Lost Creek Hollow in these times of wanting prophecy

 it seemed angst skirted all around him, though okeanos was none the wiser. he did not know that as he drew breath, mali's sire lost his, leaving his mamas to mourn once more. he did not know about whatever troubles beset his distant cousins, nor about rannoch's departure, the splitting of his dad's pack, his own dad's sadnesses. he didn't even really know about the conflict between terance and his sweet sister, or how she really feels about his stepmom. what he did know was that it's time for them to move on before he grows complacent.

he's at least met treason now, though his feelings about said meeting will remain ambiguous until that thread progresses -- all that's left is to talk to his dad and maybe meet his baby siblings. so after gathering up a little amount of herbs to take with them on the trip, he calls for @Terance, intending to have a proper familial goodbye for once.

everything seemed to happen at once. 

terance was with @Ibis when he heard okeanos' call. he had only just finished asking her to stay when he was beckoned by his son. terance knew what the call meant, and it broke another piece of him deep inside... but he held together. just a little bit longer. it was just too hard to stand up himself, he wanted to badly to fall apart. just a little bit longer. he hoped. 

he trekked through the territory to find okeanos, pausing a little ways off, ibis in tow. he offered a small, warm smile, ears flicked forwards and tail wagging slowly. are you sure you can't stay longer, my son? terance asked him, knowing what is to come.

It was best to leave before she lost her head, what with all the changes occurring in the past few hours. Ibis had tried to clear the air with her father and felt a little better about her plan to depart - not as strongly guilt riddled - at least, until she heard Okeanos calling for dad.

Ibis followed along as Terance drew a path towards the border and a part of her knew this would be the last time they'd share a space for a long while. As the pair made their way together Ibis was silent; she tried not to look around at the beautiful forest that had become her home, nervous that if she saw just the right tree or maybe a patch of familiar flowers her heart would break all over again. She kept focused to her father's trail and when she saw Okeanos further ahead and waiting, she slipped away from Terance and drew herself daintily alongside her bear of a brother.

Terance spoke; Ibis couldn't help but think about their earlier conversation and wondered if he would try again to convince them not to go, but... While their father was a warrior, he wasn't much of a fighter on their behalf. Ibis nuzzled against her brothers fur for a few moments and then pulled away to give Okeanos some space. It was time to say goodbye.

okeanos opens his mouth to reply and closes it as ibis pushes against him, taking a moment to compose himself. his own mouth curls into a gentle smile as he shakes his head. "thank you for letting me visit," he says,  stepping forward to bump his head against his dad's cheek, "we won't be gone forever -- i'll stay longer next time." the promise is made with the youthful arrogance that assumes the open potential of the future. but he means it: he does want to spend more time with his dad and his dad's family, he just has things he needs to see and do first.

you're always welcome here, said terance as he received the response he figured he'd get. but... that wasn't the end. 

just as he had told ibis, terance knew he'd have to warn okeanos of the pack's fate. rannoch and his family left this morning. i don't know how many wolves are left -- but we may have to leave the hollow. i don't know where we'll go, he explained solemnly, his ears flicking back, i don't want you to be surprised if we are gone when you return. it was not an easy topic, for sure, but terance had to be candid with both of his children.

She knew her father only meant to give them a warning, just in case their trip failed to yield the results they were after and they came crawling back home - but Ibis couldn't help the dread that crept in to her belly, smothering the butterflies that had previously fluttered with anticipation. It felt like he was trying to guilt them (but a part of her knew he wasn't, and she focused on that). Without anything to say, and feeling tongue-tied, she remained uncharacteristically quiet and huddled next to Okeanos.

okeanos blinks, his eyes widening in surprise at the news. rannoch has always seemed to him an impossibly stable figure -- a firm presence in the background of his life. and he knows dad and rannoch are close, so... what happened? he sucks in a breath, his expression smoothing down into concern. "i'm sorry, dad," he says, and frowns. "thank you for letting us know, um -- if you do move, we'll find you again, i'm sure." (how big can the teekons be, after all, he thinks, having absolutely no frame of reference).

with that, he nudges ibis and dips his head to his dad once last time. it's sad news for sure, but he can't let that stop them from what they want to do... and hopefully, eventually, everything will work out the way it's supposed to.