Hydrangea ⭐

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

The daughter of Diamond Sanctuary's founder, Hydrangea started out as a humble pup. She was doted on by her mother, Ichika, and adoptive father, Moondrop, but as the pack grew, Ichika was unable to spend as much time with her.

Moondrop took care of her, but there were many other pups, and all the sitters had their paws full, trying to keep an eye on them all. One late evening, when Moondrop's back was turned, Hydrangea wandered off into the forest, and got lost. It grew darker and darker as she padded through the foliage, but she wasn't scared.

She could hear whispers all around her, as if the plants themselves were guiding her. The trees were wise, the bushes were playful, and the flowers were kind. Their soft voices eventually led her to a small meadow, and as she looked up, she realized that the moon was high in the sky, shining a silver light on the grass, which tickled her feet as she wandered towards the middle of the clearing.

Hydrangea shoved her nose down to sniff the flowers, complimenting their sweet smell. When she looked back up, there was a large stag standing in front of her.

He had large antlers, decorated with golden rings and drooping plants, a golden neckpiece resting on the back of his muscular neck. There was a green snake, with what looked like ram horns spiraling out of its head, wrapped around one of the stag's back legs, but it made no move towards Hydrangea, tongue flicking out for a moment as it stared.

The stag lowered his head, and Hydrangea realized he had glowing yellow eyes, which were looking at her with kindness.

"Hello little one," The stag spoke in a thick accent, and the way his voice echoed out, dancing around the clearing, made Hydrangea giggle. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

She told him, telling about her mother, and her father, and how she felt lonely after they stopped playing with her. Everyone in the pack had become so serious, and she was too old to play with the other puppies- they were too small, too fragile, and she could hurt them.

"I followed the whispers," Hydrangea finished, craning her neck up so she could see the stag's face better. It made no difference.

The stag nodded, and the snake's head bobbed up and down, letting out a soft hiss. "I see," the stag mumbled. "It appears that the forest calls to you," one of his ears- the one with the two golden rings- flicked, and his head lowered again. "I can hear it too." His voice was lowered to a whisper, as if he was sharing a secret, and his eyes narrowed in a playful manner.

They talked for a while, the stag spoke of the forest's plants and critters, and Hydrangea spoke of her pack. At some point, the stag was laying on his side, and she was nestled close against his stomach.

"What's your name?" she asked, and the stag smiled.

"I have been given many names," he said, staring off in one direction. "I've lived a long time, after all."

Hydrangea pouted. That didn't answer her question. So she thought. It was silent for a while as she tried to come up with something. She wanted to give him a name herself.

"I think I'll call you Oak." She looked up, smiling. "Because you're big and strong like an oak tree!"

He smiled again, bending his head down to tap his nose against hers. "That's a wonderful name, I will treasure it forever."

Hydrangea fell asleep soon after, when the moon dipped past the trees and out of sight.


When she woke up, she was in a different area, and her side was cold. Looking around, there was no sign of Oak, but she realized that she was close to her pack. Following the scent of the wolves, it took hardly any time for her to stumble into the main clearing, catching the attention of a few adults. They rushed over, worried and shoving Hydrangea around as they made sure she wasn't hurt. They brought her to her parents, and as she got a scolding from Moondrop, Ichika was crying, relieved that she was alright.

Since then, any time Hydrangea looked out into the forest, there was a pair of kind, glowing yellow eyes watching her from the shadows.

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


[Future look]

Changes