The rains have returned to lands of Auster and Fern takes comfort in the familiar pitter-patter it makes on the castle walls. Today the rain is gentle and the gray girl’s chores are done early so, she takes the opportunity to stretch her legs on the nearby ridge. Pale paws pick their way around the pits where ancient bones, stick up like jagged teeth. An air of quiet reverence follows Fern as she goes and she gives respect to the slumbering giants of the land. She crests the top of the ridge and Fern turns to look back toward the castle, admiring the way the sunlight filters through the clouds and seems to make the stone structure glow. A small smile is on her pale lips as she turns her blue eyes to sweep over the vast land, looking to see if there are any other wolves that might be enjoying the day like her.


"Fern Lark"

Sota hadn't intended to run into a fellow packmate all the way out here, but once a familiar scent piqued his interest he couldn't help but follow it. Fern was a wolf he'd had a few conversations with before - one in particular that had stuck with him, where they'd talked about how they'd ended up in The Hallows. he had no doubt she was fully settled in now and reaching out to see how she was faring, even if they weren't necessarily at home, sounded like as good an idea as any to him. Once he caught sight of her, walking along the top of the ridge, the small man picked up his pace to meet her. He'd move to pause nearby once he did catch up to her, greeting her with a wide smile. He didn't hesitate to give his characteristic sweeping bow, holding it for a moment before rising again, his tail wagging joyfully behind him. "Fern! A lovely day, isn't it?" Truthfuly it wasn't really the best weather he could think of but the rain was gentle and felt cleansing rather than bothersome, and so Sota was pleased. Overhead the sunlight was fighting to break free from the clouds even among the rain, streams filtering through the clouds as they slowly began to part.

Fern slowly walks along the ridge, admiring the day and beauty that lays around her. A small form catches her eye and her light blue gaze turns to find Sota making his way toward her. The gray woman’s tail wags happily behind her as he approaches. The small male already has a special place in her heart from the time they spent watching a meteor shower together. When Sota is near, his wide smile is returned with a large, warm one of her own.

His sweeping bow has her laughing happily and her tail picks up speed. His words have her smile growing and she says, “Sota! It is a lovely day! I am happy to see you. I was afraid I wouldn’t have a friend to share this beauty with.” Fern’s eyes sparkle with happiness and she steps forward, offering the smaller male a friendly head bump if he wanted.

Stepping back, she turns her light blue turn toward the open ground, where old, sun-bleached bones stick out like jagged teeth. Sadness pulls at the corners of her eyes as Fern wonders who these ancient bones belonged to and she softly muses, “This place has always intrigued me. I feel like these creatures, whatever they were, deserve more respect than we give them.”


"Fern Lark"

This wasn't a place Sota had ever really explored before but he was happy to spend some time doing it now, especially among familiar company. He shook a bit of rain from his head as he drew closer, careful as he walked along the edge of the ridge. He grins even wider at her greeting; Sota has always been a relatively easy wolf to please, fueled by the joy of those around him. When his packmates and friends are happy, so is he. "Well, I'm happy to join you," he admitted, his own tail's pace matching her own as it waved happily behind him. The sights here were quite unusual indeed. Maybe Fern was right - the thought of leaving a loved one out to the elements to decompose, their bones growing brittle from the sun's rays... it didn't settle well with him. Sota fought a small shudder as he turned to gaze at the exposed fossils. "You're probably right. I'm sure some would come here to study these bones but I don't think I'd feel right doing it myself." He'd always been a curious wolf but he wasn't really a scholar, not like that. Some of the the bones looked obvious what they might be from - nearby he saw a skull that belonged to a small rodent - but further off some sort of long bone that was partially shattered, was far less distinguishable. "Still, this place is quite lovely in its own right." But then again Sota had a habit of finding the beauty in everything, no matter how bleak. That was one of his strengths.

Sota’s presence is a happy distraction and Fern is glad that he agrees to join her. They talk of the bones and the gray woman feels a deep sadness tug at her heart as she looks at the sun-bleached remnants of creatures’ past. For a moment, she thinks of her mother, the gentle healer who never harmed anyone, and how she lays dead in some place far from here. Fern had been unable to bury Meadow, her paws too small and the trauma too fresh. So, her mother had been left to the elements, her bones slowly disappearing into the earth like these long dead creatures.

The small male’s words pull Fern from her dark thoughts and she mentally shakes herself as he is able to find the beauty in the darkness. A smile pulls at her lips as she nods, stopping to lift a paw and point toward the castle that is their home as she says, “I love this ridge best because, when the sun peeks through the clouds, it lights up the castle a gentle glow. It… it helps me remember where I came from and what I have now.” Her paw settles back on the ground as she looks to Sota, a warm smile on her lips.

Tragedy may have made up the first year of her life but here, in that castle, she found friends, family, and love. A content sigh rolls past her lips as she looks to the castle and the plains that surround it, thinking of how happy she is to have found her home.


"Fern Lark"

Sota couldn't help but take a moment to wonder where his own family might be these days. His parents hadn't been all that young when they'd had him and it wouldn't be much of a surprise if they were no longer around, a thought that didn't necessarily settle well with him but it wasn't like he hadn't thought of the possibility before. He hadn't reunited with any of his kin since he came to these lands. That life he'd been born into seemed so far removed from where he was now. Still, he hoped they were faring well if they were still around. His thoughts were somber but not unwelcome for such a day. Some days like today were simply suited for more serious moments of contemplation, and that didn't bother him. He tilted his head toward the castle in the distance and found himself grinning. It really was a lovely home they'd found. At first, when they'd moved across the Bifrost he hadn't been so sure about uprooting but now he knew the decision had been a good one. He could think of no place better to lay his head at night, and no better wolves to call his family. "That's a sight I'd like to see. Maybe once the rain stops we'll even see a rainbow." It'd be a much-welcomed sight; he could already practically see it now, arching high over the castle. He shook a few stray raindrops from his face, giving a little stretch of his forelimbs. "Walk me for a little bit longer? I'd like to get a better look around." They could walk along the top of the ridge and leave it mostly undisturbed while still getting a good look at the sun-bleached bones that were erupting from the soil everywhere they seemed to look.

Every time Sota appears, Fern cannot help but smile. Even in the simplest of acts, the small male seems to bring out happiness everywhere he goes. As she speaks of the way the sunlight makes the castle seem to glow and what it reminds her of, he speaks about wanting to seeing it. Then he mentions about maybe seeing a rainbow and the gray woman’s eyes light up with excitement as she says, “I would love to see a rainbow! My mother always said they were made to remind us that there is beauty even in the darkest times.”

Sota shakes a few stray raindrops from his face and Fern watches him stretch his forelimbs, just enjoying being in his presence. He asks if she will walk with him a bit longer and the gray wolf grins happily as she says, “Of course! It would be my pleasure.” Truly that is not an understatement and she quickly moves to follow his lead, ready to follow him to the ends of the earth; if he so wished.


"Fern Carpathius"