Northstar Vale i am a hallucination of myself at three years old

♥ @Ibis

     truthfully,

he has no real idea what he's looking for. it's not that his decision to leave okeanos was impulsive--no, the idea had been there for some time, at first manifesting in his dreams. he'd dreamt of walking off a cliff, but not falling, keeping one paw in front of the other on the air so long as he hadn't looked down. when the fear finally reached him, he'd looked down and seen a great, clay red river, and woke immediately.

atwood ignored this dream for some time, until the urge finally moved from the unconscious to his conscious. he'd asked okeanos a number of questions about his birth home, about his parents. okeanos' answers were thoughtful and thorough and yet he still felt a yearning. so, no, not an impulse but a thread he needs to follow, leading him back here. 

but here, that is, this imposing vale opening before him, that he can't account for (perhaps it is a genetic memory, or perhaps his spirit just knows the significance of the vale, the hidden familial histories embedded in the soil). it's not elysium. elysium he remembers in pieces, the bright flash of flowers, the comforting weight of willow branches overhead, blood and a mangled body--he could find it if he tried, but not yet. instead, he tilts his head and calls out, his voice trembling despite his best efforts.

Hello Remus! Jitter asked if I could take this thread instead since Ibis isn't home yet! I hope you don't mind <3

Boy, she felt fat. For the first time in all two of her years, Reiko felt bloated and fat with the growing belly that grew more noticeable since last week. Still slender for her figure, and possibly normal looking to most, but she knew her body. Normally she was slender without an ounce of fat, now there was a slight bump where it would normally tuck inward all nicely on her abdomen. 

Sluggish, she was slower than usual to trot her way over to where the call had rung out. There was a certain strain in its melody and so she was prepared to see a ghostly figure - but instead, she found a young man. A stranger to her but she approached with a smile as she would to anyone - how excited she would have been if he knew his relations to Ibis prior to this. 

Greetings, I'm Reiko, Empress of the vale - how may I help you? With a delighted dip of her crown (oh boy did she suddenly feel a little squeezy after that), she stood at a comfortable distance from him while they spoke.

of c! <3 thank you for joining!

he's not left to linger. a woman with a distinctly rounded belly approaches--it occurs to him that it's spring, and that it must be, therefore, close to the time he was born (birth and breeding are not something he's given much thought to, truthfully).

it's less interesting than what she says. he straightens slightly, unsure how to conduct himself, then murmurs, "my name is atwood," echoing her. "i'm looking for," hm, "somewhere to stay." this isn't what he'd anticipated saying, but it's true--he needs somewhere safe, he knows better than to try and strike it out on his own. and the vale is compelling, what little he's seen of it yet. he ducks his head slightly, unsure if that's enough, and admits, "i don't know if i have anything to offer. i've been...away for a while. but i can take care of myself, at least, and i'll try whatever i'm asked to do."

Oh its my pleasure! Atwood already has my heart <3

It's a pleasure to meet you, Atwood. She says sweetly, the boy was shy, or scared, whatever was plaguing him she tried to come off as friendly as possible, as welcoming as ever to try and coax him out of that little corner he seems to have built for himself (metaphorically of course).

It's alright, She was certain that even with Kaistleoki they were open to allowing anyone to explore their interest and offer what they are able to in due time. To grow in a safe environment at their own pace. You can explore your interest and help out wherever possible at your own pace. Do you know anything that piques your interests? Wanting to get to know Atwood just a little more, what kind of individual he is, just get him to talk a little more before welcoming him officially into their ranks - she'd find anything to ask. 

We can always discover them together~

something about her soothes him: she has the same gentle bearing as his mothers, all fine-boned, kind creatures that they were in his memories. under her gaze he relaxes, feeling a sharp pang of nostalgia as he does. strange, he hadn't thought that he'd missed elysium or the idea of his childhood beyond thinking, ah, well, a shame how that ended.

"we-ell," atwood drawls, reflective, "i've been with my brother, mainly, and he's a star-gazer, and to my knowledge, most of my family does - did - medicinal arts of various kinds. i know a little bit from him, um, but..." injury makes him uncomfortable, brings to mind moments he can't make sense of entirely, yet. he hums. "something like that, anyway. i'm not sure i'm built for fighting," atwood adds, flashing a tentative grin.

The boy seemed to have relaxed a little, pleased with herself, she continues to smile softly and listen as he speaks. Taking note of his mild discomfort when mentioning the medicinal part of his knowledge, perhaps he was a little squeamish about certain things, or not confident with medicines - but that was a conversation for another day. 

Mild excitement burst from her petite body as he mentions the stars, recently she has grown fond of the stars and knowing a little more of them. It was something she enjoyed doing on her sleepless nights as of late, staring up at them and trying to make sense of their twinkling bodies. Would you be willing to teach me about the stars? It's a new interest of mine, I would love to know a little more. Behind her, the empress' plume bounced against the ground happily. 

Don't fret about fighting, we have a sister pack with plenty of soldiers, and we have a few of our own here in the vale as well.

when he mentions stars, she lights up. feeling somewhat pleased, he nods and says, "of course. i don't know much, but, there's something so, so soothing about them. that they're always there and always moving without us." sometimes, on hard nights, the brothers would come up with new stories about random groupings of stars they saw. sometimes it'd make okeanos sad, though atwood never thought to ask him about it. 

reiko mentions a sister pack in answer to his self-deprecating joke. atwood's ears twitch. "do you know of a pack named elysium?" he bursts, before he can stop himself. in the space following the words he finds he doesn't know what he wants the answer to be. both yes and no come with their own complications, none of which he feels particularly ready for.

I'd love to learn anything new, no matter how small. She insists softly, the stars were something new she began focussing on, and so she was certain that Atwood would know something she did not. They were beautiful and she would have to agree with them, they were soothing too. Something to watch during those sleepless nights. 

Elysium? Taking a moment to rack her brain on the pack's name, eventually, the empress' head shook 'no'. I'm afraid I do not. A pause. Is that where you come from? The way he grew excited as he blurted out the question, she could only imagine that there were some important faces within that he missed. Something many of the Empire wolves were familiar with lately.

ah. well. it's the answer he'd expected, if nothing else. he nods and swallows, ignoring the pang of emotion that threatens to overcome him. "i--yes. i was born there. i've been, um, away for a long time. but," he mumbles, "it's fine.

um--oh, i haven't--what's this pack's name?" he'd offered himself before even asking, he realizes, abashed.

You have my sympathies. She returned his soft words with her own. Perhaps under different circumstances, but she too was away from her birth pack for such a long time. Hopefully, Atwood can eventually find his lost family members, if not, then she could only hope he could make new relationships among them here, in the Empire. 

Come! I'll show you around Atwood, welcome to the Reneian Empire. Whether you stay if temporary or longer, I do hope you will find some happiness here among us. With a nod, she invited him to walk alongside her as she prepared to show the young man around.

last post from me!