[ P ] Faerie Hunting

“Hmmmmm…”

Her tongue clicked as her voice trailed off, eyebrows knitting as she peered into the gloom. Her night vision was often impeccable—something that was unsurprising given the sheer amount of time she spent awake at night. However, even she could not discern shapes in the shadows with the glare of the bonfire at her side. It was so bright that it cast everything else in an inky darkness so thick that she could have painted herself with it. Oily streaks would have washed away her ivory fur until she was just another shadow lost within the fold. Only, that seemed like a far-fetched dream. She seemed to glow in the evening light, her white fur taking on a pinkish hue as the fire’s reflection danced over her. She was a blank canvas, a satin garment.

And she felt as useless as those items.

”I was sure the faerie would be here,” Ara murmured before turning her head and glancing at Arthur. She had spoken so confidently about the black little fae that had stumbled into her den full of mischief and mayhem. Now, she had nothing to show for it. But… if he had been a son of the Fae—and of that she was certain—he would have been drawn to the torch light!

But instead she saw only children dressed in constumes and parents feasting on elk and boar.

@Arthur

The evening air was crisp and chilly. The thin man shook himself and ruffled his fur against the cold, hunching over a bit, much like a bird would do against the rain. With his wiry body and thin pelt, he was never meant for fall and winter. He looked forward to the blazing warmth that the bonfire was sure to provide.

He made his way along a path he knew well, and something round and bulbous swung to and fro, clenched between his jaws.

It was a very rudimentary jack-o-lantern: a large turnip with an ugly and crudely carved out face. Arthur and his father used to carve them, and he had done so alone this year. But he intended to give it to Ara as a Samhain gift.

He came upon the bonfire and stopped. A heartbeat seemed to take forever, and he found his lungs squeezed between that constricted heart. The dance of light and shadows, the crowds of wolves, the scent of smoke and distant frost; he hadn’t expected it to hit him so hard. He hadn’t expected to feel like this -- though he really should have.

This was the first Samheim without his family. Without his father.

He suddenly regretted inviting Ara. Suddenly, he wished he could just turn around and go home. This was a mistake. But it was too late. His eyes found Ara there where they had planned to meet, absolutely glowing in the light of the fire. The young man’s breath hitched briefly before he steeled himself, rolling his shoulders back. He approached her and did his best to offer her a smile through the forsaken jack-o-lantern. “I uh, made you this,” he said somewhat self-consciously.

----------------later---------------------------------------

“Hmmmmmm….” Ara’s voice drew his attention, causing his long ears to flick. She’d told him that she met a Fae in disguise, and that she thought they’d be able to find him here tonight. He was uncertain about her certainty, but he followed along and let his eyes flick along each individual gathered beside the fire. “I was sure the faerie would be here,” she said, and he felt her pale eyes turn on him. He felt somewhat hot beneath her stare and blinked down at her.

“I wouldn't be disappointed... honestly it’s not that surprising he wouldn’t make himself known again,” he attempted to console her, though he felt his cheeks burning. He felt stupid talking about the Fae as if they were definitely real -- even though he believed that they were. He knew that the Mainlanders, a lot of the Lowlanders, and even a few Highlanders believed the existence of the Fae to be childish and naive. He didn’t like to be viewed as either of those things, so he rarely admitted to his faith or his area of study and the purpose of it. It was partly the reason he’d been drawn to Ara -- she was so unapologetically convicted and outspoken about what she believed. He wanted to hear more about what she thought, which is why he’d invited her on impulse to Samhain.

“Maybe that was part of his trick, to have you hoping to find him again, and waste the whole evening.” Arthur suggested, glancing around at everyone again and finding no dark-pelted dark-eyed wolf. “I don’t think I’ve ever met one….” his voice trailed, and he found himself unhappily thinking of his father again, and his many stories about the Fae. “Though-- I think hummingbirds might be Fae,” he admitted suddenly, falling back to his studies and research for some stable ground. He remembered following a hummingbird to the Fae Forest and finding... well, perhaps he had met a Fae. “Have you noticed how different they are from other birds? They shine like jewels, and are so fast and can fly backwards and up and down and disappear so quickly-- like magic.” the words spilled out and again, he found his cheeks burning and he blinked down at Ara, hoping that she wouldn’t laugh at his hypothesis.

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@NAMEHERE

code + art by claerie

Arthur's invitation had come on a cold day, one marked by rain and wind. Ara had stumbled into class wet and tired, her fur drenched down to the bone. Lecture had been moved to an indoor room within one of the castles still standing inside the Arboretum's boundaries. Given that Ara did not live within the college, she had been one of the last to get the message and definitely the last to arrive.

Her thin patience, frayed nerves, and anxiety over having missed part of class had served as dry tinder for a spectacular fire. The professor had been kind enough upon her entry but steadily grew frustrated as she rose her paw to offer rebuttal after rebuttal about the mythos of the Fae.

Some points had been valid. Some had been a stretch. Ultimately, a sharp reprimand came and a barb about Ara's timeliness being out of fashion with her insistent need to try and "teach" the class. Reproachful and insulted, Ara had responded in like kind and had been asked to leave.

Some time after, she had found Arthur -- or perhaps it had been the other way around. Along with mention of warming tea in the infirmary of the College, so too had he brought up Samhain. It would be a great place to seek the Fae, intellectually of course. Ara had brightened at the thought (and taken his advice).

...

And now she cast him a sidelong glance. "That is fair... and I do suppose the torches are meant to keep the Fae at a distance. They follow the lights but avoid stepping too close." Her tongue clicked and she nodded slightly, brow furrowing as more thoughts and half-baked ideas stepped forward. Did they dare venture off the trails? Did they give up? Did they simply wait?

"Maybe that was part of his trick, to have you hoping to find him again, and waste the whole evening."

At this, Ara couldn't help but laugh. That did sound like her little Changeling.

A moment passed and then Arthur made his own confession, one that caused her brow to raise. Despite herself, a soft huff of incredulous laughter bubbled up from her lips. A slow smile was widening on her face and she leaned in. "Do tell," she urged, intrigued and amused. Warmth spread through her chest because, for once, she was on the other end of the conversation.

Someone was telling her something conventionally silly... and she loved it.

"Ah, I see!" Ara nodded as she listened. Although strange at first pass, he had a compelling argument. "You are right, they are very strange... even chickadees and owls are more similar to each other than to hummingbirds..." Her paw lifted to brush against her muzzle as she pondered. "That is a fabulous theory, actually."

It won her mark of approval.

"Tomorrow we shall find and study them in the Arboretum." It was decided.

"But..." Her paw lowered and she brushed it by the little turnip jack-o-lantern that Arthur had given her at the start of their evening. She had been so surprised to receive the gift but warmed by it all the same. He did have a way of shocking her with his unexpected kindness, and the jack-o-lantern was no different for it was a symbol of protection.

"For now, should we light this?" Her eyes sparkled with warmth. It had been so long since she had made a proper jack-o-lantern, let alone lit one! It was tricky business with sap and taking a lit stick and wedging it inside but she was willing to try.

Another method was to try and capture some lightning bugs inside. It was safer but... less effective given that they could fly out of the eyes or mouth.


@Arthur

code + art by claerie