The Sunspire there were floating flocks of small white swans
775 Posts
Ooc — Rosie
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#1
All Welcome 

It did not take long for the news to reach Olive’s fluttering ears: her daughter was amongst their company! Olive nearly loosed a howl, so happy was she! But instead the druid let slip small murmurings of pleasure as she drifted across the misted landscape, her movements made in haste and with maternal reason. She set to seeking out the star-dusted girl, a task that would surely be made simple by the general nearness of the small, roving band. Their leadership seemed eager to leave Moonspear in the past, as was she — as was Cassiopeia, apparently! You would not find Olive complaining out this turn of events.

There were many things on Olive’s mind these days. First and foremost was her recent decision to follow Rannoch and Liffey — Olive could not entirely explain it, as her loyalty was not so easily purchased. In the end, the druid chalked it up to her intuition and a gut feeling that this was the right next step for her: the new start for which she prayed during the blood moon, manifested here upon another mountain! It was heaven sent; must be, otherwise the opportunity simply wouldn’t have presented itself. It was karmic law.

In close second, was her most recent interaction with her ex-husband. It was only a few days before that Dakarai had happened upon her and spoke his seething words and rabid, raving, lunatic ideas. She had never seen the man so incensed — it certainly had never been directed at her, before — and his fury haunted her for the few days afterwards. It shook her, indeed, but when distance was put between her and the man, Olive could clearly see that she was thankful to be rid of Dakarai and his heedless heroism. If that were the life he chose to live, as was clearly playing out with Onyx, then it was drama that she could afford to do without — especially with a new litter of children on the way.

Olive thought of the children in her belly often, as well. At the moment, it was her secret to keep, but would not be for long; for now she had joined Rannoch under false pretenses, and the druid was not excited at the prospect of being turned out in her delicate state... as was certainly Rannoch's right to do, but she needed their company, and they did not need her burden. It was something that would need to be approached delicately, and Olive hoped that the longer she waited, the more the right approach might reveal itself to her. In the meantime, Olive put it to the back of her mind and followed her sensitive nose down the path that she knew must lead towards that star-speckled girl, her closest of kin.        
and all my days are trances, and all my nightly dreams
are where thy grey eye glances, and where thy footstep gleams
in what ethereal dances, by what eternal streams

v e r i t a s
436 Posts
Ooc — thalia
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#2

rannoch had promised that olive was here, and while her scent had lain fresh on his pelt, the star-kissed girl had yet to see her among the others. she had gravitated towards her only because, of those alive, she shared with olive the strongest bond. her father's fang-marks still lay fresh against her throat, and though the lesser wounds had scabbed over, a few still wept red. and while her solitude had served to heal and harden, the blow of Screech's death (and possibly that of Vaati's) lay heavy on her mind. she knew that she could not seek out the latter; not again, for he was beautiful and toxic. 

and so she had joined rannoch; this, like her mother, she could not explain completely. perhaps it was the sincerity in the male that seemed at once so steady and alien, perhaps some intuition that sought to, for once, lead her down the right path. there was too the knowledge that this was no formal pack, not yet, and little held her here. she could always slip away, if she chose to, yet there was something tempting about the steadiness that the group may offer her. 

it was somewhere deeply entrenched in her thoughts that finally the girl found her mother; quite suddenly was the woman before her. she blinked once to ensure that she was not mistaken before a grin lit her features, and she moved at once to close the distance between them, seeking to press her muzzle into the soft fur of her mother's cheek, tail wafting at her hocks in wordless contentment.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. 
And with strange aeons even death may die.

775 Posts
Ooc — Rosie
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Master Ecologist
Master Midwife
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#3
that avatar looks sooo good with the colors, I can’t get over it

The sounds of footsteps was the harbinger of Cassiopeia’s arrival. As Olive turned to look over her shoulder, the mother almost expected it to be anyone else, for such good fortune was rarely hers for the taking. A small part of her imagined that this surely must be a callous joke — many of the wolves here had known the girl when she was a baby, but none seemed cruel enough to do such a thing. Still, Olive had her suspicions.

— all her suspicions were immediately dashed when the girl, a smattering of stars, was upon her! Olive purred in beatitude at her child’s sudden nearness, not finding the need to announce and define such happiness with words. This, right here — was it not worth everything? Was the chance to embrace her daughter once more not what made Dakarai’s ire, and Aries’s nonplussed loyalties, and Sirius abandonment, survivable offenses? It was this that the druid lived for, these small moments of happiness where nothing was bad and everything was as clear as crystals. The universe had fallen into alignment once more.

