For as rambunctious as the girl could be, there were frequent moments where one could find her clammed up and off to the side. Such a time was tonight, during the Hallows Summer Bonfire Festival. After arriving with her siblings and listening to her father's speech, Bramble succumbed to the overwhelming feeling that made her chest feel heavy. It was almost hard to breathe. She felt dizzy and in need of a break as her ears folded back. Too much noise, too many scents, so... everything all at once. Dipping away from her siblings who didn't appear bothered at all by the crowded situation, Bramble's bright teal gaze looked for someone else. The thing was... Her brain always felt like it was moving a million miles a minute. Her ears never stopped moving, her nose always twitching, there was so much to take in and process all at once! And tonight too! So many new wolves to meet and so many wolves she already knew to talk to! Bramble wondered how her parents ever kept up with it. Would they be disappointed if she hung off to the side? Was she expected to be in the thick of it? Before she could dwell on the expectations of her parents, she saw Sota. He didn't look to be busy talking with anyone else. Bramble would change that! Her tail wagged happily as her growing gangly legs loped her over to the small man. "Sota! Do you want some company?" She called out as she approached him with a big smile. Nearly dancing on her toes, she hoped he wouldn't shoo her away. bramble carpathius

Even for the most social of wolves, the summer bonfire festival was proving to be a lot. Sota had no doubt his social battery would be fully drained by the end of it, but he wanted to savor the good vibes for as long as he could. Not wanting to linger too close to the fire for long, the small man found himself veering off to the side and taking in the view. And what a view it was! It was hard to not sit back and reflect on everything that had happened to get him here. It'd been such a grand journey and he knew it wasn't even close to being finished. Though he'd stepped away for a moment, he was always glad for some company. He found himself beaming at the Carpathius girl as she wandered up, his own tail wagging behind him, clearly quite pleased at being approached. "Bramble! I'd love some company," He lifted a paw and patted beside him, inviting her to come closer if she wanted. "You know what bonfires are good for? Telling stories," Sota suggested lightly, wondering if she'd be interested. His eyes gleamed with interest as he studied her, waiting.

As she watched him pat the grass beside him, inviting her over, her whole body practically wiggled. "Yay!" She chirped quietly as she nearly pounced into place beside him. Quickly sitting down so that she could look over at him, Bramble was more than happy to keep him company. She considered everyone her friend and loved getting to know everyone that belonged to the Hallows. Her lips would form a small 'o' as he asked her what bonfires were good for. Of course, she wouldn't know. This was her first one after all! Thankfully he would provide the answer. "I love stories!!" Bramble said excitedly as her tail thumped eagerly against the soft grass behind her. bramble carpathius

Sota had always enjoyed the company of children, even more so as he got older, and he was grateful to get to know the youngest Hallows members. His smile widened as Bramble settled in beside him, clearly just as excited by the prospect of his company as he was at hers. How lucky he was! "I love stories too," he agreed readily. What kind of story could he possibly tell her, though? Sota mulled over it for a minute, not wanting to leave her waiting for long. He knew how children were and knew it was likely she'd get bored if he didn't come up with something quickly. "Once upon a time there was a wolf - no, a whole group of wolves. They were tiny little wolves, some even smaller than any wolves you'd ever seen, even smaller than me! But they weren't just any wolves, they were wolves that lived in trees," he stressed, his eyes widening to accentuate the dramatic effect. Would she be intrigued by his story? He sure hoped so. "They were happy like that, living in their trees and seeing the world safely from above until one day they heard that someone had seen these big, giant wolves. Bigger than anything they'd ever seen before. They didn't know anything about these strangers and they were a little scared of them." What Bramble didn't know was that the story was about none other than himself. He couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia, slightly painful, as he remembered how things had been back then. So much had changed, all for the better, but he missed the wolves he'd grown up with - and most of all, Balsam. He'd never stop missing his childhood friend no matter how much time passed or distance might separate them now. "They stayed up in their trees, watching the giants and waiting.... until two of those wolves were brave enough to face them. They were scared, but they did it anyway. What d'you think happened to them?"

