Um I got bored and made our thread early. Nayru found Aro a very complex book, haha. 481.

Nayru did not hesitate the whole walk to Crimson Dreams, her long legs making long strides and carrying her quite quickly towards the destination. It was the middle of the night when she set out, and as planned, Nayru arrived early morning at their doorstep, book in hand and dagger strapped to her ankle with the ruby and garnet ankle, but otherwise unadorned. She wore the dagger on the inside of her ankle, knowing that although harder to access there she wouldn’t really need it and it was less notable on first glance. Although she had no plans to unsheathe the weapon from its hold, the girl, only a week or so from her adult rank, never was without it. It was a comfort to know it was there, and even if her skills had not been perfected the fairy child was no longer helpless. Something inside her had hardened, some of her innocence and naivety lost and replaced with something much colder and darker, though Nayru couldn’t explain what it was.



The patch work girl’s mind was focused on her journey, and it was only when the familiar scent of Aro and Anu filled her nostrils that she allowed herself to relax. Ever vigilant, through her journey her ears and nose had been functioning at full capacity, no sound or scent went undetected, but with the comfort of familiar ground, or at least ground familiar to friendly faces, the fey allowed herself to relax. The sun was just peaking when she came to the borders, and Nayru did not know whether Aro would have risen already or not, so she sat herself in the grass cross legged, giving the boy an hour more to awaken before she would call out for him. She had promised that she would come to visit, and Nayru always made good on promises.



While she waited, slender fingers thumbed through the book once again. The hardback was leather bound and the words gold upon its cover. “The Universe and Astrophysics.” It was about stars but other than that Nayru couldn’t make much of the book. There was a lot of nonsense about dimensions, black holes and “string theory”, but Nayru had brought the book anyway, hoping Aro could find some use for it. Although she had not told anyone that she had taken it, she doubted anyone would miss it very much. The large volume had been left in a school in Wolfville and there were so many books. No one in Dahlia had expressed any interest in stars, so better it was in Aro’s hands than any others. Closing its cover, the girl looked to the sky and decided that he had probably slept enough. Tossing back her head she let out a long, low howl, her sweet voice rising and falling until it died away and she stayed sitting, waiting for her friend.

431.

”Hey.” The voice was gentle as she surveyed the boy rushing up to her, his breath short once he came to a halt before her. The words spilled from his mouth and she simply smiled, her hands still clasping the book protectively. It was true he hadn’t come back to Dahlia de Mai, but she hadn’t expected a visit from him so soon. So busy she had been with her training and preparing her own home that she hadn’t given Aro or anyone else much thought, but that he seemed to made her smile. Yet his words were confusing. Despite her high intelligence she didn’t quite understand what he meant. Grounded? Nayru had never heard the strange term before, but from the context of his words she deciphered the meaning. It made sense, that parents like leaders could restrict the comings and goings of children, but never had anyone tried to restrict Nayru. No one had ever felt a need to, and if they did Nayru would have simply gone around them. She would work around anyone but Conor if she felt that she had to.



Aro seemed very much dependent on the actions of his parents, and that they were angry he had escorted her home worried her. Would they then be angry that she came here? “Don’t make them angry on my account. I don’t mean to cause you any trouble.” Nayru would cause no strife between the packs, she knew that Dahlia de Mai was on shaky grounds with Inferni and because of that distrust from the other packs was likely. To bring trouble to the doorstep of Dahlia was one of the last things Nayru ever wished to do, and causing trouble for her friend Aro was also low on her list. Yet she was already here and surely a short visit wouldn’t harm anyone? Besides, it was Aro who was disobeying. No one from her side cared if she was here, and so if Aro wanted her to leave he only had to ask.



Lifting up the book she smiled and shoved it toward him. Truly it was a beautiful volume, heavy and thick with the page edges lined gold like the lettering on the cover. “I don’t know how useful it will be to you, but it’s certainly about stars. I couldn’t read too much of it actually.” Perhaps then it would take him a while to decipher the book. Yet if stars interested him then surely he would have better luck than her at making sense of it. “It’s your’s if you want it.”

