The Sentinels ghost on the shore

Deirdre was her greatest strength, and yet their reunion had shattered the armor Emaleth had built in her time away— armor against grief, and guilt, and the myriad of other tempestuous emotions within her breast. It had taken some weeks to rebuild, in which the dark youth remained hidden within the Wilds. It was quicker, this time, to plate her heart. She owed that to her littermate, who had come to her on occasion beneath the moon's light, and not for the first time did she regret ever having gone in the first place.

She trembled as she stood here, at the edge of where her life began and her father's had ended. But regardless of what had been done in her time away, this was her home, and she and Deirdre would honor Lasher by ensuring it remained of their— and his— blood.

Ever the singer, the youth's lilting song rose up to echo through the trees; in the beginning, the song was a bit unsure and unsteady, but as the notes fled her the young Mayfair's voice grew stronger until the song was one of conviction. She was home.

deirdre sprinted toward the scent and next, the song! her own voice rose to join her sisters, and the melody that poured through donnelaith was that of unfettered love and power. the forest, sleeping, awoke and sang its own song to them both; it had always been whole for deirdre, but now it was fuller than it had ever been since her own fathers passing. a piece of her, returned!

"Emaleth." 

The voice was recognized by more than just Aria, she was sure of it. Deirdre had always been the sweeter, more friendly of the two, but Emaleth was never to be forgotten. Her leaving shattered the spirits of a number of wolves in the pack, perhaps they could begin to be pieced back together. 

She arrives quickly to see the dark body of the young witch, curious if she recognized her. Surely not, she had never had too much close interaction with the child-- but perhaps. "Emaleth," she says softly, a small smile welcoming her. "You've returned." With a quick tilt of her head, she calls for @Deirdre and @Constantine, knowing that the two would want to come.

She felt a swelling of power within the forest as Deirdre lifted her own voice to join, and she felt the trees call out to her blood and her spirit; they welcomed her, if their inhabitants would not, and that was all the approval that mattered to the young witch. The wolves of Donnelaith could try to send her away, but they would not succeed. They could not deny her blood, nor her belonging. She was no longer the wraith of a child that had left them.

But for those of her blood, the dark witch's memories of the forest's inhabitants were shades and impressions. They had always seemed other to her, foreign, as if they were invading the Mayfairs' private and sacred space— a feeling that had come more pronounced as she grew older and as her father fell ill. She knew the face before her, if not the woman's name or standing, and Emaleth's song faded.

"I have come home," she agreed. It was not a question, for she would not beg to return to their ranks. No one deserved the privilege more than she and Deirdre. "I hope all is well." Emaleth knew it was not, for how could it ever be without her father to lead them, but it seemed the polite thing to say.

aria called for her, next, and then constantine; deirdre called to @Eilidh as well, not forgetting her sister, quiet though she had become. deirdre, like constantine, gave the woman ample space to heal. the return of emaleth harkened one sisters healing; perhaps their elder would be soothed to know of this, and could begin another step in her own grieving.

deirdre arrived before the duo, moving to slide alongside her littermate, her tail waving slowly behind her. i am glad to see you here, at last! -- but deirdre knew what had taken her so long, and would never argue against it.

He was beckoned to the borders – a duty he never strayed far from, and yet it was the reason to why that spurned him even faster than his usual pace. Emaleth had returned – Emaleth was finally home where she belonged. He had never been able to become as close to the dark girl as he had Deirdre – but he had worried for her the moment she had left them, and to see her home was a promise of better days to come. Of that he had to believe.
 
“Emaleth,” he greeted, his bright eyes studying her as he emerged from the forest foliage. He sidled towards Deirdre, allowing the girl space – his gaze only drifting to Aria momentarily. “Welcome home,” he noted, warmth finding his voice as he noted that she seemed well enough, if not distant.

Constantine and Deirdre arrive quickly, and she smiles at the scene unfolding around her. "You are welcome as always within the borders of Donnelaith. They are yours," she says, a gentle dip of her head. Feeling happy for her two friends-- and Emaleth alike-- the girl takes a step from the borders and dips her head. "I'll leave you to one another," she says, and begins to turn to leave, a smile still present on her face.

aria out <3

Emaleth drew near her sister in the same beat that Deirdre did the same, and her tongue swept against the pale youth's muzzle in greeting. It took only that for the dark witch to feel whole, to feel home— and if not for the formalities, she would have marched into the heart of the forest in that moment, knowing the other half of her magick stood at her side. She smiled at the pale woman's words, small and perhaps shy, though she moved to plant a kiss warmly on her brother's cheek. She had always been closer to Casmir, but she felt no less love for Constantine; he was of her blood, a son of Taltos, and had power of his own.

