The Day's Rest (2)

[Westering Holt]

The little grove that Longdusk and Windsoft had found was perfect for the tribe’s needs. Stormfire advised the other scouts and hunters that they could stop searching for a resting place, and start bringing in food for the tribe to eat. It wasn’t long before the entire tribe had returned and begun to settle in for the day.

Before resting, they gathered together to share the fruits of the hunt. Afterwards, some sought the river to bathe and clean while their plantshaper worked to provide a place for them to sleep. Some were tired, some were not; the night’s travel had not been particularly strenuous on the Wolfriders. But with the travel for the night done, they could relax and appease their social urges.

Moonslight was fading and the soft greyness of dawn was beginning to touch the sky.

[Anna]

Open to anyone to respond...


Sunsong looked at the denning site that Longdusk and Windsoft had found and nodded in satisfaction. This would do quite well! Now, how to make quick, temporary dens for her tribe? Shaping the trees into traditional dens wouldn’t do; it would take far, far too long for her to accomplish that. She’d still be working on it a moon from now!

She gazed upward in thought, and there found the solution. She smiled and settled to the ground, placing her hands gently on the true of the nearest tree. Singing softly, she closed her eyes and let her magic saturate the stiff, flexible texture of the wood. She joined her spirit to the green, growing things around her and showed it what she wanted, then guided the shaping. The rigid wood became soft and malleable to her spirit hands, and she shaped it like clay.

Branches widened, becoming flat platforms. Magic spilled from tree to tree until the entire, encircling grove shown with the faint, soft, glimmering light of plantshaper magic. Interwoven branches locked together, their smaller branches also flattening and widening. Higher, more slender branches shifted slightly, providing a shelter roof that kept sun and weather off those below.

Lastly, protuberances grew from the trunks of the trees. Flat topped steps encircling the trunks until the lower branches were reached. As the last step swelled gently out, Sunsong gasped and broke off her song, slumping to lie on the ground.

Mist ran to her side and turned her over. Fading moonslight glimmered on her pale skin. Dark shadows bruised her skin beneath her eyes, but her breathing was steady and her heart beat strong and sure. “Exhausted, again,” Mist assured Stormfire, lifting the plantshaper in his arms. He shook his head. “She always goes overboard. We could have treed on the branches without any shaping.”

Oakstaff laughed. “Like she’d let that happen, healer! It’s her goal to turn every stop into a holt.”

Mist shook his head and carried Sunsong to one of the shaped platforms. The plantshaper had thought of everything, he noticed. The platforms weren’t as flat as they looked, but gently cupped. Icemark followed him up, carrying a sleeping fur. The gatherer spread it on the platform and Mist gently laid Sunsong down.

“There’s enough room here for at least five more,” Icemark noted, looking over the platform. He smiled at Mist. “She does try to do the very minimum, at least. Seven of these will hold as all, easily.”

“I know,” Mist said, then shook his head. “But she still pushes herself farther than she should.”

Icemark placed a hand on Mist’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’re talking like a healer, not like a Wolfrider,” the other male murmured. “Would you do any different if your places were reversed?”

Mist chuckled. “No, and I’d scold anyone who tried to stop me. Let’s leave her to sleep. She’ll be well enough for now.”

The two climbed down from the tree and joined the rest of the Wolfriders, who were going about their tasks: cleaning up from the meal, mending weapons or clothing, bathing, or any number of other tasks.


((OOC: Anyone is welcome to curl up and share Sunsong's sleeping platform, but she's not gonna be moving from there til morning! ))

[Kris]

Stormfire watched, alternately worried and bemused as Mist worked on Sunsong. She always does this, the chieftess thought. Too much is never enough for her. She wants so much to make us as comfortable as she can, trying to rise to her own expectations . . .

The memory of her last encounter with Fernflower made Stormfire grimace. Fernflower had been so ungiving, so unloving with Sunsong, that she wondered how her friend hadn't been poisoned by it. Stormfire smoothed some of the hair away from Sunsong's brow and smiled. **Sleep well, my dear friend,** she sent, softly enough not to wake her.

She strode out of the camp and joined the others in preparing for rest. Just as she lifted a sleeping fur over her shoulder, Journey hurried over to grab several. "That's quite a load you're taking there, Journey," Stormfire said, feeling much more kindly towards her young friend than she had in days. He'd shown, by word and deed, that he was truly sorry for his actions, and for that he'd gained the tribe's forgiveness. Still, Stormfire couldn't help but wonder what was behind his sudden industriousness.

"Thought I'd help Nightsun set up a sleeping place," Journey said nonchalantly, and walked away.

