Butterfly Eyes

The days were winding into a torrent, their mind nothing but a labyrinth instead of the vast free oceans they were used to but in the wake of hearing of many escaping the clutches of the South, there had been a new uplift of hope in the creature's heart. Instead of hiding in the dense forests of Perth, they had finally slithered out to taste the air once more, eager to possibly see any faces they missed. They had admittedly grown restless, unable to keep still but even if that was their initial goal, it had shifted a bit the further they slipped into territories they knew like the back of their paw. The lush woodlands of poisons are far more familiar than the colder humid ones of pine with far harsher smells, though that was in part because they were more built for waters than the harsh colds. They would turn their head back toward the northern territories, tail swaying as they watched Brann for a moment, ocean eyes like saucers as they were still surprised he had come along. It was their sister they were looking for, knowing the trophy hunter would often hunt here in a place some may deem forbidden to kill on as sacred land while others seemed to find this a land of sacrifice for the same reason. There had been many times a paw would clip onto a skull of another canine here; the place gave them just as much chills as it did excitement, it felt like the fantasies they once believed they were part of as a child. But there was a secret reason they had chosen to come here; one they had not announced to the male in tow and that was that it was the perfect time to make their promise come true. The closer to the border of the Lowlands, the more likely they would come across something else they were looking for. There were a plethora of bugs already decorating the crisp morning air before the sun yet rose; gnats and most importantly fireflies as they danced along the wisterias like ornaments. “Isn’t it pretty, Branny?” they whispered, walking into the long purple tendrils, causing some to flicker high into the sky. “Like fallen stars! I’ve never seen so many.”

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@Brann
Note to self, takes place before I Need You thread with Casp

Brann had come to the Fae Forest time and time before — in seeking the Fae for questions, for answers that he knew resided somewhere within himself. Now, it was a little different. While they sought out answers, the duo did not seek the Fae. No, they sought something — someone — a little more moral, a little less ethereal. Cory’s sister. They had searched high and low for the woman, a hope that they would stumble across others that had fled from the Southron territories.

The man kept his paw steps light, careful not to tread upon the skulls of others that had been lost here, that had been consumed and taken from their mortal furs by the Fae that lurked here. As generous as the Fae were, they were dangerous, taking others as they saw fit. What they did with them, Brann did not know… he did not wish to think about it, in truth.

His two-tone eyes lifted from the ground as he spied Cory glance back at him. His gaze lingered on them for a moment, before drifting to the side, caught by a floating light. He blinked a few times in surprise, his ears angled forward slightly. His ears quivered slightly as Cory spoke, drawing his attention back to their black and white markings.

“Isn’t it pretty, Branny?” Their words floated through the air like the fireflies he’d never taken the time to notice before, floating amongst the wisteria leaves. He allowed his gaze to travel again, nodding slowly. “Like fallen stars! I’ve never seen so many.” Brann watched as they walked into the trailing wisteria branches, vanishing into the shadows within. Brann followed, a bit more apprehensive of accidentally crossing into another world — it wasn’t impossible here, or so he thought at least.

“It’s very pretty,” Brann said quietly, coming to stand beside Cory. “The little fae bugs.” He chuckled softly, watching as one of the bugs found purchase upon his nose. He lifted a paw, letting it crawl onto it. He pulled his paw away from his face, looking at it carefully. It was a tiny creature, that flickered on and off like a twinling star upon the tip of his claw. He watched as the bug flicked its wings open, and floated off, silent in the quiet breeze that shifted the trailing branches around them. Brann moved closer to a tree trunk, sitting down slowly. He patted the ground beside him with a paw, hoping Cory might join him in taking a moment to simply watch.


