Phoenix Maplewood krasha

heda swallowed. she had murmured to @Issorartuyok that she would rejoin him and the hunting party, then run to the bleeding forest.
there she called for @Druid, and paced back and forth, hoping her sister would meet her here instead of the bypass. the yellow eyes were watchful, filled with a mild trepidation.

The howl found Druid where she sat beside Silverstream. Her catch so far consisted of a single fish, which she’d already eaten. The sharp little bones were scattered around her as her mismatched eyes scanned the waters for more opportunities.

Her backbone straightened when Heda’s voice summoned her. Quickly, she rose onto her feet and abandoned her fishing post to heed her sister’s call. Not only did she miss her, she worried about her.

Sometime later, a slightly breathless Druid found her fellow Mäher in the neighboring woods and asked, Heda, what is it?

"druid." heda drew closer.
for the next several minutes she regaled her sister about sparring with issorartuyok, with tulimaq, with kigipigak. how the hunt had made her feel. what she had learned. playing with ensio at the feast.
and all the death that followed.
"i'm actually on a scouting mission right now with issorartuyok and some of the duskfire kids," heda added, pausing. she looked at druid. "i think — i think i want to stay in the glacier. permanently. but i wanted to tell you first."

Druid listened as her sister told her of the goings-on in her life, paying attention to every detail, including the many polysyllabic names she would never remember. She was glad for Heda, swept up in her excited chatter, though there was another feeling just beneath the surface. She knew she’d made the right choice for herself by returning home, yet Druid couldn’t help but feel like she’d missed out on something (or many things, per Heda’s stories).

That feeling breached the surface when Heda announced her intentions, causing Druid’s jaw to go a little slack, then tighten again. The words hit her like a punch to the gut, stealing her breath. Her mismatched eyes flicked between Heda’s, wondering if she meant what she said, and seeing nothing but authenticity in her sibling’s gaze. Her lower lip wobbled but she gently sank her teeth into it, stilling it.

But try as she might, she couldn’t stop the tears that welled in her eyes and began running down her cheeks. Ignoring them, she wondered, What makes you want to stay there? It wasn’t an accusation. It broke her heart a little, but something must truly compel Heda to bring her to such a decision. Druid wanted to support her, first by understanding why.

oh geez oh f — please don't cry, heda begged inside her mind, leaning forward to embrace druid if she was allowed. her own throat constricted. "because i still dream about my — about her." she breathed in hard, trying not to cry. trying to be strong.
"i can't make out her face. but i know she's there. and worripa — he's gone. just left. i want —" and now her own eyes were overflowing, her chin trembling. "i just want to be somewhere they never were. i changed my name. i don't even know them. but since being outside of rivenwood, being on my own, i don't have those dreams. i don't see her face."
now she searched druid's countenance. "i can visit you every week. every few days. i won't be far. i just —" won't be in rivenwood anymore.

Although Heda had hurt her in a fashion, Druid would never refuse her sister’s embrace. She clutched at her, the tears flowing freely even as Heda’s breath tickled her ear. She cried in silence, listening to Heda’s explanation. At first, she didn’t understand. Who did she mean? But then she said their brother’s name and Druid remembered: Heda and Worripa had not been born to Sequoia. She often forgot.

Hearing that the memories of her mother’s and brother’s abandonment afflicted her wounded Druid deeply. How had she not known? She wished Heda had told her, so they could bear the burden together. But she hadn’t and Druid could not possibly refuse her the relief that leaving would offer her. That would be selfish and though Druid wanted her sisters at her side for always, Heda’s happiness mattered to her as much as her own. Perhaps it mattered even more.

Heda promised to visit often and Druid could only nod shakily as she pulled back to look her sister in her face. Of course, were the only words she could manage presently, eyes resting on the other girl’s features for only a moment before she flung her forelegs around her neck and hugged her even more tightly.

heda hugged her back. she let her own tears fall. this was scary, in a way, despite her mind being made up. despite her excitement at being with the glacier wolves and being on the taiga, it would be crushingly different and vastly so.
she squeezed druid and kissed her sister's cheek.
"druid of rivenwood," heda said softly, her mouth trembling again. "you're gonna be amazing. you already are." even if i'm not there. even if i'm not with you.

For a long time, she remained pressed to Heda, her face turned into her sister’s neck as she wept. As the moments passed, the grip began to loosen and, inch by inch, she drifted out of the embrace. She didn’t go far. Heda could easily reach her cheek for a kiss. Druid wondered if she tasted salt and the thought elicited a small, wet laugh.

Sitting up straighter, Druid raised a paw to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sniffled, eyes shining as she beheld Heda. Her sister’s praise made them well up again as her lips curved into a watery smile. It didn’t last. Although she very much appreciated Heda’s words and the sentiments behind them, they also cleaved the two apart, as Heda would no longer be of Rivenwood.

I know we’ll see each other, she whispered, voice thick, nudging the tears from the corners of her eyes again, but I’ll miss you, so much. You’ll always be my sister, no matter where you go, Heda. I love you.

heda sniffled but got herself under control. yet druid's words dredged up another sweep of tears. "wherever i go," she repeated fiercely, putting her forehead against that of her sister. "i love you too."
god, why did this have to hurt so much?
"i'm uh, i'll come by. to talk to mahler and mom myself." druid didn't need to handle that part; heda wasn't about to sayonara and dip over this.
she looked at her sister's beloved jet and green eyes. "it won't be too long before bracelet's awake," she went on. "maybe she'll have little bracelets."

And Witch, Druid reminded gently, because their sister deserved to be told face-to-face too. Thank you for telling me first, she added. It was a bittersweet kind of honor to be the very first person Heda sought out to break this life-altering news. It spoke of love, respect and trust: all the trappings of their sisterhood.

The mention of Bracelet made her lips twitch faintly. She did look forward to reuniting with her slithery friend, especially now. Druid recalled how she’d felt upon discovering she would not see the snake for many days. She felt that way today too, though she would hold tightly to Heda’s reassurances that they would still see one another.

Can I tell Mireille, the next time I see her? Druid asked, wondering if Heda might like the opportunity to tell everyone she cared about in person.

"and witch," she said softly. she loved both her sisters the same. but druid was with her here now, looking in her wet eyes; druid had wept over her; druid had been the one to say it was all right.
"yes, please. tell mireille. maybe you both can visit me when we settle again. maybe spring." she was not sure where their wanderings would take them, but she knew that she would be back in rivenwood to see her family as soon as she was able.
the girl swallowed.
she hugged druid again.

With blessings given on either side, Druid sensed that Heda would soon want to depart for her new beginnings. Druid would not hold her back, even for a moment, though she was grateful when her sister reached out for another hug. She reached back. She would always reach back.