February 07, 2014, 10:36 AM
Some of the pharmaceuticals Dublin provided came with a notable side effect: strange dreams. Tonight, Pied stirred awake after a particularly peculiar one, though the details rapidly faded. She lifted her head and looked around the dark and empty den, then gingerly shuffled around to peek out the entryway. She saw no sign of her mate, though it didn't perturb her; he often went on brief forays to stretch his legs, find food or even just to relieve himself.
The Gamma jumped when a white shape moved at the corner of her vision, her head knocking slightly against the knotted tree roots overhead. She ignored the pounding in her head as she squinted at the pasty silhouette pacing the edge of the cliff just a dozen yards from the lair. The figure stood out in the darkness not only because of its pale pelt, Pied realized, but also because of a faint, glowing translucence. It was a ghost.
Gently tugging her damaged body into the open, Pied shivered slightly as the cool air whispered over her shapely shoulders. She stood, now gazing openly at the pacing ghost... who stopped and faced her. The Gamma's mouth went dry when she recognized that unmistakable face, with acidic green eyes set against a backdrop of silvery white fur. There was a notch missing from the apparition's ear. It was Pied's grandmother, March Owl Redleaf.
"You...?" the Gamma began a bit nonsensically. If Mo was appearing to her, that meant one thing: she was dead. Her face fell. Although her grandmother had lived a long life—wonderful at times and terribly difficult at others—it was always sad to lose a loved one. And even though Pied could still interact with her deceased grandmother, it just wasn't the same, naturally.
Although she halfway expected March Owl to be mute like Aether, her relative suddenly spoke, loudly and clearly. "I came to tell you something before I frolic off to be with Aer and co. Can you believe there's actually life after death...? What the actual fuck?! Well, I guess you can, considering you can see ghosts—and you've always been able to see ghosts." Mo looked at her almost accusingly, though her expression soon cleared and she continued. "I guess I wouldn't have believed you even if you'd told me. Anyway, though, I just wanted to tell you something important. And when you're healed, will you please pass it onto the boys and Osprey...? Yeah, they're all here now."
March Owl paused and moved a little closer, seating herself in front of Pied and motioning for her granddaughter to do the same. Pied obeyed immediately. She hadn't been close with her grandmother, per se, but she loved her all the same and she was very eager to hear whatever message she hoped to convey. The Gamma braced herself, though, knowing this whole encounter would be bittersweet. As soon as Mo finished, after all, she would pass on to the next life, likely never to be seen again, even by Pied.
"So, Tyrannus has been tearing the falcons apart. Don't get me wrong, I love him but he's been a total piece of shit. Yeah, you heard me." This phrase confused Pied—until there was suddenly a dark figure looming right next to March Owl, regarding her coolly. "You're not seeing things," Mo said to the startled yearling. "Tyrannus gave them no choice," she continued, now looking reprovingly at her dark son, "so Perseus and Echo teamed up and killed their brother before he could bring the pack to ruins. He took it too fucking far and now he's paid the price."
March Owl's bright green eyes returned to Pied now. "I—we, rather—wanted to tell you that Flightless Falcons is back on the right track now. Perseus is Alpha and Echo's Beta. Things are getting back to normal. The two of them even managed to hunt down and bring back a few of Tyrannus's most recent exiles. But Atticus et al, they're too far away, so that's why I'm here... to tell you that everything's okay and they can go back home if they want." The dead matriarch's eyes shimmered and it was clear to Pied how important it was for her to pass this message along to her aunt and uncles.
"As soon as I can, I'll tell them, Mo," Pied promised solemnly. "I'm sure they'll be happy to return."
"I checked in on them. They've been doing really well at their new home, so I won't be surprised if they decide to stay here, actually," March Owl replied. "I just wanted them to know... that they can go home and visit, if nothing else. And they should know that Tyrannus's reign of insanity is over," she finished, shooting another glare at the swarthy ghost, who then faded from view, having never said a word in his own defense.
