atwood felt he was settling nicely into the reneian empire, though he'd not been there long. reiko's reassurance that he could take time to find himself eased some of the burdens in his heart, the typical teenaged uncertainty about himself and his place in the world. but it awakens others: he misses his mothers terribly, their beaming faces filling nightly the landscapes of his dreams. at night he seeks out aries' curled spine and tries to recall everything he'd heard about the ram, his new guardian spirit. he closes his eyes and falls, without intention, into meditation. the line of stars becomes a mangled body. his eyes open.

oh. 

at dawn, atwood rouses himself and steeles his nerves. if he's meant to, in some way, follow or model or be in pursuit of the ram's qualities, then surely that means he cannot hide from his past forever. he steals out of the vale, letting his path be impulsive. he does not remember, exactly, where elysium is, only the swells of flora that fill his memories..but he resolves to follow his feelings. surely a place that leaves so great a scar stays imprinted in your geographies?

finding himself in a wooded area, he pauses, hungry, and decides to look for a small meal before continuing.

he hears, faintly, steps, his ears twitching toward the source a moment before a stranger's voice rings out. quiet, like his steps. atwood turns, taking in for a moment the slim, lithe figure. he's strangely beautiful, atwood thinks neutrally, and turns back toward the hare he'd been tracking, now surely vanished. 

"yeah," he says, "i'm taking a trip. don't know how long it'll be, so." shifting slightly, he looks back at the stranger and says, "you?"