Ankyra Sound Sometimes the past can make the ground beneath you feel like a quicksand

Ok, it took her a hot minute, but eventually Maia found her way to their claim on the coast.  In her defense, it wasn't exactly an easy spot to find.  The cliffs and forests hid the little cove that was Ankyra pretty well, and she ended up having to just pick a direction and comb the coastline.  Pure luck brought her the right way.

But now she was here! Heck, cool, now what.  She could call, she guessed.  But was that too needy? I mean, what if he was busy, or what if he'd only said she could come to be polite? What if he wasn't even home and some weird packmate came and it was super awkward?

Wow.  Yeah no whatever she was calling.  With a nonchalance she didn't really feel, Maia lifted her head and let @Illidan know she was here if he was around.  If not that was cool.  She wouldn't be disappointed.  Mhm.

the sound of her call was enough to send him flying from his place on the beach and toward the edge of the sound's claim. the length of his limbs made for an easy and speedy trip. by the time he had drawn closer, his tongue had lolled from the side of his mouth and his breathing was heavy. still, there was no hiding the fact that he was pleased that she had taken him up on his offer to visit rusalka.

“you made it,” the ghost chimed pleasantly, pushing forward with a few eager wags of his tail and a more genuine smile than he had shared in the past. there was something thrilling about the idea that he would get to show maia his home and all of the cool places that existed within it. he only hoped that she wasn't too tired from her trek there. “how far did you have to come?” illidan asked her curiously, tilting his head to the side a few inches.

There were a few nerve wracking moments of no response where she thought maybe he wouldn't come, and what that would have done we shall never have to find out.  Because of course he came!  And he definitely didn't make her wait long.  Oh thank bob.

Of course I did!! I told you I would!! she responded cheerfully, coming up to greet him.  A ways, but it wasn't too bad.  I met some weird wolves on the way.  She recalled the off-balance woman and shrugged.  But I knew it wouldn't be a big deal.  Wraen and I have traveled loads before, and alone is quieter but not a lot different. Except for the loneliness of course.  Sleeping without Wraen was the worst.

How's the kingdom? She waved her tail and looked past him curiously.  Last time she was here he'd been fighting, but she didn't see any worse new injuries on him.  So all was okay then?

her cheery response was like a breath of fresh air against all of the troubles that had stacked up on him. she spoke of her journey with ease. it was something to be admired about the girl. she had ventured across a great stretch of earth to see him and she seemed to think of it as something that was perfectly ordinary for her. he had aspired to be a great scout, but perhaps he could learn a thing or two from maia and her endless knowledge of the world around them.
 
“it sounds like you had a good time,” he commented with a sincere smile. his ashen tail wavered behind him softly. “i would very much like to hear about everything that you encountered along your journey.” it wasn’t a bluff, of course. illidan found that he enjoyed her stories far more than anyone else’s that he had met. he felt grateful to know her and to know the things that she so willingly shared with him.
 
when she asked about his kingdom, the boy gestured with a swing of his head and a broad smile that revealed the tips of his ivory canines. “come on in and i’ll give you a tour of all the coolest places,” he offered and then cast a wink at her – an attempt at being coy.

She always had a good time, generally speaking.  At least; far as anyone knew, she tried to make it seem like it.  She'd discovered that unhappy stories generally made strangers and acquaintances uncomfortable, and her habit had tended towards the positive ever since.  She had to give the audiences what they wanted.

I can't wait to see them! she exclaimed, a little surprised that she was going to actually be in.  I thought maybe I could stay a little bit? If that's alright, I mean.  Our pack is good and there's loads back home to do other stuff, and I kinda wanted a break.  She missed Wraen, but she would relish a week or two without Kiwi breathing down her neck or having to go out and walk around the borders.  She hated patrolling so much.  His wink made her stomach flutter a little, but she kept her cool.  Cute cute cute don't freak out Maia.  This was going to be so great!

it was strange that the two wolves would have found a solid friendship with how many differences they had from each other. maia was energetic and upbeat in almost every scenario that he had seen her in. she was bubbly and outgoing – two things that illidan had never gotten a grasp of being. he was sad and quiet, with many stories that would have dampened both the spirit of those who heard it and the mood around them. they were almost opposite from each other in most things, but somehow it had managed to work.
 
maia mentioned that she was hoping she could hang around for a little while. she explained that she felt as though she needed a break from her regular home-base. while he might have found it surprising, illidan would never have denied her the right to stay in rusalka. “you can stay as long as you like,” he told her in genuine tone. there was a small part of him that wished she would just move into the pack, but he knew that he could never suggest something like that when it was so far from her family. she had spoken so fondly of her blood relatives. he did not need to hear her say how much they meant to her to know it for himself.
 
illidan started their path, leading her down past the opening of the pack and into the heart of it. “have you and your sister done anything fun lately? any new adventures i could hear about?” he asked her curiously, hoping that she would have cooked up something in the time that they were apart. he had enjoyed her previous story very much and was looking forward to more of them.

