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+--- Thread: Sleepy Fox Hollow walk down the road and I'm alone again (/showthread.php?tid=24016)
walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - November 30, 2017
Takes places after this thread and this thread, but before this one. Tagging for reference, except for @Rheia, whose presence is humbly requested <3
The days had been full and exciting; Sif was still surfing the high of her new friendship with Rheia, as well as the steady thrum of her bestfriendship with @Hella. They'd looked in on the pale girl, briefly, but Sif had explained (brokenly) what she and Rheia were about, and after leaving a meal for Hella, Sif and Rheia had taken their leave. They'd been separated for a time once they got into the mountains, but the trip was finally back on track, and Sif was back at what she currently considered home."When we move here," said Sif, having spent the last several minutes gathering the words, "we will all be happy. Play and love and hunt together. Never alone."
They stood in front of the old fox den that Sif had dubbed Refurhol. It was not big enough for all of them, yet, but she was working on that. Besides, the hollow currently laid empty, and it would be some time yet before the cold got bad enough that they might need to seek shelter from it.
"You like?" she asked her new friend, her tail giving a hopeful wag. She knew it wasn't all it could be, but that would remain true until Wardruna's companions joined them in the valley.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 01, 2017
The girls reunited spontaneously and Rheia could not help but feel vivified because of it; all of her fears seemed to evaporate once Sif was with her again and together she felt as if things would only improve. Sif led her to this home of her's, and once there they'd visited with a pale girl that Rheia was curious about. She did not have the language yet to question Sif about this new face, but the thoughts swam in her mind. The two of them hunted together and then split the reward with the pale girl - Hella, Sif had explained - and Rheia felt glad to have a sister who was so dependable. That is what she saw here: sisterhood. It was something Rheia sorely missed from her old mountain home.
When Rheia was led to a hollowed out den - still smelling vaguely of the musk of fox - the girl was a bit nervous. Was this another opportunity to hunt? She had put so much effort in to their previous venture that the poor thing was worn out. She had been so eager to run free and to prove herself to her new sister, and now they were lingering around likely to start another try -- but then Sif explained and Rheia couldn't help but feel relief.
I -- I like,she confirmed with a wry smile, a shy nod. To alleviate some of her own worries and to prove she did support Sif, and this home, and that she did really like it, Rheia ducked her head in the opening and investigated a little bit. She could squeeze her shoulders through the gap but did not want to get wedged in so she was quick, and came out with a dusting of soil across her body which gave the fur a warm tone - the smile still in place.
Then suddenly, she lurched towards Sif and ducked low with her shoulders, her tail fanning at the air in mimicry of her sister's but with much more vigor; it crested her back sometimes and the tempo shifted the dirt from her back.
We hunt, we play now?Or maybe that last one - that love one - but Rheia had never been taught that word before, so she didn't ask for that.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 01, 2017
Sif's tail wagged eagerly during Rheia's inspection, only to taper off when she came back out. "I will mek bigger," she excused, feeling a bit embarrassed by her efforts to make the den livable, thus far. The dirt was hard and rocky, and Sif had never liked digging all that much. Chewing was a far better way to work out her nervous energy, and a sore mouth never bothered her near as much as cut-up paws and nails worn to the quick.
And then Rheia did something strange - Sif stiffened at the gesture, sure she was about to be attacked. Why else would someone be posturing at her this way?! But she trusted Rheia, and didn't think the other girl would really hurt her. "P-play?" she asked, unable to help the way her tail puffed up, or how the fur along the back of her neck stood up in an uncomfortable ridge. She knew that word - how could she not? - but did not understand how it related to Rheia's strange gestures.
Play was something Sif had learned to do by herself. Fen had never been one for games, but had encouraged her to do as she pleased when she wasn't hunting for him or listening to his stories. And he'd called that 'play' - when she would toss acorns or chew on sticks. Play was the use of energy on things not related to survival.