Olive loathed to relinquish her hold on Cassiopeia, but after several moments of silent felicity, the sylph pulled back and let her glance travel down the yearling’s form, assessing her outward appearance and health. She took after her father in so many way; but those eyes were distinctly hers. She looked to be hale, but Olive’s sensitive nose quickly scried the saccharine scent of healing, worn as she would wear a necklace across her décolletage. Remembrance suddenly rushed back to the woman.

“My child, are you alright?” she spoke in a hushed tone, gaze brimming with concern and apologies. Olive had always a hard time facing the realities of her family’s state of affairs, but here it was laid out, bare. She clarified, her tone suggesting that Olive knew how painful these specific wounds must be, and not just physically. “I can’t believe he would do this to you…” The thought still baffled her. How could Dakarai ever cause his little girl harm? That must be the difference between she and the dark knight — the ashen fae would gladly lay down her life, at the expense of her babies’ happiness. He, apparently, would not.

But, Olive was not eager to linger on the past, or upon things she could not change. The future was bright, and they must turn to embrace it fully. “Have you been eating and taking care of yourself?” She prodded maternally. “Have you been saying your prayers?”
and all my days are trances, and all my nightly dreams
are where thy grey eye glances, and where thy footstep gleams
in what ethereal dances, by what eternal streams

v e r i t a s
436 Posts
Ooc — thalia
Offline
#4

for a moment, they were united in quiet happiness; no words were needed to bridge the divide between them that closed seamlessly, with an ease that she could not and would not replicate with any others of her family. it was her mother the withdrew, with the same kind of grace that she'd always found herself in awe (and envious) of as a child. she too had come to move with her mother's ease, and while she was largely her father's daughter, there were many careful aspects of her mother that she grew into more fully as she matured. 

somehow, her mother knew of the scars that ringed her throat like some macabre necklace, even before she could offer explanation of their lingering presence there. "we are his mistake, mother."  anger burned in her still, and she could not resist the ugly words that burned their way up her throat. "he told me I was beautiful, told me of all his sacrifices, and told me to forget him so he could love his bitch, guilt-free." the fire faded, falling slowly back to curl up in her heart. she did not regret the words, yet hated the way their ugliness marred their reunion. she could not comprehend how she had admired him so, once, but she supposed it was easy for a younger version of herself to be swept away by all his empty words.

her mother moved to prod at her, and the girl managed a wry curve of her muzzle. "I'm alive yet; I must be doing something right." she avoided the question of prayers, for she'd never had much faith in her mother's gods, something that had only increased after the darkness of the wood. their dark gods rivaled her mother's in every way, in all their twisted madness. besides, there was no sense in trusting in something she could not see; it had not been the gods that had had her leave the shadowed Wolfskull. no, that had been her own doing.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. 
And with strange aeons even death may die.

775 Posts
Ooc — Rosie
Astronomer
Master Ecologist
Master Midwife
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#5
casual birthday mention

She and Cassiopeia shared more than blood; they shared a spirit, one that was quick to rise  up and boil over, despite an exterior that appeared delicate, or even serene. It was a vivacity that results from a tendency to feel things very strongly — and at the same time, an inability to conceal their emotions, or their intentions, not even a little bit. It struck a volatile juxtaposition, so when Cassiopeia lashed out against her father and his whore with words like venom, Olive understood. 

She wished she could say them too. In fact, she had —

but Olive was also the adult in this situation, and knew the example she must set for her daughter. She released a heavy breath, drawing close to the onyx girl once more and speaking to her kindly. “I will not let him near you again.” If the two were lucky, they would hopefully never encounter Dakarai again. If he ever arrived at their doorstep, as the man was wont to do, Olive would not hesitate to raise alarm and shoo him away, lest he tear down the careful balance the mother and daughter had struck upon the mountain sunspire. Her most recent encounter with him, bringing the man back from the brink of death yet again, only confirmed this. “He does not deserve to know you.” Her rosebud tongue slipped from between her lips to nudge at the girl’s sweet cheek. 

The druid herself was only just beginning to know her, but Olive was proud of Cassiopeia for her surviver mentality. During their short time together during the winter, Cassiopeia had told her briefly of the experiences that befell her during their separation, but the mother expected she did not know the full extent of the girl’s story. It did not matter though — she was alive. A smile simpered upon Olive’s finespun maw, and she raised her brow questioningly. “Oh, do you know? Your birthday is soon,” she said laughingly, thrilled at the prospect of shepherding at least one of her children through their first birthday. “You were born beneath the Pisces moon.” 
and all my days are trances, and all my nightly dreams
are where thy grey eye glances, and where thy footstep gleams
in what ethereal dances, by what eternal streams