"Wait . . . Nightsun?" Stormfire turned and hurried after Journey, hauling him up short with a hand clapped on his shoulder. *All right, Journey,* she sent, when he gave her a wide-eyed look that just missed perfect innocence by a wolf-length. *What are you doing with Nightsun?*

*Nothing,* Journey assured her, grinning. *Everyone knows Wingfoot's cloud-headed crazy for her. I don't poach.*

Stormfire snorted, but couldn't keep from grinning. *You don't poach, but you don't mind twisting a bear's tail once in a while, either,* she returned. *Whatever happens, Journey, it's on your head. So--why the interest in Nightsun?*

*Why not? She's beautiful, sweet, kind--and she knows more things than I've ever seen. I like to hear her tales, that's all.* Journey hoisted the load of furs to a more comfortable spot on his shoulder. *And who knows--she might have run across trolls this way before. Wouldn't it be something if--*

*Journey.*

A crestfallen face. *Aw, c'mon, Storm--*

*NO. You aren't going off by yourself to trade with trolls.*

Journey perked up, grinning. *But we will trade with them if we find them?*

Stormfire shook her head and gave him a mock glare. *Get out of here, you treasure-muzzled treewee! Out!*

As Journey went on his way, Whirlwind sidled up to Stormfire. "I knew you couldn't keep that one's spirits down long," she chuckled.

"Keeping Journey down would require a mountain. Maybe two."

"Have you seen him with Nightsun? They make a charming couple."

"I've seen. Wingfoot might decide he wants a Journey pelt to polish his weapons with."

"Or a Journey pelt for the bedfurs . . . "

"I don't think Wingfoot would feel that friendly if Journey managed to woo Nightsun away."

Whirlwind shrugged. "Well, at least that gives Tallspear a clear line to Softling . . ." She stopped as Stormfire glared at her in truth. "What?"

"Will you stop trying to pair everyone up?" Stormfire exclaimed. "When we've got a new holt, we can worry about all that then--and then it's nothing to worry about! Quit matchmaking!"

"Well, you've deprived me of having any fun, little sister--cozying up to that dry, frostbitten stick of a healer--"

"Just stop it, Whirlwind," Stormfire warned, and Whirlwind's eyes widened in astonishment at her tone. "You don't know what you're talking about, or you wouldn't say such things about Mist. Don't you have something you could do?"

Whirlwind's eyebrows rose to her hairline, but she reached down and picked up several supplies. "Any place you want these in particular?" she asked, her voice calm but lacking all laughter.

[Viola]

Lightgaze -> ?

Lightgaze had silently waited till Sunsong was done, and the place seemed comfy enough. She frowned as Sunsong collapsed, but Mist was there, so she figured he would take good care of her. The elder was tired, and secretly, she wished that they would stay here for a bit longer. It would at any case make her slightly more adjusted to the darkskinned newcomer. Lightgaze still didn't know what to think about Nightsun and her spirit-talking. She had more or less decided to avoid the newcomers, at least for now.

~*~

Firecat -> Shellslip

Firecat shook her head, poking Shellslip. "She does too much," she said, watching Sunsong collapse. A twinkle came in her eyes. "she shapes stairs, but instead she could've shaped roofs. Maybe it rains, and then we're all wet. Talking about wet... care to join me in the river? I want to sleep all cleaned up, if I can."

~*~

Longdusk -> ?

Feeling satisfied about finding the spot, Longdusk had inspected the construction Sunsong was shaping, but far before she finished up, he left to circle the surroundings. He wanted to make sure that they would be safe, even though he and Windsoft had scouted accordingly. He felt restless.

The revelation that Nightsun spoke to spirits, and to his deceased recognized in particular, had raised the urge to talk to her. Truthfully, though they shared the bond of recognition, he and Skylight hadn't been deeply in love, but they had respected each other, and their daughter Fleetfoot had meant the world to them both. And Longdusk had wondered, if Fleetfoot was near, as well...

[kita]

Silverfang sat and watched Sunsong shape the dens. He decided to kill some time and went to bathe himself. He went to the river and removed his clothing. The water was cold an Silverfang shivered as he stepped in. Starfire is still hunting, he thought to himself, She'll be gone for a while.

[Anna]

Windsoft to Longdusk, Silverfang, Shellslip, Firecat

Windsoft was more than ready for a refreshing dip in the water after the night's travel and slipping through bushes, trees, and groundcover. Miniscule seeds had fallen in her hair and clothes, and the night's condensation had turned the traildust into what felt like, to her, a sticky plaster. After eating and clearing away the debris of the meal, she headed for the river, altering her course as she spotted Silverfang already there.

