Goldsand Beach~Harvest Festival

**I'll take both,** Serpent Fang sent to Brooksong. He'd never had tuskpig before and Daggertooth was a rare delicacy. The smell of the meat of the Tuskpig was far stronger than the light scent of fish, making his both wary and curious.

**A full stomach is preferable, but an empty one can't always be avoided. A good kill should always be valued,** Serpent Fang found himself not quite rambling, but desiring to pass on information. It had been a long, long while since he'd taught a guppy anything worthwhile. However, as Brooksong had said, she was coming into adulthood and may not appreciate what he was saying.

Serpent Fang also found himself being greeted by respect and, very surprisingly, loyalty from Brooksong. Serpent Fang had never had any guppies of his own, but he'd had lovemates with guppies. He'd considered a couple of them to be his own and found a strange feeling welling up towards Brooksong, similar to that of a parent to a child.

Tern's eyes widened. Had she really just said what he heard? Maybe they could be lifemates. Although this lifted his spirits a little, the thought of her having already recognized still weighed heavy within him. He opened his mouth to speak, eager, but quickly shut it once more as she began to speak again.

Tern listened intently, his excitement growing with each word. By the time she had finished, he could barely contain himself. And then, it happened. She kissed him and it was enough to make him cross the border from composure to uncontained elation. Maybe he had been wrong after all. Although he returned her kiss, the words bouncing off the walls of his mind, begging for an escape distracted him. It was this kiss that served as the fuel for this new level of excitement as he pulled away-much too soon, but some things needed to be said-and began to speak.

"Kaimeta," he said, words pouring out of him so quickly it was as if he was an overflowing glass, "All the proof you need, you have already seen!" He laughed out loud, picking her up and swinging her around. Setting her down, he planted another kiss on her lips.
Absently wiping at her tears, he continued, "We have recognized. You tell me I need to win your heart, but I already have your soul. We are meant to build a family!" The passion in his words was so thick it almost hung in the air. "How could you think you are not good enough for me?" he asked next, incredulous, "You are the High One. Your beauty, skills, wisdom... the whole of you, it's surpasses all others. If anyone isn't good enough, it is me. But in recognition, there is no such thing as that, and trivial things such as beauty, skills, or even wisdom, doesn't matter. We are no longer two separate beings, but a single soul shared between two bodies. We are so connected that it is impossible for one of us to be too good for the other." He thought back to his conversation with Straystar, "Is one side of a shell better than another? Of course not! Each side is equal and each half needs the other just as much as its counterpart. Kaimeta, you are my other half! No proof is needed. You should accept this because it is fact."

He took her hand firmly in his own, attempting to lead her away from the crowd. The itching beneath his skin seemed to magnify at the knowledge-or rather belief-that the demand of recognition would soon be fulfilled.

Kai allowed herself to be happy for a moment. It seemed that Tern understood what she was trying to say after all. Then he kept speaking... Kai's unwillingness grew stronger then. No this was not going to happen like this.

She pulled her hand from his. There was anger in her eyes, a strange hurt anger. "Just because I am a High One means nothing. I am an elf like any other, I've only lived so much longer, as such I am broken, jaded and corrupt." She took a step back to keep herself from caving to a primal desire. "My heart and my soul are two very different things. You may have one, indeed but you do not have the other." She said her words no louder than normal conversation but they held a tone that none would mistake.

She was upset. "Do you really know what High One means?" She asked, she didn't wait for an answer as she kept speaking. "It means that my brothers, sisters and I landed on the god's forsaken rock, that we set the first feet of our kind on this horrid plant, and we then started spawning, creating a new race. It means to be forever alone. We High Ones will always live close true but we live apart from others, always watching more than living." She kept her distance always standing or stepping away from Tern. "I will not accept, you may have my soul that is true but my heart, that you do not have. I will not give in to this." She said, turning from him she walked back to her chair. Once seated she returned herself to her normal height, and she fought back the tears that threatened to over flow her eyes.

Tidemist blinked as Serpent turned to talk to Brooksong before responding to her. She shrugged it off though. He was probably tired from the blood loss, and probably didn't need any extra stimulus. She filled her plate with food and paused, smelling the air. She could smell the daggertooth was done, along with a new scent. She quickly got a fair hunk of the hearty flesh, then made her way to the new scent. She found herself faced with Silence, Snaketwist, and now Brooksong was coming over. Did she end up everywhere? Tidemist chuckled quietly as she plopped down on the sand, sitting and leaning forward curiously. “So what is this strange beast that smells so good?” she asked, glancing between the two males as she snuck a piece of daggertooth into her mouth. She wanted to enjoy this rare treat while it was warm! And she realized the night was getting a little cooler.

