Here Comes The Sun [Nimue/Joining]

[Deleted]

The early morning found Sunny walking briskly through claimed lands, newly taken by a still-growing pack. She ignored the cold, which was simple enough since her winter coat had grown in nicely, snowy white with whispy gray and earth-colored markings. The fae could see her breath hanging delicately in the air. Was she doing the right thing? For such a confident wolf, Sunny was feeling uncertain, head carried conspicuously low. Instinct had always led her onward for a lifetime. It was determination tinged with misgivings that kept her pressing forward, perpetual motion and an undying curiosity for what waited just around the corner. It was the life she had embraced. But it had never been a choice before. Wandering was what she was born to do, and something that, presumably, she would die doing, as well.

But here she was, seeking one alpha or the other that Journey now claimed to follow. How could Journey make the decision to settle down? It seemed wrong, blasphemous even, but as Sunny thought about the situation, it began to make sense. No wolf could run forever. Sunny had never settled in one place before, never planted roots within one territory or pack. But to abandon one’s freedom, the one thing they had both fought so hard for, had nearly given their lives to maintain… Sunny knew that her old friend had changed in the months since they were separated.

The love she felt for her partner, however, had not changed, nor had the intensity of her feelings weakened in any way. She couldn’t convince herself that she still despised Journey for leaving her at the mercy of the vision pack that had abducted them both. Though Sunny had been upset to see Journey, it was easy and natural as breathing to fall back into old ways – sleeping nestled in beside her, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, having that one wolf who understood what Sunny was thinking without ever breathing a word. No. She did not intend to lose Journey again. It’s what wolves were supposed to do, wasn’t it? To build a sense of community, to live and grow as a unit? Her internal dialogue prattled on as she drifted forward, dainty paws carrying her further down the dusty path.

With her mind made up and without a comment to Journey about her decision, the she-wolf began to search for the famously large alphas that controlled Ananke. She suspected she would know them when she saw them. While Sunny was not a trained warrior, she had spent a lifetime fighting for her life. She had faced opponents that were inches taller and far heavier, and had survived them all. As she walked, she tried to push aside the acute knowledge that after this conversation, her entire life would be altered. In the end, she knew it would be worth it, even if it meant giving up everything that had shaped her entire existence.

She spied who she was looking for with relative ease up ahead, mottled coat shining in the morning light – after all, the alphas of Ananke were giants. To Sunny, they were freakish, but the fact that both were female helped to ease her concerns as she approached her. Her head lowered as she slipped closer, making no attempt to hide herself so that Nimue would be aware of her presence. Sunny wasn’t in the mood for fighting that day. ”Er, hello, you must be one of the alphas who is in charge of this area?” Normally, Sunny was not nervous in the presence of strangers, but she shifted uncomfortably on her paws when she stopped a fair distance from the enormous femme. ”Well, I’m looking to join your pack. My name is Sunny.”


words: 635
tag: Nimue

[Nimue]

It was a chilly, albeit still pleasant, morning that found the mottled Chieftan exploring the lands of her home, long strides leading her through the marsh. The damp earth squelched softly with each step, even damper than unusual from the last of autumn’s showers, though blessedly not flooded. Nimue navigated around the pools of murky water that dotted the expanse with ease, azure gaze sliding across the stretch of land before her. At last winter had descended upon them, the cool crispness of the air stirring weakly in the breeze. The sun was nestled between gray-tinged clouds somewhere far above her, shedding pale light upon the earth below. While winter was a nuisance for some, Nimue enjoyed it; she’d been graced with the thick pelt of her father, and so the frigid fingers of frost did not chill her to the bone as it did with some others.

She’d been picking her way across the territory for only moments when she became acutely aware of the presence of another. There was a gentle rustling of grass that suggested tiny footsteps, and after a moment she turned, expecting to see one of the familiar faces of her pack mates. Instead, however, Nimue was greeted by the sight of a stranger, a diminutive femme with a whorl of gray, creamy brown, and white for a pelt, and eyes that were a delicate shade of violet-blue. She stood a respectful distance from Nimue, and when she spoke, the Chieftan’s gentle smile widened just slightly.

”You’re correct – I’m Nimue,” she said. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sunny.” It was a cheerful name, as bright and vivid of the she-wolf’s gaze. It was not the first time Nimue had encountered a stranger seeking out a home who’d decided upon Ananke; it meant that word of them was spreading, and it was a fact that made her very blood seem to surge with pride. After a moment she stepped forward so that she was close enough to be heard comfortably, but still a respectful distance away – and it was then that Nimue smelled her. It was partially a unique scent, one that she had not encountered before – but there was another there, more familiar, clinging to Sunny like a second skin. It was unquestionably the scent of Journey, one of Ananke’s Crusaders. It was not unusual for the scent of another to cling to a wolf – friends and siblings especially. But this was different. It was not the barest whiff that suggested a brushing of shoulders; it was strong, prominent, the way her mother had smelled after spending nights enveloped by Goliath’s large frame. Nimue’s head tilted just a fraction, her words chosen carefully when she spoke.

”I would ask how you came to learn of Ananke, but it seems as if you’re familiar with Journey,” she said lightly, a gentle smile following. She was slightly confused on the matter, but Nimue would not push. ”Ananke has many roles to offer; what are you skilled with?”

TAG: @sunny
WORDS: 501