I Love To Go Swimming With Bowlegged Women, And Swim Between Their Legs
Knight
Anatomist
It had taken a bit for Gossamer to get comfortable enough to step outside Armada territory again. She could still see that mad pirate in her dreams and a rush of pain and embarrassment always followed after. Nothing seemed to be going her way, but at least her injury was healing well. She knew it was going to scar but at least there were no signs of infection, simply deep red lines across her face, one above her eyes and one below.
Gossamer headed to the large river she'd visited a number of times, most recently at the yearling party. As she arrived so did nightfall. A chill settled over the land, causing a light shiver to dance down her spine. The moon was full and bright, bigger and brighter than she'd ever seen in her life. The stars were out as well but something seemed off about them. As she gazed out on the river where the moonlight made it look like a massive road of silver she spied dancing blue lights twinkling along the shore. It couldn't be… were those fireflies? Why were they blue?
Skadi spied the stranger and noted she appeared to be looking at the lights. While the lights may not have been unusual, other people noticing them was. Of course Skaid was intrigued. Besides her auntie she knew no one else with the gift. She had to investigate. "Do you seem them too? The lights?"
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Faith wanted to believe that the changes in the season were something to do with their ascension, a new generation of Abraxas (though they didn't call themselves that anymore) having reached their paws into godhood properly for the first time. It was almost comforting, the blue of the fireflies even felt a little like they were meant for her, she too glowed a soft blue at night after all. Tonight she was curious to see if they would lead her anywhere.
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Gossamer stood still, just watching the dancing lights. It was her first 'normal' winter and she couldn't quite decide if what she was seeing was typical or a sign of something abnormal. She was leaning toward the later. Gossamer's ears twitched at the sound of approaching paws and she turned to see a gorgeous girl approaching her. Gossamer was taken aback for a moment. The girl startlingly small in stature but perfect in her form. Like a goddess in miniature.
Gossamer jerked her head back to the lights. "Yea, I uh… I think they're fireflies but I don't know. I thought bugs went away in the winter." She glanced back at the other girl, whose coat was mystifying in a subtle way. The part of her in shadow was quite different from the part of her lit by the light of the full moon. That side of her pelt shifted noticeably to a lovely purple hue. "My name's Gossamer."
Out of the corner of her eye she saw another flash of blue but when she looked it was Faith. Her ears perked up at the familiar face and she grinned glancing at the glowing patches of fur on the other girls frame and trying not to stare too much. "Hey there, Faith. How are you? These fireflies relatives of yours?"
Fireflies? Skadi trotted over to the nearest light and squinted at it, her expression a thoughtful frown as she tried to pick out features. There did appear to be something solid in the middle but she wasn't willing to label the shape inside. Maybe her eyes weren't as sharp as the stranger's or maybe the stranger was making an assumption. It was hard to say without a closer look and really, Skadi wasn't sure of the wisdom in that. "They're supposed to go away in the winter, but it doesn't feel like a season where things are just gonna go like they're supposed to." Things had been weird lately, there was no denying that.
Another girl came onto the scene and Skadi regarded her curiously. She'd wondered if others could see the lights too? Implying that she saw things no one else did? Interesting, so there were other wolves out there like her and her aunt. She had lots of questions for the newest girl. Presumably she was learning about her ability from someone else but what exactly did that entail if it didn't include the will of the gods and the spinning of the fates?
"The name's Skadi." So Gossamer and Faith. Something Gossamer said finally registered and Skadi did a double take as she noticed Faith's glowing. Somewhere in the mix of introductions and fireflies she'd missed that but how? She didn't know what to do with that. And now she'd made it obvious she'd looked. Skadi frowned. She had no idea how to get back from that faux pas. Welp. "R-Relatives?" she stuttered in confusion.
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The small purple girl, she introduced herself as Skadi, was more notable than she'd first assumed, the color of her pelt seemed to shift slightly under the light of the unwaning moon. Stranger and somewhat mesmerizing in its own right. Her attention was pulled back to Gossamer however as a question was directed at her and she laughed, glancing at the lights as they danced around the three young women, some blinking out and others seeming to pop into existence out of nowhere. "Maybe." She said, even feeling brazen enough to flash a wink at the clearly confused Skadi. "God moves in mysterious ways, and not even I claim to know what he means in everything he does, at least not all the time."
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Gossamer sighed as Skadi spoke, making her feelings about the season known much to the dread of the Fatalis femme. "I was afraid you'd say that. I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to experience a 'normal' winter that the adults talk about or if there ever was a normal winter and they're just misremember like the elderly do." Granted her parents weren't that old but from her perspective they seemed almost ancient.
"Skadi? Wow, that's a neat name. Pretty but strong." A firefly flitted past her face and landed on a nearby blade of grass. Gossamer took a few steps toward it but before she could really look close the bug flew off. Faith spoke and Gossamer glanced at her funny. "Who moves what now? I think nature is just being weird again." She didn't really believe in gods or anything like that. Ghosts…. maybe.
She beamed when Gossamer complimented her name and for the first time really looked at the girl. Scar or no scar she was rather pretty. She was also, like Faith, rather tall, but everyone was taller than Skadi and most of her family was of a similar height so that fact didn't have quite the impact on her that it might have on others. "Ah, thanks, I am named for the jötunn and goddess of hunting and -oddly fitting, I think- winter."
Brazenly Skadi stepped closer to Gossamer when a firefly landed in front of her. She too scrutinized the insect - and it did look to be an insect after all - and her attention also turned to Faith after she spoke. Having only ever known a pantheon, Skadi was curious which one Faith was crediting for all of this season's peculiarities. "Which god?"
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Faith had to push down the way her stomach dropped a bit when she saw the way Gossamer looked at her. She remembered telling the other girl that her family had some specific belief and was a little saddened that it seemed she'd been right to keep her faith to herself. Her smile slid slightly, and the young woman took a few deep breaths, focusing on the painted heavens, and observed them as if willing something else to happen to redouble her faith before Skadi directed a question at her.
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