@Cordelia

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They always enjoyed the smell of wisteria blooms, finding the flowers gorgeous despite them being a substance a wolf shouldn’t eat; even they knew that much. Beauty was often a sign of danger, bright colors a warning sign and yet to decipher which were truly dangerous was learned often by accident if not passed on from generation to generation. It was only because of the town elders that Cory knew anything of the sort, despite not often listening to them all that well, it would stick like a tack in their mind as if having learned it in their sleep with no recollection of ever hearing it. The purple flowers would tumble around them like a stunning picture frame but they would not find their company with them immediately, causing them to pause within the violet nature designed room to look away from the little bugs to glance behind to where he had last been. “They don’t bite!” they whisper yelled, thinking maybe he was afraid to enter. The wait was confusing but soon they would see those earthen hues break past the vibrancy, the faintest smile on their lips to see him, now the one in the flower frame. The purples went well with his pelt but his eyes stood out against it all, a mixture of cold and warm. “Fae bugs, I like that! Fireflies do seem like something of fae more than just normal bugs. The way they light up, it's so amazing,” their tail swayed, watching the lights flicker in and out around him but their eyes would focus on him more for the moment as one of the little fae made its home on him. It made the coppers of his irises pop all the more, that icy blue illuminated by soft bursts of gold. Seeing him happy always brightened up their day, glad at least one of them could laugh so freely when surrounded by so much impending doom and gloom. Their own oceans brightened as they watched him even hold the little creature, surprised it didn’t just fly off the moment his paw neared it, instead it almost seemed like a pet. “Fae tamer,” they teased, sad to see it suddenly fly off, wondering if their breath might have startled it. The flowers began to dance in the wind, causing them to twirl in place, watching nature play as if nothing else mattered in the world. So carefree and peaceful. Coming to a stop as Brann tapped the ground, they eagerly made their way over to him with the tiny prance that had been missing in their steps over the passing month. There was no hesitation to sit down next to him, allowing their sides to lightly brush one anothers with familiarity. A safety blanket for them to know he would not just vanish so long as they could feel him. “Brann, have you ever tried to fly?” they asked, watching so many things that could leave the ground and waters and yet wolves were bound by the very earth they stood on. Dust, bugs, the little birds up in the trees. So many things were free, and they wished they could be truly just as free, not from the ground but from worries once again.

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@Brann

Brann wasn’t often struck by the beauty of things — or the serenity of it. But when he was, he found peace in both facts. Here, amongst the trailing wisteria, with the fae bugs fluttering around, it was… peaceful. It was easy to ignore the impending, looming facts of the future that they all faced in Rionnach. Still, despite the weight of the future, Brann smiled.

“They don’t bite!” Cory whispered… yelled…. Both, from inside. Brann could only chuckle a little bit.

“Fae bugs, I like that! Fireflies do seem like something of fae more than just normal bugs. The way they light up, it’s so amazing,” Cory explained. Brann allowed his gaze to travel around for a few moments, before landing on their frame. He smiled a little.

“Fae tamer,” Cory teased. Brann’s gaze flickered from the bug on his paw to them. He chuckled.

“You think so?” he said quietly, lifting the bug up to look at it closer. “Oh, I guess I breathed wrong or something.” He murmured, watching as the bug took off into the air. As the moments passed, he couldn’t really keep his gaze on any one thing — the dancing of the bugs, the branches, and Cory’s own movements were all a bit distracting from one another, as he wanted to see each and every little movement. It was like all three were dancing together.

It was nice, Brann realized, to see Cory have a good moment. Since they had run into each other again, it had seemed to be nothing but stress in trying to find Cory’s family, to make sure that everyone was okay, while the tales and rumors from the dungeons became all the more frightening. It also became harder to discern what was truth, and what was royalist lies to try to scare the Jacobite side a little. All of that hadn’t distracted from the mission that they had settled on themselves, however, as they searched seemingly in vain at times for any hint of the truth. Cory’s words brought him back to the present, as his mind had slowly begun to wander after he’d patted the ground. He smiled slightly as the felt the brush of their furs together.

“Brann, have you ever tried to fly?” Cory asked. His head tilted slightly to the side.

