He left the rams in with the ewes as winter took hold o the land, there would be only one herd to deal with through the season. Lachlan saw to the animal’s day to day health, after he was given the lamb ram Ears, Lachlan fell in love with the sheep. Working with the animals was incredibly fulfilling, he was no expert and was learning clumsily, but he was passionate. The Spring lambs would show his true efforts though, and for now he had his work cut out for him in keeping the pregnant ewes happy and healthy.

Lachlan stood at the crest of a knoll in the knolls. Despite the snow the sheep could do much like the buffalo did here. They dug through the snow to get to the still tender shoots beneath. The red marked wolf watched the sheep as they grazed, there was food stored up for them in the barn and by the end of the day they would be eager to get back for their feed. This effort for food was not quite so sustainable, but the practice also helped to ration their stored supply. It was also a valid reason to keep the herds thinned. With the cold of winter it was easy to store the carcasses of last year's lambs in the barn.

His mind continued through the days list of chores to do as he watched over his sheep. Pale paws sunk into the snow as he paced over the ridge. There was always a list a mile long, but he felt at peace here looking over the flock.

Tyrian was wandering around the knolls minding his own business when he noticed something strange. He paused to watch the distant shape move and when it flashed purple again his ears shot forward. Well that was certainly worth investigating. The only creatures to look purple sometimes were in his family and they never did that at night by the light of the moon.

His eyes fell on Lachlan as he crept closer. His little shepherd likely had a better view from up there so Tyrian whisper-yelled as he climbed the knoll, “Hey, Lachlan, do you see that?” Whatever it was, it was small and likely not a bother to the sheep. And yet… Tyrian had a weird feeling. It just didn’t sit well with him.

When he wasn’t thinking about the sheep and all they needed of him, Lach’s mind often wandered to the handsome alpha of Fireside. They’d met by complete chance at that party that felt like a lifetime ago now, but it had completely changed the course of his life. Meeting Tyrian that night set him on the path he was meant to be on, he’d sent him towards this flock of sheep and a different life. It was all so much to think about, but Tyrian was without a doubt the catalyst that ignited this passion within him.

Lachlan was on edge that night, he wasn’t sure why. The moon was doing odd things, there was a tension in the air he couldn’t quite put his nose on. Something was out there, and Lachlan didn’t appreciate the threat to his sheep. His ivory tail swished at his hips with the nervous energy that was gathering within and he jumped when Tyrian’s voice reached his russet ears.

Had he seen that? Lachlan’s clear blue eyes scanned the surrounding areas again, but he hadn’t caught sight of anything out of the ordinary. ”I don’t see anything,” He whispered as Tyrian reached his side. ”I feel it though.” He continued, instinctively leaving against Tyr’s side for his support.

Tyrian reached over to press his lips to the top of Lachlan's head in greeting, but his eyes never left the place he'd seen the odd creature last. "It does feel like a night for things to go bad, doesn't it?" he murmured back. There was an odd feeling in the air that he couldn't quite put a foot on. Nothing was really amiss; there was no smell in the air, no clouds real or figurative on the horizon. There was just a feeling like all of creation was holding it breath and waiting. Watching, maybe. Watching what, though? What was he missing? "I think I saw a fox." The more he thought about it the more details started to knit themselves together. Tyrian hadn't seen a fox with any sort of certainty, but the movements and the general shape had been fox-like enough for a guess. He frowned, then admitted, "A purple fox. I think we ought to check it out. Make sure it doesn't have any purple cooties to give the sheep or something." ""

A blush wandered his features as Tyrian leaned close enough to offer a distracted kiss on Lachlan’s forehead. If there was anything in the world he enjoyed more than being a shepherd it was basking in the King’s affection. His heart jumped, but the feeling was tamped down from the situation ahead of them. The creepy mists and the tension in the air. The feeling like the next shoe was going to drop at any moment. Beyond the feeling the night brought there was no real clue as to the feelings they shared, but as Tyrian said it felt like something bad could happen tonight. ”It really does,” he returned softly as his pale shoulder leaned heavily against Tyrian.

”A fox?” He asked quietly, ”Purple fox?” He questioned further. There was a little chill that raced up his spine, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the atmosphere or just being so close to Tyrian. Thankfully a fox wasn’t a threat to full grown sheep, for the most part, and they had no new lambs to worry about. Still, if it thought it would make itself at home and wait for the lambs to start dropping in the spring they would be in trouble.

”Maybe we’d get premium prices if it turned the sheep purple.” He chuckled as he tried to cover his nervousness with humor.

As far as potentially threatening animals went foxes weren't exactly a huge deal, that was true. The 'glowing' part was what Tyrian was hung up on. It couldn't mean anything good. Just couldn't. Wolves came in all sorts of shapes, colors and mutations, but the only non wolf animal he could think of that had any sort of peculiarity to them at all was his own companion, Zahir. The snow leopard had elongated canine teeth same as him. Besides that he could think of no other and that (and probably the atmosphere) was why he was a little concerned about the fox. Perhaps there was some new festive strain of rabies floating around. He didn't know. "Maybe," he agreed, before teasing, "Or maybe it will turn them into vampires that hunt by the light of the moon. We don't know." Tyrian slunk down the knoll in the direction he'd seen the 'fox' last. After he got about halfway down, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He poked at Lachlan and murmured, "hey, look." Moving away from the sheep at a fast pace was some sort of glowing creature. It was not the one Tyrian had seen. This one was pale and seemed to almost blend into its surroundings. Had it not been for the glow it may very well have, as before his eyes the shape suddenly vanished. The hair on Tyrian's neck lifted. Holy shit. He growled lowly, "Oh, I don't like that one bit. Not one bit at all." A pause. "Come on." Without a word he began to walk towards the place the creature vanished. The sheep were his livelihood and Fireside was full of his people; he couldn't afford to just shrug his shoulders and let creepy things go uninvestigated. He reached the spot he thought he'd seen the creature last and dropped his nose to the ground. There was no scent anywhere. No tracks either. "Hm." Tyrian glanced at Lachlan and then his eyes were pulled away as another ghostly form appeared. It galloped down the side of the Knoll and then vanished. That time he was quite certain what he'd seen. "...Did that look like a coyote to you? I wonder if that was a pup I saw earlier," he mused aloud. ""

Lachlan

In a nearby tree two squirrels begin chittering angrily at each other. At closer inspection, it appears the acorn they are fighting over shimmers a vibrant purple where it catches the light. You also find 1 mushroom. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Tyrian

You get the sense that something is wrong. You also find 2 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…