Sleep came easily to Bronze most of the time, fortunately for him. Such serenity was expected though; he was under the care of two loving parents, alongside four other siblings. There was little in life to keep him tossing and turning at night, not when his focus was almost entirely on testing the limits of his freedom. He didn't know much about the world, let alone the pack they resided in - he just wanted to see more, more, more. Perhaps that was why when he finally fell into a deep sleep he found himself transported somewhere entirely new. This was not the world he'd grown accustomed to, but something different entirely. Snow and ice was gone, replaced with luscious green fields like he'd never seen before, stretched over an infinite expanse of rolling hills. The world was hazy, almost like it was coated in a permanent fog, but somehow the world still felt warm and bright even through the strange haziness. Bronze blinked slowly and made to begin walking, finding that instead he was hovering instead, floating up one hill and then down another, sinking into shadows as he drifted down into the thick green grass.

The world she had known for years was gone; her life had ended on the plane that had given her purpose. Before the shift, she had reflected upon all the blessings within her mortal time. Adventure...true love...children...grandchildren...great-grandchildren...such memories from her previous life created warmth within her chest, where her heart would have been if she had still kept it. The spirits of her ancestors had made sure she knew what it was like to have what she wanted and needed most, as well as humbling her when they were taken from her paws. By the time she had been taken to the world beyond, Silent had accepted her life as one filled with numerous paths that had led her to her final days with Bronze.

Years had passed since her death, of which had happened at the same time of her late husband. She remembered the transition as if it were yesterday (she always did): The day had been calm, their son had gone off to play. Her beloved and she were wrapped in each others' embrace, peaceful and content with just their simple breaths. In time, the day grew on, followed by their respirations coming to shallow intakes of air. Eyes had closed, their hearts slowed, and their last breaths left at the same time. They had passed together, their souls remaining connected as they moved on.

Silent looked back on that day fondly, though her desire to step back into the memory would not be present. Instead, she lightly pushed it away with a gentle paw, ebony against the light shining through the dreamy setting. She was on a hill, whose top had been cut and curved downward, cradling a small meadow of flowers of various colors and smells. Her senses were not as important to her now, but she still enjoyed the simple douse of lavender that graced her nostrils every now and again. When she felt a shift in the softly lit ambiance of her solitude, she only had to look up and see him approaching from a far off distance. Rising up and down the nearby hills, she smiled softly to herself and rose to greet him as his small frame appeared at the edge of the meadow.

"My boy," she softly greeted, tones warm and light as they left her ebony frame. Emerald green eyes lit up in recognition as she drank him in, his scent reaching her nose and explaining his current age and state of mind. "Oh, my son..." she said, black tail moving behind her in slow motion. "You have no idea how much your presence means to me..." She knew he would not recognize her, not at first. So, the ancestor patiently waited, ears perked forward and body remaining open for any physical contact.

This wasn't the world he knew but his mind was too pleasantly hazy to come to any conclusions about... well, anything. The air was lighter, the world both duller and warmer at the same time. He felt nothing except for the grass beneath his paws and the sun tickling his face; there was no ice, no cold, no bitter wind nipping beneath his coat. Just warmth. There was no effort exerted as he moved across the grass, though something appeared in the corner of his vision and captured his attention quickly. All around him were flowers, something he'd never really seen before, not living in the north. The smell was almost overwhelming, though his attention was on the woman who approached him.

Something was familiar about her, though he knew with certainty that she was a stranger. He'd only met a handful of wolves in his short life and she was definitely not among them. And yet.. something about her presence was not only familiar but comforting, and he moved to greet her, feeling somehow even lighter when he was within reaching distance of her. "You... are not my mother," he spoke quietly, feeling awed by her presence. She was older than he was, older than his parents even, older than anyone he'd ever met. He wore an expression of mild confusion, though he looked visibly interested nonetheless. "Who are you?" And where was this place? He thought to ask but decided against it, looking somewhat awed by her presence alone.