Oh my gosh amazing, thank you! She grinned, surprised only in part.  She'd kinda figured he'd let her stick around for a while but hadn't wanted to get her hopes up because what if he didn't? That would have been super awkward.

Oh we've done loads of cool stuff!  Winter kinda made it harder to travel or anything, and I think Wraen is tired of wandering.  But I've done even more! I got to go to a mountain by where I live and see a piece of the sky that fell!  Ah, hmmmm.  Yeah probably best not to mention Charon right now.  Thinking about their last meeting tended to make her a little ??? and she still wanted to talk to Wraen about it.

It makes me think the sky is rock or something, and the stars are the things that live on it.  That's why they move sometimes and stuff.  It was pretty cool!  Not the most exciting of stories but there was time for better ones later.  She paused for a breath and to see what he thought of that little theory.

if maia had high hopes, illidan wasn’t aware of them. he would certainly go out of his way to make sure that she felt safe in the boundaries of rusalka. he wanted her to know that his home was open to her anytime she felt like stopping by. he wondered if it would have been too far to ask her if he was ever welcome to scout out and visit her pack. he felt that it might have been a bit overbearing and he didn’t want her to feel like he was trying to get it in… or whatever. at least not if she didn’t want it because that would have been a no go. that aside, he did feel almost like a different person when she was around. he liked the way that happened. illidan had never experienced anything like it before. there was a genuine happiness to her that was hard to escape.
 
“you mean a real piece of the sky?” he asked, awestruck by the idea that something out there in the great beyond could even have the means to make it to their slice of earth. “what did it look like? what did it smell like?” he couldn’t help but to ask. this was definitely a different kind of story, but it had inspired a great curiosity in him, and he was ready to explore it. he definitely wanted more answers.

Mostly just like a rock.  Which is why I figure the sky is rock, like the ground.  Either that or Charon was lying to her, but that option was way less fun.

Then she got an idea.  She couldn't tell for sure, but she could definitely broaden this concept she had in mind around it all.  I actually had an idea for a story about it. And you can let me know if it's any good.  It's about a star wolf who wanted to come down to be with the boy she loved. She got a little warm at that, but smiled.  She loved a good romance and for the first time, her story had a character before it had a plot.  She was practicing the lessons she'd gone over with Wraen and was excited to see how it went.

Y'see, there's a whole pack of Star wolves up there on mountains like ours, watching the world.  They can grant wishes as they run across the sky, but only for the ground wolves; never for themselves.  And they can't interfere except for when they are asked, because it's super against the rules for any of them to interact with the wolves down here.  That's why the stars never talk back.  They were better for sharing private things with because of that, but pretty terrible when you actually needed advice.

There was this wolf who lived near a big wide lake, and every night, he would go out and talk to the stars.  But he'd look at the same one every time, because it was his favorite.  He'd share all sorts of things, like what was upsetting him, or how his day went, or what he was afraid of, or even what made him happy.

It gets really lonely up there, being a star and all, so this star wolf really looked forward to his talks every night.  It made her feel like he was actually talking to her, and she started to wish that he would wish for something, anything, so that she could pay him back for all the great company.  He never did though.  She paused, picturing the two wolves, one sitting at the edge of the lake, the other standing with fur of silver-spun starlight.  A wolf like that would be a sight to see.  She hoped, if they did exist, they really were as gorgeous as she imagined.  

As she paused, she glanced at Illidan, trying to catch his interest level.  It was the habit of a storyteller; never get too into your story, otherwise you might put the audience to sleep and not realize!

her initial answer was almost disappointing. for some reason, illidan had imagined that the piece of star that had landed wherever she’d discovered it had been something extraordinary. while he might have been a realist, the young ghost retained just a sliver of that childish portion that believed in things of magic and fairytale. it was fortunate that her story of finding the star had trailed into a story that she had crafted all on her own. illidan listened to her with an intent expression and ears that were rigid atop his dark crown.
 
the story that followed was more than enough to hook him. it was a tale of loneliness and of companionship. illidan found himself relating to the wolf who went to the lake to speak with the stars. he did not share this with maia, but still clung to the idea that he could share something with this man in her story.
 
“he didn’t make a wish once?” illidan could not stop himself from asking. his head tilted just slightly to the left as he inquired this. there was an earnestness in the sharp yellow of his eyes, as though he truthfully fretted for the man by the water – the man who was alone. there was something to be said for a creature who could live his life sharing without getting anything in return. it seemed to be an impossible task for the ghost. “this story is… kind of sad,” he then admitted, turning his head away from her.