“In truth? Once, yes,” he said, with a small smile. “But, either wolves are not meant to, or I didn’t do it right.” Those had been easier days, more carefree days. Days before the weight of the family and the world rested upon his shoulders. “Have you?”


@Cordelia

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To hear that bit of happiness in Brann seemed to only increase their own happiness, often thriving off of others over their own bliss but it had been limited as of late. It was nice to feel at peace, even if only for a day or a few minutes, missing that feeling of content and harmony within themselves. Maybe they needed to return to their roots of a positive outlook on everything, find the good instead of seeing the bad. If only it wasn’t so hard. They could finally understand how others always felt, that realm of absolute despair that they never felt like they could crawl out of and today was one of those days seemingly for themselves, where they pushed others to see the light and take a break from their woes. Their smile was blossoming, nodding with a subtle enthusiasm in their belief he could very well be a fae tamer, not that wolves owned the fae but they could make them love them. That would be such a cool thing to have the fae entirely on one's side, not just someone for them to toy with when they are bored. It seemed the little bug decided to prove them wrong as it fluttered off his paw, Cory’s eyes became a vibrant green as the yellow blended in with cerulean when it floated past them a little closer before returning to the vine like tendrils of the wisteria tree. A pout pulled at their maw at the unruly little firefly, tempted to chase after it like a child till they heard him say it was his own breath that chased it away. “No no, it probably just didn’t like my company. No one can not like you, you are amazing,” they smiled with a few dancing thumps of their tail, not about to let him take the blame when he had been who it originally came to. As the question returned, they nodded with some giggles. “Most certainly did, many times as a tiny Cory,” visualizing their youth and being surrounded by the ocean on the other side of the Highlands. “I thought if I could fly with the seagulls, finding their nests and eggs would be even easier so I could dress Caspie up in the shells. It of course never worked. Cory always fell into the ocean after leaping off the cliffies or in more embarrassing cases, face planted into the ground which was a lot more ouchie,” they mused, slightly leaning into him more as they laughed at themselves with warm cheeks. It was definitely not their most graceful moment, but it was funny to think back on, especially the victories when they did find an egg hat for their brother. “I think there are other ways to fly, other than literally. So don’t give up Branny just cause you failed once,” they cooed, tail swaying behind them in silent content, resting their head against his shoulder as they watched nature around them. A child’s imagination was a wonderful thing, it could see things others would never dream of, so they wholeheartedly believed there were other ways to fly.

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@Brann

Brann had to wonder, just a little, what it was that Cory felt. But, while he was concerned, he couldn’t bring himself to ask — the truth, sometimes, is too hard to face. He knew that any negative emotions that existed within the other were not something that he could outright fix at that moment. Which, perhaps was truly what kept Brann from asking. He wanted to fix what ailed them, what bothered them, and he knew in some regard that this time, he couldn’t, not in a day’s time, at least.

So he kept silent in that regard. But, he didn’t have to fret about the silence too long as Cory began speaking again.

“No no, it probably just didn’t like my company. No one can not like you, you are amazing,” they said. Brann offered a small smile.

“You’re quite amazing yourself, Cory. Don’t forget that,” he said quietly. “That is something I have seen in you since the day we met at the stone circle. How amazing you are.”

“Most certainly did many times as a tiny Cory. I thought if I could fly with the seagulls, finding their nests and eggs would be even easier so I could dress Caspie up in the shells. It of course never worked. Cory always fell into the ocean after leaping off the cliffies or in more embarrassing cases, face planted into the ground which was a lot more ouchie,” Cory said, musing with the memories for a moment. Brann couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“Well, I’m happy that the ‘ouchies’ weren’t too bad,” he said. “If they had been, then I might not have gotten to meet you, and the beautiful soul that you are.”

What was it about the wisteria that made him feel safe enough to say some of the feelings that he had? Safe in their little cocoon of branches and flowers, surrounded by the fireflies… He felt at peace, and comfortable, despite the chaos of the world on the outside of the branches’ safety.

