it's planting seeds in a garden you never see

Osiris’s Ghost · (This post was last modified: November 02, 2020, 08:19 AM by Osiris’s Ghost.)

: Set for the night of 10/31.
: @Atlas, @Antares, @Bronco, @Leta, @Toad Amelia, @Fennec, @Lunaria, @Dhalia, @Meerkat, @Charles, @Hydra, @Dirge, @Jarilo, @Kukutux, @Desdemona, @Keres, @Nyx, @Opalia, @Alya, @Yama, @Moriko, @Lyra, @Tehama, @Norah, @Nikai, @Sialuk, @Mira, @Altair, @Ciri, @Elke, @Mintaka, @Saviguk, @Caleum!
: The BIGGEST thank you to, @Jarilo, for your collaboration in this post. I couldn't have done this without you!

Osiris sat within a moon-light clearing, and when he glanced down, he noticed starlight and fog rolling around his paws. The twinkling was unlike he'd seen earth-side, shining in brilliant tones of cobalt and scarlet. Osiris couldn't pull his gaze from them, transfixed by their otherworldly gleam, but he did begin to notice aspects of the ground underfoot that didn't sit well with him. The floor underfoot was devoid of any familiar terrain—it seemed dark and empty, yet somehow he remained seated and stabilized.

Where was he?

Underneath a heavy glowing moon, autumn's chill settled in, bringing with it a hazy darkness. This night, its cover, let her come closer than before. Never enough to touch, not in these realms of the after and beyond, but she always intended for it to be a familiar presence--not an omen, not quite tangible, but different. One in every fiber of the mountain, and one woven into their sacred blood. It was what allowed her this vantage, and this connection to them, after all.

An exhale of a sigh, and from the void, a familiar green found him. Her paws made no sound, her breath cold, but knowing as she raised her head over the scarred chest to see him in full. All with a poise much like the mother he would know--another piece she had left them all when the mountain's sanctity became their responsibility, an occasion they had all risen to, and Osiris a result of this success.

He looked all the part. Fondly she saw Hydra in him, and Dirge, so poignantly in his features it could've hurt. "It is a beautiful night," she spoke, a voice low and smooth as she came to him. A faraway thought, then: she remembered her counterpart's distaste of the silver-tongued knave, but she could see how instrumental he had become in the after. Hydra's place in the grand scheme had always been assured young, and he had simply risen to join her. The matron ultimately could find no qualm, and perhaps, the generations to come would keep his tact, determination, and his good eye.

But that was not why she was here. Osiris was, and he was not alone, though tonight, he was the centerpiece.

"It is a beautiful night out," a voice observed.

Osiris looked up, pulled away from his trance, and realized that he wasn't alone. He studied her for a moment, recognizing that there was a familiarity in her tone and appearance; for some reason or another, she reminded him of his family. "It is," he agreed, watching her with a careful eye. "But, To be honest, I don't even think I know where we are," he then admitted with a nervous chuckle. Osiris pulled his attention from her briefly to regard their surroundings with a sweep of his gaze; nothing had changed.

"Do you?" he asked, looking to her expectantly. Obviously, they were not in Firefly Glen—or at least they weren't in any part of the territory that he could remember. This place was so newfangled—dream-like, in a way—and yet he remained at ease.

Naturally, he would see it too, even with the unease that glimmered in him. She, however, nodded knowingly from where she stood. Their answers would differ, somewhat. He was home, real, but for now.. awake to past that in the dreams. She walked the edges, all space, in-between: the chase, the night, her own takamagahara--then its towering pathway there, the verdant Moonspear, its reach. "Exactly where you need to be," she answered with a slow exhale, and she chose to feel that welcome relief then; familiar. But Amekaze visually traced the features of his face, knowing he couldn't see it all for himself yet. Maybe he would. She found herself closer and he was tall, likely letting that set in.

True to herself, she let a silence hang a beat too long. "I think you have done well here," she appraised, even if might not immediately know where she came from in this. He was another step for what they had always dreamed, and what they deserved. The strength that the peak would build, then grow beyond.

Amekaze's response did very little to rectify his confusion; Osiris didn't feel like he was exactly where he needed to be. He only felt lost and confused, knowing that he wasn't in Firefly Glen; his concern began to bloom. "I don't think that's true," he objected softly, searching her gemstone gaze; if only he were to realize how alike her eyes were to his. "How can I be where I need to be when I don't even know where we are?"

The silence that followed grew uncomfortable, and it left him rife with concern. It was only when Amekaze spoke again that he felt he could breathe. "How do you know what I've done?" Osiris asked, not hiding his concern. "Who are you?" he asked, "And what are we doing here?" After all, she seemed content with their situation; maybe she knew everything that he wished to know.

Testament to his grounds in reality, he expressed his doubts, but she remained unruffled. Maybe, a hint of mischief as she looked his confusion back in the eyes, then arced around him on slow, flowing steps--for she walked where time could not hinder her. He was thinking too hard, surely, but it was fine. In small ways, between the lines, he was reminding her of Charon too.

