Northstar Vale the snow carefully everywhere descending

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera ran without stopping. She was grateful for her many days as a nomad for strengthening her and giving her the gift of endurance — but her movements were not lighted by her years moving from place to place. Instead, it was pure adrenaline that drove her over the mountains and through the forests, crossing rivers. She was utterly disturbed by what she had seen in the willows: a man smelling of the Saints, disregarding their scent borders, causing distress, and showing great disrespect.

She did not know what happened with him, as she had begun her journey to the empire in a flutter of lilac fur, during the whole event. Eleuthera trusted that the faeries would be able to expel him, given their numbers over them (and Orlaith’s fire), but with two unfortunate occurrences in one day, Eleuthera figured she musn't wait lest the other packs have their own borders breached, and their own members brutalized.

Eleuthera approached the borders of the Empire without hesitation, but stopped just short. She was out of breath, but honestly, no worse for wear. For having covered a great distance in such little time, she allowed herself a moment to breathe and drink from a nearby stream. Then, she threw back her head and called for whoever wanted to listen — but, hopefully, someone with a little authority.

calling leadership! @Ibis @Reiko

When a familiar scent came wafting down the mountain pass and through the pines Ibis stopped what she was doing; it wasn't much, just a quick perusal of the forest further out from the den, making sure it was safe for a small outing with the girls. But the smell was deeply familiar, so deeply that she was struck dumb for a moment. Her mind raced through all the different people it could be — and then a call came. A summoning howl that sounded so crisp and beautiful she knew immediately who it was.

She turned and shot off across an expanse of rolling green, feeling the wind whip her cheeks, her skin buzzing with a subtle adrenaline. It sounded as if Eleuthera needed help. Where had she come from..? How long had she been home, in the valley? If she was here then were their parents...?!

As Ibis rose to meet the idling figure she saw the blushing brown coat of her first friend, and there was nothing immediately amiss. She gathered her bearings and tried to compose herself, but her heart was jackhammering inside her little body, her breathing a little ragged.

Eleuthera...? She called out, exasperated, stunned to find her sister there, sipping the river water as if she had not been gone at all.

Another call for leadership, the world outside the vale was busy along within the vale itself, the world never stopped moving despite how much she wanted it to stop for just a moment so she could gather her thoughts and think of their next step. Was it about that group that was forming in the bleeding woods again she wondered? 

She was quick to respond, moving swiftly to where the call had originated from. Giving each of her children a kiss before leaving the den and quickly found herself following after Ibis to a member of the Court. Her scent was similar to that of Lumiya's and thus, was a friend almost immediately. Offering a kind smile, it came more naturally again now that she wasn't aching from her head down to her tail. 

Hello, I am Reiko, I lead with Ibis here. A quick introduction. Is there news from Lumiya?

✹☾❂

 

"Eleuthera…?

The woman lifted her maw from the river, pausing in her drink. She certainly hadn’t expected to hear her own name, or that she be the one greeted before anyone else. Her curiosity instantly piqued, Eleuthera turn her finepoint head to the side, but nothing in the world could prepare her for what she saw.

“Ibis…?"

The name fell from her lips before she could stop herself; before she could really think about it. It was instinctive. She didn’t think about it. Eleuthera did not have to stop and wonder who this person was. There wasn’t a question in her mind, when she saw the girl's — no, woman's — fine features and coloring that so closely resembled momma Seabreeze.It was her sister; maybe not of blood, but of heart. It was immediate, instantaneous, and it hit her like a landslide.

Eleuthera’s entire body had stopped moving for more than several moments, but life rushed back into her body; it actually made sense that she might run into Ibis here. Lumiya had mentioned seeing her at the Hushed Willows, and truthfully, where they were right now was only a hop, skip and a jump away from where they both had grown up together. Just because it made sense didn’t mean that it was any less astounding, or that Eleuthera could be any more eloquent about it.

“Holy crap, Ibis! I… I heard you had visited the willows but I…" Eleuthera stumbled forward a step or two, as if she might breathe too hard and blow away the mirage in front of her, or scare Ibis and she would cut and run, never to be seen again. Might this even be a dream—? If it was, Eleuthera would gladly play along. It was many a night that she and Séamus had laid awake, wondering about the goings-on of their family, Ibis being one of the more prominent members of their memories.

