Wapun Meadow in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife

 

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theme song

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And then before she knew it, she was in the meadow in which she had spent her days with Xan.  She had not ever gotten to see it this time of year, but it gave her some solace to know that one day it would be her babies that got to experience it in her stead.  Being this close to them tugged at her heartstrings in a way that was more palpable than usual.  

They were in front of her, metaphorically, and just out of reach.  If she closed her eyes and felt the way the grasses moved against her legs as the wind tousled their long strands to and fro, she could pretend that they were by her side.  She knew these lands too well.

 

 

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Boy, when I left you, you were young
I was gone, but not my love
You were clearly meant for more
Than a life lost in the war

I want you to be happy
Free to run, get dizzy on caffeine
Funny friends that make you laugh
And maybe you're just a little bit dappy

 

 

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@Komodo and Yakone had found her somewhere along the way, as they always did.  She was lucky that the Angakkuq was so good with her daughter.  He was a blessed man, truly, although things between them were complicated to say the least.  But soon, they would be back on Undersea's shores, and they would yet still be able to work them out.

Although the pair walked with her physically, she was distracted.  She is so close to the valley, to where willingly she had handed down her burning crown and left her children within the confines of its cloistering walls. 

 

 

 

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Fly
Feel your mother at your side
Don't you know you got my eyes
I'll make you fly
You'll be happy all the time
I know you can make it right

 

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She is pulled from these thoughts by the appearance of those children, clear as day — @Nunataq and @Marten are there with @Xan in tow, and she freezes.  Recognition stirs in her daughter, her beautiful bleeding-heart girl, as Yakone steps forward tentatively towards her father.

For a moment she is like stone, pressed there against Komodo, breath caught in her throat.  Then with the same tentative step as her daughter, she steps forward and greets the family with a low chuff.  Nunataq is the spitting image of her mother, and Yakone is nearly the same as her father save for her diluted red chest — by observation alone the story would be obvious to any stranger.  She turns to the medicine man with a placating whine, unprepared to do any speaking of her own.

 

 

please let komodo reply first, i am not sure if rachel is back yet.  i will be powerplaying yakone.  a one week skip rule is in place here just to make sure this plot-heavy thread moves in a timely manner.  if you can't make it within the deadline, don't hesitate to reach out.

 

If the raven had any intentions other than greeting her family in the midst of that field on that fine late-summer day, he had not been privy to them.The silent girl rarely gave her thoughts voice, even to him, but why else would she venture so close to the place that he knew, gave her so much trepidation? He didn’t find a good enough reason to make it stop, so he found himself following along her every step, as if he were a faithful hound. 

The other are quick to appear — two children, clearly born of the women at his side. The man turned his gaze to regard Yakone, the feisty thing who accompanied their journies, to see what she would make to the sudden reoccurrence of family. Reigi pressed against his side in a palpable nervous titter. He knew what the raven wanted from him, but he felt wholly unprepared to take a leadership role in the communications between the once-wife and once-husband, and a split family that used to reside under one roof. Though he shared her bed almost every single night, Komodo felt that this was not his place. 

“Go,” he urges gently to them both. 

marten clung close to xan's side, his ears alternating between an upright state and folded back. this was far. he was old enough to do this (he was!!!!) but it was still sort of scary. marten was... concerned. his nose kept on twitching, taking in all the new sights and smells. 

and then, one familiar one... familiarish. 

fleeting memories of reigi were all he had. indra was his mother now, and he loved her dearly. but this wolf... he knew... and xan had mentioned (kick me if i'm wrong) numerous times that they were going to see his mom. his real mom. that was confusing to the pale boy but... well, he'd get over it.

when they arrived, marten stood opposite the wolves. there were two, one he sort of knew and one complete stranger. he ducked behind his fathers legs, nervous and... concerned. oh-- and there was a pup. he looked the same age as him and nuna. marten stared-- he had many questions.

It was with watchful eyes that he led his children out of the valley that day, having told @Indra of his intentions. He appreciated all that she had done for them thus far, how she’d taken them under her wing and into her care, even if he did not always show it; he didn’t want to worry her by taking the children without notice. It was odd to do so, truly, yet he thought no further on it once he and his offspring were out beyond his claim—he could not think about it any longer, not whilst his guard had to remain up and his senses honed in on the world around them.