She loosened the lacings of her dress and slipped out of it, then gave it a good, hard shake before setting it aside and discarding her ankleboots. "How's the water?" she asked the younger hunter, dipping a toe in. She shivered, then took a breath and walked straight in. "Firecat and Shellslip will be along," she said as she sank to her chin in the cold water. "I heard them talking as I passed them."

Windsoft looked around, wondering where her erstwhile partner had gone. Missing, and she wasn't surprised. She sighed. He never relaxed and Sunsong wasn't around to try to steal a smile from him. *Longdusk, my friend, we scouted thoroughly while we waited for the tribe to join us,* she sent, guessing what he was probably doing. *Come, bathe in the river and relax. Let others guard; you deserve some rest.* She added a light note of teasing. *Don't make me wake up Sunsong and send her after you!*



Mist to Stormfire

Mist had come down the tree in time to hear Whirlwind's comments and Stormfire's defense. His expression didn't change, but he felt himself flinch inside. Many of the tribe's younger generations held the same opinion of him that Whirlwind did, and he could only assume it was his friendship with Sureshot that had given Stormfire a differing opinion. He was a 'dry, frostbitten' healer, although he didn't truly think that 'stick' was an accurate description, to someone like Whirlwind. She was impetuous and wild, qualities that Mist could never allow in himself.

But Stormfire's defense worried him. Whirlwind was her sister, her best friend. He shouldn't be a cause of conflict between them, not when they still didn't know what they may be to each other.

**Stormfire,** he sent softly, staying in the background so Whirlwind wouldn't realize he'd overheard them. **There's no need to leap to my defense, especially when Whirlwind's opinion has some basis in fact. My hide isn't scratched, I promise you.** He infused his send with a feeling of faint amusement.


Nightsun to Journey, anyone else?

Nightsun cautiously mounted the steps the plantshaper had moulded from the wood, finding a platform large enough for her and several others. She would have sought a smaller one, sensing still the reserve Wingfoot's kin had for her. But she was not accustomed to darting like a bird amongst the higher limbs and her heart quivered at the thought of going higher yet. So she crossed to the far side of the cupped platform and knelt to remove her pack. While the Wolfriders ate their meat raw, she had yet to try it and had little desire to do so. Her travel rations would do her for some days yet, and she rather liked the bars of mixed berry, meat, nuts, and honey, mixed and pounded together.

The scuff of leather on wood announced an arrival, and Nightsun smiled as she watched young Journey step onto the platform and drop an armload of furs. She found him an eager, lively companion and enjoyed his wide-ranging curiosity and his open, inquisitive mind. He felt no reservations about her, and that soothed her heart.

"Kitling," she greeted him. "Have you not grown tired of my stories?"

[kita]

Silverfang to Windsoft

Silverfang looked to the other wolfrider that joined him. He smiled as he saw her reaction. "Well, as you found out, the water's pretty cold. If we had got here when the sun was still up, or when it just went down, it would be much nicer after a day of absorbing sunlight."

The soft breeze made Silverfang shiver, but brought along a whiff of Starfire's scent. *Over here,* he sent to his wolf friend. After a moment, Starfire showed up behind him. He smiled at the sight of his wolf-friend's blood stained muzzle. "I see you were able to find something to hunt. Did you bring some for the rest of us?" Starfire sent him an affirmation.

[peachbug]

Starpath gazed golden-eyed through the mass of branches unnaturally swirled around the magicked tree, where Sunsong was taking her rest. The plantshaper was the most ambitious elf he'd met, certainly, next to the Wolfrider's chieftess. Even Stormfire just expected a good holt. Sunsong wanted some sort of woodland Palace, not that he minded. Starpath was appreciative to have someone so thoughtful who barely thought behind the kindness of the the moment. That was definitely a Wolfrider trait he appreciated.

Grabbing a lower denning branch, he lifted himself to her level, observing the sleeping shaper. She looked drained of life, but for her breath and that incessant smile on her lips. Not intending to wake her, he sent. **Sunsong? Have you thought of what this new holt will look like? Can you show me?** After all, she would be its prime creator, from his understanding of Wolfrider ways, of their passing stories of a Father Tree. A Father Tree sounded a comforting thing.

[peachbug]

(OOC: LOL, Nightsun has those hiking Nutrigrain bars!)

