Spring had sprung and Océan was off on his very first solo mission. Maybe it wasn’t an official mission but that was what the yearling was going to call it. Ever since he met the Abaven warrior he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Yes, he could have spoken to a million and one warriors at home but she had been different. Motif was also unattainable. Knowing he couldn’t just go out and ask her questions was a little frustrating.

Now that he was a year old and had his freedom however, the young Ancora boy was ready to go. He wasn’t the greatest navigator, and as he crossed Winterfell’s borders on his own he realized that he didn’t actually know where Abaven was. He knew east and the sun rose in the east so he just started going east.

He didn’t realize when he started how difficult the trip would be. He wasn’t much of a hunter, he didn’t really know where he was going either. Océan was confident in his ability to return though, and so far he hadn’t had to backtrack. He avoided the mountains as best that he could, but he still made his way over the tall foothills. By the time he got anywhere near the Eastern pack he felt like he was going to collapse. With heaving breaths the boy lowered himself to the ground as evening began to give way to night. Maybe he’d find it in the morning.

She had always liked Firefly lake. Once, it had been only a hop and a skip from home to reach it, now it stood a decent hike from Abaven lands. She didn’t come out here as often as she would like. It was late evening when she finished her self-proposed border patrols, and found free time on her paws. She had spent much of her time training her body, training to defend herself and those she loved. She didn’t begrudge the work, but it wasn’t her passion. It was self-defence, and a way to regain control of her life. She wanted more from this world then clashing claws and teeth, hot sand beneath her paws, and blood in her nose. So she made her way to Firefly Lake, and sat to watch the falling sun. when the lake denisians came out to rejoice, and dance their fire across the water, she began to sing. At first, the fireflies stilled, uncertain by the noise. Their lights flickered, and Motif faulted. Then they began to dance, their movement an echo of her notes, and her confidence grew. With her confidence grew her volume, until her soft voice echoed across the darkening lake, the the fireflies danced. "Speech"

Océan wasn’t sure what he wanted in life, the boy had only just reached the yearling mark and he felt like he had no direction for himself. He wanted to follow in his parent’s pawsteps and he liked fighting for the most part. Mostly he just wanted to be near his mom. She was getting old and like his father he didn’t know how much more time he’d be allowed with her. Still, he could take a few days for his trip out to Abaven.

The boy was only just starting to get comfortable, the first few fireflies were emerging from their daytime naps and the whole land was quiet. He could almost hear the plants growing. A few splashes from the water told him the fish were hunting bugs at the surface. He perked his ears and searched the surface for them when he suddenly heard Motif’s voice.

His silver gaze searched for her form and found her across the lake’s surface on the other side. His attention focused on her easily as he found his feet. His tail wagged lightly behind him and his lips pulled up into an easy grin. Océan wasn’t sure that he’d ever heard someone sing like that and with no more hesitation the young man made his way closer to where she was.

Singing wasn’t something that he’d ever done before, and though he felt an urge to join her he didn’t know how, so without interrupting his tall form appeared through the foliage and sat in awe on the shore beside her.

She didn’t hear the sneaky approach of the young boy, she was watching the fireflies as she sang, and she watched as one little light-bug flittered down through the sky, closer, and closer. It’s jiz-jagged movements brought it closer to Ocean, and then it landed lightly on the boys nose, and Motif would see him. His silver eyes lit from the glow before them, and they were very much on her. Motif faulted, losing the strands of her song, hitting the last note off key, and falling into an awkward silence. With the spell broken, the fireflies scattered away to take their dancing further across the lake. Motif, still blushing, fought the urge to lower her eyes. Instead, she kept them on the boy, and tried to remember the feel of her sister's sass. “What are you looking at?” she asked sternly, but there was the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Speech"

He didn’t mean to be sneaky, he wasn’t particularly graceful yet. Even when he tried to be stealthy his too long legs liked to get in the way. Still, as Motif turned to watch the firefly and suddenly caught sight of him, Océan didn’t miss the surprise in her features when she realized he was there. Her laugh flitted over the lake like a joyous butterfly and the boy watched it disappear with the fireflies. He smiled and returned his silver gaze back to Motif’s bright blue eyes.

She met his gaze and he realized she was blushing,which in turn made him blush as well. ”Oh, uh..” Eloquently he answered her confrontation before realizing the smile that hinted at her dark lips. ”You?” He offered up almost apologetically. ”I’ve never heard anyone use their voice like that.” Océan prompted her. ”It was very pretty.”

The younger wolf seemed just as awkward as she was, and tried to find his words. When he explained he had been watching her - which she already knew - she offered an awkward laugh. She turned fully to him, leaving the lake at her side as she walked a couple steps closer. “It’s called singing” she supplied, as she looked more closely at the silver-eyed wolf. She realised she had met him before, but he had been only a pup then. He smelled like a yearling now. “Ocean, right? What brings you so far from home?” he was a Winterfell wolf, and there were tensions between their two packs these days. Not that Motif held any grudge, she didn’t know the Winterfell wolves well enough to be injured by their Alpha’s actions. "Speech"

The tension between them was mostly awkward, and Océan didn’t realize she hadn’t recognized him. He had been a little younger when they last met, and he was more filled out these days. His face was more man and less puppy, but he was still gangly. She told him that she was singing, and realized that she’d seen him before. Obviously she had made a much more lasting impression on him than he had her. At least she remembered his name if she hadn’t remembered what he looked like at first.

