FSE

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This is a gift piece, for a friend. I'm not one for writing many of these, but...these are rather awesome sometimes!

I was halfway through writing this when I discovered that explanation about the Northern Lights!

There was snow everywhere. It didn't matter where she looked, all she could see was the whiteness that surrounded her. A small grin lit her face, and her tail wagged lightly across the loose surface, gathering up a ball of ice-crystals. She loved the snow. It meant that she was in a peaceful place, somewhere untouched by the encroaching humanity. Her head lifted back and she let her howl lift into the air. Her voice called her delight, and she felt herself filled with warmth that had nothing to do with the plush coat that had thickened around her as the seasons passed.

She stretched a second on the ground before resting her head on her paws and biting a mouthful of snow thoughtfully. She remained in the open all day, even though she could see a small copse of trees, lingering where she had first seen the wide expanse of snow. It was almost as though she was clinging to the sight of so many miles, free from worry and only the need to feed to nag at her. She stood slowly when the light began to fade, her entire body shaking free a cloud of snow when she shifted. She moved with confidence and economical steps into the trees, having traversed the ground between her resting spot and the copse within minutes. When inside the protected grove, she found herself warming.

She sniffed about for a few moments, before returning to the outskirts with a small grin. Small prey lingered here still, remained in the shadows. It may sleep, or crouch down to be unnoticed, but she could scent it. Her tail flickered briefly, excitement exploding through her body in a sudden rush. She found her eyes brightening before she lifted her eyes to the night sky. The stars shone bright up there, on a backdrop that wasn't black but remained a mixture of the darkest blues and purple. Her breath came out on a soft sigh as she enjoyed the privacy of the night air.

She curled herself up a little more, letting her nose become covered by her tail. She felt herself warmed by the brief exercise as she listened to the soft sounds of birds above her. They were night-hunters, almost kin of hers, winged silently through the trees and a symphony of tiny death-squeaks seemed to accompany her. She wished them good hunting, her mind lost to the quietness of the night around her. The snow gleamed and glittered, but her attention was caught mostly when almost ghostly lights of purple and green seemed to dance with grace above her head. She cocked her head to the side and frowned faintly.

She watched the mysterious lights for hours, until the sun brightened the edges of the horizon and they faded away, lost to her. She growled under her breath, feeling as though something had been yanked from her while she resided in that dim world between wakefulness and sleep. Shaking herself off, she ignored the sounds of the life behind her and slept, exhausted from her night awake and the travel she had done. She shook herself all over for a moment upon waking and turned. The sun was past its zenith and she was hungry. She hunted within the depths of that forest before turning to head back into the snow. That was where she wanted to feed; out in the open where she could see, hear and smell any threats coming around her.

Her meal was scrawny, winter thin and yet, she enjoyed every single bite strengthening her. Her grooming was perfunctory, just merely swiping the remnants of blood from her jaws. She wanted to hunt the spot the lights had danced upon, her curiosity tugging her there with all the subtlety of a branch to one's head. She shook herself once again, hiding her kill beneath a mound of snow that she instantly forgot about. She felt as though she danced upon the sheet of snow. It was cold, but she still found herself grinning in delight, her teeth exposed to the air. She growled and bounced, pouncing into the snow and rolling in it as she left a trail of her paw-tracks through the pristine snow banks.

She acted like a pup for a time, until she happened upon a particular swell of snow she recognised. Her head cocked to the side before she sniffed with almost exaggerated caution. She wasn't exactly sure what she expected to smell, but the subtle scent of fox, stepping up behind her meant she whirled and lowered herself for attack in a single movement. Her lips curled back from her teeth and she uttered a slow growl towards the creature creeping closer. His brown eyes seemed warm, but she didn't trust appearances, not when his coat blended in with the snow and only his nose and eyes offered her any chance of identifying him coming closer. She barked her warning before coughing, her voice lost in the distance of her chest and her maw.

She waited until he got closer, her hackles lifting along her spine and shoulders as she dropped her head lower and offered him another deep growl. It was full of menace and wariness, but his tail wagged at her regardless. Her voice this time slipped from her lips easily, though it lacked the softness she remembered from the times past when she was in the company of others.

"Stop where you are! Don't come any closer. I bite, you know. I'm nasty; I don't need anyone to tell me what to do here!" Her snapping voice rumbled from her, offering a light warning that the fox didn't seem to heed. Instead, he wagged his tail and only sat when he was closer enough that his low yips were able to reach her without straining.

"Don't worry, susi, I won't hurt you! I saw you, last night! You watched those lights, dancing upon the ground, yes? They came from the sky and stood higher than any tree...but less than physical. You will be fine, let me closer and I shall explain." She snorted softly at his words, though one phrase said did spark that insatiable curiosity that refused to settle for long.

"My name isn't susi, little fox. It's Singer. You should know that, if you heard my announcement yesterday." He laughed at her, and she felt herself warm a little to the gentle eyes and calm, happy nature of the white-coated fox.

"Susi is how we say wolf here, same as I am a naali. You are a susi, one whose name happens to be Singer. And I, I am Vhenan." He uttered his name with pride and a tiny wag of his tail. She felt her lips twitch in amusement before restraining herself, her ears merely flicking forward slightly before she cocked her head to the side.

"And...you were going to tell me about those lights? I watched them until the sun came up...trying to work out where they came from." She said it reluctantly, embarrassed that she had to ask the fox to explain something that she felt she should have known.

"Those lights are known here as revontulet. To you, that's the Northern Lights or even the aurora borealis. The humans that live on the edges of this place blame me, the naali. They say one of my kin is running in the north and touching the mountains with his fur. That leads to sparks flying off into the sky and creating dancing lights. Other people, humans of course being unable to decide on one thing, they say we throw the lights up into the sky by sweeping the snow with our tails. The moonlight is said to be reflected from the snowflakes swept upwards."

She found herself leaning towards his engrossing voice, her ears perked forwards in excitement and growing enjoyment.

"That's what the humans say? Then you are truly a magical creature. But...why come to me?" She tipped her head to the side, watching him with mismatched eyes of gold and blue.

"Because you looked lonely, even as you gazed upon the snow with delight. You need a friend, as much as I needed companionship and a hunting partner. You would be good for me, as I would for you." His voice rang out in delight before his tail wagged and he wandered up to her with his brown eyes gentled. He showed no fear for her, no fear of her growls which rumbled from her chest regardless of her actual feelings of growing warmth for the little, brave naali.

"Don't fret yourself, susi. You won't hurt me, you should know that already." His voice was soft and confident, his ears perking before he leaned up and placed paws against her shoulder. His nose bumped into her shock-frozen cheek before he sat down between her feet. A yawn spilled from his lips and she found herself mimicking him, her tail wagging just briefly before she nudged into the top of his head and gave a weary sigh.

"It would be nice...to come companionship for a short time. You'll leave soon enough, I guess?" She tipped her muzzle down and peered at him, her head cocked to the side as he gave nothing more than an enigmatic and rather hidden smile.