Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
#1
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Spotlessly creamy plumage covered the breast of the large bird; almost all over it was soft to the touch. The elegant pitch-black neck curved, serpentine, gleaming as it undulated limply. Legacy cradled the goose in her arms; full-grown, it was large but surprisingly light. For a second she rested her chin against its chilly feathers. The bird was dead, but not at her hands. She'd found it dangling in the branches of a tree, tugged it down in a shower of feathers. Seemed it had fallen from above, under some mysterious circumstances, perhaps even from the clasp of an eagle.

She'd been looking for a gift all day. It was going to make the anticipated meeting into an even happier occasion. Now... well, perhaps this was the perfect present, but she wasn't pleased by it. Yes, everything died. Death was a kindness. She knew these things as well as any predator. But the bird itself, its design, its uniqueness - it was so beautiful, and it would soon be gone forever. It sounded foolish, but so many things were fragile; there was so much to lose. She'd come close to losing it all. She'd smelt it, the void. There weren't words for the serenity and despair that came twisted together in moments like those. And there was only one thing, one friend, whose eyes could make her forget it all. She didn't know what that really meant, either.

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#2
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Ahead of him, he saw her, her red-brown coat catching beams of sunlight and making her seem to positively glow. She stood out against the sand of the beach, his beautiful mermaid. Kansas felt his heart skip a few beats, as it did whenever he saw her. In her arms was a bundle of creamy feathers, and she was gazing at it as if it were her own child. He quickened his stride, grinning broadly as he drew up to her.



It was then that he recognized the creature in his lover’s arms as a goose. The six-month-old gazed at the deceased creature, noticing the tenderness with which Legacy held it in her arms. His grin fading, he spoke quietly, his tail lowering slightly. "It’s beautiful… Legacy, are you okay?" He was fairly certain something was wrong – or perhaps she was just being reflective. Either way, he brushed his muzzle tenderly against her cheek after he had spoken.




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#3
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Perhaps it was the trail of feathers and footprints that had caused him to find her so quickly - ahead of time, ahead of the sunset their tryst was set for. It was close though; the sky already turning gold. Golden, like them. Above the sea, it was a dusky blue-purple, and soon the darkness would spread up from there. But Legacy had no care for these details; she was caught in the intrigue of a pair of blue eyes, and she didn't know it but she was already smiling.


"I found it. It's for you," she said, searching his face for a reaction. "I was just thinking... but it doesn't matter. Nothing's wrong." How long had it been going on for now, this dependency? A day without seeing Kansas was dull, brightened only by her many memories of him. "In fact everything is right," she added, voice soft with barely restrained affection, wanting to add now you're here. And now she moved to caress him in return and in greeting, touching her muzzle to his chin, finding his fur even softer than the feathers she clutched to her chest.

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#4
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I’m just going to say he’s shifted.



Kansas felt that rush of pleasure that always filled him whenever he was in her presence. It was perfection, the way she made him feel… He couldn’t remember ever experiencing the same sort of sensation from anyone or anything else. She continued to hold the bird; it made his heart heavy to look at a creature who so deserved life but had had life taken from it. She told him it was a gift for him, and he gazed into her own beautiful eyes, his expression soft and grateful. Thank you… he said quietly.



Her touch, though at first had given him the chills, now warmed him from the very place her hand rested against his fur. He realized that he had missed her gentle caress in the few days that had passed since they’d last seen one another. It felt so wrong to be apart from her. Legacy told him everything was just fine; still, he found himself concerned. If there was something troubling her, he wanted her to know that she could tell him. I’m glad… but… if you want to talk or anything, I’m here. He rested his hand against the goose’s neck, looking first at it and then back toward her mesmerizing green eyes.




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#5
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He was always so considerate; seemed like he cared about her more than anyone else. The joy of this often overwhelmed the girl, but she took it utterly for granted because she felt exactly the same. A little wind blew along the beach, ruffling through both their coats of varying degrees of gold - a shade the sky was currently attempting to mimic. She sighed softly, the meltingly warm look in her eyes evidence that it was no gesture of melancholy. He was being so very serious, and though she loved the solemnity on his face her mood was sheer exhileration now he was here. She couldn't help but smile as she answered "I know you are. I'm here for you, too, Kansas," and she swayed slowly towards him as if to fall into a melodramatic embrace, but at the last moment shoved the handsome goose at his chest instead. "But you can carry supper!" she said with a snicker, adding affectionately "and don't complain or I'll rub sand in your hair." Her eyes danced with mischief. "D'you want to walk up to the dunes?" The view would be exquisite up there.

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#6
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He shook his head slightly… he needed to lighten up. He was so happy to be with her that he often thought about things too deeply, not wanting anything to ever be wrong. He knew this was why he was being so serious…He had mistaken the look on her face for sadness, when, as she’d told him, she was being thoughtful. Sometimes he wondered why she would want to be with a stiff boy like him. She returned his reassurance, which made his cheeks redden slightly, warmed even further by the setting sun. Her joking made him laugh a little, which helped. "Well, in that case, I'd better carry it... " He grinned boyishly and took the goose into his arms. It was surprisingly light, probably due to the creature’s hollow bones. "Yeah, let’s go to the dunes and eat there. Like a picnic, sort of."


