Chasing The Wrong Butterfly (Open)

[freckleface130]

A big blue butterfly was fluttering just out of reach. The small young clumsy wolf panted, tired, yet determined not to give up. She had wandered far from her territory, and noticed it. However with that butterfly it was always just a little farther, just a little farther until she would catch it. After all, how far could a butterfly possibly lead her?

Charis pounced into the air, landing none too gracefully, in a desperate attempt to catch the butterfly. Her black pelt was dirty from the swamp, and her big yellow butterfly wings tattered. You couldn’t even tell her paws were yellow, and much over her white underbelly was tainted with mud. She hoped in the back of her mind nobody would catch her, but it was easily overlooked by the charm of this great blue butterfly.

The swamp around her was rather dark and closed compared to where she usually wandered. Another leap and she fell splat down into a mud puddle. Dazed and taking awhile to get back to her feet, the big blue butterfly landed on her head, clinging to her head as she looked around franticly for the butterfly to continue her chase.

[wildwolfluver7]

Nearia yawned, tired from looking for plants all day. She was wandering about the Croaking Canal, searching for more and more herbs. Her russet fur was getting warm, the black accents on her paws, tail, and beneath her eyes weren't helping in the slightest. Her monarch butterfly wings fluttered in an attempt to cool her down. Her long limbs stretched out and carried her across the moist ground of the swamp. The injured hind leg she had didn't stretch as far, but it was no problem for the 27 year old Sennyo.

Her dark blue eyes scanned the area delicately, looking for anything in particular that was out of place. Her antennae curled and ears pricked when she heard something. She paced forwards and peeked out from behind some bushes. It was a young Sennyo, much younger than her. She was chasing a large blue butterfly, lost track, and fell into a mud puddle. Nearia giggle when the butterfly landed on her head and she looked around wildly to find it again.

Nearia leaped over the bushes and landed in front of the pup with ease. She smiled warmly at the pup and waved her wispy tail in greeting, still flapping her soft wings to keep her cool. "Hello, little one. I'm Nearia, the Alchemist of the Clan. What is your name?" She waited patiently for the young wolf to answer, making sure she remained out of the water. She wanted to be wary of alligators and such, as they were here in this territory.

[freckleface130]

Ears immediately perked up at the sound of another wolf. She stumbled out of the mud with her fur a mess. Charis stared at the other Sennyo as it politely introduced itself “Hello, little one. I'm Nearia, the Alchemist of the Clan. What is your name?” The young wolf stared a bit at the other wolfs wings; she had known other Sennyo’s existed, but had never seen another one outside of her old family.
“I am Charis! Member of the Alliance!” She declared proudly. Before pausing, as if thought it silly to ask such a question “Have you seen a blue butterfly?” She asked. The big blue butterfly flapped its wings gently but unnoticeably on Charis’s head.
Shaking herself off, she looked at Nearia’s wings once more. Just seeing another Sennyo made the young wolf nervous; it reminded her way to much of her family.

[wildwolfluver7]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Charis. And, do you mean this one?" Nearia chuckled, extending her paw and gently urging the blue butterfly onto it. It flapped its wings and sat there on her paw, content as she lowered it enough to hold it in front of the young wolf's face. It's blue wings shimmered in the sunlight and glittered lightly, making Nearia smile at it. It was a beautiful thing and though it wasn't as beautiful as all of nature, it was still part of it, a piece of that beauty.

"You are a member of the Philia Alliance? Interesting. I wonder if you know someone by the name of Phoenix? I helped make sure her pups were healthy when they were born." Nearia held her small paw still and sat down, making sure not to scare the butterfly away so that the young wolf could still look at it. Not missing a beat, she noticed the nervous look on the wolf's features, the nervousness plastered on her expression and bodily features.

Nearia smiled, "Be calm, little one. I will not harm you. I'm a healer, not a fighter. It is not in my place to chase you from this territory. Besides, you are too young to truly cause this pack any real harm." She was trying to be friendly and happy, in a sense to not scare the young pup away. She was a kind little wolf and Nearia had no intentions of harming her. Her deep blue eyes glittered as she gazed at Charis.

[freckleface130]

Upon the comforting words being spoken from Nearia, the young wolf calmed down. Finally Charis began answering her question.
“Yup! I know Pheonix! She is the most fearsome mother out there! I wouldn’t want to get in a tangle with one of her pup!” Charis announced.
Taking her time to carefully examine the butterfly’s wings, they were shimmering blue. It sparkled and entranced her, she loved pretty much everything, so long as it was simple and she could understand it. A smile broke out on her face, she was happy with the result of her chase. Then looking back up at Nearia, Charis decided to ask a question of her own;
“About what age do Sennyo’s fly at?” Questioned Charis, truly curious, she didn’t want to ask anybody in her pack, it would be embarrassing.

