Moonspear Caught in all, the stars are hiding

being somewhat vague and referencing things to come bc I confirmed w mag! oof

While Maia's meeting with Illidan had served to distract for a time, when she hit Moonspear, any lighthearted facade she'd carried had dropped completely.  It was a despondant girl who came calling, and she had to take a minute before she called, gathering herself.

She didn't like being like this, but she couldn't seem to find that sun as she thought about the news she was going to have to give.  Their last meeting had been so happy.  She'd been so happy.  Like, she'd known eventually this was gonna happen but... oh no.

Slowly she sat down as she felt the tears coming, her face screwing up to try and stop them.  But she couldn't.  Ok, she was gonna cry a minute, then she'd call for @Charon.  Yep.  That seemed ok.

Maia had often crossed his mind since their first meeting. There was something fun about her light-hearted way of being. He wished he could be more like that, but maybe through Maia he could find a little bit of that. There was a tug that pulled him to the Firebirds pack. He still hadn't gotten around to seeing Dhole again. Revui and Yami were still gone, though he'd found a trace of Revui's scent in the hinterlands. But not near or in the copse.

As he walked towards the borders Charon decided to go and check the forest again where he'd find Revui's scent. Then he could also visit Maia after.

But as he made his way towards the borders he saw someone there that he recognised pretty much immediately, because his mind had been with her moments ago. Maia? he called, but as he approached he noticed she was crying. What happened? he demanded to know, voice more strict than he meant to as his thoughts dwindled to someone hurting his friend, while he approached to comfort her.

Charon arrived and she worked at trying to pull herself together.  Key word here was definitely trying, because as he asked what was wrong, his concern just made her cry harder.

I saw my brother...  she started, and...Sarah.... and..... there was a fire  Talking while sobbing was a feat, especially for a wolf, as they neither talk nor sob.  But you get the idea! Home's gone, and mom... and dad....

At this last part whatever she said was lost as she buried her face in her front legs.  This was such a great way to show up and present yourself to the neighbors, Maia, way to go.  A+ ambassadoring.  But she'd been so excited to meet a friend of her mom's, and so happy to hear stories.... and now she felt like she had to tell him.

Charon's thoughts dwindled to who he would need to hurt, and he was about ready to ask her who had hurt her when she collapsed like this. Even though the pain was of the emotional kind -- the kind that was a lot harder to fight, especially for someone like Charon -- he folded himself over Maia almost like a shield. Charon moved in close against her and folded his nose across her neck. He didn't even stop to think that they had only met once. Had he had wings, Charon would've folded them around Maia to try and shield her from the big bad outside world.

With uncharacteristic patience he listened to the words she choked out while, if she didn't withdraw from his possibly overbearing touch, nosing the fur in her neck in silent reassurance. His first thought when she mentioned seeing her brother was that he would just have to kill Terance for making his new friend feel this way. But then she mentioned Sarah, and a fire. A fire at Lost Creek Hollow?

But when Maia mentioned home being gone and her parents, Charon's comforting preening stopped abruptly. His muscles stiffened as he froze in place, the touch falling away when Maia buried her face in her legs. Osprey... What? he managed to bring out, though the word was strangled and sounded weird to him. He didn't know what else to say. She had trailed off, her last words muffled, but he didn't need to hear them. Maybe didn't even want to hear them. He didn't want to hear that Osprey was dead. Even if he had made peace with never seeing her again, because she had her responsibilities there and he had his here, the thought that someone who'd been a lot like a cool aunt to him growing up was dead...

A frown crumpled Charon's face. There was nothing to fight, nothing he could do to take the pain away. He looked at the broken down Maia and then he leaned towards her again while he said with uncharacteristic softness: Shh. It's okay to scream or cry, you don't have to hide. Honestly, he wanted to scream and cry, but he also assumed the position he had ever since he was a child: The guardian who would allow others to show their grief, and then pull themselves out of it by looking at his stalwart face and knowing that there was at least someone around who had everything together. Even though inside his brain a tornado raged, a storm that destroyed everything in its path. But Charon had braved this storm ever since he was a child, too, so he knew exactly how to handle it and deal with it: Not at all.

There was nothing quite like being hugged with everything someone had while you cried, and as Charon did, Maia could almost pretend it was her dad there instead, comforting her like he had when they were pups.  Of course she knew tradgedies happened, and she'd heard a ton of stories from other wolves whose families had fallen apart.  She'd just never expected it to be her story.  She'd never experienced loss like this, and everything in her struggled to cope with her entire world crashing down.

Dad, mom, Cori, Cass, the pups.  It was too much.  She cried into Charon until she couldn't cry anymore, and then she slowed into shuddering, halting breaths, but stayed where she was, eyes closed.

Finally, she calmed down enough to realize that this entire thing was totally not good.  Charon was her friend, but she hadn't meant to completely fall apart on him.  This wasn't her.  I'm sorry, she finally said, breaking the silence.  He'd told her it was fine, but that didn't actually make it fine.  We were supposed to do stories.  She sniffed, but didn't try to get up.  It was dumb to be upset about that maybe, after the news she had just given him.  He was probably upset too.  But she'd just wanted this visit to be fun, and it wasn't, and that wasn't fair at all.