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#7
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Nodding and smiling her assent, she made tracks for the dunes, red paws sinking into the sand. The beach had been one of her favourite places ever since she first came here, never mind the fact that if you walked too far you were liable to get your face torn off by a territorial coyote. Somehow the risk made it even more exciting - after all, you could see a good long way and thus gain plenty of warning. She'd run from a murderous puppy once before. Now she was here with her dearest companion; it couldn't be more different. Now they could look after each other if anything happened. Legacy lifted her face into the breeze, delighting in the cooling air. But although her mood was lighthearted, he was quite right in perceiving the girl to be in an unusually contemplative mood today, as her next words proved. "Kansas," she said after a moment, "d'you ever think about the future? What'll happen when we're grown-up? I wonder if things will be any different... you know, our lives, people, each other..." Awkward, tentative; she was scared of the thoughts she had sometimes and really just wanted him to reassure her. They would always be around, right? But it had been a few days since they last met up - and they didn't even live that close to one another, as well as being in totally different packs. She would leave for him, yes she would give up her home for the boy, if there was no other option but it hurt to think about losing the forest. How inconceivable, though, to consider not seeing Kansas any more. She needed him.
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#8
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He also loved the beach, mostly because it was so different from anywhere he’d been before. He loved the salty air and the soft sands; the never-ending ocean and the big sky. It was so very peaceful – he felt like he could forget his worries and simply admire the beauty around him. And it was so much better now that he had Legacy with him – she made everything so perfect. He followed suit and let his snout life upward, feeling the cool breeze on his throat and grinning to himself.



Legacy now she explained her thoughtfulness – not that he needed an explanation. He wouldn’t have minded had she kept her thoughts to herself, as she had every right to. But he was curious, and he greeted her words with perked ears, giving them a moment’s thought. He knew very well that things would be different… he had experienced a lot of changes so far. It was worrisome; he couldn’t lie, but that was life, he supposed. "I don’t know. I…think everything changes, but it’s better that way." He didn’t want to sound overly philosophical, and he hoped his answer wasn’t too vague. ’Cause, it would be boring if everything was the same. But nothing can change the way I feel about you, he wanted to say.


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#9
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It was certainly the case that change was part of life. Many changes she'd been through had been for the better, and there were even some she could think of that would improve things even more. His philosophical words sent a chill of fear to her heart anyway. Oh, it was irrational, but fragility was something the red wolf felt deeply, and she couldn't help how she was. "I guess it's impossible to see the future..." she said slowly. "I don't know, though. I don't think this sort of day would ever get old." She felt a little shy saying it, and didn't look at him. He was so sensible, she thought she must seem quite the oddball to him sometimes.

"Do you think you'll ever want to travel? See the world?" It was almost a change of subject, but not quite. Where did he see his life leading? What would he do? Questions she hardly knew how best to ask, but wanted to know, for their paths must surely run alongside - she would take care of that. But his mother had left, and his sister was missing too - maybe he had the wanderlust in his blood. Maybe he'd want to go after them someday, if they didn't return.

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#10
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Gosh, sorry for making you wait - I was grounded.



Again, he thought his own words sounded a bit strange. He almost made himself laugh, amused by the way he was still trying to impress her by sounding smart. He knew he had a logical way of looking at things, but tried so hard to get her to see this. It was difficult to figure out how to do so without sounding like an idiot. But this time it seemed he had won her over, as she continued to talk to him in her endearingly thoughtful way. "I don’t think so, either. " He really did wish their day at the shore together would last forever.



Her next question left him at a loss. He didn’t know what to tell her – he was not terribly adventurous, and he had an obligation to his father to stick around. He didn’t know how Phoenix would take it if he left as well. But seeing the world sounded like something he would have loved trying. In the end, he gave a half-answer. "Maybe… What about you?"



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#11
No worries Smile

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"Yeah, maybe..." the girl answered, suddenly a little embarrassed. Why'd she always have to go and blurt out whatever was on her mind? It didn't matter, what was to come. If she was quiet, she could hear her feelings speak; tell her that this loyalty, companionship; this wouldn't ever end. The fear had to be quelled, or it would drive him away. The moment was present, and past or future there wasn't anywhere she'd rather be, so this moment was to be nothing but savoured. Breathing deep, she smiled softly, "Or maybe I'll build a sandcastle right here and live in it for the rest of my life." A toe dragged a snaking line through the sand, almost as if marking a perimeter.


The goose looked striking, black feathers against his cream fur. On impulse she walked nearer, and leaning in to him a little pulled out two long wing-feathers. Her brow furrowed with concentration, as she knotted one into a strand of her hair. The other twirled in her hand as she considered how audacious she felt: enough to ask him if he would wear it, or keep it, for her?

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