Evening had fallen but the full moon was so bright it lit up the entire Orchard and sent streams of silvery light down through the trees and onto the ground below. Álarr walked through the Orchard with a basket slung across his shoulders via a length leather cord. He was keen to take advantage of the sudden emergence of autumn. Or perhaps it was more that he wanted to take a look into it. HOw deep did these changes really go?

He did find some apples that seemed ripe for the picking and he sent Brynhildr up into the trees to assist. The white raven used her beak to peck at the stems of the apples til they fell to the ground. Álarr gathered a few and added them to his basket. How strange… the apples were ripe. Far riper than they should've been at this time. Continuing his walk through the orchard he gazed up at the leaves on the trees, their vibrant colors muted now in the evening light.

Valdís remembered walking through vast fields of green, shifting and changing in a strange and familiar dance, before a sudden mist fell over the land. It had grown thicker and thicker, making it more difficult to navigate by the second. Slowly a light began to cut through the mist and she found herself in a familiar Orchard with the light of the full moon guiding her steps along the forest path. This Orchard… ahhh, yes. This Orchard had been next to Fireside. But was she doing here? A familiar pale form shifted through the landscape. "Álarr!" She called out to him but he did not respond. Lifting a paw she swiped at the wolf, watching as her paw seemed to go right through him as if he wasn't really there. Curses. She expected as much. Her spirit was in the land of the living, where it ought not be. "Talk" "You" Think

It was apparently social hour for the living dead.  Were the ghosts that walked the land living dead?  He felt the land beneath his paws and he could feel and scent the world about him but Naiche had little more he could do than that.  What the hell was the line between living and dead anyway?  This was the second time he’d left somnium to be back in the mortal plane.  When Naiche was alive he had no desire to visit the land o the dead and yet now, it felt wrong to be here.  There had to be some natural rule being broken. Naiche had picked up on the rules of this game well enough.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to touch Mo to pay him back for what Mo had taken from him.  Admittedly, the dog hadn’t meant to take from Naiche but it had been what happened.  At this point, Naiche didn’t give a damn about intent and only the results. Walking along with no real planned location in mind Naiche found an interesting sight, at least interesting enough to quit his random roaming.  There was another wolf that was like him, dead.  His attention seemed to be on a wolf that was plucking apples.  How idiotic.  If a wolf wanted food it could go hunting. “Friend of yours?” Naiche asked with mild interest.  He moved past the two, looking behind him with the main focus being on the living. “Might as well have fun with it for now? Nothing else to entertain ourselves with."  Naiche grabbed a branch that had broken from the tree, tossing it in the air and watched it land a moment later.  A quirked brow at the ghost who was also present.  It wasn’t a large branch nor aimed at anyone, it was just to see the reaction of the living.  Branches don’t normally leap up off the ground after all. “Not sure about you but, I have nothing better to do.” So, if the living told stories and wondered about why ghosts would waste their time haunting other wolves Naiche had the answer.  Isn’t wasn’t necessarily a need for revenge or love or any type of silly emotion.  It was being stuck as a ghost and bored. "Naiche"

Álarr moved deeper into the Orchard noting that the plant life appeared as if it were in the thick of autumn. They were in a rhythm weeks ahead of schedule. His brow furrowed and he wished dearly that his father was here. If anyone had an explanation it would be Valentine but he didn't even know if his father was still alive. Alas he hadn't know his mother, not really, not beyond a shadow in a dream but he often imagined what she'd be like if she were alive and present with him now.

A shift in the breeze brought him to a halt as he had the sudden feeling that he wasn't alone. He glanced about and felt a chill run down his spine. Everything was quiet. All of a sudden a branch skittered across the ground. Álarr leapt back, fur on end. What in the hell? He immediately tried to reason that it was the wind but he knew in his heart it wasn't blowing strongly enough for that.

Valdís scowled at Álarr as he continued right past her. She turned to follow only to find another spirit. "A former pack mate, yes. Back when I was alive. I don't suppose you have any idea why we're here?" She certainly hoped this wasn't permanent. As nice as it was to be in the land of the living again she knew her son was far from these parts and she had no idea how to get to him swiftly. Further more her wife was waiting for her back in the other realms. She watched quietly as the other spirit was able to make a branch jump. She chuckled watching Álarr's reaction. "May as well, I don't much like being ignored. Let me try…". Rather than trying to fling a branch she focused all her energy on digging her claws into the dirt. At first there was little success but then she felt the familiar grip of the earth and she dragged her claws across it leaving shallow lines about a foot long. "Talk" "You" Think

Naiche watched the living wolf jump at his branch, smirking with mild amusement.  This was petty and pointless but so was being back on the land as a ghost.  He had no way to change or shape history yet he was walking through it unseen.  Why couldn’t it at least bring him back to his family?  Whatever caused this should let him be with his family but the golden wolf had no clue where that was. “No idea why.” Naiche shrugged his shoulders.  “This happened to me another time.  Perhaps you were around at the time when the land was staying dark and lots of plants and fireflies were glowing blue?  I got stuck to aimlessly wandering then as well.  At least I could be seen then, and speak to others.” Naiche smirked, “ever get told ghost stories as a pup and wonder why spirits would haunt the living?  No one ever suggested boredom.  Seems a reason to me though.” So this was a member of the pack she’d been in before?  Naiche tried to pick up an apple but shockingly that dumb thing was heavy and it just wavered.  Sneezing in indignation he grabbed an apple core that some other animal had apparently ate already.  Naiche started walking a circle around the living wolf, speaking out the side of his mouth, “Any concern with how much we spook her anyway?  Were you close?” "Naiche"

Álarr stepped cautiously around the stick, giving it a wide berth. He wasn't sure why since his mind was still insisting that it was just the wind but something about the air had changed. It was colder and it made his stomach churn on top of the foreboding sense that he was most definitely not alone.

He'd barely gone a few steps when suddenly lines were drawn in the dirt. He froze, watching in horror as the lines slowly appeared in front of him as if being dragged by claws. Ok, that, he had no explanation for and it made his fur stand straight up. The moment he saw an apple core start to hover off the ground he bolted. While the logical part of his mind wanted him to stay and examine what was going on he had lived through the long night and knew that curiosity could come with a cost. He wasn't going to press his luck this go around.

Valdís tried to think back, willing her mind to push through the fog and she could. indeed remember a night of endless darkness. She nodded. "Yes, I think I do but it's vague. I'm pretty sure I was alive back then." Apparently the wolf she was talking to had been dead for awhile. Last time apparently they were able to talk to others and be seen and she much preferred that idea to this strange existence. Valdís barked out a laugh as the man mentioned boredom as a cause of haunting and she nodded. "It never came up but it makes sense. In the stories I heard as a pup it was usually to deliver a message or to obtain vengeance but the spirits could be seen and heard." Far better for communication. If she could hold Álarr's attention long enough to draw on the ground maybe she could communicate but what would she even say? "We were packmates but not particularly close, spook away." Apparently they wouldn't get much of a chance for Naiche had barely started with the apple before Álarr bolted. "Ah… hm, I thought he was made of sterner stuff but I suppose if I had lived through the long night and saw such strange things I wouldn't be willing to risk much." "Talk" "You" Think