”Yeah,” he agreed with a smile. ”You’re Motif.” He returned confidently, not hinting how much his puppy brain had idolized her. She asked him why he was so far from home. He didn’t really understand or realize the tension between their packs, ”I.. I wanted to see you again.” His dark ears fell to his skull as he was suddenly ashamed of his reasoning.

"M-me?" She asked, so startled that she stammered over the words. The pup - yearling, now, had come all this way to see her? She rested on the earthen soil before him. The splash of a fish playing in the lake breaking the silence as she frowned thoughtfully at the boy before her. Her unusually long tail wrapped about her paws demurely. "Why did you want to see me again, Ocean?" She asked, trying to wrap her head around it. Trying to understand why anyone outside of family would seek her out. She was a little nobody, still on the verge of being broken. The pieces she had shoved back together had taken a long time to stick, and even then the crooked jigsaw didnt resemble the wolf she had once been.

The only people that loved her was her family, and those that knew her from before. No one new loved this Motif, this quiet girl who was slow to smile, and slower still to speak out of turn. But perhaps he didnt know this? She looked at the silver bou, as polished as starlight, eyes as bright as the distant suns. He was something knew, someone that didnt see her as broken.

She stammered a little as he confessed to coming to see her again, there was obvious surprise in her. Océan wasn’t though, she hardly remembered him how would she even conceive that he wanted to reunite with her. ”Y..yes.” He returned timidly in the silence as it settled over them lightly. She went on, questioning why it was he had come to find her after so much time. She almost seemed like she didn’t believe him. Why did he want to see her? Océan had been impressed with her that day, she was new and shiny and didn’t have the same opinions as the cold wolves in the north. Song was an okay teacher, but Motif was much more relatable. ”I.. I wanted to talk to you again.” He confessed softly, his dark ears pressing to his skull. He hadn’t expected to be confronted like this, but then again he hadn’t really thought his plan out fully. ”I wanted to be friends.” He told her bashfully.

He seemed just as shy as she was, but determined to make his point. That he wanted to see and talk to her again. She struggled to fathom why, but when his dark ears folded down and he confessed a desire to be friends. Well… how could she deny a request like that? They were of equal height, not that he was a yearling, and the light girl stepped a little closer, smiling at Ocean, at her friend. “We already are.” she promised him gently. It seemed somehow a lifetime ago that she was able to make friends as readily as breathing. So many of them, entered her life, and gone again. She did not know if she would ever see them again. It scared her, to expose her heart again, but strengthened her, too. She wanted to be Ocean’s friend. “Would you.. Would you like to come back to Abaven, and wait for me at the border? I’ve got something for you” "Speech"

His silver eyes returned to her bright blue ones but that didn't alleviate his bashfulness. She moved a little closer and the boy’s tail wagged lightly at his hips. She seemed a little more assured and he did as well when she told him that they were already friends. The yearling felt a weight lift off him and he felt light again. He grinned shyly at her promise as his tail wagged faster.

Océan had been on his way to Abaven already, happening on her here had been quite the lucky coincidence. He was tired, this was the longest trip of his life, but surely it wasn’t too far away. He had his second wind meeting up with his friend. That fact was only proved further as she mentioned having a gift waiting there for him. Dark ears perked and his silvery eyes sparkled, ”A gift?” He said with surprise as he hesitated. ”You don’t have to give me a gift, I didn’t.. I didn’t bring anything for you.” Océan murmured regretfully as his features fell slightly.

“You brought me friendship” Motif teased him gently, becoming more confident with the sweet boy the more they talked. She unwound her long tail from her paws, and lightly flicked it at him. It was long enough to reach him and drape across his own toes with ease. “I haven’t… I haven’t had a friend in a long time. It actually means a lot to me. So, can I get your gift?” she asked, her lack of confidence coming back to play in the uncertainty of her words, and the timid touch to her smile. She had the perfect something for him, and it would be just like old times. Continuing on her mother's legacy,and passing out feathers as a gesture of friendship. The thought made her heart ache something fierce. "Speech"

Motif teased him as he tried to tell her that he hadn’t brought her a gift at all, but maybe his eagerness for friendship was indeed a gift in and of itself. He didn’t particularly think it a gift, but maybe it was. He gifted his friendship to her, but all he wanted in return was the same. Océan shook his fur as she flicked her long tail at him. Maybe it wasn’t fair but as she went on, her timid nature showed through as much as his. ”I don’t have a real friend either,” he offered sadly and thoughtfully. She still wanted to give him a present and she was so sweet and wanted to so badly, ”Yeah. I’ll accept your gift.” Océan conceded with a pull at the corners of his dark lips. The boy got to his paws, a shy grin on his features, as he readied his tired body to follow Motif.

