake when the wind shifted and brought with it a new scent, fresh and close. Apparently he wasn't the only one out enjoying the day. Ever curious Percy drew in, only making it a few paces before a clear voice called out a dozen and some yards away. "Hello? Is someone out there?" The scent had told him about as much, but it was good to have confirmation that this stranger was female and pretty young, so the odds of it being someone who wanted to stir shit were lowering by the second. Absolutely ideal. He angled himself closer to where he thought she'd called from and soon found himself facing a remarkably pelted wolf, blinking his surprise. At first glance he wouldn't have thought her out of place back home, something in her color palette and flecks stirred a warm nostalgia, but he quickly shook himself into better sense. His travels had shown him wolves of every shape, color and size, but Boreas still seemed to have more than its fair share. Percy shrugged off the coincidence and called back, "I'm a someone, I think." Percy moved to stand an easy distance away so she could clearly see him, as if it was hard to pick him out of the winter brush in the first place. Still seemed like good manners, though. He smiled and added, "I didn't know anyone else was roaming around out here! Are you from the area?" He wouldn't mind some tips on where he might head next if she had them, his only criteria being 'neat' and 'fun,' both of which had a wide range of definitions in his book. He gave the youngling a quick once over at closer range and was surprised to find her rivaling, or perhaps exceeding, his own large size despite looking barely more than a year old. What were they feeding pups around here? "I was just getting a feel for things while passing through. You're welcome to join if you'd enjoy some company for a while." Percy tossed out the offer with a shrug. It had been a while since he'd chatted with someone new, and the fact that this was a kid hardly detracted from his enthusiasm. If you asked him, younglings could be hysterical, and even if this one was a level-headed sort it still offered plenty of flavors an afternoon spent on his lonesome would lack. Just because he was getting older didn't mean he couldn't still keep it cool with the youths, right? "Talk" "Listen" Think

When a reply came, Modesty’s tail began to wave before her head whipped around. She found herself in stunned silence for a moment, her jaw dropping as she took in some that looked like… well, almost even, looked like her… Even her brother who had the same purple hues as she did carried far more black and white in his coat. Her shocked expression turned into a broad smile. How crazy was this?! She wasn’t the only one! “Wow! You’re really pretty!” She responded without much of a thought. It was true, after all, and like everyone she had met so far, he seemed pretty friendly too, which of course would only help.

When he asked if she was from the area, she shook her head in the negative, “I was born south of here, but my family are travelling at the moment.” She replied with a smile. It really was difficult to take her eyes off him, but she didn’t want to be rude and openly stare either. When he asked if she would like to explore with him, her toes began to dance excitedly in the grass, “Of course! I went exploring in a cave the other day with my friend, she’s a maned wolf and has looooong legs, but we forgot to take a torch, and I said we should have bought my sister cos at least she glows, all i got are these noisy quills, but she’s so lucky, I wish I could glow, then I wouldn’t have any trouble with caves! Do you think there are any caves around here?” She finally stopped for a breath, eyes wide and sparkling, her whole body wriggling with her enthusiasm, what way should they go first?

Oh but she was being rude again. She visibly flinched and her ears flicked back momentarily, “Oh right! I’m Modesty, you probably don’t wanna go exploring with a stranger after all.” Her smile was wide again and her tail continued to sweep wide archs at her back.

“Speech”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

The young girl's enthusiasm was catching, and before he knew it a permanent grin had curled its way onto Perseus' face. He did his level best to follow the tumble of words the poured out once she got going, and didn't do a half-bad job if he did say so himself. Traveling together with her family sounded nice, and he and his siblings had done much the same at about her age. However, he was particularly interested in that bit about a long-legged maned wolf with a knack for getting herself into interesting situations. Percy quickly sifted through his memories for the name, dusting away a bit of leftover frost, before casually tossing out, "Unless I'm mistaken, the very same wolf and I nearly became wolfscicles in a monstrous storm last winter. How is Jynn these days?" Maybe he'd have to track her down if she was still in the area. Percy saw the girl catch herself in something, but let it slide as she introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you Modesty! I'm Perseus, but Percy's fine. I'm not sure about any caves around here, but it just so happens that I also have been known to glow from time to time, so if we do find any we should be all set." He paused in his steps, letting his eyes drift up as he thought back. "Hm. Well, when I first started heading north I was skirting the mountains before I turned off. I'd bet it's all highlands and rockfields north and west as far as I can figure, but I mean to go find out. Perhaps we can just follow the lake's creekfeed that way, see if the mountains have washed down some treasures to be found." He cast his eyes sideways, hoping to catch the girl's reaction to the prospect of a treasure hunt. He certainly knew what his would have been at that age. And hey, who knows! Weird stuff washes up on banks all the time, maybe they'd get lucky. "Talk" "Listen" Think

Oh! He knew Jynn too! So he had to be a good wolf, right? The mutual acquaintance put the girl even more at ease as she confirmed, "Yeah! Jynn!" with a laugh, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before she saw the maned wolf again. When he mentioned he glowed too, the girl’s eyes grew wide, the thought even briefly crossed her mind that if he hadn’t been dead, could this guy have been her dad? She didn’t even have a name, so it’s not like she could ask if he’d ever had a brother, that died… and for the first time in her life there was a pang in her chest like something, somewhere was missing, and it hurt all the more knowing that she’d never find that missing piece.

But she didn’t want to be a sad sack when there was exploring to do! And at the mention of treasure she became animated again, "Ooo! Do you think there’s treasure around here? Maybe a pirate booty? Or even some pretty rocks?! Maybe I can find a present to take back for my brother or sister!" She skipped closer to Percy, offering a careful, companionable bump to his shoulder, being mindful to keep her quills relatively unbristled. Her hips swayed with the enthusiasm of her wagging tail and bumped against his for a moment before skipping past her new friend and towards the creekfeed like he suggested, sticking her nose in the mud and reeds at random, hoping to miraculously stumble across the secret lost treasure by chance.

"speech".

I saw you change into a goddess
Holy, devine in your power