507

Nayru simply smiled as Aro explained he didn’t care what his parents thought just then. For a moment she thought of leaving, if they should find them she didn’t want them to be angry, at him or herself. Or at Dahlia de Mai, and as Aro continued talking she understood that it was indeed their fear of the pack, and it’s instability perhaps, that had caused him to get in trouble. Yet that he would defy them must mean their wrath was not so strong, he had seemed far too respectful and concerned about what they would have thought when they first met for it to be just a blatant disobeying of their wishes. Nayru would never dream of disobeying Conor, and yet he let her run nearly as free as she wished, so it wasn’t hard at all to please her guardian. And he was so kind, did Crimson Dreams really fear him or Dahlia?


“No. No one would have hurt you.” Even Larkspur, whose soul was more clouded than any of the others in Dahlia, would have known better than to harm such a young boy from another pack. “Conor, our alpha, is very kind.” The previous leader of Dahlia de Mai had certainly left a stain upon their pack, and Nayru was glad to have come to Dahlia de Mai after his reign. Certainly she wouldn’t have found a home if such a monster still ruled. Yet she did not wish to dwell on the matter and so the patch work girl was glad when Aro took the book, and gladder still at his joy when he realized what a prize he held. Very briefly she flashed him a gentle smile and nodded at his thanks, yet so subtle was her movements that they were barely there. “You’re welcome, truly. It’s nothing at all, and no one will miss it.” Her angelic voice was soft, as usual and she avert her eyes as to avert any more declarations of gratitude from the boy.


Crimson eyes met with Aro’s once more when he asked of her doings lately. There had been much, but how much she wished to speak of it Nayru wasn’t sure. Her training with Saluce wasn’t private exactly, but it seemed unlady-like to speak of. And neither did she want to brag about her increasing abilities to kill, for that was what she was being trained to do. By the day Nayru was becoming deadlier, her stealth was increasing and reservations about taking the lives of other canines decreasing. Yet still, goodness lurked, and kindness and warmth triumph anything else that was buried inside of her, so whether she would ever use those skill she did not know. It was best not to breach that topic and share details that were more public as it were. “I’ve been busy preparing my own home, I left Bris and Conor’s.” And that was all she chose to share, her ruby eyes glittering happily up at Aro’s, a sad smile still lingering on her lips.

Shortness! 315.

Nayru's gentle smile widened a bit as he spoke of exploration. It had been one of her favorite past times before, but training and tending to her home had kept her in Dahlia de Mai. This excursion to Crimson Dreams had been the first since Aro had escorted her home, and it would probably be the last in a long while. There was simply just too much to do within Dahlia to be too concerned about what happened outside of the borders. Still, the romantic lure of nomadic wanderings tugged at her every now and then, and she was glad to hear that Aro too felt that particular bite. “Oh, you should explore, there is so much to see. One day I hope to meet someone from every pack, I only know those from Aniwaya and here. And Inferni.” Razekiel. Nayru wondered how the strange coyote was doing, but she knew that she couldn't simply go seeking him out and the girl accepted that. Life would go on despite its limitations.


Nayru's ears perked at the invitation of a tour but for a long moment she did not answer him. On one hand he was on bad terms with his parents and however they ranked in Crimson Dreams they ranked above her. If they were to find the two of them together Nayru did not imagine that it would end very well, at least not with a good deal of explaining. And yet, she was doing no wrong by being here. Aro had invited her, and Anu had been so kind after all. And if this were truly one of her last ventures out of Dahlia for a while she might as well make the most of it. It was rare she indulged for her own pleasure, and so with a grin she rose up, turning her sparkling eyes to Aro. “Lead the way then.”

384 .