And Sif didn't know how to do it with someone else.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 01, 2017
They were quite a pair indeed. Both struggled to communicate for different reasons and both knew things, but it was not a shared knowledge. Rheia knew how to play only because her sisters had taught her and, seeing Sif's reaction, she felt instantly heartbroken at the thought that Sif had never had a sister before. It hadn't really occurred to her until right that very second. Rheia's odd position felt strained once she'd given pause; but she stood up and stretched to rid herself of the energy, shook her shoulders to her hips and through her tail, and contemplated how to explain her feelings.
Maybe it wasn't necessary to explain but Rheia felt like quite the fool, having flailed her tail like that and ducked down so low. She felt a vague embarrassment but swallowed it down, locked it away, eager to move on from the momentary social blunder. The girl moseyed closer to her sister with her posture slackened; she was deep in thought just as Sif had been previously, although her posture hinted that something greater was amiss. To live without sisters - oh, how sad!
Sif,Rheia finally murmured as she pressed her nose softly against the girl's shoulder,
Play is.. Play is..how could she explain when she couldn't form enough words in this awful, choppy, clumsy language! A light seemed to go off above Rheia's head as she came to a conclusion. Talking wouldn't work but maybe this would -
this!She was close to Sif already, but as soon as she spoke the girl slipped low and to the side, scrambling to get close to her sister's swaying tail, which she tried to grab as if it were a stalk of wheat and she, a hungry doe. Her teeth only lightly grazed the fine hairs of the tail-tip, and if Sif were to move the appendage away there would be an eager, playful little Rheia in hot pursuit. Between her light snaps she muttered,
Is game! Play -- I take! Mine now!
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 01, 2017
The dark girl was easily comforted by Rheia's affections, and more than willing to overlook her odd behavior. Sif, after all, was usually in Rheia's place. The older girl was forgiven in short order, only for her to try again at her attack.
"Hei!" said Sif, whipping her tail away from Rheia in indignation. And the girl followed! "Rheia!" Sif gasped, and then darted away a few steps, a breathless, disbelieving laugh escaping her. Rheia was chasing her tail! She'd never had someone else chase her tail before. What a strange concept - was this how wolves played when they played together?
"Mine!" said Sif, throwing herself wholeheartedly into this strange new ritual. (Had Fen known about play?) She ran from the older girl, making sure to move only ever a step away from her friend.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 01, 2017
This might stop making sense at some point because I'm trying not to fall asleep, lmao.
Sif's surprise could have easily spelled an end to the game but her reaction time was much more attuned than Rheia gave her credit, and she rounded away from the girl's snappy little mouth with ease. Rheia persisted and found herself grinning at the sound of her sister's laughter, and this only fueled her to be more aggressive with the game. She dove after that tail, zigging one way or the other, occasionally grabbing it but most of the time letting it slip away. Before long Rheia was out of breath from all the chasing and the laughter - it poured from her as well, endlessly, until she was gasping - and she unceremoniously flopped down upon the loam in defeat, praising Sif:
Game done! Game done! Sif -- Sif did good. So tóra ypnilía.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 01, 2017
Sif was tireless in her youth. There was still so much to learn; she'd gotten down the running and avoiding part, but she wanted a turn being the chaser. That, and she was sure there was something more to this 'play' stuff. Like, why did she want to turn around and tackle Rheia to the ground and... and then what? She wasn't angry. On the contrary, she was quite pleased with what she had learned thus far. Why did she have this desire to physically escalate their... play?
But Rheia was tired - it was clear in her actions, even if Sif completely missed whatever she'd just said.
"Hva?" she giggled, flopping down beside Rheia and belly-crawling closer until their fur mingled. "Trett? Um. Tired?" She'd never heard whatever word Rheia was using for it before. Where had the older girl come from, to know such strange words? "Tell about... about home? About you?"