Bramble only had eyes for Sota as he turned to her. His story began with a group of really tiny wolves. Smaller than even him! Her eyes widened as he explained they lived in the trees. A small gasp left her lips as she was truly amazed. Had Sota really met a group of tiny tiny wolves that lived in the trees? She almost looked down at her sharp claws. There had been a few times she had wondered if she could climb trees, but hadn't been brave enough to do so. Then his story took a twist! Large wolves, so large that she couldn't even imagine it! Maybe like that bear she had seen in the grove! Another gasp left her as she raised a paw to her muzzle. Those poor little wolves! "I hope the bigger wolves weren't mean to them!" She squeaks as her wide eyes never leave Sota. "I bet they all become really good friends! The big wolves could give the little wolves rides on their backs!" Bramble giggles as she waits to hear the ending to Sota's story. bramble carpathius

Most of the time these days, his past felt far behind him. He'd known pack life and The Hallows now for longer than he'd known life back with the Songa. Reflecting on it tended to bring him more joy than anything, only intensified by Bramble's interest in his little tale. He let out a soft laugh as she engaged with it, intensely pleased that she was interested. Sota wondered if he ought to tell her it wasn't a story at all, but something that had really happened... albeit only slightly dramatized. "They weren't mean at all, though they expected them to be. In fact, they were just like any wolves they'd ever met before. Just bigger, but not much different otherwise." Meeting those wolves had changed his worldview entirely, and he was infinitely thankful for that. "And you're right, some of them did become good friends. It took a little while for the little wolves to trust the big ones, but they did eventually." If anything, Sota hoped Bramble got something out of his little story, even if it was the simplest of lessons - not to judge a book by its cover, as he had once done. "Even wolves that are very, very different from us are often just like us. Even if they're very big or very small, or have horns or big teeth, even if their fur is as bright as the sun." Though their differences, even the most drastic ones, were what made them unique, at the end of the day none of them really were all that different, at least not because of how they looked.

To Bramble, Sota was the wisest wolf she had ever met. Aside from her parents and grandparents, that was beside the point! Right here, right now, as they lounged beside the large bonfire, Bramble was captivated by his story. She would let out a little gasp when Sota said the small wolves expected them to be mean. She had never really met a mean wolf yet in her life, but there was time for that. Tempted to interrupt but having been chided for it recently, Bramble wiggled in place as she listened her very best to Sota's story. As he came to an end, Bramble let out another gasp. "Fur as bright as the sun?!" Her exclamation was paired with widened eyes as she looked over to the fire. "You mean like the bonfire my dad built tonight? That is so cool," she is amazed that wolves could have fur like that. "I have really sharp claws and I think I'm pretty big. I'm already bigger than some others!" She pauses with a frown. "Does that mean that some wolves might find me scary, Sota?" Bramble looks down as she lets her cat-like claws extend slightly. "I don't want them to think I'm scary..." She looks back at him with a worried look. "I promise I'm nice like the big wolves in your story! Maybe someday I can take you for rides! I mean... if that's something you would like," man she sure knew how to open her big mouth. Bramble Carpathius

There really was nowhere else Sota would rather be than right here, surrounded by the wolves he'd grown to know and love. They were all doing different things, some enjoying another bite of food while others socialized and others simply hung back and enjoyed the view. He particularly enjoyed getting to impart his wisdom on the youngest wolves in the pack, and even if they didn't take much from his words he was simply happy to spend time with them anyway. And it seemed like Bramble was at the very least enjoying his story. He nodded in confirmation. "Maybe not as bright, but close! Wolves - and other creatures, for that matter - come in all sorts of colors and sizes. Just like you - and who knows, you might even grow to be the biggest wolf in The Hallows someday!" Maybe not, too, considering how big some of the wolves here were... but it was absolutely a possibility. "It's possible some wolves might get scared of you because of that before they get to know you, but maybe those wolves just need to be taught not to judge someone before they get to know them. I think it'd be pretty cool to get to teach someone that, don't you?" He let out an amused laugh, not the least bit offended by her offer. "I wouldn't be opposed to that. I know I'm small, my legs do get tired sometimes, especially after trying to keep up with everyone here." Even if he didn't take her up on that offer it didn't hurt to entertain it and he wasn't bothered by it whatsoever.