Firesong gazed down at the bustling activity under his ekele from a fluff of cushions on his balcony. Underneath him, hertasi swarmed around, tearing down lamps and replacing them with their latest winter creations, which shone brilliantly in different shades of green, blue, and brown. Darian was strolling through the pathway hand in hand with Keisha, locked in a deep, and probably private, conversation.
Firesong gave a little, satisfied smile. Keisha and Darian had had a heated argument about a month ago, an argument that quickly led up to a full-scale fight. It was all quite complicated. Darian could see no point of Keisha going back to Errold's Grove, now that two fully trained healers had taken over her post. Keisha was thinking the same, but when her lover had come storming in, in a horrible mood because of some idiot causing trouble in the council, and demanded that she stop her visits, she had instantly retaliated. Maybe if she had been a little more patient with him, there wouldn't be an argument, Firesong contemplated. But Keisha was also a bit moody that day, and the little argument quickly scaled higher, ending with them absolutely refusing to talk to each other.
And that was when Silverfox and I saved the day. Meddling isn't meddling when it's for the right reason.or rather, the end justifies the means. Getting Darian feeling as guilty as it was possible for a human to feel wasn't that hard. He was naturally very sensible and knew that the fight was, basically, mostly his fault. Keisha was a little more difficult, but Firesong managed to coax Silverfox to work his magic.
And now look. They're the world's sweetest lovebirds all over again, Firesong gave a sardonic snicker as Darian leaned over to whisper something in his lover's ear.
"So, are we resorting to watching the love affairs of the younger generation for amusement?" Firesong swerved his head around to see Silverfox leaning on the balcony's doorframe and giving a small smile at him.
"Hardly," he retorted, "I was ju-"
His sentence dribbled to a halt as an owl's screech resonated from just outside the vale. Wintermoon! But why? We haven't had anything wrong since. . .ever!
Quickly, he sprinted down the stairs of his ekele, Silverfox at his heels. He heard Darian dashing to the outskirts not far ahead, and galloping hooves that could only mean that Shanti was nearby. Her mentor had been forced to return to the haven, as Valdemar had become short handed over the years, but Shandi had manage quite happilly on her own.
:Mind giving me a lift?: He mindspoke the dyheli hurriedly as he raced through the pathway.
A young stag gave the affirmative, pounding towards him at an incredibly swift pace. Without hesitation, Firesong swung aboard onto the spiny withers of his mount. The painfully spiny withers of his mount. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he hung on with absolute determination as the dyheli thundered towards the shrill screams of the owls.
It didn't take long on a sprinting dyheli, and Firesong soon saw what K'tathi was screeching about.
A young, girl lay, limp, on the forest bed. Wintermoon was nowhere in sight.