Moonlight on the Cliff [Skyfire]

There. It clicked visibly, and the glowing, shimmering Spirit watched patiently as Skyfire actually heard the meaning, and thought about what she truly wanted. She didn’t speak, instead letting the girl work through her words and explanation.

The answer was met with a soft nod, this time of approval. Perhaps one day, the girl would make a fine Queen. There were many, many moons of polish that had to be undertaken to remove the rough edges and show the gold beneath. The arrogance of the young and highborn would need to be ground away, tumbled in the sand of reality as it truly was.

Her own shoulders were marked by the scars of the bears she’d fought against to ensure that they would only ever cross Valhallan borders as stacks of meat, claws, bones and furs instead of a rampaging grizzly after the sheep or her pack-members.

She listened to Skyfire’s tales of her upbringing, an occasional smile tugging at her lips. Loshir has been a near-constant shadow at her side since he’d become her guardian. It was a welcome presence for the most part.

“In my blood family’s culture, it is common for the men to be brought up wit the instinct to cherish and protect the women of our family. They can get stubborn about it. There is some matriarchy to our culture, however, should I have children, and my firstborn is a son, then he will take my place as Spirit one day, unless he chooses otherwise. As my father was Archangel before me. I changed the ranks of my pack in my first spring as alpha.”

She tipped her head, nodding to her shoulders, rolling each so the fur parted and bared the dark skin of her scarring, the places where the fur hadn’t grown back. Oddly, the places that it had, the fur had remained white and shimmering, rather than coming in as a bristly black.

“I have fought creatures larger and more vicious than myself for the safety of my pack. I suppose I ought to take more care with myself, as I have no children as yet. But often, larger predators will give no quarter, and no other option but to eliminate them.”

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think