She shivered lightly and scooted closer to the fire, though this brought her closer to Snaketwist as well. “If you're done cooking with that fire, I don't suppose we could build it up a bit more?” She smiled apologetically, glancing down and blushing to realize she was beginning to get bumps on her skin from the coolness of the night.

Swirling had a naughty smile, "When I'm hurt, I always find this very helpful....," she teased and she put a gentle kiss on one of the scratches, one by one she covered them all with gentle kisses, her lips just brushed his damaged skin. Her eyes twinkling she asked:"Doesn't it feel better now?"
She was suddenly overcome by chills, now that the sun was completely gone, she regretted that she hadn't brought her furs with her. Unconsciously she shivered and nestled closer to Ridge and tried to steal some of his warmth.

** When I was a child, I found the forest a beautiful place, I liked the flowers.....** In her sending Ridge saw blurry images of beautiful colors and a variation of flowers being studied by a young Swirling, the moment that her parents came panicking, she ended her message. " Sorry, I think my parents were a little overprotective, maybe with your help, I could learn to overcome my anxiety?" She looked longingly at Ridge.

------------

Silence listened thoughtfully, he was glad he had Shadow as friend, he remembered the lonely times without a wolffriend. He studied Snaketwist when he took a bite and tasted the tusk pig. Silence was relieved that he liked it.
He cut a piece of the tusk pig for himself, he agreed that it had a stronger taste.

He was glad he was still chewing his own piece, when Snaketwist asked his question. It gave him the time to think how to respond. A little nervous about the way Snaketwist would take his answer he started in locked sending: **Yes, it's true,.. in the time of the first high ones, our ancestor shapeshifted in a wolf to learn her people how to survive, in doing so it became harder to change back and she had a cub with the Alfa wolf. It is his blood that has been passed through generation after generation and runs through our veins, with some elves the wolfblood is stronger than with others....**

Silence jumped slightly when Tidemist plopped near by the fire, he sent an apology at Snaketwist ** Later?** His locksending was hesitating and nervous, uneasy with the sudden change of situation.

Silence welcomed Tidemist, "It's called a Tusk Pig and this one surprised us while we were searching for the lost cubs, like in its name, it's an oversized pig with tusks** He openly sent the image of the pig, when it stood still in front of him just before  the charge." It's a delicacy, do you want to try it?"

Before Tidemist could answer, he saw Brooksong with two plates. He smiled at her, "You're timing is still perfect, sure you can have some, after all it was your spear who killed it." He cut two large pieces and put them on the plates, " It's prepared with my special mix of herbs, I hope you like it."

In answer to Tidemist Silence rearranged some glowing hot branches and added two new ones. In a no time, the fire grew to a comfortable campfire, he cleaned the rest of the smashed herbs and threw them in to the fire. Not sure what to do or say next, he cut the rest of the piece in 3 more slices, put them each on a special leave and gave one at Snaketwist and presented the other at Tidemist.

Tidemist watched Brooksongs retreat with slightly intrigued eyes. She glanced between the young wolf blood maiden and the surly old sea elf. Was something growing between them...? She chuckled at the idea of old Serpent Fang taking on a new young lovemate and dismissed it as fancy. She nodded gratefully to Silence as he built up the fire, then held her plate out curiously, watching as the slice of red meat was placed on it. She lightly held it with her fingers and took a bite. She chewed slowly, surprised at the massively different texture from fish, and the flavor it held. “Tusk pig? It tastes pretty good. A little spicy though.” She smiled, finding she slightly enjoying the flavor burn spreading over her tongue now.

Serpent Fang took the plate from Brooksong with a curt nod. He regarded the piece of tuskpig warily before he tore off a small piece and took a bite. The taste was very different from the light flavor of fish. The tuskpig was much stronger and muskier than anything he'd tasted before.

**You eat this regularly?** He inquired, looking at Brooksong. It wasn't that he didn't like the taste, it was just...different. He tore off another piece regarded it much the same way be had the first. It was touch, harder to chew than fish. The spices had a distinct bite to them.

Serpent Fang worked to keep his expression from twitching at the barrage of strange flavors. At least it wasn't like the overly sweet flowers Brooksong had given him earlier in the day.

He glanced at Tidemist and shot her a sharp look. He lock-sent to her, a bite of impatience, **What, chieftess?**

--

Ridge shivered as Swirling kissed his scratches. He wrapped his arms around her as she shivered and nestled into his chest.