[wildwolfluver7]

"That's good, it tells me her pups are doing well. I'm glad."

Nearia frowned a little, surprised the young one didn't know at all about Sennyo. The Alchemist was 27 years old and knew plenty of things about Sennyo, as she was old enough to understand everything about her species. She didn't move so the butterfly would remain, but was truly debating on what to tell her. She didn't want to disappoint her, and lying was out of the question, for it wasn't like her. She didn't want to hurt the young pup, though she didn't have much of a choice.

"Charis...Sennyo cannot fly; our wings are too small to hold out weight in the air." She told her, forcing the smile right back onto her face. She decided to tell her a few other things that Sennyo could do, things that would make her feel better about herself. She didn't want to part from this pup and leave her sad and feeling bad about herself. "However, we can do many useful things."

Nearia thought up a quick list, using mostly her own life to make the sentences seem more true to her. "We are graceful and quick, making us good hunters. We have an incredible sense of smell, much better than any other wolf's. I use my sense of smell to find specific herbs to help my pack and I use my small paws to help others. Since I'm a healer, my small paws are useful when it comes to applying the right herbs to wounds. And, you know what else?" She lowered her head and smiled. "We can predict the weather. That's the purpose of our antennae. Even though we can't fly, many other wolves had told me it's a gift to see a Sennyo, for our breed is rare and a sight to behold. Our breed doesn't often come out into the open."

Nearia watched the young pup and waited for her reaction. True, it was sad that they couldn't fly, even though they had wings and would seem perfectly capable of doing it. They were useful for many other things, though, as she had explained. Nearia was glad to be a Sennyo, a dainty and graceful species. Others did tell her so many times how lucky they were to have seen her, as her breed was rare and they were a sight to behold. She hoped Charis would understand.

[freckleface130]

Charis...Sennyo cannot fly; our wings are too small to hold out weight in the air." Charis nodded, completely relieved. She had always thought Sennyo’s could fly, never had she realized their wings were to small. It made her feel good knowing that, she had always thought she just couldn’t fly.
"However, we can do many useful things." Nearia said encouragingly, as Charis’s ears perked up.
"We are graceful and quick, making us good hunters. We have an incredible sense of smell, much better than any other wolf's. I use my sense of smell to find specific herbs to help my pack and I use my small paws to help others. Since I'm a healer, my small paws are useful when it comes to applying the right herbs to wounds. And, you know what else?" She lowered her head and smiled. "We can predict the weather. That's the purpose of our antennae. Even though we can't fly, many other wolves had told me it's a gift to see a Sennyo, for our breed is rare and a sight to behold. Our breed doesn't often come out into the open."
As soon as she said the first part, Charis’s smile fell away, she had always admired how gracefully her siblings always walked. It had always been her downfall, constantly falling behind when all the others had gracefully walked ahead. Charis was always tripping over her own two feet; she was quite the opposite of graceful. Which often caused mocking from her family. Though the rest made her feel rather good, that maybe she could be some use to her pack. Charis had always hoped to be good at fighting.
It also made her sad that she was only learning these things now, she had always avoided her siblings whenever their parents told them about Sennyo’s and such. Though she was glad she actually had learned them.
Smiling, Charis mumbled “Thank you” under her breath. She felt very inspired by this wolf, and couldn’t wait to go back to her pack with a new sense of pride.
“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Charis said realizing something. “Please don’t tell anybody I was here.” It was rather bad that not only she ran away from her pack after a butterfly, but also she didn’t want to be possibly retrieved by her parents.

[wildwolfluver7]

Nearia saw the disappointment on the young wolf's face and immediately felt bad. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything at all, but what else was there for her to tell the pup? Not much, she concluded, so there was no shame in telling her what she told her. She wondered what the pup would do now, but was slightly surprised when she mumbled a thank you. Nearia set her paw down, scaring the butterfly off, and glanced at the butterfly as it flew away. She leaned forward and licked the pup's forehead, nodding at her words.

"It is no shame that you came after a butterfly and left your pack doing so. You are young and have a very long time to live, as do I. Be young and live happily while you still have the chance, Charis. Life passes by much too quickly for you to be sad, especially at your young age." She paused a moment, debating on whether or not to tell Sunchaser about the pup. She didn't have much choice, as she was her Alphess, but promised to keep it to herself for as long as she could. "I cannot promise no one will find out you were here, but I can promise you that I will tell no one. Your secret is safe with me."

[freckleface130]

Charis nodded, content with the new information, and with the promise. She wouldn’t think it was a big deal since she was so far from home, but still, words could spread faster than fire at times.
Her wings splayed even sloppier over her back, with the new knowledge that it was okay not being able to fly, and that she would have never flown in the first place.
With a much louder “Thank you!” being cried over her shoulder, Charis walked back in the direction of her pack. Content just to enjoy the scenery instead of rushing by it like she normally did.