Nayru passively allowed her hand to be caught up and brought to the boy's lips. Although the gesture was unfamiliar to the girl Nayru understood that the intent behind it was friendly and playful. Another had never brought their mouth to any part of her body, never her parents or anyone in Dahlia, unless it was in play fighting and yet it did not seem strange that he did it now. Nayru let her hand fall away and only smiled in return; veering her body in the direction he led towards. As he spoke of traveling and meeting strangers Nayru was glad that he shared her interest in exploration, but she wondered if truly one could transform themselves simply by experience new events and individuals, although Aro perhaps did not mean his words so literally. Was there a core component of their being they couldn't shake, or could they be recreated and be completely brand new? The idea stuck then in her head, though filed it away for further thought and turned her attention to Aro's movements and words.


They went to drop the book at Aro's home and Nayru was surprised to see that much like her home had been with Conor it was a human built structure. Larger and more grand than the Victorian home she had shared with the others, yet it was in many ways very similar. Those in Aniwaya lived in huts, not as clean looking as the buildings the humans had left behind. Yet still more members that she knew lived in natural dens or simply out in the open. It was interesting to see how others lived and even more so that Aro's home life possibly resembled her. Yet it was strange that they were tiptoeing now and Nayru knew then that she was not welcome, not exactly, and the idea sunk her heart a bit.


If they were in Dahlia there would be no need for sneaking (although Nayru did her fair share out of fun), that it was required here was unnerving. Did Aro's parents really hate her so? Or was it just Dahlians in general? Forcing a smile, Nayru's voice was firm and calm, but underneath the solid exterior her insides felt like slime. "Can we go somewhere where no one will bother us?"

467 .

He didn’t read her face, he couldn’t have, because there was nothing to give away her discomfort there. And like the trained creature she was her body posture did not show any discomfort either, but he could sense her unhappiness. Perhaps he knew her personality well enough, or it was just a feeling he had, but Nayru was relieved when he realized the source of her discomfort. They moved away from the imagined danger, whether it be Crimson Dreams or just Aro’s mother, and Nayru listened as the boy spoke. Crimson eyes soaked him in as he tried to explain there was really nothing to worry about, but why then was his mother so angry? He attempted to explain about Dahlia de Mai’s past, but Nayru knew it all too well. She felt the biases that Haku’s reign had left smeared over her beloved lands and although she had never met the beast she almost resented him for it. Almost. It was not his doing anymore, but the closed minds of others, that kept Dahlia de Mai in ill favor with the other packs.


"If there was any evil in Dahlia de Mai before, it is not there now." Her voice, which was normally barely above a whisper, dropped low, so low that she doubted if Aro could hear her at all. And it didn’t matter really. It was the realities of the past against her word, and she suspected that her word wouldn’t change the minds of those that still felt caution against Dahlia de Mai. Yet Aro kept speaking and Nayru let the sullenness flood from her. It was useless to hold onto such feelings as they served no purpose in the present, although she vowed silently to herself that she would do all she could to prove Dahlia de Mai to the others once again.


"Your father, huh? Perhaps someday I will meet him." She smiled then, sweetly and genuinely as she tried to think of a name of her own idol. Yet she idolized no one, although she looked up to many. Conor for her leadership, Bris for her kindness, Saluce for his skill and discipline and even Larkspur for his ruthlessness and Cwmfen for her reserve. It was not just one of them, but all of Dahlia that crafted her. And it was not her own ambitions that drove her, but the incessant need to please and serve the others. "I only wish to serve Dahlia de Mai the best that I may." The white lady came to her mind then, for the dream-ghost had goals and aspirations for the young girl but Nayru shook her from her mind. "These caves, what are they?" The girl wished suddenly to think of anything other than Dahlia or the white lady and the others.

Nayru is just never going to understand men.