"For now, think of it.. like a dream," she murmured, and slipped beside him. "Like home, but with more too. It will not stay overlapped for good." A rare chance, she knew. Nature aligned just so. He likely couldn't feel it as well. A dreamscape was the best way to explain to him how, though it did not encompass enough. It may make him more comfortable about whatever she had to say however. "And trust me, I know what you have done." Her snout swept a gesture into the darkness despite the ominous undertone of the words. "I have seen--felt it, was there for it. It was my will to see it all be ours once, too." she drawled. A distant one, recognizable as greater than her own span, especially when such a turn had been needed, but she had helped nurture the earliest thoughts of these schemes to claim the wilds for their own.

But who was she? She leaned closer, ruffling her furs--hazy, here, but dark as ever--and a familiar piece she had left for them even now in the others. He might recognize it, and in his aunts, his uncle she had stamped too. "I am Ame. Amekaze Rikudou, though it is not my only name in my years and after. Importantly--grandmother to you lot born on my mountain," she said, happy to claim it from beyond for as long as her blood still stood at the helm. "Though unfortunately, we would never get to walk together on its slopes." It had been thanks to her actions, so a weight she would carry for good. Maybe why she still couldn't let them go.

They were in a dream-like state; Osiris could accept their environment's oddities, now that it was confirmed that they were far away from the glen. "That makes sense," he replied, feeling some of the weight from his confusion lift. "It feels so real, though," he added, stealing another glimpse around the moon-lit clearing, "I don't think that I've ever had a dream like this before."

"And trust me, I know what you have done," she assured him. Osiris looked to where Amekaze motioned as if expecting to see a vision appear before them; they were in a dream, after all. "I have seen--felt it, was there for it. It was my will to see it all be ours once, too." Slowly, he lifted his gaze and regarded her suspiciously. He knew his family's history; their conquest had begun with Amekaze and Charon. Still—she couldn't possibly be Amekaze; he knew that his dream's will could not wake the dead.

Osiris was drawn to her nape and noticed the familiarity in their quill-like way as she leaned closer. Much like his fur, when he left it unattended for too long. She went on to reveal her identity, to confirm the suspicion that had begun to torment his thoughts, and he found himself starstruck in every sense of the word.

"Grandmother," he breathed, searching her face as he took her all in. "How is this possible? You've been able to watch me?" he asked quickly, feeling the need to confirm. Osiris grew silent after his inital concerns, mulling through every thought that came to him. He was wordless for just a beat too long.

"How did you know when to claim Moonspear officially?" he finally asked, seeking her guidance. The thought had weighed heavily on his mind; how was he supposed to know when the time was right?

"Well it is a good point to start. You are young yet, the dark mother smirked at him like it was no big deal that dreams may be this way. There was always a chance he wouldn't remember it at all, it could be that unstable. Thus, why it was best simply put as a dream and over again, she marveled at the pieces of her mate's brightness that had been able to stay.

But, maybe watch was too forward. Ame didn't have it so clear, and she was wandering elsewhere too in the end, with eyes not like his. She couldn't name their faces each day, or always see their markings that he knew them by. It was a sensation, a flow, a pattern, and knowing that energy beyond was what she could still perceive with her own. A wielder of more patience than most, she still didn't want to explain these finer details to a wolf yet to see his second birthday. In time. For now, trust her was all she could truly suggest. It didn't matter. "In a way." she answered vaguely. "How--is not easy, so just do not think about it too hard. Nature has its power, and sometimes, reality is not all just what it seems," she sighed to brush it off. "Too, because not all of me will ever be gone, and even when it is, I will have others, maybe strong ones like you, to carry on in my place." Her place in what, precisely, he couldn't know but it was words for him to keep for later.

His other question took her back to Moonspear's inception. It had been this time of year, roughly. Very different times, though. The Sunspire had shrunken in her care, and in Ferdie's absence. She had failed to settle down, take a mate, or let pups be raised on the mountain--her own, or really anyone's in the end of it all once the control was all in her cold paws. But a wounded speckled wolf had turned up from the sea and everything went tipping into motion then as he healed, all into what was her most selfish move to those around her, but so necessary.

Charon was still very young back then, his brother too--but all very willing and fierce enough to impress her. Jace had been apprehensive, though loyal to her, and her closest friend. Thistle, a previous alpha and mother, stayed reluctant and unpredictable at first. Atreyu difficult to read, but steadfast for his comrades. Rain and Nishu had been practically gone to her though. Summer had left, others with him.. but some had still come. "It was time when knew where it had to be, and alongside our previous packs, others had newly joined too. I knew when it started to just feel like even more than just something to be hopeful about, but certain of its worth. When it was worth fighting for." And important for her inner duality, when Charon was finally someone she could allow to stand beside her and share the weight of it all.

