Ouroboros Spine and i, the star-- burn low

dated for 5/5/24 timing set at about sunset. i want to thank each and every one of you who has threaded with shikoba. she was one of my very first characters i roleplayed when i first came to WOLF. she has such a long in-game history, and i am so very proud of the connections she has made and the family she has crafted. i will be finishing her threads in due time. it is a bittersweet moment to let go of her, but i am beyond grateful for the incredible threads i have gotten to have with her and all of you. thank you for being apart of her journey, and shaping her into the incredible woman she is <333 tags are for visibility, light pp made; please pm me if you'd prefer anything changed!

she called to @Kukutux the moment the skies begin to shift from that cornflower blue into the paint strokes of a rose and lavender, cobalt and indigo gently growing as those warm sunset lights flicker; and not a cloud in sight. it was the most beautiful day. bird song seems quiet, the crickets are slowly tuning their craft, her ears twitch at the noises besides her own breathing that has become labored.

'time is drawing near. find ajei, and the others who may wish to be here.

she's laying on her side, the grass has once never felt so soft beneath her creaking joints. was the world always so beautiful before her death? did the flowers always smell so sweet? shikoba did not know. the wind rocks her gently, her coat has grayed out more and more, her face no longer the dark visage it used to be. 

when @Ajei comes forth, shikoba would smile that soft smile she wore. she remembered when her precious girl was born, how joyous of a day that was. she'd kiss her forehead and her cheek gently, and whisper to her the words of love she has always known, and yet still needed. "i love you, my heart. wherever you go, i will be there too." she would watch from afar, perhaps as a bird of prey if allowed, and ensure her daughter would run east swiftly for her Kinaaldá; to ensure that while she is gone, ajei will still flourish,

shikoba would see her sister, and soon motions for her to come close, if she wished. whether she died in the embrace of others or simply just under their gaze, she would only know their love. and perhaps that was the way all lives begin and end-- with love. "sister," she'd wipe the tears she saw in her peridot gaze, "take care of her," of her ajei, "and tell my sons that they are loved." 

and so is she, her greatest family of all. shikoba kisses her sister's cheek, and whispers to her the praise of the village she has crafted, and her pride in knowing moon woman. she would find her again in the next lifetime, this she promised to her.

and if shikoba saw @Aiolos from the faces, she offers a silent plea for him to care for moon woman as her sun man, and to wipe her tears when shikoba is no longer able to. 

for when she lingered, shikoba took comfort in their touch and presence, in their words and voices. she must not cry, she must not let the dam break in her gaze that once burned sulfuric and yet feels like a warm honeycomb-- time has gentled the warrior, and now her fighting days are behind her.

@Mojag was her first born. she knew of the struggled he endured with his father' absence. she knows her death will be another trouble. she had set something aside for him, something for ajei to give her brother. a prized antler, one shikoba always saw him teething on as a child; she only hoped he might find some comfort in its rounded edge now.

@Chiteo, her darling son; she wondered where he might've gone, what wonderful things he's seen in the world. a little reflective rock he once marveled his reflection in remains set aside for him to take, if he ever came to return home.

@Rodyn was her heart son, having come to known shikoba in their later lives together. she remembers all that he has given her, the wonderful furs and soundmaker she gifted to ajei. one of the furs lays out for him, if he wished to take, one of the nicer ones he bestowed to the mother of his heart, holding her scent religiously.

shikoba had come from desolation and death of the clearing. she remembered her first days in the new land. she remembered mordecai and harlyn, larkspur and the other children of lost creek hollow. she remembered the hellcat she fought, she remembered the locusts. she remembered marauder's keep, she remembered ryujin and the cave of light; she remembered the moment she found the spine and met moonwoman. she found a husband, tore an ear from a prisoner, gave birth to her children, and found meaning in more than just her own history.

she lived long. and she lived well.

her breathing would steady out for a beat or so, and slowly weakens until her chest heaves no more. the dandelions do not bend to her breath anymore, and her eyes are closed to the wonders of those who have loved her have come to surround.

star hunter's last breath was a soft exhale. and death was northing but a gentle blanket over her body with the light slowly dying behind her. she surrendered at last, and shikoba has known no greater peace since.