Sleep was evading her tonight.  It wasn't wholly unusual for Meadow to find herself sleepless, or only able to nap for a few hours at a time.  Usually she'd just climb down from bed and curl up next to the low-glowing fireplace in their room and read for a while.  Actually, that's where the girl had started tonight.  The latest book that she'd borrowed from the library was one about the stars, and the stories that lived among the constellations.  With the limited view from their bedroom window, Meadow couldn't see nearly enough of the stars she was reading about.  It was hard to see the patterns without seeing the entire sky laid out above her.   Bundling herself in her favorite blanket (a patchwork of rabbit skins, haphazardly held together in the perfect shape to wrap tightly around her shoulders) and grabbing the borrowed book, the girl slipped out into the crisp autumn night.  The castle was long asleep, a certain quiet filling the world around her.  The kind of quiet you couldn't get during the day.  It's now that she can walk the halls without the worry of open spaces around her.  Comforted by the sound of her own padding feet against the smooth stone beneath her.  Safe and at peace, as she slipped out onto one of the high outdoor walkways.   From here, the girl finds a comfortable seat.  She leafs carefully through the pages of the book before finding the star chart.  From here, she sets about choosing a star to orient herself.  From here, Meadow can feel the entire sky unlocking for her.  There were so many stories for it to tell, and she's happy to learn how to listen.   "Speech"

Sleep came easily to Sota msot nights, but tonight was a rare exception. Not that there was anything that was keeping him up, he just felt unusually awake, and after tossing and turning for a good while he decided sleep wasn't in the cards quite yet. That didn't bother him though, not when it meant he'd have some time to wander the castle halls in peace, and maybe even sit and look at the starry sky for awhile if a good walk around the castle didn't do the trick. The tiny wolf's pawsteps were quiet as he made his way down the hall. The silhouette of someone on one of the walkways caught his eye and he slowed, peeking out that way. It was one of the pack's pups, one he hadn't really gotten a chance to get to know yet. Scuffling his paws against the stone to alert the girl to his presence, he headed her way, noting the book between her paws. "Having trouble sleeping too?" he inquired, a soft smile painting his features.

Time had little meaning to her, and it didn't need to. Still, it was hard to say exactly how long she'd been out here on her own. She's comfortable in silence-- always has been. Probably always would be, if Meadow could venture that much. It was hard to know, then again, she's hard to know too. Settling down comfortably and reading her book by the brilliant light of the moon above. It's a pretty picture, and she's comfortable here. She's at home in this place, in this world-- even if it's a world that's not really made for her. That's okay. She'd hollowed out a comfortable place within it, at least for now. Sota comes to join her after some time. Meadow considers his question for only a moment before nodding. There was a bit of concern that he'd send her back off to bed, but maybe not. She pushes the book out in front of her, inviting him to come take a look too. There were all sorts of plants and animals painted within it, each elegantly splashed across the page in different poses. Though they all seemed to be from this climate, Meadow didn't recognize most of them. Flora and fauna beyond her wildest dreams. "Speech"

Though Sota was perfectly content with his own company, he'd never pass up some socialization, especially when it came to the youngest members of the pack. Children were the future, after all, and since he had no plans to have kids of his own he was glad to help teach them what they could, to help mold them into productive members of The Hallows. Meadow nodded in response to his question, and he moved to sit alongside her if she'd have him. Though she was young that didn't mean she didn't have the same amount of autonomy as he did, and the first sign he gave that she wasn't interested in his company he'd be quick to leave her alone. Leaning in slightly to get a better look at the book she tilted his way, he was quiet for a long while as he studied it. The stars were familiar to him, but their designs weren't really something he'd studied carefully before. He knew the sky looked the same every night, only sometimes things seemed to move across it... one night a star could be in one direction and the next, in another. He'd ever paid close enough attention to notice a pattern. "Do the stars interest you?" Sota asked thoughtfully, noting the various other things sketched out in the book, from plants to animals that even he had never seen before.

He was being really nice to her, that much wasn't lost on Meadow. Really, Sota could have just sent her back to bed, told her that it was too late to be up. Which, okay yes it was too late for her to be up, but it wasn't like she hadn't tried to sleep. Honest, she had. Instead, he simply comes to sit beside her, to take a look at the book that she'd been reading. There were stars scrawled across the page, and stories to go with them. Heck, she couldn't read all of the words in all of the stories, but she'd learn. She had to learn if she was going to write books just like this one. He asks if the stars were of interest. The girl gave a large, excited nod. She likes the stars very much. There was something enchanting about the way they flickered to life every night, like clockwork. Even when it was cloudy, they were still there. Meadow looked up at the man with an imploring glimmer, a question resting there. Was it about if he liked the stars? Maybe. More than that, it was about if he knew anything. She was going to soak up all the knowledge she could from anyone who would give her the time of day. "Speech"

Sota truly did have a soft spot for children, that much was undeniable. And even if Meadow might be breaking a bedtime rule, it wasn't hurting anyone, not really - so he was easily inclined to let it slide to get a little bit of quality time with her. If she was learning something, that was even more reason to not worry about it, since it wasn't like she was up causing trouble. He settled in and focused on the book, lifting a paw to hopefully rifle through the pages, if she allowed him. He assumed the book was hers though and wouldn't proceed if she seemed unwilling to share. "Ah!" He exclaimed softly, after a few long moments of searching. "This one here-" He found a page and gestured to the star there. He couldn't read the text, but he was certain what it was. "-this is the north star. All the other stars in the sky move, except for this one It will always guide you north, no matter where you are. My family taught us that so we'd always find our way home, if we ever got lost."