"It just felt right. It had to be, said my heart, when I asked myself why every day. The autumn was getting colder--our moon was but a sliver then, but our work to come together was worth it, and we deserved to raise our voices as one for the first time." So it was a winding answer, but she peered his way--did he feel that way? Could he say he would agree, on any level? She did not want to see him doubt himself just because his foundations had not come from nothing because even she had the scraps of Ferdie's Sunspire, and the remainders of the cursed Stavanger Bay's viking family. It was time, and he had all the support from here and beyond.

The months of senescence had been important to her thanks to this. It was a good time for Moonspear to rally and show their strength.

Amekaze's reply was enough to sate Osiris's concern, as he reasoned her ambiguity to nature's influence. The semantics were something he had many years ahead of him to come to learn about, as his life had really only just begun. Osiris nodded, leaving it at that; he trusted her.

Hydra had told Osiris Moonspear's origin story on more than one occasion—and something he felt he could recite from memory. As Amekaze began to speak, he followed along with ease, nodding every so often as she said something he remembered."It just felt right. It had to be, said my heart," she then said, causing Osiris pause; it was how he had been feeling, too. Their borders were secure, their caches filling quickly—they had only just begun. Still, they already felt like a functioning pack. "That's how I feel too," Osiris said, feeling excitement raise in his chest. "But I've wanted to be cautious—I didn't want to rush us into anything we weren't ready for," Maybe this was the sign he'd be waiting for.

As the realization hit him, Osiris felt an otherworldly force began to stir down below. The starlight intensified, swirling around at a brisk clip, as the void that held the lamps into place began to crawl up his body—pulling him into nothingness. Osiris quickly realized that he was waking up; his time with Amekaze was almost over.

Helplessly, Osiris looked to his grandmother, feeling an uncharacteristic wave of concern hit him. "I'm not ready to go," he lamented in a winded whine, the darkness had nearly consumed him at this point, "There's so much I still have to ask you..."

He seemed to listen well then, less concerned about how he could hear her now of all things thankfully. It was up to him when it would be sure, ultimately. "Good," she replied, tail flicking, as he said he could claim the feeling. That assurance would help him stand taller and this was what she wanted. To protect the mountain, he would have to. "And patience can be wise," she agreed there towards him not wanting to rush it, but there was also no point in delay by now. Osiris had good support around him, and this was only the start. "That early caution may make for a strong foundation one day," Ame supposed. She had always stressed that the basics were important too, and everything had to start somewhere.

It would never be the same, but out of habit, and she nipped at his shoulder before reluctantly arcing away a few steps. Pinning a sincere look on Osiris then: "I think you will be ready.. was spoken just a little softer, and for whatever worth he could apply to it. Not as the strategist, but as an ancestor proud of him--and if only she could be there to tell him in the fur and flesh, she knew she would. He could do it, it was time.

But too, hers loomed as well, and this was already plenty. Pressure was shifting, with it old dark winds roiling, and night deepening. He was needed elsewhere, even if he was not ready. She wasn't ready to see him off either, and shook her head softly, sad to say it. It felt like they had only begun but his story had a long way to go yet. "I know," she sighed as she memorized all the sight of him she could, even as a familiar blackness swelled. Who knew how long until she could see him so clearly again, and where their travels would take them in the meantime. She would've fielded his every question, kept his every word.. and made sure, somehow, that he knew how important he was to her if only she could. "Until next time." Though, she doubted he would hear that piece by then.

Ame looked up to where she knew the moon would be in some fold of reality. Hopefully, he could keep it with him.

Osiris held onto what he could as his world turned dark, forcing himself to remember that last thing he heard before the void took him: "I know."

The leap from sleeping to conscious was quick, jarring, and thankfully, Osiris could remember everything—his memory served him well tonight. He woke with a start, his heart racing, and his gaze darting about the moon-lit den. He was home now—far from the reaches of interaction with Amekaze. Her message lingered, consuming his thoughts as he came-to; undoubtedly, it was time to claim the glen. Sound reason stressed that it was the middle of the night and that claiming now might not be the best idea, but Osiris ignored logic for now.

He stumbled onto all fours and wiped away the sleep in his eyes before exiting the den. The moon-light outside was bright, and his eyes took a moment to adjust to the light; Osiris couldn't help but wonder Amekaze was watching now, letting him know that she was there. It helped bolster his confidence and allowed him to move through the rendezvous with ease. He weaved through the woodlands with haste, seeking a tall bolder her had happened across a few days ago. It seemed to be the perfect stage for him to address everybody that could hear him, and he sought to utilize it now. Once he found it, he scaled it with ease and didn't stop until he reached the top.

Under the light of the full moon, Osiris cast his head back and howled—inviting the members of Firefly Glen and Moonspear to chime in. The time to claim the glen was now—under the watchful eyes of the Ostrega matriarch.

"Join me in claiming this glen," his stong howl announced. "For Charon and Amekaze, for Dirge and Hydra," Osiris saw the impact of his lineage and how he was able to fit into the grand scheme of things as well. "For me, and for the generations of Ostregas to come—for our past, present, and future—Firefly Glen belongs to all of us."