Motif’s smile grew, and she got back to her paws as well. Sending one last look across the lake, and the fireflies that coated the space, she glanced back to Ocean, who was clearly ready to go. The orange glow of the bugs lit his silver features, and he looked eager and excited, if shy, like she was. She turned to the direction of Abaven, and set out at an easy trott to return home. When she arrived at the border, she glanced at her friend. She knew better then to try and smuggle a Winterfell wolf across the borders. “I’ll be right back” she promised him, and trotted towards her den at a faster pace. She didn’t to leave him alone by the borders for too long. Even without crossing, it was possible trouble might brew. She knew a lot of Abaven wolves weren’t happy with what Acere had done. "Speech"

Océan smiled softly as his silvery gaze met her bright eyes once more time before she turned and led him towards Abaven. He wasn’t an excellent navigator, but he wouldn’t forget the path between their packs ever. The boy was definitely feeling the effects of the long journey by the time they reached Abaven’s well marked border. He nodded politely as she told him that she would return in just a moment and he watched her race off inside. He knew he wouldn’t be welcomed inside, but not knowing how long she would take the young wolf found himself lowering to the ground. He pulled his tail around himself and put his head on his paws as he awaited Motif’s return.

The young Destruction girl ran towards her den, and poked through the feathers. Her mother had started the collection, but Motif had added to it. It soothed her, to care for them, and to help it grow. This was one of her mother's little passions in life, and every time she sorted through them, she almost felt like Shaye was over her shoulder. Pushing apart the thought before her eyes could get misty, she grabbed out the feather that had been on her mind. A silver feather, with a little brush of light blue inside its center. It was perfect. Tucking it behind her own blue feather, the girl scampered back to the younger wolf. She found him resting by the border, and crouched down before him, pulling out the feather and tucking it behind his ear. “There, to remember our friendship by” she said softly. "Speech"

The yearling boy would never admit that he had fallen asleep there while he waited for her. Motif was quick in her task, but Océan was so tired. He drifted off without even realizing it, but he was light enough that the sound of pawsteps brought his silver gaze back open. Motif approached and Océan was sure it had only been moments since he watched her disappear into the packlands.

He didn’t get a chance to lift his dark features before the young woman placed the perfect feather behind his ear. The color matched his silvery gaze but held a streak of shimmering blue at the center. He marveled at it from the corner of his eye before beaming up to the long tailed she wolf. His own tail wagged slowly at his hipe, appreciation obvious on his curled form. ”I will never forget our friendship.” He promised with an uncharacteristically confident voice. He smiled too, ”Thank you. I really like it.”

As she admired the new feather attached to her friend, she noted the lines of exhaustion about him. She remembered just how far he had come - all the way from Winterfell, in one day. Searching for her, and still so young himself. He admired the feather, and she smiled at him. A little shy, and a lot happy. “I’m glad” she said. She then flopped onto the grass beside him, on the rogue side of the border. The idea of sleeping out here gave her the creeps, just a little. She couldn’t bring herself to call for Theory, she didn’t want to ruin this fragile thing building between herself and Ocean. Would Theory be upset? Would she see it as a betrayal? She could only hope not, but her confidence wasn’t what it use to be. "Speech"

He loved his gift, young Océan would keep it for himself forever. It complimented his fur and made his silvery eyes shine further despite his exhaustion. The boy grinned at Motif, and returned her shy smile as she spoke, I’m glad. He didn’t expect her to flop beside him, but after the initial surprise he felt more at ease. Like this was where their night was supposed to end, curled up next to one another. Océan wasn’t sure that he’d spent a night away from his mother yet, and being so far from home was unnerving. Having Motif beside him made him feel comfortable though, he felt at ease. Like he belonged even though nothing could be farther from the truth.

Innocently the tall boy snuggled in closer to his friend, he could feel the tension in her body. His silver marked tail wagged lightly at her rump as he smiled over at her. ”Wanna have a sleep over?” He asked softly, even though she was already next to him he wanted to be sure he’d have her beside him for a camp out.

She stiffened in surprise when she felt the boy close the distance between them. Heat infused her cheeks, despite the innocence of the moment. A boy, snuggling her, on the outskirts of the pack border? Whatever would her mother think. Oh, but how the thought hurt. Instead, she considered Rhyme, awkward, yet stern, as he perhaps tried to give her the talk, and killed them both with embarrassment, the image teased out the smile thoughts of her mother had chased away. After a moment, she relaxed bringing her very long tail around to offer as a comfy cushion for her friend. Something she sometimes did herself. It was easily long enough to prop under her chin. “There's nothing I want more” she whispered back. She was going to have to talk to Theory tomorrow, and see what she thought of Motif making friends with a Winterfell wolf. She couldn’t hurt her sister, and nor did she want to give up this friendship. "Speech"