Giggles escape my lips as I dance about, a clumsy dance at best for my legs would seem to not yet be mine to master. Someday I will stride through the pack lands on long, sturdy legs, but today is not that day. Instead I flounce about, happy in my solitary play - for I am not really alone when I have my imagination to keep my company. My back had been turned when Vortigern had come crashing through the nearby bushing. The white tip of my tail was quick to tuck beneath my belly, nervous and suddenly shy that someone might have actually seen my graceless dancing. But as I timidly turned my lowered head to peek around towards the source of the noise, I spotted the black masked form of my brother. Vortigern! My tail relaxed once more as I bounded over towards him as he fell upon a cluster of light and proclaimed that he had caught one. I giggled once more and rushed to his side, calling out as I made my way, "Better be careful, Vort, that's Winnie the Warrior, she might bite back!" But when I reached him I jumped up to placed the black of my forepaws on the white of his shoulder, reaching forward to playfully nibble on his ear. After all, it wasn't like Winnie could actually defend herself.

I pushed off of him unceremoniously, stumbling but catching my balance before I turned to see Tzadkiel perched atop a nearby stump. Well, he wasn't so much perched atop it, rather sprawled out on his back instead. A tinkling, bell like giggle escaping me; all I could think of was one time when we'd all been curled up sleeping in the den and I'd woken to find Daddy in a rather similar position mid-sleep. He asked for the names of my imaginary friends as well, the makeshift constellations cast by the evening light. My tail wagged back and forth, happy that my serious brothers wanted to play in my games. I looked down at the cluster of light near my paws. "Well this is Pippa, she's a princess," I said, before flouncing off towards another gathering of light, but nothing looked the same as it had ten minutes ago and I pawed at the earth in questioning. "And this is...umm...Hanna the Healer. Or wait, maybe its Arianna the Alpha." In exasperation I promptly fell to the earth and rolled onto my back in a very similar position as to that which Tzadkiel displayed. I looked up at him and now he wasn't upside down anymore, we were the same and it was Vortigern and Astraea (who was greeting Tzadkiel at that very moment) there were upside down. "Oh I'm not really sure anymore, I guess they're leaving for the evening."

Even though the speckling of light had become longer casted shafts now, the dust that we stirred in our movements twinkled amongst them. As my sister came to join us I rolled onto my side, finding laying upside down nice for a moment but maybe not for so long. Tzadkiel must have had great focus to lay in such a way for as long as he had. A single ear flopped to the side as I righted myself, watching as Astraea and Vortigern danced about in the last shafts of light. Her musings about this being where stars went during the day made my tail thrum against the ground. "Maybe! Astraea, do you think that Arianna and Cassiopeia are friends?" Well, if Cassiopeia was a Queen and Arianna was an Alpha, it only made sense, right? I knew that Arianna wasn't real, that she was someone I'd only just made up today, but my sister and I often got caught up in fanciful stories; and what was the harm in that?

zero - zaphkiel x astrid - taviora