Eleuthera hauled in a deep breath. Even though she had the sudden impulse to run and embrace the sandy shewolf who smelled so strongly of babies(!!!!), Eleuthera did not indulge such longings. It had been many years, and they were different wolves now. Not girls, but women with an entire lifetime of experiences that created their individual frameworks for viewing the world. Eleuthera would feel this out a little more before offering the sincere affections that she felt overwhelmed her. Instead, she sputtered so beautifully  “I — you — you were so close this entire time…" and shut up as an elegant, regal looking shewolf entered the scene. Reiko.

The snow-wolf that introduced herself so kindly and warmly elicited a humble bow from the lilac woman — her stature and elegance nearly demanded it from her, and Eleuthera turned to offer such cordialities to Ibis as well. She was one of the wolves with authority that she had summoned, it seemed to be. “Leadership, eh?" Eleuthera could not help but quip from her low bow, throwing Ibis a grin and a lifted brow. Of course she was leading a pack, and had a family. A real life; which was something Eleuthera lacked.

Okay, business time. Loving-on-your-long-lost-sister time could come later. “Ibis and Reiko, thank you for meeting me. I come representing Seelie Court," but Reiko already knew that, you dunce. She wondered what Ibis might think, that she was once again living in their old home, but Eleuthera bit her lip and pressed on. “but I do not come bearing auspicious news. There have been further incidents with the pack of outlaws, the Saints." Her mind flashed to the events that took place just the day before. The fight with Orlaith, and the trespassing man. The marking. The lies and the trickery. It all perturbed her quite deeply. 

“They have moved from our doorstep to yours." She stated, quite solemnly. “We fear, while they are so close, that no pack is safe."

They stared at one-another a moment and then with a rush of momentum, Ibis was there before her, and Eleuthera was doing the same; they were so much closer now and yet still stared with awe upon the other. When Eleuthera's voice spilled out again it was a blessing to Ibis' ears, and she found herself filling the fleeting voids between.

You're here — where? — how? Ibis sputtered; a look flashed on Eleuthera's beautiful little face that made Ibis' heart feel as if it might be swept away. Leadership, eh? Did the Queen sense jealousy? No; perhaps only pride, but they weren't too different.

And before Ibis could say anything else Reiko was there, sweeping forth with much more finesse, an Empresses bearing; she wore her crown well, versus Ibis who still was not sure of her mantle. Ibis took a step back and settled beside her friend, casting Reiko a little smile, before the news hit her.

I come representing Seelie Court — Oh? Ibis could not recall ever hearing the name, and did not immediately link it to the pale woman of the Willows; she had not thought of home in a long time with every fibre of her being so focused on her daughters these days. There have been further incidents with the pack of outlaws, The Saints, Eleuthera explained - not that it helped Ibis much, she did not know of these folk.

The woman glanced to Reiko with a furrowed brow; how much had she missed already, while she denned? Dangers lurked nearby from the sounds of it — and somehow Ibis was offended, not by the presence of danger (which was a surprise but far enough removed from her that she remained indifferent to a point) but by the lack of communication around such things. What else had she missed? She was silent, mulling over the news, knowing she had nothing to contribute and feeling slighted by her inability to act her part.

Unfortunately once again the pack that Hua had come to warn them about had reared its ugly head. Thinking they had managed to chase them off and thought little of them again until now, the Empress offered an exhausted look to both women. I see. She said quietly at first, mulling over the news and wondering what would be the next step. Obviously she had to speak with Ira now, and preferably to Lumiya herself now and prepare for what would come next.

Taking a seat from where she stood, the woman pondered everything over. Not wanting to take further action against the pack in question, but should Hua's stories be true and the other pack's actions against them are for the same reasons, there was no way she would feel comfortable with them still so close by. I didn't think they'd come up again. Lamenting the thought.

Do you know where they are now? Who else knows of their new location? This time she would have to speak with the other leaders, such as Ibis and Takeshi... the later was more unfortunate than the other.

