The family had traveled up to take part in the bonfire festivities and the roaring, strange green flames had immediately drawn Haydée’s attention. The pup had wanted to race up and touch the flames to see if they hurt like the normal orange ones but dad caught her before she could race away, reading her mind and giving her a loving (long) lecture about fires and the ouchies they cause. She nodded along until her eyes glazed over as he mentioned treatment of said ouchies but, luckily, he had released shortly after that.

Still, she wanted to at least go near the fire and mom offered her and her brother an option that would allow them do just that. Sitting next to her brother who is already pulling away from her in the height department, Haydée carefully turns over the small wooden crow, that her mom had given her to use, between her black paws. She remembers how afraid she had been when she almost fell from the tree. And how angry she had been when Corbin got hurt because of her. Glancing to Dorian, she says, “Dorian. Do you think, 'I want to be taller' is a good resolution?”

Yet, even as the words leave her mouth, Haydée knows that it isn’t good and she shakes her head, turning her emerald gaze back to wooden object. A small paw traces the curve of a wing, remembering how she felt when it turned to attack her, its wings flaring out as it charged. Softly, she mends her first resolution, “I don’t want be afraid again. Not like that. Not when my family needs me.” Swallowing around a lump in her throat, she looks to Dorian, waiting to see what he thinks and what his first resolution is.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Dorian was perhaps a little less daring when it came to wanting to run right up to the fire than Haydée was, but he couldn't deny that the green flames in front of them were strange and interesting. He nodded along with their father at the lecture he gave about fire safety and the injuries that could come from getting too close to the flames, trying to pay closer attention when he got to the parts about how he would have to treat said ouchies. Learning all of the things about healing still felt kinda daunting and overwhelming sometimes and it didn't really seem to mater how much he learned, there was always something else to figure out. He just wished he could be as good a healer as their father right away or at the very least that he was good enough to help keep their family healthy.

As they approached the flames, they were handed a couple of wooden trinkets, Haydée a wooden crow and him a wooden raccoon complete with their little fingers. He remembered seeing a raccoon at the pool near the base of their waterfall one time, washing off something it looked like it was wanting to eat, and thinking about how handy having little hands like that would be for the stuff he was learning from their dad. They were instructed to think of a resolution which felt like a daunting task and for a moment he just looked at the wooden figure in his paws, turning it over a couple of times.

Eventually Haydée spoke, musing first about wanting to be tall which made him chuckle a little. It was a good wish, but didn't really seem all that important in the long run. Without him having to tell her that she instead gave it a bit more thought and instead replaced it with not wanting to be afraid again when her family needed her. He smiled and leaned his shoulder into hers. "That's a better wish," he agreed before looking back down at his trinket. "And I... I want to learn faster so I can be the best healer ever for our family."

"Dorian Kedieo"

The small pup traces the outline of her crow, stating her resolution while imagining all the fear and helplessness that she had felt in that moment flowing into the wooden trinket. Dorian likes her wish and her emerald gaze moves to him offering an encouraging smile and listening ear as he talks about wanting learning faster and become the best healer. Haydée nods, catching her brother’s gaze. With deliberate movements, she lifts a tiny paw and places it to his on the wooden racoon. Her voice is soft but there is power underneath the words as she says, “I promise to help you achieve your dream Dorian. No matter what you need, I will be there to help.”

A smile is on her lips as their green gazes remained locked, a powerful bond forming in the silence that surrounds them. These are not empty promises that Haydée speaks but, instead, great promises that are freely given to her brother as she binds them together in more ways then one. She offers Dorian a warm grin before allowing her paw to drop away and move back to cradle her own wooden trinket as her eyes fall to the figure. Quietly, she ponders what other resolutions she might be able to add.

The green glow from the roaring fire throws shadows to dance around them and the girl feels a familiar twinge of pain behind her right eye as the fire’s gift from last time flares painfully in her head.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Dorian was looking down at the wooden raccoon in his paws when he saw his sister’s paw rest over it too, drawing his eyes up to her similarly green gaze. Her promise to help him achieve his dream pulled another grin across his lips, easily feeling how much she meant what she said. Keeping his gaze on hers he shifted one of his paws to rest it on top of hers and he gave her paw a gentle squeeze. “And I’ll always be here for you too. We’ll be brave together.” Dorian loved all of his siblings, but he knew that this would be an experience and a bond that he’d be able to share with Haydée forever. He was grateful to have her as his sister.

He let her paw move away and they went back to holding their individual trinkets, but he didn’t look away from her right away and he noticed the twinge that touched her expression as they lingered in the flickering fire light. His ears flicked with a bit of concern, but he didn’t want to worry her so he just smiled and tried to move along their time here instead. “I think we’re supposed to throw them in now to make our wish.”

"Dorian Kedieo"

The small girl loves her brother and the words she speaks are not mere thoughts of a young pup but a lifelong promise given from one sibling to another. Dorian puts one of his paws over her own, offering a gentle squeeze and the gesture brings a bright smile to Haydée lips while her tail wags a little faster. The words he offers has her smile growing as he offers to be brave together and she gives a sharp dip of her head in agreement as she states repeats the promise with grim determination, “Together.”

His paw falls away and Haydée allows her own to return to her crow trinket, her gaze returning to the object. The green flames cause the headaches that have plagued her since she built her straw wolf, to flare and she cannot help but wince at the building pain. Dorian’s words pull her attention away from the budding migraine and she nods, looking from him to the fire and down to her trinket. With one last look at her crow, the girl imagines the rest of her fears flowing into the wooden trinket.

Once done, her green gaze moves to the dancing flames and she has to fight to keep the pain that looking into them causes, off her face. Features set in a mask of determination, Haydée says, “No more fear” and cocks her arm back before tossing the wooden crow the short distance into the green flames. As it hits the fire, it causes them to grew and the girl’s migraine fully settles in, forcing her to turn away with a wince and she raises a paw to cover her eyes. As a sharp pain stabs into her right eye over and over, the pup can only hope that she can take a nap after this.


"Haydée Kedieo"

As Haydée acknowledged his direction to throw their offerings into the fire, Dorian looked down at the raccoon in his paws one more time as he thought about his family and the determination he had to learn everything there was to learn for them. Maybe he didn't have little hands like the raccoon to help him treat his family or make them medicines, but he could still be an excellent healer just like his dad and he could still take care of them when they got sick or hurt. Sure, it would be helpful to be more like this little raccoon, but then he wouldn't be who he was and he wouldn't have his family and siblings so he certainly didn't want that. He looked up again when Haydée gave one more wish for no fear before tossing the crow into the green flames. He smiled a bit and lifted the wooden raccoon, tossing it forward right after her, watching as the pair of figurines as they disappeared into the flames and caused the fire to flare even brighter around them.

He was smiling as he turned to look at Haydée again, but his expression faltered a bit when he noticed the pain on her features and how she was covering one of her eyes. His ears folded back with concern, but he kept a bit of a smile on his lips as he got up, lifting a paw to rest it on her shoulder to begin guiding her away from the fire. "Come on, I think there's a spot behind that rock over there that'll be nice and dark while we wait on the others." He didn't fully understand Haydée's headaches yet, but he could at least tell that the light was hurting her and he could at the very least get her away from the light. He walked over to the dark spot hidden away from the light of the flames and settled in with her, not regretting getting the chance to toss something in the fire, but hating that Haydée ended up with a headache because of it.

"Dorian Kedieo"