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 02, 2017
The game they played had been something rare in Rheia's life since it was a process reserved for the menfolk; budding warriors would be pitted against one another and consorts pining for the titular role come ritual season would each test their might, train their bodies whenever they had spare energy. The girls had their own lessons and while that did not remove them from physicality entirely, Rheia herself had been given her lessons by pacifists with strong ties to the matriarchal traditions. So, yes, she could play, but not for long and it would always lead her back to thoughts
...about home? About you?
Sif's question didn't immediately register but Rheia snapped back to reality, feeling her pulse slacken a bit when her new sister crawled in close - but only for a beat, and then strangely it picked up again.
Home?the girl parroted blithely and felt a swell of sadness jolt from her heart to her belly to her throat, and she let out a little breath as if the very question had winded her. The struggle of explaining what home had been like for Rheia was multi-structured: she wanted to share it and had been taught to expound her beliefs, she wanted to amaze Sif with the stories from her history and most of all she wanted a sister - a true sister - who believed as she did. But at the same time Rheia knew of her shortcomings; the language barrier was strong between them, and most important, her homesickness.
Home is... was, mountain. Big mountain. Sisters, many.A smile drew itself across her sleepy face as she spoke but it was tinged with sadness as she thought about home, of her many tutors, and even the old woman who had briefly visited them - the grandmother she had yet to find again.
i mitéra fengári, um --Rheia glanced up at the sky and tried to figure out which direction the moon would be in, but there were many trees in this place and she could not easily orient herself without getting up; it was warm next to Sif and the girl did not want to move yet. Was mother moon even a concept she could explain to Sif? She sighed again and settled, pressing her cheek against Sif's nearness.
Tell about Sif now?
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 02, 2017
Dark, velveteen ears cupped eagerly toward Rheia, but there were few enough words that she needn't have been so attentive. And all these words, Sif knew as well as the next. Mountain. Big. Sister. Many. It was easy enough to connect the dots, and for a moment, the dark girl held a vague and fleeting picture in her mind - a smaller Rheia, surrounded by other little girls, all chasing each others' tails in perfect time. But then the picture was gone, and Sif was left with only words; only the bare minimum.
And then it was her turn.
"I don't..." she began, wavering as she tried to determine what exactly she was trying to say. "No home. No family. No sisters. Born on ocean, without love. Care of sjenert hund. Um. Shy dog." And then, one day, the carer was gone, and Sif was alone. Julep and the stranger far ahead of her, and Doe's shadow far behind. "Then... lost. Waander. Fight. Hurt. Hunt. And then find Fen. Then Fen dead. Now here. Find friends. Live here."
And never be alone again.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 02, 2017
It would take time before Rheia was comfortable speaking in depth about her family (personally and, obviously because she needed to find the words first) but oh, how she wished she could tell the tales of her beloved sisterhood to Sif! This new place she'd found - this home with Sif - would be a turning point. Rheia knew things would change for her here and she was already devoted to staying for a little while. The more she connected the more she wished never to leave but, in her heart she knew she would one day have to, which made her quietly ache.
Listening to Sif, Rheia found herself aching in a different way - her compassion was boundless for her sisters and now that Sif was one of them, she found herself understanding the girl's tale and empathizing greatly. Although she had never experienced such losses herself it was easy to imagine being without her tutors, without her matriarch, without anyone - and to think of them dead only made Rheia want to weep. She was so overcome from Sif's tiny explanation that she found herself burying close to the other girl, a small whine pealing out of her as she did so; she blot what few tears sprang to her eyes hastily with Sif's fur and said,
No, no friend, more! Sister! Sif a sister. No more wander, no more, here with sister.
It was an emotional display and not something Rheia would ever take pride in (in fact, looking back on this moment, she'd likely be embarrassed for herself) but for now she was caught up in the idea of it all. She wanted to sooth Sif of her wounds even if the other girl no longer considered them to be such.