"Welp, I think that covers it. I'd haunt your ass but I'm kind of looking forward to this whole eternity thing with Aether... and everyone else I've lost through the years," Mo quipped softly, rising to all fours. "Thanks, Pied. And tell everyone I love them and all that cheesy bullshit, will you?" And, without another word, March Owl Redleaf disappeared from this world for the last time.
The Gamma jumped when a white shape moved at the corner of her vision, her head knocking slightly against the knotted tree roots overhead. She ignored the pounding in her head as she squinted at the pasty silhouette pacing the edge of the cliff just a dozen yards from the lair. The figure stood out in the darkness not only because of its pale pelt, Pied realized, but also because of a faint, glowing translucence. It was a ghost.
Gently tugging her damaged body into the open, Pied shivered slightly as the cool air whispered over her shapely shoulders. She stood, now gazing openly at the pacing ghost... who stopped and faced her. The Gamma's mouth went dry when she recognized that unmistakable face, with acidic green eyes set against a backdrop of silvery white fur. There was a notch missing from the apparition's ear. It was Pied's grandmother, March Owl Redleaf.
"You...?" the Gamma began a bit nonsensically. If Mo was appearing to her, that meant one thing: she was dead. Her face fell. Although her grandmother had lived a long life—wonderful at times and terribly difficult at others—it was always sad to lose a loved one. And even though Pied could still interact with her deceased grandmother, it just wasn't the same, naturally.
Although she halfway expected March Owl to be mute like Aether, her relative suddenly spoke, loudly and clearly. "I came to tell you something before I frolic off to be with Aer and co. Can you believe there's actually life after death...? What the actual fuck?! Well, I guess you can, considering you can see ghosts—and you've always been able to see ghosts." Mo looked at her almost accusingly, though her expression soon cleared and she continued. "I guess I wouldn't have believed you even if you'd told me. Anyway, though, I just wanted to tell you something important. And when you're healed, will you please pass it onto the boys and Osprey...? Yeah, they're all here now."
March Owl paused and moved a little closer, seating herself in front of Pied and motioning for her granddaughter to do the same. Pied obeyed immediately. She hadn't been close with her grandmother, per se, but she loved her all the same and she was very eager to hear whatever message she hoped to convey. The Gamma braced herself, though, knowing this whole encounter would be bittersweet. As soon as Mo finished, after all, she would pass on to the next life, likely never to be seen again, even by Pied.
"So, Tyrannus has been tearing the falcons apart. Don't get me wrong, I love him but he's been a total piece of shit. Yeah, you heard me." This phrase confused Pied—until there was suddenly a dark figure looming right next to March Owl, regarding her coolly. "You're not seeing things," Mo said to the startled yearling. "Tyrannus gave them no choice," she continued, now looking reprovingly at her dark son, "so Perseus and Echo teamed up and killed their brother before he could bring the pack to ruins. He took it too fucking far and now he's paid the price."
March Owl's bright green eyes returned to Pied now. "I—we, rather—wanted to tell you that Flightless Falcons is back on the right track now. Perseus is Alpha and Echo's Beta. Things are getting back to normal. The two of them even managed to hunt down and bring back a few of Tyrannus's most recent exiles. But Atticus et al, they're too far away, so that's why I'm here... to tell you that everything's okay and they can go back home if they want." The dead matriarch's eyes shimmered and it was clear to Pied how important it was for her to pass this message along to her aunt and uncles.
"As soon as I can, I'll tell them, Mo," Pied promised solemnly. "I'm sure they'll be happy to return."
"I checked in on them. They've been doing really well at their new home, so I won't be surprised if they decide to stay here, actually," March Owl replied. "I just wanted them to know... that they can go home and visit, if nothing else. And they should know that Tyrannus's reign of insanity is over," she finished, shooting another glare at the swarthy ghost, who then faded from view, having never said a word in his own defense.
"Welp, I think that covers it. I'd haunt your ass but I'm kind of looking forward to this whole eternity thing with Aether... and everyone else I've lost through the years," Mo quipped softly, rising to all fours. "Thanks, Pied. And tell everyone I love them and all that cheesy bullshit, will you?" And, without another word, March Owl Redleaf disappeared from this world for the last time.