As they arrived, Alexander stared. First at Reigi as she pressed against the male at her side—a sight that did not stir within him the same fury that it would have just months ago,  much to his surprise—then the male in question; he did not growl or snarl, wanting not to unsettle his children. The man held his attention for only a short moment as he felt his son move behind his legs and saw his stolen daughter take a step towards him; she was the first to do so, her mother—reborn as a coward before him—needing the encouragement of the male prior to making a move. But even with the two of them moving towards him, he did not nudge either Marten or @Nunataq forward. He remained in front of his son and motioned for his eldest to join him, too, so that he might better guard them; she’d taken one from him, he would not allow another to be lured away—though perhaps that wasn’t enough, as he called out “Yakone” as softly as he was able, her being just within his reach a tempting thing to behold.

Whether she’d approached him or not, his eyes slowly drifted over to her mother, at whom he could not help but glare; he’d given her more than he’d given anyone else before, and it still wasn’t enough. It’d never been enough, not for one as greedy as his former wife. “Still relying on someone else?” were the first words to leave his mouth. “We were together once, but you needed that”—he jabbed his muzzle in Komodo’s direction—“to say something before coming closer?” His lip twitched, the threat of a snarl trying to invade his expression, but he held off for the sake of his children.

Nunataq had been excited, when her father had taken them away from the rendezvous site and brought them to an entirely different world - full of interesting things that were "screaming" to get explored, rich in various smells and odours, and plenty of tiny living beings. She had been preoccupied with trying to catch a grasshopper, when she picked up the slight change in demeanor in Xan and Marten, and turned around to see, what had caused it.

Two unknown wolves (and a half-wolf that Nuna spotted after she had stopped gaping at the big pair) had approached. They were the first two non-pack members she had met and, being clueless on, how to react (and wishing that either Lucas - who was good at translating - or Laurel, who was good at telling, what to or not to do, were here now), she gave Xan a searching gaze.

He motioned her to come closer and she did as she was told, going over to stand tall and brave side-by-side him. She felt Marten's fear and insecurity and for some reason this was bound with these two and a half foreign wolves. This gave her a sense that she should take responsibility for him - she looked over her shoulder and wagged her tail a little to reassure him that nothing bad would happen to him. That she was here and she would protect him with, whatever means were in the power of a four month old cub. Then she turned to face the enemy again - the one that was more within the same level as her - fur bristled along her spine, she bared her teeth and growled at the white puppy, clearly telling that she (and the rest for that matter) were not welcome here and should go away.

Komodo's command releases all of the tension that has been piling since her children came into view.  She offers him an inscrutable look before moving towards her children, crouched against the meadowgrass, tail beating as it curls underneath her.

She watches Yakone carefully.  She knew the kind of man Alexander was, although she had learned the lesson much too late for it to do her any good.  Perhaps if she would have fled to Undersea while she was still gravid she would have a happy family.. but hindsight is twenty / twenty.  The brute breathes her daughter's name and she tenses, frozen, before the barrage starts.

Well, it wasn't the first time a wolf from Bearclaw Valley had been furious towards her for doing little else than dare to exist in front of them; perhaps with her gone the two women — who she assumed were still around — had finally curled him around their finger.  It was so par for the course she should have at least half-expected it, but she had mistakenly assumed with the children present that her former husband would not have been so petty.  Yakone's ears splayed atop her head as she flattened against the ground, and her eyes sought her mother's.

She assessed her former mate with a cold, level stare, expression stoic and furitive.  Was this what he wanted to accomplish here?  Frightening his children, spewing unwarranted vitriol towards someone he was once supposed to love?  No.  He'd never loved her.  If he had loved her, making her his mate would have been more than just for show.  If he had loved her, he had shown it so poorly that she felt unsafe enough that the only option she saw was to leave her children — whomst she loved dearly — in his hands.  Why had her husband's everything been so pitifully little?  Anything to keep those girls from leaving, anything to keep them from being displeased.  His raven's feelings always fell second-best to the Redleaf girls.  In 'Io's mind, she'd been just a sex toy to him; she could come to no other conclusion... and she'd had plenty of time to mull about it.

She snorts, opting to remain silent, then her eyes flicker over to Nunataq, who postures defensively.  She feels something akin to triumph as her gaze lingers upon her firstborn.  She both looked and acted like her mother — who could quite honestly be a handful — and she had been blessed with the easy child, the favorite child.  She was thankful that Yakone had slipped out behind her unnoticed that fateful night; Yakone the empath, Yakone the sweet.  Xan had been left with a cowardly boy (who would surely disappoint his father) and a girl who was... exactly like his ex wife.

