the den was empty, and indra felt lonely and swallowed by the darkly lit walls. silently she tilted her head and looked around her, noticing the deep cracks in the stone, the unremitting black of the distant corners, and most noticably of all, the long and searing absence of both milo and saena.
she didn't know the word for sorrow, but it was sorrow she felt -- and at that moment she knew she needed to be rid of the demons that haunted the den. with a burst she erupted from the den, cantering wildly away from the entrance as if she had been forcibly ejected from it.
"@Spring!" the russet child yelled, feeling lost -- she paused, realizing she had never been this far from the den before.
"spring?" the girl quietly asked, feeling the unfamiliarity of her surroundings seep around her.
Lucky for Indra, Spring had been hunting nearby, of course hunting with no luck as her mind was too occupied with her long gone daughter and sons and some polotics. Hopefully though her thoughts would clear up soon. When she heard Indra calling for her though Spring froze, wondering if she was just hearing things. Yet her name was repeated with Indra's voice.
Spring's gaze searching her surroundings for the pup, wondering where Indra was. She couldn't be too far away, since Spring had been able to hear her, so finally Spring's gaze settled on her some feet away. Questions began to form in her mind. What was Indra doing so far away from the den without anyone? Why was Indra calling for her? Was Indra okay? Still one thing made her feel better through any stress that had been placed upon her. Indra was calling for her, her and only her. It felt good.
Spring instantly began to make her way towards Indra, her now protective gaze shifted around her surroundings, to make sure that nothing was troubling Indra, because if anyone was she would make them pay. Really pay. When the agouti reached Indra side, she leaned forward and tried to nuzzle Indra lovingly. "What are you doing so far from the den Indra?" Spring asked the pup in a gentle sweet and soft voice. Her protective, warm golden gaze studing Indra to try to see if anything seemed wrong.
indra whined, pacing in a discomposed fit. her heart practically leapt from her little ribcage when she saw spring -- overjoyed, the pup rushed to her and leaped about her jovially. spring's inquiry caused her to slink somewhat and she looked to the ground guiltily, avoiding the warmth of spring's curious gaze. "i thought i saw something when i was a'sleep." she mumbled softly into the ground, feeling a warm flush of red seep to her cheeks in embarassment.
Spring felt a sudden undertanding flood through her when Indra explained that she thought that she sa something when she had been asleep. The Alpha stared lovingly down at the pup who know looked embaressed. Indra reminded her a little bit of Hazel... her own pup to had woken up at times in the night scared, the memories brought back heart crushing guilt and even though Spring had told herself that she would hold her mouth, she began to speak.
"You know Indra, my daughter would get scared in the night too." Spring began quietly, yet a little sadly all the same, surprising herself that she was talking about Hazel, but for some reason she just felt like she couldn't try to hide her pups from the world forever. "You remind me of her, you both are so well behaved and make me really proud." The agouti told Indra trying to change the subject from terrors of the night. Then she leaned down and attempted to nuzzle the pup lovingly.
indra fixated on the ground, her forehead pulled down in a wrinkled expression. spring's mention of a daughter caused her to look up curiously -- a daughter? spring had a daughter? indra's dour expression practically disappeared at the prospect of a spring-daughter -- she inched close and huddled spring's front leg in an awkward hug. "i wanna meet her!" she yelled, wriggling wildly between spring's two front legs in excitement.
As soon as Indra spoke those four words, hugging her front leg, grief flashed through Spring's eyes. If only Indra really could have gotten to meet Hazel... if only. Yet that was not possible, not in this life. Hazel, her daughter was dead and gone from the Earth, Indra and Spring weren't. Her now sad eyes began to study the ground as she contemplated telling Indra that her daughter was dead. Her mouth opened for a moment, but then she closed it, unable to speak for the moment and also not sure if she could actually make herself say that her daughter was dead. A few more seconds passed before Spring finally spoke.
"I wish you could meet Hazel Indra... but... you can't. My daughter isn't here anymore...." She trailed off, not sure whether or not Indra would understand the true meaning of why Hazel could not be here and she really didn't want to explain why, she especially didn't want to tell Indra that her daughter was dead. Spring just wasn't entirely sure that she could say that word to describe her daughter's condition.
sorry for the wait - i'll fade indra here since this thread is older! lmk if you want a new one
indra's hopeful gaze becamed clouded by doubt; there was something visibly offputting by spring's demeanor. the child was too young to notice the subtleties of nuanced hurt, but she had lived long enough in this world to detect a wound when she saw one. she frowned, feeling an overwhelming need to be close to spring right now.
"i'm here! i can be your daughter!" she exclaimed, the words coming unbidden from her throat -- she didn't have a word for the nuturing feelings that overcame her, but she knew in that instant she had inadvertedly stumbled on a painful curios of spring's troubled past; a past that needed resealing.
Thank you for the thread!
As soon as the words came from Indra's mouth, Spring was touched. She actually didn't know what to say. The pups had been adopted by Casmir and Laika, but still a greedy part of her wanted them to be hers and it touched her that Indra would even suggest being her daughter. So with a loving gaze Spring replied to the pup.
"You're like one to me."