Whispers Waltz Around Our Dreams . . .

Losa wanted to keep the shadow-formed fae in her sights, wanted to discern her reason for approaching before continuing the conversation . . . but Ikuseghan’s efforts at repeating Losa’s name made the princess’s head swivel slowly around to stare in wonder. Her jaw might have dropped if years of stringent training hadn’t kept it locked in place. The pup’s ability to speak would have been impressive enough on its own, yet Losa saw Iku actively testing the syllables out, concentration and frustration clear on her young visage. Ikuseghan could not hear the proper pronunciation of the Arcus Irae’s title . . . and nevertheless she recognized something wrong with the way her vocal cords shaped the sounds, throat straining and lips stretching and tongue rolling behind her teeth with the same attentiveness a musician would give to an unfamiliar instrument. All she’d had to go on was the fleeting scene of Losa speaking her name. “LO-sa. LO-sa? You Losa?”

A painfully hopeful expression tugged at the fiery girl’s face. Losa glanced from the black wolfess to Iku and back again, obviously struck dumb with amazement. “I . . . yes. That’s exactly right. You said it perfectly.” The roseate dancer did not want to patronize the white-muzzled lass - didn’t want to belittle that simple accomplishment of saying a name and insult the bright child - and she racked her brains to figure out a way to express just how proud she felt. At last, she settled for a brilliant, genuine grin before nodding awkwardly at the third member of their gathering. “Well, there you have it. My name is Losa. And you said you were Emerie?”

So much for royal dignity. The swirl of lavender and pink hackles on her neck lifted slightly - not from aggression, but rather from the blush warming her flesh. She wagged her ombre banner and prepared to explain just where Dierne Hrof lay in the mountain chain . . . when a stubborn bundle pushed against her cobalt-gloved forelimbs. Losa’s fur spiked higher to reflect her deeper embarrassment; of course Iku would feel left out if she couldn’t see the pair of she-wolves speaking. The rainbow stepped back and attempted to angle her body so that she could face both Emerie and Ikuseghan, one front paw lifted from the ground as if she feared making another silly misstep. “The ocean is water. Big water.” Losa resorted to simpler words not because she thought Ikuseghan wasn’t smart enough to grasp the concept of an ocean, but because she had no solid idea of what words the pup did know. She’d hate to upset the flame-painted girl by mouthing entire sentences she couldn’t follow right away. “Bigger than this river. Bigger than the lake in Dierne Hrof.” Now the paw she held over the grass swept outward, physically describing the sheer vastness of Gen Seid. Her muzzle then crinkled as if she’d tasted something salty. “And you can’t drink it. Too much salt in the water. But it is beautiful . . . or so I’ve heard.” Mismatched eyes found the inky damsel again. She shrugged.

“Dierne Hrof is in the mountains, toward the north. Look for the dancing sky-lights, and you’re sure to get there. As for anywhere else in this land . . . I know as much as you, apparently. I know I need to travel toward the sea to find someone, but I have no clue what’s between the ocean and here.” Suddenly the Arcus Irae’s mouth clapped shut, her eyes going wide. Losa hadn’t meant to speak so much, hadn’t wanted to reveal her own ignorance to a perfect stranger like this. She felt her soul swell and writhe against is bounds, wanting to be poured out and free, and she had to swallow hard to regain composure. With a shaky breath, she glanced at both Iku and Emerie. “We’re as close to the wolf I want to find as we are to the pack. You’re welcome to join us, Emerie, if you wish . . . whether our trail winds back toward Dierne, or we continue to find my mystery varg.” It surprised her that she did not feel as driven to seek out the unknown Arcus Irae as she felt before; perhaps she wanted to show Emerie where she could find a home in this world, or maybe she dreaded the responsibility of looking after young Ikuseghan when everything she’d done since arriving in Blossom had ended in failure.

☽Arcus Irae Princess | Sister to Zawyne | Chained to Duma | Bound to Hurricane | xathira☾