Silverlight Terrace There is only one god

@Marruz "There is only one god and his name is Death, and there is only one thing we say to Death: 'Not today.'" Syrio Forel, GOT

Thoughts about death and afterlife were on Wraen's mind more frequently now than it had been before. During the day she wondered, whether her parents had entered a Valhalla-like paradise, each allowed to do, what they wished to their heart's desire and joining a massive feast at the end of every day. Or were it the paradise of the people, who worshipped only one god, where there was eternal peace and happiness for those, who had been good in their Earth lives. Or, perhaps, they were wandering the banks of river Styx together with other souls that the boatman Charon had refused to guide to Hades, because they did not have an offering to him. Or maybe they just stopped existing the moment their hearts stopped. 

So many questions and not a single answer that Wraen would firmly believe in. There were many "what if"s and "why"s, but the main reason she refused them all was her clinging to hope that there was a way for them still to exist, even after their mortal bodies had perished. That somehow she would have a chance to meet them, to talk with them just once more. 

With this in mind, she had walked far from Firebirds and only realized her mistake, when she stopped and found herself in an almost unfamiliar area. The first thought, however, was not, what am I going to do now, but "Maia is going to kill me for having an adventure without her!" Which made her smile and laugh.

gotta love that quote! Thanks for whipping something up :)

Silverlight Terrace. It was the ideal destination for stargazers, and so it was a natural hot spot for Marruz. The darkling sifted through the grass like a viper, his Stygian coat glossed in iridescent blue in the waning light. 

Today had been a quiet day for the boy, and one of contemplation. Tranquil hours such as these were ripe with stimulation for nostalgia and recollection. For Marruz, it was a time of needles and pricks. It only hurt to think about that which you never wanted; never could take away. 

Instead of thinking about his past, he did, however, take a liking to rumination upon the gods. Mephala, Sithis, Meldresi... The names tumbled upon his tongue and boiled within his head as he walked — his gait almost furious as he pushed the limber appendages through the awakening field, which had already engulfed the moonbeams and morphed into a sea of waxen silver.

It did not happen often, but either because of the vivid dreamland images, the waning light of the day and the shadow-like figure of the other person, Wraen did not notice the fellow, until she was about to pass him within a close distance and brushed her shoulder against his. Surprised by the sudden shift in her surroundings and being violently pulled out of her thoughts, she shrank back from the stranger and regarded him first in fear, then in curiousity and then with a remorse in her voice she apologized: "I am sorry - missed you entirely."

Marruz was surprised that he had not noticed the stranger first. He had been staring up at the sky, but still, he was never one to lose himself or his surroundings. When their pelts brushed, however, he was immediately pulled from his journey through the stars. His orbs were alight with an odd and indecipherable fire.

He stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "Seems you actually didn't miss me," his voice was youthful but developing, so that it was almost orotund in the stillness of evening. The shifting of the grass accompanied the mellow tone. 

The introvert wanted to keep walking. He just wanted to be alone tonight, after all. But there was an enigma that surrounded this girl, and he was always one for learning new things. After all, they had both commit the same crime: losing themselves amidst thoughts. 

Not only that, but she was polite. She didn't irritate him like the many other strangers he had encountered. So he released a small chuff of carbon and blinked almost amiably (if that was possible for the boy). "We were both lost in different worlds." 

"I guess you are right," Wraen replied with a crooked grin, glad that they had solved this the easy way. In her defence, however, the fellow blended with shadows so well, as if he had been forged from darkness itself. Were it daylight hours, she would have awed and swooned over the otherworldly handsomeness of his, but now she had to wonder that if she had not happened to be in his path, she would not have caught notice of him at all.

"Maybe..." she agreed, canting her head. "Where do you hail from?" she asked, unaware that a new pack had settled down in the vicinity and he was part of it.

Marruz returned his amethyst gaze skyward, releasing a small sigh at the sight of the celestial plane stretching out before him. It was so beautiful, as always. He wished he could roam its expanse for the rest of his life. Perhaps one day, when he left this world, such a wish might be granted to him.

Her question pulled him from his thoughts. His ear flicked absently as he summoned his mental energies back onto the scene; a solemn figure throughout. Without moving his eyes, he lifted a brow and, barely managing to disguise the default irritation in his undertone, proferred, "I am a Melonii. I have joined my clan back in the Deepwood Weald."

He paused before adding, "And you?" Though his focus was primarily upon the stars, and he didn't make much of an attempt towards concealing it.

"I am a Redleaf," Wraen repeated the same wording, when she answered the dark fellow's question, noticing that he had not given his name. Maybe he was of those people, who told you exactly, what you had asked, nothing less and nothing more. "A member of Firebirds in the woods, west from these mountains," she beckoned, though this was more out of habit than to quench the other's curiousity. He seemed to be more focused on stars than on the dashing personality and origins of hers. Oh, well - his loss. 

She observed the star-dotted skies for a while in silence, found the four constellations she knew there and then asked him: "Do you hear them singing and telling stories to you as well?"

Marruz listened but only with a dim sentience, his eyes roaming the sky all the while. It was strange how she stated her status, though the idea of her pack being called "Firebirds" was just as intriguing. He had never heard of such a name before within the Teekon. As a matter of fact, it appeared to him for the first time just how little he knew of the pack structures within these woods.

He was silent until she continued, thankful for the solitude and peace that it supplied. He never made an attempt to break it himself, nor to appease the tension she clearly must have felt at his rashness. Her question seemed to catch him off-guard at first, and he released a small grunt to clear his throat and mind. 

"The... the stars?" He felt idiotic then and quickly added, "They don't necessarily... sing. Or, for that matter, speak to me..." He gave her a wary glance sidelong. "But I do gather stories from what they show me. So, of a sort, you might say they tell me things in a metaphorical sense..." 

"It's probably different for everyone," Wraen said, wondering, what was it like to see, what stars showed, and realizing that she did not have to look far for the experience. Her imagination provided her with imagery and sound effects on daily basis.

"My mom said that on quiet nights, when you blend with the darkness and the silence, you can hear their music," she reminisced, but decided not to dwell on the past for much longer. "What have they shown to you so far?" she asked.

It didn't show, of course on his stony features, but to Marruz the words were painful. Painful because he understood the memories. His mother, too, had confided in him the mysteries of the stars. It was from her that Marruz derived a childhood at all. To hear the words filter through the mouth of a stranger was almost unnerving.

"Music..," he mused. There followed a thoughtful, steady blink. "Perhaps I have heard it before. In my own way..." He glanced over at the fae for the first time that night. Noticed how she drank in the celestial palette; how she reflected a similar passion. "So far the stars have led me to my current home. They seem to foretell change — funny things, sometimes." 

"That is amazing," Wraen acknowledged. "Never heard the music myself, but then again I have never been able to remain very silent to begin with," she added with a smile, thinking suddenly about her sister Sarah, who had mastered the art of not wasting words and meaningful, calm and easy silences. But with all that she highly doubted that her sibling had ever heard the stars. Perhaps Terance had.

"Funny things? What did they tell you?" she asked curiously, finding the implication that stars possessed a sense of humour endearing. They entertained each other for a while longer and then each left for their respective homes.