Horizon

Soliel liked the den. It was where Mother and brother and sister were. But Soliel also liked outside. Outside was bright and exciting. He’d learned, last time, outside he could meet wolves like Briar who had lots of words for him and sometimes that was lots more fun than Nemean and Valerie.

He was really getting the hang of walking, now, and he swore he barely stumbled anymore! His eyes, on the other hand, still left things blurry and sometimes he had to press his face really close to things to get a good look at them, but he didn’t mind it. Most times, it just meant he had to snuggle close to whatever he was looking at and he liked snuggles.

Wiggling his little bum, Soliel catapulted himself from the den, giggling gleefully. “Bweeeeeeeeeeeee!” He sang in his excitement. Last time, she’d appeared when he’d called Mother, but he knew the word for her now, so maybe she would appear even faster. He even skidded to a clumsy little stop to peer ‘round at the trees, skinny little tail wagging away.

But it wasn’t Briar that caught his attention. Or something big and white at all.

There was something…dancing around over his head. Naturally, Soliel tipped his little head up and up and up until he could see it, fluttering gently, the strangest little dips and twirls in it’s movements. Soliel’s eyes widened, expression awed and amazed. “Oooooooo” Soliel murmured, absolutely enthralled.

Traveling became significantly easier once he’d found a dark little hole to crawl into, but rage napping his teenage angst away didn’t also relieve him of the painfully empty feeling in his gullet. What had Natasha said about wolves who couldn’t hunt? They died?

Right, well. Good fucking riddance, then.

Without even Nemesis to return to, he might as well have died. He’d only ever known one home in his entire life and there was no way he was ever going to go back there. Not when he knew they were the reason Nemesis was gone. If they’d never driven Eden away, he wouldn’t've had to go look for her. He wouldn’t've been wandering around a strange forest, completely and utterly alone.

Ironic, considering the scent of other wolves clung to every other goddamn tree and only got stronger the deeper in he shambled. His nose wrinkled in distaste. Damn packs. Damn forest.

Damn world.

A snarl slipped past his grit teeth without him realizing it. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Where the hell would he even go? He’d never been a particularly ambitious pup. Practically everything he’d ever did was for Nemesis. And now…

What was the point of trying to survive if he didn’t have anything to live for?

Attention rapt on the fluttering things above his head, Soliel was totally oblivious to the dark shape of a stranger. He’d forgotten, entirely, his reason for catapulting from the den in the first place.

But he didn’t mind, cause this creature was new and exciting and. Oh, gosh, could this be another friend!? Soliel let loose an excited little bark and fell into an unsteady play bow, eyes still watching the dips and twirls of the fluttering thing above his head. Come down! Play!

Today, Piper was hot on her sons heels as he left the den.

Okay, maybe just a pace or two behind. Long enough to make sure the other two were napping before trotting after Soliel.

Nemean might’ve made the most fuss popping out, but Soliel was by far the most active pup she’d ever had. And he was totally trying to run her old bones into the dirt before her time.

He was ahead, bouncing after what Piper assumed, from the distance, was a butterfly or other floating insect. The ebony woman loosed an easy bark of warning to him, calling him back to her in hopes that he might’ve at least learned his name by now.

“Soliel, come back here!”

They didnt even have to go back into the den, they just needed to stay close to it, you adventurous child! Her words tapered off with a chuckle as she continued closer to her wayward boy (cause lets be honest even if he knew his name, no spawn of Piper would possibly obey so easily).

He pulled to a stop when a high-pitched yip pierced the silence of the surrounding forest. His tail twitched, hovering level with his spine in preparation to curl that bad boy over his back if that voice belonged to some uppity brat who wanted to tell him off for overstepping their borders or whatever.

Sure enough, he managed to catch a flash of pale orange fur through the trees. Xan’s lip curled, after a minute of glaring, waiting for whoever was out there to confront him, he gradually began to realize that maybe wasn’t going to happen. Faintly curious though he’d never admit it, he slowly weaved his way closer.

The scent was wolf alright, but the little bundle frolicking through the forest sure didn’t look like any wolf he’d ever seen before. That was when he noticed a bigger, darker figure moving rapidly toward the tiny thing and stiffened.

Whatever the fluttering thing was, it paid Soliel no mind whatsoever. It kept right on fluttering about, even with his invitation to play, but it didn’t deter him. He just wagged his tail even harder at the thing, bounding a few steps after the haphazard path it seemed to be taking.

A few things happened in quick succession, then, and Soliel wasn’t sure which he should pay attention to. Mother’s voice called out after him, the fluttering thing drifted further into the trees, and Soliel’s gaze landed on a big dark shape.

At first, he thought it was Mother, but she’d called from somewhere behind him, and this shape was most definitely right in front of him. He let his gaze swing upwards, excited little trill escaping him and he stopped and danced in place, excited little paws unable to still.

This wasn’t Mother or Briar, or any other face he recognized! This one was new! He grinned a toothy little puppy grin at the dark shape, a happy little, “H’lo!” escaping before he swung his gaze to find Mother.

There was another, closeby. A dark frame, stiff in the distance. It was a younger boy, perhaps last years spawn, but Piper didn’t have it in her to play nice and let Soliel make friends today. Nor did she care if he was in the forest, really; if he caused problems, Freyar or Auberon would send him on her way; Piper threw a snarl of warning his way for good measure.

The queen swept forward with a displeased growl, using a forepaw to make a grab for her son and gently steer him back in the direction of the log.

“Soliel, you can’t just go running off and talking to strangers without me, okay? Its time to go home and find your siblings.”

(Ahhhhhh Ive been sitting here thinking it was Xans turn and I didnt even know he was inactive now Dx)

The big dark shape just stilled, stiff. Even Soliel’s blurry vision could pick up on the obvious unease the wolf’s body language radiated, and he hesitated, smile faltering for maybe the first time in literally ever.

It didn’t help that Mother closed the distance up between them with a very very unhappy sounding snarl, and Soliel’s eyes widened and lifted right for Mother’s face, even as she swept a paw out to corral him back towards the log.

He couldn’t recall Mother ever making a sound like that, and perhaps that little shock alone had him following the movement of her paw.

It didn’t stop him ping-ponging his eyes between mother and the dark shape he could still see in the trees, confusion building.

“Mum? Not fwend?” Everyone he’d met before was a friend, why was this wolf any different and why was Mother so angry? His little brows furrowed, pulling down over his eyes.

Soliel looked a little shocked at everything; he turned to her as soon as she was close enough, and Piper was glad to lower her head for him as she guided him away. She gave a gentle nuzzle to his cheek, breathing in his scent to calm her nerves. He was fine.

Fine enough to be curious, at least.

Piper was all to glad to confirm for him that no, not everybody he came across would be nice. Maybe he was still young, but hopefully he would get the idea.

“No, Soliel. Not everyone is a friend. One day, I’ll teach you to tell the difference, but until then, you must stay with me unless I’ve told you otherwise. I’ll always keep you safe, little one, but don’t ever approach someone you don’t know.”