AW <3 maybe smelly
@Yama?
it was good to be home, to be reunited with revui. arcturus wouldn't have said it, but it felt like a massive, choking tether had been released from round his neck. how long had he carried this burden, this strangling anxiety? and how had it melded to him so subtly, like a hangman's torc?
he breathed a sigh mixed with relief and exhaustion - part of the puzzle had been put in place, but then small pieces fell away. he was so young to have learned this so early, that life often unraveled plans swifter than one could commit to them, and that when one thing clicked in place, something somewhere else often drifted away...
this time it was vela. maybe it was heartless of him, but he didn't have the same connection with charon's mini-me that he did with yama and revui. he hoped she would come back soon, of course, and already he missed her -- but she was older than he and he would not search for her.
as he moved lost in thought, arcturus discovered he had come to the summit where the star had fallen to earth in a blinding flash. as he neared the corrupted star, black and as hardened as a stone, his gait slowed. arcturus was not superstitious the way his father was, but he did believe the star had power here, and that it was kismet that it fell in their mountain.
arcturus looked up as he heard the tread of his sibling; yama had a particular step, and her gait arcturus had memorized some time ago. he could tell most of his family members before they came into view - charon had a heavy but swinging step, amekaze's was light and proud - and his last remaining sister's was as ingrained in him as the features of his home.
he stepped back from the corrupted star, giving yama a chance to look closer if she wished. "do you ever wonder where it came from?" great job, arcturus - answer a question with another question. "or what made it fall? do all stars fall?"
the corrupted star held arcturus' attention as yama spoke, its dark and blackened surface almost hypnotic with surreal edges and sharp, glittering points. it was not smooth entirely; half of it seemed shaven by a blackened hand, while the other half remained as porous as gnarled wood.
could stars fall? what made them fall? did all stars fall? his mind raced as yama's questions brought more questions to the surface.
did stars die?
was this star dead? he shook his head, it was too much to think about, and somehow it terrified him -- because there was so much of the world he didn't know or understand. "i don't know." he answered unhelpfully, peering at the sky overhead with newfound consternation.
as much as arcturus wished to learn more of this star, he didn't much want to invite the attention of either of his parents. he was worried he might be scolded for being so soft -- and little did he know that his mother was perhaps one of the better sources for astronomical information there was.
buffeting yama back as she pushed him, arcturus' tail wagged at the prospect of a challenge. "maybe we can scout for clues, or something." he dived nose-first to the stones around, snuffing the ground for any signal that might be of interest.
wow - i'm the worst
arcturus wasn't pulling up much either. he could smell the faded, but still present scent of smoldering ruin off of the star - it was ever so slight, but it pulsated -- every now and then he would get a whiff and then it would be gone again.
but nothing else around the star yielded any clues. discouraged by this, arcturus settled alongside yama and shook his head in response. he hadn't found anything either. he looked skyward, almost helpless -- did it mean all stars might fall to their world one day?
"i couldn't smell anything either." he gave up with a shrug, not one to dwell on his failures for long (lol - oh, give it time you big idiot). deciding it was not worth pursuing further, arcturus grinned impishly and took a dive for yama's pelt in a toothy gesture to play.
FALSEHOODS
with yama's side exposed, arcturus' hit nailed home -- briefly, anyway.
his sibling was quick to spin on her toes, rebuffing his second advance with a shove to his flank. arcturus sidestepped, but did not dodge; for a moment his footing was as rocky as the stones underneath, and he went stiff as a board to balance -- all the while giggling.
play was where arcturus was in his element -- for now anyway. little did he know some months in the future he'd turn into an unfun sourpuss, but for now his mind had forgotten all about the meteor, and was focused on tripping up yama so he could bite any toes he could.
they fought this way for some time, mighty little cubs that they were -- and they slept heavily that night, dreaming of worlds to come.