“I think there are other ways to fly, other than literally. So don’t give up Branny just cause you failed once,” Cory said, their tail swaying. Brann smiled, nodding slowly.

“I’ll remember that, Cory,” he said quietly. He gave a small sigh, a content sound as they leaned their head on his shoulder. Slowly, his head leaned over a little, brushing his cheek against the top of their head.


@Cordelia

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His smile made their own smile grow wider, finding him rather charming when he smiles. He didn’t do it enough, bringing a light to his face in a way that nothing else could. It made his eyes glow more, taking away any bits of doubt that they might be irritating him by talking too much. They knew they could be annoying when they yammered nonstop to fill a silent void but he never complained and perhaps that made them talk a little less instead of more, since the comfort took away the nervous additions they might add here and there when they panicked that someone was going to run off. A lot of the elders did that around Aberdeen, finding their youthful energy exhausting. Brann never made them feel bad for being them, just like Boone didn’t. They had real friends now and not just those that pitied them. At least, they hoped so. It was almost like he could hear their thoughts, ceruleans gleaming as they stared at him, absorbing each compliment and getting flustered the longer he spoke. They dipped their head a little bashfully as their tail swayed, for once in their life entirely tongue tied as they fidgeted in place, drawing blank on words. “Oh shucks Branny! You’re too sweet, that’s the nicest things anyone has ever said about mwah," they finally giggled out once he finished, feeling even the tip of their ears burn, still not able to form a solid thought in the moment. That wasn’t entirely true, their father was a sweet talker when it came to giving his kids confidence but it was so different when it came from someone not blood. They didn’t know how to explain it. They didn’t expect much after they had gotten done speaking of their little memory, but it seemed he had plenty to say as another set of kind words would fluster them, causing them to nudge him a little as if to playfully say to stop it without words. “You’re the one with a beautiful soul. You never had to believe a word Cory said, could have turned your teeth on me for being a former king's soldier. Could have turned your back when I came crying and scared. Instead, you gave me a second home, shoulder and a confidant. Brann is the kindest and most accepting wolf Cory has ever met and I’m so thankful for him to be here now,” they said with happy tears brimming their eyes with their ears tilted back and a coy yet awkward smile on their dark lips. In part to hide their face and also just out of joy at all the kindness, they gently nuzzled their face into his shoulder as his head would lower to hug the top of their head. They felt safe, warm and loved. A feeling they only thought they could have with their siblings and parents. Without much thought in the matter, on impulse, they would tilt their nose up to gently place a kiss on the cheek that had just brushed their crown. It was a mixture of thanks and something they couldn’t put into words, consequences hardly on their mind if they crossed a line.

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@Brann

Brann could tell by their reaction that his words had struck a little. They seemed to blush at his compliments, getting flustered in a way that Brann admittedly found quite cute. ‘Where did that thought come from?’ He asked himself, almost tilting his head to the side at the realization.

“Oh shucks Branny! You’re too sweet, that’s the nicest things anyone has ever said about mwah,” Cory said, giggling in punctuation. Brann offered an easy smile, allowing the expression to touch even his eyes, in the way they squinted slightly. As he spoke again, Cory would nudge him playfully. He chuckled softly, nudging them back.

“You’re the one with a beautiful soul. You never had to believe a word that Cory said, could have turned your teeth on me for being a former king’s soldier. Could have turned your back when I came crying and scared. Instead, you came me a second home, shoulder and a confidant. Brann is the kindest and most accepting wolf Cory has ever met and I’m so thankful for him to be here now,” Cory said. It seemed it was Brann’s own turn to become a little flustered. He looked down towards his paws for a moment, looking almost shy in his expression.

“You are too kind, Cory,” Brann said quietly. “I only did what was right to do — and you had done nothing to deserve coldness from me. Besides. When you came to me so scared, how could I turn my back on a friend? You were in need. I couldn’t turn you away, it wouldn’t have been right of me. Not that I would have wanted to turn away someone who had shown already that they were so good in their heart.”

