From Out of the Woods

The smile grows as the man’s face softly lights up with delight and her own tail softly swishes the grass behind her. Haydée had meant no ill-will with her laugh and Eltrys seems to understand that as the tension that had pulled at the muscles in his shoulders as the question had been posed, relax. As she explains about Ethne, it is easy for her to fall into the familiar rhythm of introducing her pack and any doubts and misgivings she had melt away as she confidently shares about her pack.

Her voice falls away, silence seeping in where her gentle, melodic tones had been mere seconds before. Emerald green eyes watch as Eltrys mulls over her words and Haydée gives him and space to digest everything without interrupting him. When his voice fills the space between them, his icy blue eyes have wandered away but the young woman listens with quiet understanding and head dips into a small nod as she remembers how woefully unprepared she had been when the reins of Ethne had been handed to her before she was even two.

Brows lift slightly as he shares about being raised to be a spiritual leader of his people and how he failed to acknowledge is own shortcomings and her features morph into sympathy as Haydée feels a sudden kinship with the earthen male. Head bow in understanding as she softly says, “I am sorry or your loss. If I ever stop owning my mistakes then I know I will have failed as a Leader.” The words are filled with unvoiced sorrow and weighted with the heavy burdens she has had to carry all by herself for so long.

Suddenly, the heaviness that had been slowly creeping in lifts as Eltrys states that he would like to join Ethne and Haydée is struck dumb for a moment. Eyes fill with delighted surprise as her turbulent thoughts screech to a halt in favor of giving the man more information. The smile reappears, growing in brilliance until she is practically beaming at him while she says, “Well, if you want to join, all you have to do is ask me or my mother, Bellamy! She is Co-Leader of Ethne right now.”

Front paws shift, almost tippy-tapping the ground with the Leader’s barely contained excitement while her voice remains calm and warm as she adds, “Also, if you would like to come and see Ethne before you decide to officially join, then I would be happy to lead you there now and give you a tour. As for the fawn, it would be greatly appreciated and I will see to it that it is broken down and that no part goes to waste."

Tail is swishing faster behind her now, almost a blur as the grass bows at its passing.  Finally, Haydée stands, beckoning for Eltrys to come with her as she prepares to show him the path back to where Ethne waits.


"Haydée Kedieo"