Ocean --she suddenly blurted, realizing where she'd heard that word before,
Okeanós! You.. see ocean?she sounded incredulous, but to be fair the girl had only ever lived within one mountain range with stories of the sea used as bedtime stories - until her grandmother had arrived to confirm much of what she'd been taught, Rheia had only ever believed the sea to be a mythical, magical thing of fantasy.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 02, 2017
Rheia's cuddles were instinctively returned, and the dark girl found herself feeling quite content in the company of the older girl. All her new girlfriends were precious to her, but she'd yet to think of any of them as sisters. Because - "Sisters is... blood," Sif gently corrected, though she craved a concrete, familial bond like nothing else. "How can we sister?"
It was too sad to think about; there was no way to become sisters, so far as Sif knew, and to dwell on it would only drag her down. It was a nice thought, but Sif eagerly latched on to Rheia's next question.
"Of course!" she replied, puzzled by the older girl's confusion. The sea was - Sif couldn't even explain it to herself. It was big and endless, and the tides ebbed and pulled in her body even this far from the waters. "Ocean is... hellig. Holy."
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 02, 2017
Rheia opened her mouth to answer the first question but swiftly shut it again, eager to learn of this ocean and to confirm if it was the same amazing thing that her tutors fortold. Sif struggled for a moment for a word adequate, but then when she answered it was with enthusiasm and conviction. Rheia repeated,
Ho-ly,a few times in a deliberate manner, enunciating so that she could get it right:
Hellig, ocean.There were many things to learn in this moment and it was entirely likely Rheia's mind would tie them all together; no doubt holy would become synonymous with everything her true sister's had taught her.
As for Sif's statement about sisters,
Sisters is blood, yes, but also.. No. Not all the time.She looked a bit sheepish as she stumbled over this concept, and then paused for a long while to think, and rested against Sif. Rheia now wished she had paid more attention to her language lessons versus all the stories she had loved so much - but alas, there was time still to learn, and she was eager to absorb as much as she could. It would be a struggle for a bit longer but one day she'd master every obstacle thrown her way.
My sisters say okeanós - ocean - brings sisters, and if okeanós is ho-ly then sisters too, hmm? If Sif from okeanós, and Rheia from okeanós... We are adelfí -- sisters, same.
Although Rheia felt she was struggling she did hope that something clicked, that something made sense. But in the end she gave in to the struggle and quieted, wondering what Sif would glean from her attempt to explain.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 02, 2017
Sif gazed at Rheia, lost and bemused. The ocean had somehow come back around to sisterhood, and part of what she was saying sort of jived with what Sif already knew. If they were both from the ocean, they had to be something, right? If Rheia said that something was sisters, well... she was older and wiser, wasn't she? And Sif wasn't one to give lessons on social structure anyway.
"Okay. Sisters," she agreed, giving the older girl a warm lick on the cheek. The idea of having family, even this far-flung, was a pleasant one, but she felt guilty for having a relationship that might supersede the ones she had with Wardruna and their companions. "But what about girlfriends?" she asked hesitantly. "And Wardruna?"
Beginning to feel nervous, Sif began to fuss with the fur of Rheia's nape, not quite sure what to think, or how to feel, or what to do with herself.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 02, 2017
When she assented Rheia felt only goodness and mirth; she knew somehow that Sif was her sister even if they weren't tied by blood and to have her accept it made Rheia feel as if she had accomplished something great. That she may be settling in and putting down roots (a small one, easily withering if not tended, but roots all the same!). The younger wolf began to preen at Rheia's scruff then and she let her, content with the minstrations and more or less buzzing with positive energy.
There was a small lull in this energy when Sif asked some questions, mostly because she was oblivious to the meanings of these complicated words.
Girl-fren?she almost whispered, her face scrunching with concern mixed with concentration. If it had to do with girls then it was probably alright, and rather than appear utterly stupid she just nodded and said,
Gir-fren ok. What is wardruna? Big word - good word -- but,Rheia fixed her big doe eyes on her companion and then shrugged her shoulders, not realizing it was the name of a person.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 02, 2017
Sif felt frustrated. Of course they were okay - she knew that one already. But perhaps Rheia was confused? "Hella. Girl-friend," she tried to clarify. "Can Hella be sisters? Without ocean?" Suddenly, Sif had the same vison from before, except that all the children around young Rheia were Wardruna's companions. Herself, Hella, Poet, and even Noma. Snowe was there, too, and a little dark pup that might be Akirea, or even Shy Dog.