**It feels much better,** he sent to her. He lifted Swirling's chin and looked into her eyes. He saw the images of the forest through Swirling's childhood eyes and then Swirling's panicking parents. He could understand why they had been so protective of gentle Swirling.

"I can try and help you overcome your fear of the forest," Ridge said in a quiet voice.

Tidemist continued slowly eating the tusk pig she had been given. She felt Serpent's sending and smiled softly, though she flinched slightly from the sharpness. He was getting his usual venom back, no worse for the wear after his ordeal. *Just curious and happy about your new friendship. That's all* she locksent back to him, though the smile remained on her face. She looked over as Snaketwist addressed her and blinked a little baffled at him. “Uh...try...what?” She asked, her little smile gaining a bemused twist to it.

Tern glanced down at her hand, now separate from his own. Confusion marred his timeless face; lines now creased his forehead, only seeming to grow as the High One spoke. Her words hurt him, but it wasn't the rejection in them, it was her pain. She wasn't alone, though, not ever. He wanted to take her in his hands and shake the sense into her. She was so blind to it, to the lack of loneliness and abundance of vibrancy her existence could offer. He opened his mouth to speak, to explain it to her, but bit his lip instead. Another first. Few times in his life had he not been able to put a thought into an easy string of words, and today was one of these moments. He followed after her, hand outstretched to her back, as if he hoped physical contact might be able to explain what his tongue could not.

A gentle trickle took him out of his thoughts, soon followed by a sharp pain as he became aware of the fact that he had drawn blood. Tern released the pressure from his lower lip and dropped his hand at the same time. Absently, he wiped at the blood on his face. The gentle trickle was gone, and it was then that the rejection hit him. And just like the angry edge of his tooth, a resentment, fueled by hurt, clouded his recognition-struck heart.

Fine. Let her stay in her lonely world, he thought, trying to convince himself he was more angry than upset. The loneliness she had described? Her misconstrued idea of things? It was not the doing of what she was, it was the doing of who she was. Her reality, where she drowned herself in drink and her own self pity? She had made it that way, and if she wanted to close herself off in that miserable little world, so be it. She could at least step out of it for a moment to relieve him of his physical suffering. With his thoughts, a pang hit him, another layer of hurt, one that he was not quite ready to admit was caused by his own harshness towards his other half.

An uncharacteristic, inaudible, grumble pushed passed his wounded lip, and he turned, making his way away from the festival, and the High One. He wanted so badly to brush her off like she had him, trying to replace his longing with anger. He almost believed that he had.

Kai looked up at the wolf chief, and smirked. It was like him to bring something even a begrudging happiness to the surface of her other wise dark moment. **Never you mind the time.** she sent back. She sighed at her ofter to walk. Really she wanted to return to her hunt and her hurt, but she knew that Straystar like so many others only meant the best, as such she only smiled a false smile and replied. "A stroll sounds lovely." She stood. "It has been almost to long." She said.

As they moved away from the dais, Kai wasn't sure what to say or if she should say anything. After all what was going on wasn't really anyone else's business, but she was glad to know that others would at least try to help. "Straystar, I fear I may have done more damage tonight that in my first 100 years here combined." She sighed and gazed up at the stars. How would she ever fix this. But in the end she had been honest with Tern and honest about her feelings, and to a point her life. No one but Kai herself really knew the total truth of how her life mate and son where taken from her and she wasn't really talkie about that point, usually if asked she would say they were killed and move on, not wanting to live more in her past than she already did.

And here tonight was a chance to escape from her hell of a past and find a future with these elves she had come to love so dearly, and she like the always did bought it to ruin. "Was I wrong?" She asked seeking advice from one of only a few elves she really trusted.

Serpent Fang refused to deign Tidemist with an answer. His gaze slid past her to the dancers where he saw Kaimeta and Tern. He could hear no words that passed between them, but he saw the events unfold. His eyes narrowed as the High One retreated to her seat and Tern walk away.

Serpent Fang set down his food on the table without a backwards glance, but sent to Brooksong, **Excuse me.**

He approached Tern, his treading footsteps silent. He didn't know why he followed Tern, but he knew somewhere deep in his own aching heart that he had to. He could not seem to form thoughts to send though, so instead he spoke.

"Tern..." Serpent Fang's voice was raw, rough, and like small stones being rubbed together. He couldn't remember the last time he had spoken and found the words all the harder.

He did not touch Tern, no comforting hand or reassuring words. He stood about a pace away from the younger elf, looking at him through wary green eyes.