Maia leaned into Charon which made it all the easier being the stalwart guardian. The thought of Osprey and whatever of her family was there too to have died was unbearable, but it must be even more so to Maia. Charon had grown up with loss and he was used to it. The news hit him harder than he had expected. All he could do was be there for his friend, now. She seemed to take his words to heart as she cried and cried, and he gently nuzzled the fur along her neck as he leaned against her protectively. Perhaps there was nothing he could really do, but he hoped that this helped in some way.

And when she was ready, when the last tears had been shed, he would be there to look up to, to see that there was still a world out there and that you could put the pain aside. She apologised but he shook his head in silence, falling back to his earlier words. It was okay. She didn't have to hide or feel stupid about it. He wasn't sure why or what it was, but there was a protective feeling he had about her: Something that urged him to look after her and care for her. Something that would make it painful not to look after her, if he had chosen that path.

He grimaced when Maia said they were supposed to do stories. It didn't matter. This was more important. It doesn't matter what we were supposed to do. This is more important. Charon was honestly not really sure what he should say. He didn't want to dwell on the pain of losing Osprey though he would listen if Maia wanted to share more. Don't ever hesitate to come find me when you're in pain. I'll be there. The thought of her far away in, of all wolves, Dhole's pack was difficult, especially if she felt this way, but he hoped she would take the invitation to heart.

This is more important.  She nodded silently even though she wasn't sure she agreed.  She always tried to put more cheer in the world but right now she kinda felt like a wet splat of mud. Albeit a wet splat of mud with a very nice support.

She would definitely take him up on that offer, now and in the future.  She didn't really want to talk about it, but found herself anyway.  It was only them.  I don't know if Cori or Cass  She snuffed.  They might be okay.  But I don't know. Maybe they got out with her little brothers and sisters.  She had to think that they did.

It was hard to imagine her parents gone.  

When I was little, dad told me about the fire that happened in another place they lived.  He said it was horrible, but I always thought it sounded pretty.  It isn't, is it?  It was awful.  She'd never seen it, only heard it described, and now she hoped she never would.

Maia finally agreed to what he said, and Charon shared a thin smile, though Maia could not see it. There was no use in her clinging on to their supposed activity for the day, especially with how she was feeling right now.

She went on to explain something about a Cori and Cass, names that Charon didn't find rang a bell but he could easily guess them to be family too, more of Osprey and Dante's children. Even thinking of Dante, Charon felt a pang of regret that he had never been able to bury the hatchet. Perhaps it was for the best that Dante and Osprey'd left when they had -- it wasn't likely Charon and Dante would've ever gotten along if they had stayed in the same valley, still silently bickering over Osprey's affections even if that didn't make sense at all. Now it was too late, though, and something about that was still sad.

Who told you the news? Do they know who survived? Charon asked. Maybe Maia could go back and ask about it there.

Charon grimaced when Maia mentioned hearing about fires in other places, and she thought that it sounded pretty. Perhaps it was a bit out of place, but Charon just said the first thing that popped into his mind. Some things can be devastating and pretty at the same time. That was one of the things that life had taught Charon so far.

She didn't really want to go into details about it here, but she answered almost mechanically, automatically.  She kinda felt sapped now, and she still had to tell Wraen when she got home.  How was she going to do that?

Sarah.  She only saw our parents.  Everyone else ran but got separated.  They could be alive, they could not be.  Hopefully either they showed up or she just never found out and she could spend the rest of her life pretending they were all okay.

She definitely agreed there, though she hadn't heard it before.  Nor had she experienced many terrible things, so she couldn't speak from experience.  Like what? Maybe he could distract her with some tellings of his own.  Though hopefully nothing too sad.  Maybe even nothing real.  Fake would be great.

Charon was a little confused when Maia said that Sarah had seen their parents, but that everyone else had gotten separated. Wait, Os and Dante got out? They're okay? Sarah spoke to them? he asked, sounding as confused as he felt. I thought you said they... If they had been taken by the fire, then Charon was pretty sure that they would not be very recognisable, would they? Though he was confused, Charon didn't press the issue too much or grow impatient, because he knew that Maia must be feeling awful enough as is.

With his comment he had of course meant 'fire', but he didn't think that saying 'fire' was exactly what Maia was looking for when she asked him 'like what'. He decided to risk a joke as he said: Like my face. It just sort of came out before he realised it, really, and Charon felt a little sheepish afterward. Sorry, that was awful, let me try again. Snow, ice, falling stars, tornadoes... He wasn't too sure she would've ever seen a tornado -- he'd only seen one once in his life, too -- but well. The falling star that had fallen in Moonspear's territory had not been too devastating either, except for the crater it'd left in their home; but if anyone had been standing there, it surely would've left behind.

No, she hadn't meant that at all.  Maia shook her head.  She didn't want to talk about it but she couldn't leave him thinking that.  She said it was the smoke.  She saw them together, but they were dead.  Not gone.  Everyone always said gone, but they weren't just gone.

