Moongarde.

Capital city of Sylvera, Luna's creation.

Felicity traced the silvery letters with a claw, smiling slightly in relief. Her shoulders relaxed as she raised her gaze from the wooden sign and scanned the area around her. It had been a long moon of preparations and travel, but she'd finally made it. To salvation. Escape.

A gentle breeze swept through her fur. It was dyed a darker pink at the moment, with a tinge of purple. That had seemed like the best shade for a long journey.

With a final nod to the glittering words, she placed her aching paw past the sign, onto smoothed-over grass. Somehow, the path felt different to the one on the other side. It was special somehow, almost magical.

There was a reason why they called Moongarde the first settlement.

She took a few more steps, completely entering the city. The sun glimmered, illuminating the straw rooftops with a sparkling gold-yellow. It was perfect.

Perfect for a wolf who wants to escape her past.

But before she could move any further forward, a voice barked in her direction. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Tensed, Felicity whipped around, searching for the source. A tight knot curled in her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was get in trouble on her moving day.

A scowling wolf marched out of a small hut beside her, flashing green-tinged fangs as he approached. His paws, squat and burly, matched the grass in colour. A laced cloth was draped over his back, reading Watchwolf. Hesitantly, Felicity stepped backwards, quite afraid of his poisonous glare.

His gaze swept over her. "Oh great. Another ditzy Glitterwylf," he growled, not attempting to hide the mutter from her. "Clearance?"

"Oh, sorry. I'd forgotten," she stuttered out, fumbling hurriedly for the travelling pouch slung around her chest. She grabbed the small card that her old town's prophet had given her, as a way to prove her right to be there. It contained a simple note detailing her identity, and her licence to move location.

The guard snatched the card from her roughly, almost snapping it in two. He grunted. "Where are you from, Glitterwylf?"

Something stirred in her stomach in response to his uncaring tone. It bubbled, threatening to rise into her throat. She pressed it down again. No. Stay happy. Stay Felicity.

Forcing a smile, she answered, "Up in Borealton."

The Toxiwylf's eyes flicked upwards for a moment, mild interest sparking within. "The front of the war, huh?" He opened his jaw, as if to ask another question, but then seemed to think better of it. Shaking his head, he looked back down to the card. "And why are you relocating?"

The smile fell, her snout drooping downwards a little. "Personal reasons," she stated, keeping her voice even.

"Which are?" His head tilted to the side. At her hesitation, he smirked, before clicking his glare back into place. "I'm security, Glitterwylf. Spit it out."

Felicity's gaze dropped to the ground, staring at her pink paws. "I... lost someone in the war. I guess I had to get away." Her claws shifted uncomfortably.

Above her, the guard chuckled, his glare subsiding as if it had been nothing more than a little joke, for his own amusement. He seemed rather delighted by her display of grief. The twisting in her stomach flared a little more. "Ah, well. Seems fine. Enjoy your stay," he told her, tossing the card to the ground in front of her and turning away. His green tail flicked dismissively in her direction.

Rooted to the spot, Felicity waited until he had vanished again before continuing along the path. She was afraid that if she moved, she would do something she'd regret. All it took was a moment of deep breaths to recover, then she could carry on.

Keep it at bay, she whispered to herself as she stared straight ahead. Felix wouldn't want you to lose control.

Just thinking his name sent a sharpened dagger digging deep into her heart. She winced. Stop thinking. Now.

So she did. She surveyed the clusters of huts either side of her, and the polite blue sky - dotted with a few specs of white, but nothing that prevented the warmth of the sun's rays. It was the last shining beauty of summer before the world faded into the dull brown of autumn.

But even autumn was beautiful. Someone used to tell her that. The colourful trees, the gentle sway of the leaves as they descended gracefully into the dust, and the spindly boughs, stripped of their thick coats to reveal their purest forms. He would show her it all. He would never stop admiring the beauty of the world.

Gritting her teeth, Felicity dug her claws into the earth. Her thoughts were misbehaving especially today.

She focused all her attention on her walk. The prophet had instructed her to follow this central path. It would lead to the plaza, where she would find her new neighbour waiting, ready to escort her to her new home.

Increasing her pace, she followed the curves and bends with utmost concentration. Sure enough, there was the plaza. It was far bigger than the one in Borealton - and full of wolves. Keeping her head up and eyes forcibly shining, she navigated through the crowd, nodding politely to anyone who met her gaze. Some of them nodded back. Most just ignored her.

Eventually, the crowds broke away, around a small pond. The Chroma Pool. Without ever seeing it before, Felicity knew exactly what its glistening waters held. An identical pool was situated in her old town, and in every town across the continent. It was the place she'd gained her Glitter Pelt.

"Excuse me? Are you... Felicity?"

The tone was much less abrupt than the Toxiwylf. Felicity turned to see a young wolf, also with pink fur, though the shade was much paler. She looked a little apprehensive as she stepped forwards.

"Yes, that's me," Felicity replied, bending her ears to make her seem less threatening. Not that she was much of a threat in the first place, but hopefully it helped.

But clearly this wolf didn't need the help. Her eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh wow! That's great! Gosh, I've asked so many wolves today, anyone that looked unfamiliar. But it's you! I've actually found you!" She rushed forwards, her tail moving so fast that it became a pastel pink blur.

Her very energy made Felicity's eyes sparkle - for real this time. She leant into her fellow Glitterwylf's eager embrace. "That's fantastic! Are we neighbours, then?" As if of its own accord, her own tail lifted upwards, twirling in a happy pirouette of its own.

The wolf pranced around her. "Yes! It's going to be so much fun!" They danced together, sharing in each other's equally bright nature. It felt so refreshing.

Once both of them had exerted enough energy to force them to pause, Felicity gestured around at the crowds. At the moment, she couldn't see any pink fur. "Are there not many Glitterwylves in Moongarde, then?"

The new neighbour shook her head. "No. But that's ok. The Earthwylves can be pretty fun." Her paws tapped the ground, seemingly stuck in an endless dance. Suddenly, they were still, and she stared at Felicity in horror. "Oh! I haven't told you my name yet!" Her eyes grew wide. "I'm so sorry. That was really rude. I'm Kyra."

Nodding, Felicity giggled at her embarrassment. "No problem. Nice to meet you, Kyra."

Kyra bounced up and down, her joy restored. "And nice to meet you too, Felicity... no, you need a cool nickname. Felis? Oh, I've got it!" Her bounces grew more vigorous. "How about Fliss?"

Fliss.

The word sunk into her heart, aching and cold. Felicity's eyes darkened. "No," she snapped, flinching backwards. Kyra stilled. The hurt expression immediately made her guilty. "Sorry," she added hurriedly, gulping down the resent. "I just... I don't like that nickname. It's Felicity."

"Oh." The Glitterwylf bowed her head, her ears flattening in disappointment. They snapped back up again after a few moments. "That's ok! You don't need a nickname. Felicity is pretty."

Felicity nodded firmly. Stop it. Every little thing is setting you off. She doesn't know. After a deep breath, she met Kyra's eyes, smiling determinedly. "Good! Can you show me my new house?"

"Yes! Let's go!" Kyra was off in an instant, running at full sprint. Pushing all other thoughts from her mind, Felicity chased after her. She let the exhilaration that had once enveloped her when playing with Felix take over, filling her with glittering enthusiasm.

It wasn't real. But that didn't matter. If she kept faking it, maybe one day she really would be genuinely happy again.

Maybe.