The sprite had descended from her rich adventures atop the mountains, and was now enjoying her time on stable ground again. With her flew a white fleck of a being, eyes a rosy and soft red and wings spanning barely the length of her shoulders. She'd called the being Loinnir, her guide. Mother had had a spirit guide too, but hers was mean and only seemed to whisper. Loinnir didn't talk to her at all, but his crumpled up form had hit her right in her soul and she would've never forgiven herself for leaving it there. They were soulmates, for now.

Meagi had shared with her the knowledge on how to get to her parents' birthplace, but they had parted ways eventually. She'd met more curious entities up above, but it was time to get down and away from the thin air. In the distance she could already see her new destination; the dark woods, haunted by ravens and feared by mortals. It looked different from how she had imagined it, more disrupted and destroyed than in her guardians' tales. How... disappointing.

Despite the lingering feeling of having been let down, Lumiya and her companion approached the woods with utmost care. It smelled of no-one, the ground not claimed and the borders not refreshed. She looked around at the damage, searching for any clue her family had ever spent their lives here, but it held no memory of them. It shook her to the core, so much so that she wouldn't notice if anyone was around or sneaked up on her.

The sprite's entire form perked up at the sound of a booming voice, but her following movements were calm and collected. She turned to the stranger who smelt of battle, blood and bitches. Lumiya gave her a confused look, but her owl friend was scared away quickly by the tension the woman had created. The Melonii wasn't scared, she rarely was, but she did feel the uneasiness that had so rudely disrupted her emotional reunion with her past.

This was our home not too long ago. She answered, glancing back again to the tall trees that towered over her tiny body. Do you know what happened to it? She questioned. She asked a lot of questions recently, a new trait for such a trampled nymph, but one she cherished. The strangers she met on her travels held no power over her like Mother did, she wasn't afraid of looking odd in their eyes.

Me neither. She was referring to the stranger, but her tone and expression were soft and floated in a way she might as well have been referring to herself. She felt like the ashen giant's eyes were colder than hers despite the color, piercing and examining her. She was a Melonii, she belonged here, so she felt no guilt over being there.

Quakes? She chirped, eyes widening in interest. I'm afraid I'm from before that time. I don't remember any quakes. She moved her head down to the earth, inspecting it, then to the ruins around them. This wouldn't suffice for a home anymore. I am Lumiya Melonii. My parents were born here. She stated matter-of-factly, but her pride was lacking. No one had remained of their clan, her brother didn't want her around, Mother rather had her gone... Disappear she would, leaving traces along the way.

Her parents would've switched Lumi out for Hela in the blink of an eye, if they ever had the change. She embodied what they had wanted from their children; rippling muscles, a towering frame and a chance to carry on their legacy. Still, Lumiya did not envy her. If it wasn't for her oddness, she would've never been allowed to forge a path of her own. She would've been trained and twisted, turned into one of their killing machines. Venamis and her had escaped that future, but Zannah and Revan probably hadn't been so lucky. They were the sweethearts, the apple of their parents' eyes and, if she were not careful, they might come to kill her for treason were they ever to find out she did not plan on returning.

Another Melonii? That was nearly three in a row. Lumiya smiled, knowing what this meant. They were somehow family - Lumiya was betting on cousins but she hardly knew anyone outside her immediate circle. Nice to meet you. The sylph responded sweetly. As an outcast of her immediate family, she felt strangely accepted out here. It was so different, so much more complex than Mother could ever have described.

Her mouth turned into a small "o" shape, surprised at such a question. Regaining her composure was easier than losing it though, and she nodded quickly after. She looked over to see Loinnir still up in the tree nearby, but felt like he was unfit to come hunt with them. Stay here. She ordered the white predator whose head moved down into its fluff in a nod.

Take the lead. She said to Hela as she turned back to the mammoth, ready as she'd ever be to go hunting.

A friend. She eventually responded. She had to think for a moment as to what exactly Loinnir was to her. After pondering about it, she was confident in the fact he'd been her only friend since she'd came across Blondine, and that was nearly half a moon ago. Besides the court she'd lived with, no one else had made her feel accepted and welcomed. Perhaps it had to be the other way; her accepting and welcoming others then.

The fae shadowed the large woman - the damaged and damned woods seemed to swallow them up. Especially the faerie did not belong here, she realized, and she was glad the place was in ruins now. She gently swiped her muzzle an inch above the snow, seeking the scent they would stumble upon - eventually. Who are your parents? She asked in a casual manner, trying to figure out how they were related.

If the fae was being honest, which she tried to be at all times, she did not understand why the bird had chosen to follow her either. She knew her mother had a bird companion, and her sister had an ugly vulture, but she did not expect to receive one too. Perhaps it was a mystical force she could not grasp, something hidden in their Melonii genes - but if that were the case, then why didn't Hela carry one of the predators of the sky?

She couldn't link faces to the names given, nor did she have a clear understanding of who they were. Only 'Vaati' sounded vaguely familiar - apparently it was a cousin, one she never learned of. She couldn't help but take notice she referred to her parents in the past tense, as if they weren't her parents anymore. Did she dare ask? Mine are Damien and Nyx - though perhaps my mother is better known as Astrid around here. She never did understand why she had changed her name. She said it had been to feel closer to Damien and the Melonii bloodline, but she was the closest Lumi could ever imagine.