His disbelief in her words was noted in his gaze, but it was minor compared to the vast awe that made his eyes remain on her larger frame. She watched him with a gentle emerald gaze, quite similar to how it shined when she was still living. His voice was soft as he spoke, breaking the silence that was slowly beginning to stretch between them. You...are not my mother. Rather than be hurt by his observation, Silent just chuckled. Her laughter was a soft note of genuine warmth, creating notes of light blue and green to rise in the air and dance around her and Bronze's small frame. "That's right, my son," she confirmed, taking a couple of steps forward before adding, "I am much more than that."

The young boy's awe bonded with interest as he boldly asked the question that he had been thinking. Who are you? Silent's gaze mirrored a soft bout of sadness, mainly because he was not aware of who she was. She showed the sadness with a sigh, a single note that quickly evaporated when she started to speak. "I suppose I have been gone for too long for you to know who I am..." Within a matter of seconds, however, the sadness shifted into warmth once more and her smile returned. "I am your father's grandmother...and your grandfather Mercury's mother..." She watched him with interest, wondering if his father had told him and his siblings about their ancestry. "I am one of your ancestors, my sweet boy...I am Silent." Her ebony tail slowly wagged behind her as she took a couple of more steps towards Bronze, her aura radiating around her with a soft glow. "What is your name, young one?" Though she already knew who he was, she would not spook him so bad that he would not continue talking. After all, how often did you have your great-grandson cross your path?

Something about her presence was not only captivating but... completely comforting. He had an all-encompassing urge to curl up against her like he might his parents, which was strange as he barely knew her. He was a quiet boy, not quick to speak to strangers, let alone embrace them. But her emerald eyes were warm and her laughter echoed that same warmth. It radiated through him like the warm from the sparkling sun that filtered down hazily from above, or like the myriad of flowers that spread out across the field did. He found himself smiling, just slightly, quite a rare expression for the serious little boy.

She introduced herself as his father's grandmother. He cocked his head to the side and he considered. He didn't know much about his family beyond his brothers and sisters and his mother and father. It wasn't that his parents didn't want to teach them, he didn't believe that to be true, but life in the north - especially the last few seasons, he'd heard - was hard. Surviving took most of their focus. He knew his parents wanted them to grow strong and capable. They were being taught to hunt and to defend themselves, to survive against the elements; there wasn't much time for stories, not really.  

She moved closer and he reached up tall to touch his nose to hers. Her name was Silent. She was not Silent at all though; she seemed the type to always have the right words for everything, he could tell that right away. The thought made him giggle with amusement. "I'm Bronze. Bronze Destruction." He knew vaguely he'd been named after someone in his dad's family, maybe, but he didn't know the full story. There was so much he didn't know, and so much he was eager to learn. He didn't think to ask where he was, or how she'd found him, or how she was here at all if she was so old. Somehow that all seemed unimportant to him in the moment.

Silent's own history was quite uneventful as a child. She had been born to a single mother, whose own mother was a high ranked wolf within their pack. She had no other siblings and had learned to get along with the pups that were in her age range. Those earlier years were when she met her future husband, even though she was not aware. The years flew by after they admitted their loves for each other, leading to children, distance creating a wedge between their union, only to push them back together for more successful years as husband and wife. Now, as she watched Bronze's eyes fill with genuine curiosity and interest, she felt the love for him like she did when each of her children were born. So full of life and not even aware of the potential they had for their futures.

Bronze came closer to her, reaching up to touch her nose with his own. If she had been solid, the physical aspect of it would have carried more weight. Instead, it felt like a brush of a touch and Silent embraced it with a return of her own. She lowered her head to graze his forehead with her tongue, kissing him before wrapping her head around his little neck. The rest of her body followed and she pulled him towards her chest to create a hug with one ebony leg to wrap around his back and stomach. She poured as much love and happiness as she could into her embrace, causing her to softly sigh. "Bronze Destruction...such a wonderful name." A beat or two of silence, then: "You were named after your great-grandfather...my dear husband." She pulled back then, emerald eyes looking down to meet those of blue. His eyes were so familiar and made her feel naturally giddy with excitement. "I gave him my heart and he still takes care of it, even now..." Love for her husband rose within her words and she hoped that her great-grandson would understand such an emotion. If not, that was fine; time had people learn at different intervals within their lives.