If the wolf on the lakeshore reminded her of Illidan, and the starwolf a beautiful and idealized version of herself, well.  Maia certainly wasn't going to say anything.

She laughed when Illidan said it was sad, mostly because she was glad he seemed to be enjoying it.  Of course silly, that's because it isn't done yet,  she teased.  Stories were usually sad around the middle because otherwise the happy ending wouldn't feel so good.  Sometimes they ended sadly too, but Maia didn't enjoy those as much.

He didn't, but he kept talking.  And the more he did, the more desperate the star was to answer him.  He seemed lonely and she knew if she could just go there and tell him she was here, listening, then he wouldn't feel so alone.  She got a little wistful because the romance, the drama! 

Finally she couldn't stand it.  It was forbidden for stars to come down, but there was a way.  It was just super dangerous and, if she was caught, she'd be banned from ever watching the ground again.  It was totally worth the risk.  She snuck away, down from the sky, until she came to the place where the worlds meet.

This had been the hardest part of the story to come up with, because what kind of a place was the border between the stars and the ground?  It was hard for her to wrap her head around, even as an "accomplished" storyteller, but then she'd gotten an idea.

The place where the sky meets the ground is like a giant ocean, pulled both ways.  Water made sense because up and down didn't matter much... you could travel either!  Plus she liked bringing the ocean in because then the story felt like it was here.  And to cross, you have to swim it.  But she also knew that in this ocean there was a monster, something giant that would snatch up anyone who tried to cross!  But she was only, like, a little scared, because she knew she had to go.  So she took a big, huge breath and dove in.

She swam and she swam, fast as she could, but no one could outrun it.  She felt it grab her and hold her still in one giant clawed hand.  So she shouted to it.  'Please!  If you have a wish, I can grant it, just let me pass!' She tried to sound desperate, and when the monster, she tried to sound wicked.  Voices were a relatively new addition but she liked doing them to a point sometimes.  The monster just laughed.  'I don't need wishes.  Not when stupid stars like you come trespassing.'  But the star wasn't going to give up.  'Please! Then just let me tell you a story first.'

The monster wasn't convinced, but the ocean between could be lonely sometimes also.  Everything that trespassed it normally ate, and once they were gone, it was back to nothing.  A story would maybe give it something to think about between this meal and the next one.  So the monster agreed!  The star told it all about the wolf and his stories, though not any of the secret ones.  Then she told about how she was making this journey to see him, and how much trouble she'd be in if they found out.  The monster was hungry, but it also had a soul, and it would have been hard for anyone to hear that story and not want her to make it past.  As she finished, she felt the claws loosen around her, and she heard its voice boom in her ear.  'For that story, I'll let you pass.  But you can never come back, or I will have you.'  Oooh okay yeah she was diggin this monster she came up with.  Maybe it would appear in some other stories.  Sorta like a guardian gatekeeper between the sky and the world.

She kept swimming and eventually broke through to the shore of the other world.  As she climbed from the water, her fur and eyes shone with the silver light of a star.  She had made it!  She ran immediately for where she knew he'd be, because it was dark and he was always there when it got dark.  When she saw him, he was looking sadly at the sky.  His favorite star was gone, after all, and he was worried that for some reason the light had gone out.  As soon as he saw her, though, he knew immediately who she was, even before she could say it.  Stars might look like rocks, but star wolves definitely aren't hard to recognize.  She smiled, because it was cooler that way and also magic.  Nothing was impossible.  She was so happy when she saw him, too, and when he ran to her, that she shone brighter.  But that wasn't good, because the stars above noticed, and no star was ever allowed to be down with the normal wolves.

The older, more important stars had secret ways to get down that weren't the monster's, and soon, they were surrounded by growling and glowing wolves.  She hadn't been able to even say one world, and now she was going to be taken back!  She wouldn't even get to see her friend again.  'I'm sorry,'  was all she was able to say before they pulled her away, but as they were leaving, he stopped them.  He only had to shout one thing.  'I have a wish!'

Star wolves can't grant wishes for themselves, but they do for others.  The leader of the stars looked at him, and for a minute it seemed like she might not grant it.  But he kept talking anyway.  'I wish she could stay.'  Maia paused in anticipation for the next part.  Everything was quiet.  All of the star wolves were staring at their leader.  There had never been that kind of wish before, and no star had ever stayed before.  They didn't know what to do.  The leader just stared for a long time, and seemed to be thinking.  Then, she nodded.

So the star wolf was allowed to stay, and even though she couldn't grant wishes anymore, she'd already answered the best one.  Now when he told her his stories, she told him hers too, all about the sky and the stars and now the ground.  They lived happily ever after, together by the lake.  She finished with a flourish, then sat down with a huff.  See!  Happy!  She giggled, then ducked a little self-consciously.  It's a little long for pups n all, but... what'd you think?