The teasing, as friendly as it was—nearly flirting—went over Nayru’s head. She did not understand why Aro said that his father would like to meet the female that had made him stay in another pack’s territory. Well, she hadn’t made him do anything, and even if she did why did he sound so cheerful about it? Was that a bad thing, forcing anyone to do anything, especially against their guardians’ wishes? Yet Aro was in a good mood and Nayru dared not spoil it by seeking to understand and make him explain his statement. Instead she only mirrored his smile, as if she too were in on the joke, and was relieved when he began to talk about the caves. He called her his lady, but she took it simply as a friendly title, and she nodded when he asked if she wanted to explore them.


"Dahlia does not have any caves I know of, only dens that we have dug ourselves." And if they did have caves surely they were small and insignificant. Natural dens and nothing more. Perhaps one day they would find larger caves to explore, adding to the vast and varied landscapes that made up her home, but for now she would gladly see inside the Crimson Dream caves. Although, one thing about caves, Nayru knew without having to enter them, was that once inside it quickly became pitch black. With no sunlight, her canine eyes would be helpless. "Should we figure out some sort of light? " She peered into the opening, and as expected was greeted with darkness several yards in. Exploring would be far more adventurous in the dark, but also far more foolish.

Weee, finally! <3 316.

More romantic? Nayru eyed the male, though no changed appeared on her face. Romance was a foreign idea to the girl, although she was beginning to note some seemed to indulge and enjoy whatever it was. Saluce, for example, had the unknown but named female Layla, although Nayru understood little of their alliance aside from the biological purpose to produce offspring. What the two Jagers of Dahlia had mirrored that of her father and mother (or so she gathered from Saluce’s words), her large bi-colored brute of a father had always been so kind and warm towards her snowy, small mother. There was affection there, but it seemed different than the affection Nayru felt for Conor and Bris, or even Gideon and Aro. They wanted constant physical contact at times, and they seemed to understand each other on a much deeper level. Was that romance? Was Nayru supposed to crave it like the others seemed to? It seemed all irrelevant to her. She had family and friends enough, and the girl certainly wasn’t eager to balloon out with puppies. The fairy girl was content in herself, why did she need the approval or affection of another?


And then Aro said he was just joking, so perhaps he too did not ponder too much on romanticism. Were they too young to feel the stirrings that others were supposed to induce? Or was it just she? It didn’t matter and Nayru let the comment pass as just a joke, unable to sense the changes in Aro’s tones and looks toward her. "Cloth around a stick. Thick cloth though, that will burn for a while. Can we find that somewhere? " In Dahlia such a contraption would have been easy to create, but the girl was unfamiliar with the resources of Crimson Dreams and had to rely solely on Aro’s knowledge and willingness. Which, he seemed more than willing.

No worries luff. Tis short! And getting old. oy. 327.

Nayru should no disappointment as Aro turned away from the cave. Simply she followed him, her pleasant face not changing expression, even if she had rather gone deep into the cave. There will be other caves, and with that thought it was easier to put this particular cave from her mind and keep her focus on Aro. The black and white male moved it seemed with little purpose, and then he collapsed onto the ground. Crimson eyes watched the boy as he invited her to sit alongside him, and she did so, although he descent to the ground was more graceful than his had been.


Lowering herself next to him, a small gap of space between, she sat cross legged, her ruby eyes following his gaze up toward the heavens. Rarely did she gaze up, except during storms and once in a rare while to admire the stars. Her mother had always had her eyes cast skyward, it was one of the rare details Nayru could remember about her biological parents. Yet Aro had directed a question toward her before even offering her the spot next to his and she had yet to voice her answer. He wanted to know more of her, but Nayru couldn’t think of anything that was worth telling him. She was what she was, a humble servant of Dahlia de Mai and a thoughtful but aloof girl. There was very little else to tell. "I like plants, I like to watch them grow. And I like to practice my hunting. " There was more, but she didn’t feel comfortable telling him those things. That she liked to sing and dance when no one was around and that more than anything she spent time with her dagger, safely in its sheath and strapped to her ankle, and that it had become a deadly weapon in her hands even if she, soft and timid, never thought she’d use it to bring death to anyone.