They Glow Like We Do

Saracyn had been too busy watching the fireflies to notice when his sister had joined him outside. It wasn't until her voice called out to him about his marking did he turn around to look at her. Huh, his marking? Confused blue eyes found Avacyn, and- whoa! Sara's mouth dropped open in awe to see his twin's identical facial marking glowing brighter than ever, looking as if a star had fallen to earth where she stood. "Whoa! Ava, your marking's really bright now too!" he exclaimed, examining her marking the same way she was doing to his. It was so bizarre! Their markings would always glow at night, but when they were in any sort of light, like sun or moonlight, the brightness dimmed, never intensified. This time, in the light of the massive blue full moon, Ava's patterns were as bright as a fragment of the moon itself!

"This is so cool!" whispered Saracyn with barely contained glee. A huge grin spread across his face; the adventurous boy loved exploring new mysteries, and this was one for the books! He was so glad he got to share it with his twin sister too; it made this moment feel all the more special. Ava noticed the fireflies when he pointed them out and her query reflected his own draw to the lightning bugs. "Yeah, I think we are." He shot Ava a roguish grin and nudged her with his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go check it out before Mom and Dad get back."

Saracyn led the way over to the faintly glowing ruins where the fireflies seemed to congregate, strobing with their cool-hued lights in a disco in midair. The closer he got, the brighter the lights seemed to get in response to his and Ava's presence. It was so weird yet so cool and Sara was fascinated with the fireflies. As one buzzed by his nose, Sara grinned and tried to snap it up in his jaws, but when he did the bug just dissipated into thin air. Saracyn blinked and furrowed his brow, befuddled by the lack of bug in his mouth, then looked up at the swarm of fireflies seeming to circle and sway lazily around him and Avacyn as if cocooning them in light. Swirls of blue and purple enveloped the pups, and the fireflies seemed to be strobing in time with the shifting glow of their markings.

An awed smile split the pup's face from ear to ear as he watched them, then slowly pushed his way out past them and into the ruins. He giggled as he bounced through the thin layer of snow on the ground and chased another firefly around the ruins, pausing only when he rounded one of the stones and saw their parents sitting snuggled together and staring at the moon. Sara gave a quiet gasp and scampered back behind the rock, peeking out around his cover to spy on them. Mom had pushed Dad onto the ground, and at first Saracyn thought maybe he was going to get to watch his parents spar again! But then Manea climbed over top of Alastor and he didn't try to throw her off, and Saracyn was confused. "Psst, Ava!" he called in a whisper to his sister, waving her over with a paw before going back to his spying. "What're Mom and Dad doing?"

"Saracyn Mendacium"