The ebon-furred child watched with a stoic curiosity as Aria moved to leave, noting the coldness of the other without grief. Emaleth was loyal only to her heritage, and it was a source of ire that Donnelaith was led by one of her father's myriad lovers. Eilidh, Casmir, Constantine— all would have been better choices. But she remained silent on this, for she had won her place within Donnelaith, regardless.

"I am sorry I fled without telling you," she finally told her brother. Deirdre had already been privy, and their twin souls understood one another without effort. For Constantine and Eilidh, the youth guessed it may be different. "I couldn't bear the thought of Donnelaith without father. I needed... time."

deirdre was silent as emaleth explained herself to her brother, and turned her warm eyes to constantine. she would not say a word, knowing so what her sister endured, and instead let them reunite--nor would she leave, drinking in the presence of her sister. her roots thirsted only for emaleths water.

Aria made the statement that he had heard her make before – Donnelaith belonged to the Mayfair’s. He withheld a gentle frown – the fact the ivory she-wolf felt herself a placeholder was apparent, but at least now, with their new decision, she now spoke with a warmness. They would build a fresh legacy elsewhere – where both their ideals would not be shunned and overridden by the sister which refused to understand. For as much as he loved Deirdre.. she had indeed made it sound as if he was spitting on his father’s gravestone.
 
And perhaps, after what they had done to Rowan, he had been.
 
He was pulled from these thoughts as Emaleth greeted him, his own muzzle tipping down to smooth against her soft ebony fur. For as different as she was, the girl was still so familiar to him, and he was only grateful she had returned home when they needed her the most. “Don’t apologize, Emaleth,” he murmured quietly, his eyes studying her with relief. “We all understand. But you’re home now. That’s all that matters.”

If Aria had been warm, Emaleth did not notice— for her quick departure told the youth all she needed to know, or so she thought. It was no skin off her hide either way, for the dark witch had plans and ambitions, so she did not dwell on it for much longer. Instead, her attentions turned to her siblings— even Constantine seemed glad to see her, returning her affections and responding in his soft, concerned way. She only nodded, uncertain of what to say, for she she loathed idle conversation— but it was perhaps too early in her return for weightier items. Instead, she basked in the comfort presence of her brother and sister, and the trees that were her home.

So slow. <3

Eilidh had been slowly returning to the world of Donnelaith lately, albeit slower than the sap that leaked from the trees nearby. Grief still gripped her, and though she had begun eating again, her entire being was wasted away. The once golden glow of her fur had dulled, and the gleam in her eyes had faded until she wasn't sure she'd ever been healthy before. Everything that would have been normal before now seemed far away, as if she had woken from a beautiful dream and now lived in this bitter, dark reality. It tortured her to move, to speak to others, to feel anything besides grief.

So when Deirdre's howl called her forth, Eilidh followed her sister's directive. She found herself lingering on the edge of the shadows, watching as her family reunited, seemingly whole again even without her, their father, their mother. Even Aria was present, though she soon left the Mayfair clan to themselves. Eilidh watched in silence, and after a long moment, moved forward. Her green gaze found her brother, and she sidled up to him, running her shoulder along his side. He was the last remnant of her father left, and she sought him out more and more these days. Her dull gaze slid languidly from Constantine, to Deirdre, and finally to Emaleth, the one who had left them. Who had flown from her duties as a Mayfair with their father's death.

Eilidh simply nodded at her, coldness seeping into her heart, threatening to dampen the burning embers of her soul completely.

me 2. i am fading because this is very old.

she could sense eilidh's coldness, for she had always been the sibling to rush forth with warm embrace— but emaleth could not begrudge her for it. she had fled, as she had when the locusts had come, and she did not expect to be forgiven twice for the same transgression. she could only hope that with time her elder sister would know they were all in pain, all grieving in their own ways.

"it is good to be home," she responded softly, looking at each of them in turn. "i have missed it, and each of you."

they spent some hours like this, often in silence, basking in each other's presence and finding some small comfort in that. for as long as they breathed, some of lasher's spirit would continue to live in them. his blood was theirs, and together they were complete.