No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, what the boys had seen could not be erased from his memory. Her frosted fur, that lifeless stare, the trail of blood leading down the river. It'd leave him forever scarred.
As frighting as being alone was, as long as
@Zephyr was looking for dead bodies, Phillip would keep himself out of it. Seeing one was enough for him. But as he wandered further and further he was regretting his decision more and more. Twig had not yet returned (he assumed she was still cross from earlier), he couldn't go back to Zephyr. He was all alone, out in the open and vulnerable. Phillip's legs began to shake as he walked.
Her dad didn't know who she was but he wanted to so that's all that mattered. After the hunt they had meat for a while but she knew it would only last so long so she set out to practice her hunting skills but instead caught sight of a familiar black pelt. "Aeryn?" She questions.
Aeryn? The voice made him jump, both because it was unexpected and familiar. Familiar, but not in a good way. With that name bought confusion and fear, and now stress and frustration.
Without looking at her, he uttered, Stop...
All of his problems seemed to crush him in that moment. Someone was dead, Zephyr and Twig were gone, Alarian was too. All this and now another stranger had come to insist he was this wolf he never knew, from a place he'd never seen. I don't want to hear it. Please.
He didn't even look at her and he seemed in pain to hear his own name; but why? What was so wrong with hearing it? "I..it's me...Minnow." She was stuttering now again her voice sounding as though she was going to break.
Each time these wolves were told he was not a face from their past, they'd always react with confusion. But they never dwelled on that for long, so Phillip was able to surpress it. But this was something he could not forget.
There was a sadness that ran through her voice, heavy too. One more word and it may crumble on the spot. Never did he think his lack of memory would affect someone like this. He didn't like it. This girl was upset and he felt helpless. The only thing that would help her now was a lie. Yes, Minnow! I know who you are. I know where you came from. The words sat at the edge of his tongue, but he could not bring himself to say them. A lie like that was only a temporary fix. It'd break her in the long run.
I'm sorry.
He turned to her with an apologetic gaze. I don't know who you are. I don't know a lot of things.
She didn't know what to say when he spoke. She couldn't imagine loosing her memory and forgetting who she was and who the people were around her. "Well I won't force you to remember anything but I am your sister, I live in East hollow over there." She pointed with her snout. "Do you uh go by anything now?"
So sister. A word he had only heard once, one he didn't believe in or believed he had. Now here was Minnow, not only putting the phrase back into memory but claiming to be just that.
This wall he had built to protect himself from all the supposed things he's lost came crumbling down day by day. Perhaps this Elysium was not as mythical as he thought it was. If he just went far enough, looked closely enough, maybe he'd find it. But that didn't mean he wanted to.
Phillip,
he replied before quietly adding, That's the only name I have.
What was that other name? Aeryn? Aeryn was no one he knew.
He usually doesn't go this far,
He says with a frown, nose to the ground as he leads @The Wayfarer to his friend. They've left the hills behind, and trees surround them now; trees, and the scents of many wolves. It makes him nervous. He doesn't think of Phillip as the most capable wolf, though most of the time he at least seems smart enough to avoid danger. Now, though, he isn't so sure.
Thankfully, the figure he spots alongside his friend in the distance seems as small and youthful as Phillip himself. And it doesn't look like he's getting eaten — so it's probably fine. I guess he found someone too,
He says, glancing toward Demon. His pace quickens slightly, and when they're close enough, he calls out. Phillip! I brought a — a new friend. This is —
Demon, he almost says, but he realizes immediately that he can't introduce him as that. His voice drops so only the wolf at his side can hear him. Uh, what's your name?
A yawn is all Ghost gets in reply, as the Wayfarer clicks his round jaw back together. He’s sleepy in the way a content cat would curl in the sun, so he isn’t amused to be dragged along so soon. Yet he did promise he’d follow Ghost.
He grunts, following along with a lazy drag in his feet. Fortunately, it isn’t long before this Philip guy is spotted—along with some chick. Ghost’s pace quickens, the Wayfarer twitches.
A dark eyebrow arches at the description of “friend”—guess that’s what he ended up signing up for. He gives Philip and the chick a once-over glance. The Wayfarer is a giant among dwarves.
One of his ears swerves towards Ghost while champagne eyes fixate on the other two. Don’t have one,
he says with a shrug.
She looked at her brother and she couldn't bring herself to see him as a different name but she had to try. "Okay then well nice to meet you Phillip. " She just had to deal with it, the young wolf would rather know him as this than not have him in her life at all.
Two others soon showed up and she remembered one. "Hey, I remember you. Me and my brother fed you and someone else when you guys showed up at elysium." She wanted to say aeryn; her heart longed to but she couldn't due to the fear he'd get upset again and possibly leave again. Then there was the wolf with no name whom she couldn't imagine not having a name.
Phillip was not aware he was holding his breath until Minnow was finished speaking. He released a soft sigh, relived that she had accepted his identity rather than force another on him.
He turned his head over his shoulder when he heard his friend call to him. Beside him was a new face; he dwarfed the trio and looked mighty intimidating. The lack of a name made him mysterious. Despite the anxiety that prickled up his next, Phillip managed to smile and say H-hello.
He looked back at Minnow with curiosity. He wondered briefly if he was the brother that she spoke of. Zephyr has said he knew him, even when they supposedly never met. Phillip pushed away the thought. He'd rather not dwell on that right now.
wrapping up since this is hella old <3
The response baffles him, but it makes sense after a moment; he'd mentioned another nameless wolf before, so maybe he'd been born somewhere no one used names. It's strange to think about, but he doesn't have much time for that anyway. He needs something to call his new friend. He pauses, thinking, and remembers their first meeting, the fire he'd seen in the other's eyes. It reminds him of the fire that separated him from Helios, and how it had almost seemed like a storm raging around them.
We'll call you Firestorm, then,
He says, loud enough for the others to hear this time. Then he moves closer, finally recognizing the girl. His eyes widen, and he nods as she speaks, gaze turning questioningly to Phillip toward the end. Phillip is your brother?
He asks her, though his eyes remain on Phillip. Whatever the answer is, he doesn't hear it. Eventually he looks back to the girl. She's nice enough, and he's almost tempted to invite her to come with them, but... she's still a girl. Well, we have to go. Maybe we'll see you later.
And with that, he leads his friends away, making a point of ignoring any protests or reluctance. He won't have any girls along to spoil things, especially with Helios still missing.