Ash is running, well, more like hopping actually. Getting on your boots while trying to keep a steady pace isn’t easy. It’s a small miracle she hasn’t toppled over but then again she has about two miles left before she reaches the beach. She can hear the music carrying between the trees and she calls herself three shades of dung for being late. She left her wolf with the rest of the pack leaving her running between the shadows, dodging roots and low hanging branches. Her dark hair flies around her face, the strands loose from the half undone ponytail.

She looks like a mess. There are dirt streaks on her cheeks and there are several scratches on her arms and legs. The fight with the stag had been a bloody one although it was the stag that did most of the bleeding. She cleaned of the blood of in the stream but since she was already running late she didn’t have time to take a full bath, leaving her looking like she took a roll through the mud. The smell of the ocean becomes stronger and she slows down her run a bit. If she comes bursting from the woods like a mad man, she might send some elves in a panic fit. Halting as she nears the last line of trees she steadies her breathing and brushes of as much of the dirt as she can. Straightening her clothes she moves out of the darkness and into the flickering light of the bonfire. Her grey eyes focus for a moment on the dancing embers before she looks around searching for her tribe mates.

Silence watched how they both ate. After his second portion he felt satisfied, still he was curious how the Daggertooth tasted, maybe he could take two portions, one for him and one for Crowspirit. He was sure she never had tasted it either.

He would have to ask Snaketwist, looking at him he saw that his friend suddenly was very concentrated on his piece of meat and Tidemist looked at someone behind him. Silence sensed Snaketwist uneasiness and tried to help, he openly sent to Tidemist,** thank you both for the compliment, it's my favorite dish.** It seems that Snaketwist and I share the interest of the same herbs in our preparations, I love to taste some of his dishes, did you try already one of his dishes?**
______

Swirling smiled, she couldn't be happier.** I think that would work **, her locked sending full of trust an excitement.
She looked over his shoulder to the forest, the trees formed a dark wall, she couldn't see a clear path, suddenly she was afraid that she would be swallowed by the darkness and she wouldn't be able to return to the beach. Swirling panicked, still staring at the forest she whispered:" Maybe we should start tomorrow, it seems..... it's so.....so dark now." The panic could clearly be heard in her soft voice.

Swirling tried to compose herself, she didn't want to spoil this moment. " Thanks for this beautiful evening," she  said, though Swirling couldn't take her eyes off the dark forest, it's seemed to come  even closer, unwilling she recoiled a little. She thought she heard a noise, she looked and a dark figure detached herself from the woods.

Swirling panicked, the woods came to live! She shrieked and followed her old instincts, who told her to run and hide. She slipped out of Ridges embrace and leaped in the ocean to escape, the last image was a part of her tail braking through the waves as she swam to deeper waters.

Kai accepted the skin, but didn't drink. She wasn't really in the mood to drink. She sighed and listened to the other elf. He was right in his way like he usually was. She absent minded-ly took a deep drink from the skin and passed it back to the wolf chief. "I would call you pesky." She smirked at him. But still the river in her heart seemed filled with more of the big rocks than the little ones right now.

"I honestly have no idea what to do other than to get beyond hope drunk and get this mess over with." She cringed at the thought. This was not how she expected this to go, but then she wasn't expecting this at all.

"Was I not clear? Did I muddle again?" She asked. She had never been overly good at communicating her thoughts. "He talked of our souls, but I spoke of our hearts. What other way could there be to show him?" She wanted to try to give his dream a chance, and not just shoot it down. ** I want to give his dream a chance to live.** She lock sent. "I know how much it would mean to him, but I can not love him, in such a way over night because of an involuntary biological reaction!"

She sighed and basically folded her legs under her, falling to the sand with a soft thud. "I am too old for this dung." She muttered. The High One accepted the skin when it was passed back to her. "My friend I believe we will find ourselves in need of more wine soon." She said before taking a drink again.

Oakroot was late, he knew it. But what he had prepared needed time. Early this morning he had caught two quails. When he decided what to do with them, he thought of an old familyrecipe. First he had to make a cookpit, so he dug a hole and covered the side with stones. Next he plucked the bird and stuffed it with different herbs. He then gathered wood for a fire and saw some big leaves. He wrapped the birds in them, placed ithem in the pit, covered them with soil and made a big fire above them. He rested awhile but was woken by the sending that two cubs were missing. He had rushed to the beach and began searching with a small group, both Seafolk and kin. He was glad the two were found and were safe again.

He had no need to join the festival the, he wanted to make sure his quails were ready. And besides, the sun was still up and he never cared must for daylight. He was best when the moon was high in the sky.
But now he worried the festival might end before he had been there....

