Proudly she traipsed through the fields, her paws lifted high with each step as she splashed through the river to the other side and toward the Aplos. She didn’t stop until she was in the middle of the grassy expanse between river and crags. There she stood with her tail arched high over her back, waving rather smugly in the warm breeze. Only then did she deposit her prize, careful only to release the grip of her powerful jaws when her two large front paws held it securely in place. With a smile tugging at her lips, crinkling the gold around her eyes, she tilted her crown back and released a pure alto note, a song for only one that she knew he would recognize and could only hope he was close enough to hear it.

Things had been tough for Rhaegal recently, having to deal with the loss of his home; though it had been her home too the loss was less for her than him. She had a touch of her mother’s wandering soul, perhaps more of a touch she realized as she had spent the last few seasons on her own with the mountain brothers. Her friend had been quiet as of late, especially after learning about the death of their old storyteller Sorcha. Bastille had fond feelings for their old bard as well; her stories were what had led to most of their adventures and dreams of grandeur. All she wanted now was to make him smile one more and if her plan today succeeded that would be just the case.

Her brilliant icy blue eyes scanned the horizon, alighting with excitement as she saw him appear on the horizon. She barked eagerly, careful not to remove her paws from her prize that was beginning to struggle under her hold. A rabbit she had caught for them to chase, the field the perfect area to play ‘catch’ with their quarry. She had gotten the idea from her mother, or more so the story of how her mother and father had met on a fateful day as she chased a rabbit herself, literally running into her father. She hoped he would be willing to play her game and forget Sorcha and the challenge his mother had placed upon their home once more if only for a time.