To Rheia's next question, Sif could only shrug. If Hella and the others were girlfriends, that could only mean... "Wardruna is not what," she giggled, only just seeing Rheia's error. "Who. Boy-friend. Um. Brofvur?" She couldn't quite remember what the male counter-part in a sibling bond was called. And that didn't really seem like what Wardruna was. "Boy-friend," she decided.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 02, 2017
Rheia listened but playfully draped a foreleg over Sif's as she spoke and at the mention of Hella, made a little harumph noise as if she didn't need the explanation (even though she very much did). On the topic of Wardruna however, the girl's ears twitched at the mention of boy anything - she hadn't met this person yet and hadn't understood, but now she was suddenly surprised and put-off.
She answered the first question swiftly as if to get it out of the way,
Yes sister, Hella sister too, all sisters, all family. But brofvur..? Wardruna? Is... is not girl?That much was clear and the murmurings of the young woman merely continued to quiet down, until she was shyly laying her chin on her reaching foreleg and burrowing her nose against Sif's fur. Through the fur she mentioned,
Rheia... no can say. Sisters say no boys.
It sounded like she lacked the experience (which she did) but there was no way for Rheia to explain the intricacies of relationships within Labrynth or within Nereides society, especially one so deep upon the mainland as her old mountain home. It was there that she learned all that she knew, but there hadn't been a strong male presence. The tribe had suffered through hardship even before her arrival among them, and thus they had needed very few men.
Does Sif... Sif and Hella, um... Like boy?There was a deeper question here but no way to speak it, so Rheia resigned herself to the fact she would sound like a teenage girl eager for gossip.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 02, 2017
A happy sigh escaped the dark girl at Rheia's pronouncement. They were all sisters - all family, as Rheia said. That was all Sif wanted, and to hear it decreed by her new sister was like balm to a deep wound in her heart. One she might not have realized she'd been carrying until it was soothed.
The rest was all semantics. Who were they kidding trying to talk to each other, anyway? Sif knew they weren't communicating very well, but the companionship was too sweet, and the idle chatter too comforting.
"Why no boys?" she asked dreamily, curling closer to Rheia and taking up the duty of grooming once more. Travel had not been kindest to some areas of Rheia's coat, but Sif was eager to set that straight. She paused to address the older girl's question with another giggle. Being yet a child, and having no teacher for such things as romance, Sif could only answer very innocently, "Yes! Nice. Take caare. Bring together." There was nothing bad to say about the man, but Sif also didn't have quite as shimmering reviews for him as she had for Snowe and Hella and now Rheia. Not yet, anyway - it was something she was sure would come in time.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Spooky Camilla - December 03, 2017
I... I don't know,she murmured in response to that question; she had always been attentive to the lessons of her family but she hadn't been taught the most important ones, not yet. Those would have come once she'd ascended to the role of priestess - they would've been part of her repetoire by now if Rheia had stayed. Remembering this, she went quiet for a moment and Sif sang praises of the man Wardruna.
Bring to-geth-er...the girl liked the sound of together on her tongue and smiled softly but her mind was drifting. It was warm here next to Sif and Rheia chose to think about that rather than the guilt that had awoken in the pit of her belly.
RE: walk down the road and I'm alone again - Moor - December 04, 2017
Shall we close up here?
Rheia made some response, but it didn't sound like anything conclusive, so Sif didn't bother with attempting to translate it. She was curious about this girls-only attitude that Rheia seemed to have. Something about it appealed to the young Sif, but not where Wardruna was concerned.Girls only, plus Wardruna, she thought to herself, wiggling into a more comfortable position and tucking her head between her own chest and Rheia's flank. They'd worry about the semantics later - after a nice, long nap.