Evenstar to Softling

Evenstar carried extra furs for bedding to the others cheerfully, humming, and offering as she went. Many were a little tired, and it was good to set up dens before the sun rose. She enjoyed the cooler weather they'd found here, but other Wolfriders preferred to be snugged like a winter bear. *Silent?* The tanner sent gently, unsure to interrupt. *Have you any sleeping furs yet?* As fantastically useful as he was, she worried he would distract himself with all the new things.

Softling trailed shortly behind Evenstar, losing her arms under a great furry mass, struggling to let them not drag. "Surely he can remember--" She mumbled aloud thoughtlessly.

"Oh hush!" Evenstar stuck out her tongue at the golden haired tracker. "I didn't say he couldn't. Just making sure he did!" She eyed the stack Softling carried with amusement. Softling hadn't given any of them to anyone yet. "And what did you plan for those? You don't seem too keen on letting them go, apparently. There are better ways to stay warm."

"No! I was...helping. Like you, I was going to give them to the...others." Her face was red like a berry. Evenstar laughed at Softling's great bundle as compared to her rapidly decreasing one.

"You have to actually offer them, cub. Otherwise, you're just prancing around under the fur of all these beasts without a Wolfrider having any clue what you're doing." Softling stared at the furs in her arms, tight-lipped. "What if I just carry them for you?" Softling said finally. She didn't know where to begin...

Evenstar sighed, and reached for the stack. "I'm sure there are other things to be done. Ask Windsoft or Longdusk. You're a hunter through and through, there are more things like that to help with." She offered an encouraging smile, and turned away.

Softling was left standing there, biting her lip, and trying not to look like a cub that'd been caught with her fist in a bees' nest. There was no point in trying to help the tanner, she managed well enough. All her efforts since the arrival of Nightsun and her brothers seemed childlike and annoying. There was no tracking needed right now, and the best she could do was to go take a bath or roll with the wolves for a while. Maybe not in that order.

--------------

Redthorn to Wingfoot

Redthorn admired Sunsong's work with crossed arms, nodding approval as she examined it. If only Sureshot had seen the potential of the maiden like this, even he would've had a hard time letting her go!

A ways away, she spotted Nightsun and Journey coversing at one of the lower den branches. The spirit speaking maiden certainly was a cheerful thing, like Sunsong in her joys, yet seeming heavy in memory. She hadn't asked the maiden's age yet, but she had a feeling it was more than a cub's turn of the seasons. Wingfoot had taken to her, a good thing for Nightsun and her brothers to have such a tie within the tribe. A good thing for Wingfoot, Redthorn considered, though maybe not for Longdusk and Lightgaze. The two had been tormented by the possibilities of the presence of their loved ones spirits since Nightsun had joined them. Their entire sense of the Now had been altered.

Redthorn had briefly considered the possibilities of Nightsun's ability, casting her thoughts back to a lifemate and cub very, very many years ago. If her cub and mate wanted to speak with her, it would apparently happen at the Father Tree, or where ever the High Ones dealt it to be, when they dealt it to be. She reminded herself of that, unwilling to show weakness when her loved ones felt the wear of the presence of spirits.

**Wingfoot?** She sent in amusement as Journey pursued his conversation with Nightsun. **You'll have to be really nipping tails to get this maiden to yourself...**

[Anna]

Sunsong to Starpath

Jul 5, 2009 19:22:06 GMT -6 peachbug said:

**Sunsong? Have you thought of what this new holt will look like? Can you show me?**

Sunsong stirred, rousing hazily from her sleep at the gentle sending. It took her a moment to recognize the feel of the mind brushing softly against hers, and she smiled as she opened her eyes the least little bit. **Starpath,** she acknowledged, welcome and friendly warmth in her send. She closed her eyes, too tired to keep them open, and snuggled into the sleeping fur. **I don't know what the new holt will look like yet. I have to see the place first. I could make this one lovely...** Images danced between them, of the ring of trees with thick trunks surrounded by wide branches, dark opening at the fork of branch and trunk... **Our holt, then one we left behind...it was more than just trees. It was home, a place where our parents were born, and their parents, and theirs before them.**

Sunsong sighed, but it was not an unhappy sigh, and her lips curved in a dreamy smile. **We will make a new home, new holt, and there we will be parents, and our cubs will be born. It will be perfect. We will make it so.** Fanciful imaginings of huge, sweeping trees, meadows full of flowers, and the light, joyous laughter of children entwined with the plantshaper's send. Imaginings of her tribe, with Starpath, Ashglow, and Nightsun included, played in her mind, sitting on the banks of a clear brooks, weaving flowers into circlets, tucking them into their hair, or splashing each other in the water. Sunsong imagined a future not far away and in her dreaming shared that hoped for time to come with him.