He no longer holds any kind of power over her.  With this realization, 'Io is released from her prison of sorrow.  She rises to her full height then, expression still unreadable and flat, before she calls to Yakone with a note shared only ever between the mother and her child.

If he was going to be that way, she'd just leave, and she'd be sure that Alexander never saw his daughter again.  She wouldn't stand to be vilified in front of them.  She turned on her heel, never once having acknowledged Xan, and made to leave unless he did something deliberately to stop her.

Komodo didn’t so much mind being called that, and he didn’t necessarily mind the pale man’s cutting greeting — burned spouses did have a tendency to hold onto such anger, the angakkuq had come to know — but the man swung his head to see how the reaction had struck the pretty lady to his side, and his heart clenched in a way it usually didn’t.

He had always a thing for the innocents; perhaps it was what had attracted him to Coelacanth originally. It was certainly what drew him to the raven, and might be what made him good with kids [and not so good with other males]. At first her stare was stoic and unreadable. Maybe she is hurt by the stranger’s unkind words — a wound that Komodo would be thrilled to soothe, later — but then she surprised him by turning on her heels, motioning to Yakone, and making to leave. 

The earthstalker passed a glance to the family’s father, and he quickly recognized that this was the state of disrepair that he had left his sacred friendship with Seelie. Was this the relationship he wished to exist between he and his co-council? Komodo had his raven now; he was sated — and Undersea called to both of them. So, to Undersea they must return.

marten was unsure what to do.  he really wanted to approach-- really-- but his daddies voice was... stiff. marten felt stiff. it wasn't until nuna started stalking forwards, so confident and reassuring, that marten opted to take a few steps forwards.

but nuna was mean, and marten didn't understand. he froze, whining loudly. what was happening? he didn't understand. why was the air so weird? why was his dad so stiff? and why was nunatuq being so mean? he didn't understand.

"wanna... go home," he said softly, ears falling to his crown, his butt plopping down on the ground.

A criminal.

A monster.

Just as had happened to him and his siblings so long ago, his own children were now forced to be divided. It was the reality of his worries; he had wanted so desperately to ensure that his children would never be faced with the same sense of longing that he had, and yet, that is exactly what was to befall them. His lips curled back as he stared at his former mate, taking a daring step forward—but he did not continue, he did not follow through. For as much as he despised what was happening, how history had come to repeat itself, he would not give his children a reason to fear him. Hardly a second passed before his expression was righted, neutrality reigning whilst his inner self fought a battle most fierce.

“NapvakKunga ipvit, Yakone,” the male stated; that the words were his and his alone to understand, that only made them more important to him. He did not follow after them that day, he saw no point; whilst he did not doubt himself, he’d been forced to mature as of late, and knew damn well that he could not risk the safety of two of his children in order to take back another. With one last, long glance at his daughter, Alexander turned and motioned for both Nunataq and Marten to follow. “Let’s go home, then,” he muttered, ushering them ahead of him so that he could watch. That he was not returning with all three of them did not sit well with him but, he reminded himself, he would do no good taking action now.

He would wait, he would watch, he would plan—and then he would strike.

One-post cameo.  I hope this is okay.  If it's not, I'll just go ahead and delete it. :)

She is unaware of history and how it repeats itself.  Suspended between her mama and her father, she does not turn the moment Reigi makes to leave, nor does she come forward as Xan steps towards her.  She is rooted to the spot.

Yakone was stolen away too young to truly remember Xan.  Mama did not always speak of him kindly.  But it had been important enough to Reigi to at least try and give the broken family a chance to reconvene.  Papa could not be all bad, could he?  He speaks something she cannot understand and then her name, and her eyes lock with his.  One day, she will return to these lands.

For now, she must go home.

The interaction was over just as quickly as it had begun. And while it had happened mostly to adults' credit (it was their party after all), Nuna thought that she had done something right as well. That she had read Xan's barometer correctly and had stood up both for him and her brother against three people that were not welcome here.

She turned to address Marten's whiny mood right after the trio of strangers had left, approaching him with all the sisterly tenderness a tough-as-nails puppy has to offer and gave him a reassuring lick on the face. Telling that everything was alright now and that she was here and would always be there for him to fend of, whatever enemies were there in the world to threaten them.

That day she returned home, standing a little taller, and carrying herself with a little more confidence and pride. She had set the first step on a path that would define her entire life. A warrior and a fierce protector of those, who she held dear.