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera grimaced, passing the look between Ibis and Reiko, who both seemed equally as grim about it. “We had also hoped to not hear of them again, as well.” In fact, Eleuthera had been so sure about this that she really didn’t bother getting involved. This time, though, she took it extremely personally. “Just yesterday, they prompted a fight with one of our guardians, and another Saint went traipsing through the willows, as if he had no care or decency.” Leu could not help but glance towards Ibis and attempt to scry her current thoughts from her fine-pointed features; had the Hushed Willows still been commanded by their mothers, the outcome of these events might have been much different.

It was no matter; this was the way of the wolf. Those who broke these rules could not be allowed to run around unchecked, lest they risk throwing the entire wilds out of balance. “It is believed that they are still in the mountain range, near a dry canyon,” she recalled Orlaith saying. “I intend to confirm this.” She then said, with the smallest air of defiance. These two women were mothers. Lumiya was busy establishing a pack. Orlaith was ousting intruders left and right. Who else could achieve this task, but she?

Eleuthera leaned in closer. The Faeries of Seelie Court would not lay down as victims, that much was certain. The lilac sprite looked at the two woman who headed the Empire, Ibis and Reiko, and knew they would want the same. “I am only a messenger, but,” she said communally. They are allies, were they not? “I do believe Lumiya intends to move against them."

This is short but aaah, I did not want to hold it up further.

Further details came to light of a terrible group settling nearby, and it was all news to Ibis; however she could see some kind of understanding in Reiko's face, and the way Eleuthera spoke of these poorly dubbed Saints addled her more. It felt like she was completely out of the loop.

We are not equipped for battle, Ibis pointed out with haste, thinking of all the children present now, her dear daughters - and the brothers who protected her little family. I do not know how we could help you. What good comes of such turmoil? Would stopping this group make us safe, or paint us as future targets? The queries spilled from her like a furious little typhoon; Ibis would not put her family at risk so easily.

But it was not her decision to make - and momentarily she returned to herself, looking to Reiko, as she would know what to do. She at least had more involvement with the affairs of the universe beyond the Empire compared to Ibis.

✹☾❂

 

Surprisingly, Ibis was not in complete and utter agreement of one pack expending resources and bodies to help the other. If Eleuthera was disturbed by this, she showed nothing of it on her face. She listened to her sister’s reasons and concerns, all of which were completely reasonable, but Eleuthera felt a pang of distance in her chest. Eleuthera had thought the appearance of her sister was a god-given gift, perhaps divinely conspired by their mothers up in heaven, but it seemed that Ibis did not feel similarly. Who else would she not wholeheartedly pledge herself to the cause of the willows?

But, now that Eleuthera thought about it, she realized that there was a whole lifetime between them. They were not children, anymore. They weren’t even young adults, anymore. They are grown women with experiences and relationships that the other could never even conceive of. The Ibis of today might be an entirely different wolf than the pale child she once knew. Ibis was a leader. a mother. a being who had made the conscious decision to live outside of the willows, just as Mali had, rather than live within it.

Suddenly, Eleuthera felt very far away from the things she had wanted the very most. However, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing — it was the beginning of something. It was the beginning of the next chapter. She had to start somewhere, and she would start here and now and meet her new life where it was at. So, this was Ibis as a grown woman?  Eleuthera was excited to embark on the adventure of getting to know her.

Eleuthera looked towards the ground, then up at Ibis, and over to Reiko. She hadn’t really expected to be met with contention, and didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t really her place to make decisions or statements on behalf of Lumiya. “It would be a big request — but I am not sure if Lumiya intends to make it. I was sent to warning you of the tension amongst these mountains, and nothing more." Eleuthera backpedaled a step, feeling uncomfortable, and not wishing to steep in these waters for much longer. “As allies, such gracious would be returned to you, should the Empire ever be in need." They were allies, no? Eleuthera hadn’t been in Seelie Court for a long time. Perhaps she had been mistaken.

With a dip of the maw and a bow of her thin chest, it was clear Eleuthera intended to leave. “I must continue on my journey. But take heed, and be careful." After this, his lavender gaze fell upon Ibis, not holding any worry or contention — just a promise that, after this, I’ll be back. Back to meet her children, learn who she is now, and to become familiar with her empire. With another bow, Eleuthera turned and trotted away, her lilac image almost immediately obscured by the summer’s verdant undergrowth.

Just going to throw in Leu’s last post! Feel free to continue, or just archive :)