He opened the pit and unwrapped the birds. The lovely smell told him they were ready! "Good, now I hope not all are gone yet!" So he wrapped them up again, did them in a bag and walked to the edge of the forest where the festival was.

When he set foot on the beach he saw most of both tribes were still around. Good, his quails would taste great with dreamberrywine!
He saw Ridge standing at the shoreline and asked him "Did I miss all the fun? Or is there time to make more?" As he held up a big jug full of dreamberrywine.

Snaketwist's tanned skin blushed as he realized Tidemist was already eating the meat. "Um, nothing. Just ignore me." He said, and pretended to concentrate on his food.

When asked about food he had made, Snaketwist looked towards the festival table. "Well... there was a bowl full of spicy fish that I cooked... but with the Preserver wrapping everything up, I have no idea where I should look for it!" He admitted, regretful that he could not return the favor of sharing food.


--

Stormcloud giggled at Straystar's flamboyant curtsey. "Go, and help them." She told him with a smile. She was not sure if anyone could help those two, but if there was such a person, perhaps it would be the wise chief of the WolfFolk.

Stormcloud continued dancing on her own - the music had changed again, and many others also danced alone, showing their skills. It was almost, but not quite, like a contest. Like the whole festival, she relished this opportunity to show off.

She stopped, however, at the sight of her favorite uncle emerging from the woods. She ran over to Oakroot, grinning widely. "What kept you so long, uncle? I am glad to see you and even gladder to see that wineskin!" She told him happily.

Ash watched Swirling make a run for the water when she emerged from between the trees. There was a pretty good chance she was the cause of the sea elf fleeting but before she could do something she heard Brooksong call out to her. A smile breaks through on her face when she finds her tribe mate among the others. **I lost track of time.**
The festival seems to be in full swing, several members of both tribes are dancing and there’s enough food to last for days. She moves between the dancers, graceful like all elves are but when it came to dancing Ash wasn’t so delicate. Her movements, while precise during the hunt became rather blunt when dancing. It’s safest for everyone if she stuck to the dinner table for now. She joined Brooksong, the music clearing her thoughts of the running sea elf. **What did I miss?** she asked Brooksong.
She spotted Oakroot coming from the woods, at least she wasn’t the only one running late.

The first place he stopped was where he had been sitting for the entire morning. A small pile of flowers and chains sat, beginning to wilt, and he started at them for a moment Huffing, he briefly thought that he knew how it felt.  

Picking up his boomerang, he made his way to a quieter section of the beach, too caught up in his own feelings to hear anything behind him. Once there, he channeled his small magical abilities and a number of targets, of various distance and size, shot up from the ocean. They seemed to appear with much more force than usual, no doubt charged with his frustration.

Just as he was about to throw his weapon, he heard a voice. An unfamiliar voice. Well, it wasn't quite unfamiliar; Tern had heard it before, but he could not quite place from where. Halfway into turning around, he realized that the voice belonged to Serpent Fang. It sounded different when it had to enter his ears as opposed to going straight to his mind.

"Come to put salt in the wound?" he asked coldly before turning back around and throwing his boomerang out into the sea. It sliced through a liquid column, causing the water to shatter and crash back to its home below.  

The other targets seemed to die a little with this release of frustration, both through his boomerang and his coldness to Serpent Fang. Once that small amount of frustration lifted, there was room for a little guilt. Serpent Fang hadn't sounded, or looked, like he was coming to rub Tern's suffering in. The coldness was unncessary.

"Sorry," he mumbled, catching the boomerang as it came back to him. He turned to observe the older elf. He did not seem threatening or hateful, but rather, uncomfortable.  

Tern's eyebrows knitted together at the wary green. Why had he come? Tern's mind worked until he came up with the most logical, only logical, reasoning he could. Was he coming to thank him?  

"Oh," he let out, "Come to thank me for saving your fins?" he asked, head cocked and a single eyebrow raised in question. It was an attempt to convey teasing amusement, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Haha, well the love for dreamberries goes deep within our family! But first a hug!" Oakroot was glad to see his niece.
Ridge still hadn't said anything, but he stared at the ocean as if he lost something or some one. **Euh, something wrong here?** He locksend to Stormcloud.
When he looked around he saw more troubled faces. **Guess there are more around who could use to lose themselves in the finest potion there is on this world!"**
He looked at Ridge again and shook his head. He hoped nothing serious happend, but it must have something to do with the heart based on the look in his eyes.

His arm still around Stormcloud they walked to the table.
"Oh and I brought something else too. See if you can smell it!"