As he finished speaking, he felt Cory move beneath the hug that he had given. He felt the touch of their lips upon his cheek, a sensation that sent a warm shock through his body. Brann felt his cheeks burn, his skin a bright red beneath the earthen tones of his fur. He stammered for a moment, before growing quiet once more, a smile lingering on his lips.

“Thank you,” he finally managed something, although he wasn’t quite sure that it admittedly made much sense at that moment.


@Cordelia

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They wouldn’t see him smile brighter, too lost in their own giddiness to pay attention to much of anything around them, even if they were looking right at it. A creature of compliments, certain ones that were returned wouldn’t get much of a reaction from them but to get them hardly provoked and with more than just a couple words had their heart palpitating, feeling that skipping thunk in their chest that made them all the more anxious. Not that they thought it was something that could kill them, it was still an unwelcome feeling all the same as it made them feel the need to run in circles to get rid of the energy, but they didn’t want to move at all, content at his side. The gentle nudge in return would cause their attention to return, looking at him with a beaming smile, glad he wasn’t gloomy at all as their tail swayed with a silent beat all its own. Their head would tilt to the side when they returned the favor, finding themselves unable to look away now, having never seen Brann bashful before. The smile would slightly fade as they stared at him attentively, trying to make heads or tails of what their posture meant with it being so foreign to them. Their ears flicked light like antennae as he started to speak up again, this time far more winded than before, taking in each word that would make their fur fluff up more and more as emotions got a little overwhelming. Good emotions or bad emotions? The question popped into their head, so out of sorts lately that it had become hard to tell between the two, though perhaps that was nothing new. Sunshine and rainbows had been their vision for years, they refused to see the negative in life and with the weight of their siblings being so far removed now, that bubble had been popped with such little pressure. At the time of running into him, that day they were crying and broken, they hadn’t even thought of a chance he would have tossed them aside, having had a full belief they were friends despite such little interaction prior. The fae had brought them together twice and neither had ever turned the other away, making them think maybe it was destiny they were here together today and all those days they shared since they met, no matter how bad some of those days were. It was never bad with him. Just like before, he wouldn’t reject the gentle bit of affection given, though it wouldn’t last long. A fleeting moment of tenderness. It seemed to last far longer in his body, causing Cory to tilt their head once more at them, that tongue tied reaction making their ears perk in amusement and concern but the thanks that finally broke it made them freeze in confusion. “Of course!” they said with a chipper yip. Slowly they got up from their seated position against him, moving in front of him with curiosity, dipping their head down just a touch to fall into his line of vision. A coal paw would gently tilt his chin up, moving closer to his face with their own to get a better look at him. “Though, for what, Branny?” the mused softly. Eyes flicking between his two beautiful marbles if he met their warm searching gaze a hair's breadth away that seemed to be getting all the smaller.

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@Brann

”Of course! Though, for what, Branny?”

Brann was quiet for a moment, thinking over his next words carefully, taking a moment for some unusual introspection that he did not always have in a positive light. He took a breath, holding it for a small moment before he began to speak. He was aware that they moved, however, he did not look up until a paw was placed underneath his chin, and he was forced to look up. His two-toned eyes swirled with emotions that even he did not fully understand at that moment.

“For being a good friend… And, for showing me that I can trust others outside of my family. That’s always been a hard thing for me to do, and you’ve shown me that it’s worth it. I… Cory, can I be honest about something, and it not be weird?” Brann asked, feeling a wave of discomfort wash over him at the thought of what he might say next. If they responded positively, he would begin speaking again.

“You have shown me so much in the short time we’ve known each other. You’ve shown me how to have fun, and how to step out of that leader mindset. That not everything falls on my shoulders all the time. And I… I’ve been thinking a lot, recently. More than I perhaps should be, at times. And I…” He paused for a moment, searching for the right words.

“I think I have feelings for you.” The words felt awkward on his tongue, heavy, and thick, but silky smooth at the same time.


@Cordelia

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