So far his own young life hadn't been anything out of the ordinary. His siblings and his parents were immensely important to him though and he was just beginning to learn about the rest of Incendium, and just barely dipping his paws into the world that existed  beyond his small family. He knew in time his world would grow, and though he was eager for that to happen he knew rushing things did no good. Yet.. being here, in this strange dreamlike space, he felt like somehow he had moved into a different plane of existence entirely. He closed his eyes as she kissed his forehead, resisting the overwhelming urge to keep them closed and drift back to sleep, not that he was even sure he was awake.

She felt safe, entirely unlike how'd he feel embracing a stranger, and he wished for a moment he could stay wrapped up in her embrace for much longer. She commented on his name and earned a big smile from him in response. He knew he'd been named after someone but he didn't quite get the importance of his name until now. "What he was he like? My great-grandfather?" He asked, curious if he'd been named after him because his father thought he might be like him. He hoped he was strong and brave, like his parents; he already knew he'd be proud to be named after his great-grandfather somehow, despite knowing nothing about him.

The embrace was one that felt like it would last for ages. Silent would not have minded being in that moment for the rest of her great-grandson's days. She knew, however, that it would end up being a selfish decision on her part. When Bronze slowly pulled back to greet her eyes with his, she allowed him to and loosened her grip around his smaller frame. Curiosity twinkled in his bright gaze and she felt a sense of familiarity tingle between her and her descendent. It was a lovely feeling and it made her feel more at ease and connected to this young child. She hoped it would remain that way, even years from now.

Bronze asked what his great-grandfather was like; at first, all Silent could do was chuckle. "Where do I start?" she mused out loud. The thought of her beloved was one that held many emotions and memories for the spirit. Trying to choose where to begin was probably the biggest challenge she had to date. Silent made to stand, intending to walk a little ways, with the hope that Bronze would fall into step beside her. Once they were on their way, she answered his burning question. "Your great-grandfather, Bronze, was a miraculous man," she began, attempting to paint an honest picture of her husband. "He was quiet, smart, kind...and a protector." She smiled softly and her eyes looked as if she were looking far away. "He did not open himself up much to strangers, but rather observed them before placing trust in their company." Her black tail swayed behind her lithe frame. "Our union was unexpected, but it turned out to be the best thing the universe could have done for the two of us." Her gaze returned to the present and she looked at Bronze with an inquiring look. "What else would you like to know, my young Bronze?" she gently asked, happy excitement rolling off of her in small waves.

Part of him never wanted to leave this place, though he knew he couldn't stay forever. It was safe and warm; it reminded him of how he'd felt curled up close to his parents and siblings. Though this old wolf was a stranger at first, as soon as she'd explained she was family everything made sense. He couldn't doubt her either, he knew it was true with every fiber of his being. His blue eyes locked tightly onto hers, noting that somehow those pools of emerald seemed more full of knowledge than he could comprehend. He hoped someday he could know half of what she did, travel to half the places she surely had. He was certain that she'd probably seen the whole world, his mind too small to imagine just how large it really was.

His eyes widened as she explained what his namesake was like. Quiet, smart, kind. A protector. Little Bronze was definitely quiet, and he felt smart. Kind he was less sure about, but he definitely cared a lot about his family, and he did aspire to be a great protector. He felt his chest well with pride at the thought. "He does sound a little like me, I think," he observed quietly. Turning out like his great grandfather sounded like something to be proud of, not that he knew much. "I... I don't know," came his answer. It seemed like he could ask a million things, but all at once the questions were lost on him, floating away into the wisps of warm fog and clouds. "Do you have any advice? For growing up, I guess?" He wanted to be a protector like the Bronze she spoke of, someone who could keep his family safe against all odds, but he didn't know quite how to get there.