She was silent for a minute after that, mostly because she didn't feel like saying or doing anything.  But she couldn't bring herself to end on that note.  She'd been looking forward to this and yeah everything was ruined and awful now, but she could at least leave him with something positive so he didn't think she was a big killjoy who he didn't want to be around anymore.  What's a falling star? She finally asked, peeking an eye out now that she'd gotten her breathing mostly under control.

Charon hated having to make her think back to what had happened, but he had to know for sure. He frowned and nodded in silence as she clarified, glad to know the truth of it but still sad all the same. Like her, he didn't really want to talk about it (though he would've if that's what she had needed), and preferred to move on to other things.

There was silence for some time, and he regretted making that awful joke. He really would hate to leave their meeting at that. Not many friends were left for him in these lands -- all gone or dead -- and of those left, none ever visited him upon the mountain. He didn't want to lose this, he realised as he got the time to think.

Eventually she broke the silence by asking what a falling star is. He supposed she must've never seen one. Charon explained: I don't know exactly what the stars are or how far up they are. But sometimes, you'll see a flash of light pierce the sky. That's a falling star. They say that when you see a falling star, you can make a wish and the star'll make it come true. Or.. something did, anyway. It was just silly hearsay, perhaps, but Charon liked to think that it was true. Just this winter, a piece of star fell on our mountain. Charon guarded it closely, glad to have such a sacred piece from the heavens on his own mountain.

Oh wow, that sounded awesome.  It was definitely enough to perk her up a little, because she couldn't even begin to imagine what a piece of star would look like.

Can we go see it? She didn't want to cause problems but it sounded like the perfect distraction and it would let her see some of where Charon lived.  Plus she couldn't really just sit here and cry all day she guessed.  She was going to need to get ready and go home, and then break the news to Wraen.  Probably good if she had something else to talk about too.

Maia asked if they could go see it, and Charon visibly hesitated for a moment. He hadn't ever invited anyone from another pack up his mountain, not that he remembered. Members of other packs had been at Stavanger Bay, before he fully realised how it worked. He'd been on other territories too when he was young, but not since he owned his mountain. He felt possessive of the mountain, and felt like he only shared it with his family and pack members -- those closest to him.

Even Potema hadn't been up the mountain...

He wasn't sure why he said, Sure. Follow me. when he did. But there was something about Maia. Something that made him want to spend more time with her, exploring his mountain. He wanted her to be the first one that he went all the way up the mountain with. There might not even be a path up those jagged peaks, that lead all the way up to its tops, he realised -- he'd tried for several summers and he had never managed to find it. But if there was anyone he would go up the jagged tops of Moonspear with, to see if they could touch the stars from there, he wanted it to be Maia. He didn't even know why. Because she was a last piece of cool aunt Osprey that he still had, because they just clicked from the start, because he reminded him of other friends he'd had that had all left him, because she was so upbeat and enthusiastic and optimistic... Or maybe just because she was Maia.

Shaking the thoughts, because they were unimportant, Charon started leading the way into the forested slopes of Moonspear's pack territory, as he said: It's not very far up the mountain -- c'mon, let's go. His tail wagged as his voice picked up enthusiasm towards the last words, and a smile spread across his face as he suddenly felt surprisingly upbeat. What a rollercoaster of emotions today'd been.

He paused and she thought he'd send her home.  It figured, he probably had way more fun people to hang out with here.  Lucky for her he didn't, and instead invited her along.

She lifted her head the rest of the way, and her tail gave a few thumps before she stood.  Awesome!  She was excited not only to see the star, but also to catch a glimpse of the place he lived.  She'd only seen the borders so far, a glimpse of the mountain, but it seemed like a super cool place.

Thanks!  It was more heartfelt and enthusiastic than anything so far, and she followed along as he led the way. This was definitely a better way to visit than previous, and she appreciated a lot that Charon was willing to let her come.  She guessed it couldn't be super easy letting strangers come in, even if he was king or whatever.

It was worth breaking his own traditions if not only to see Maia smile again. She seemed to cheer up considerably and that made the pit he felt in his stomach a lot less heavy as he lead her through the forest until the trees thinned to give way to the paths leading up yet mountain. It was a little way yet to go, but the time was easily filled with a little race -- Charon would dash ahead, woofing in challenge, only to fall back and let her catch up and repeat again.

Eventually they reached the place where the star had fallen. A crater marred the Moonspear there, where it had fallen: there was a center of impact, where the star had first hit, where most of the rock lay. Around it smaller pieces were scattered, on the slopes that lead down to the center of impact. An impressive sight to see. Look at the force this must've had, he said, clearly still impressed as he watched the crater. It was a sign from the stars. I'm still trying to piece together what it means. But he supposed that it didn't matter much in terms of the beauty and coolness that Maia wanted to see this for.

As Charon went, Maia followed, racing as best she could.  She was tired but tried not to show it, having traveled all the way to the hollow and back.  But even emotionally and physically tapped, it was nice to not think about anything but racing and playing and seeing a fallen star.

wow she breathed as they came up on the crater, and she immediately walked to the edge, though she took care not to disturb any of the ground.  She could tell how important this place was to Charon.  It's dark! She was surprised it wasn't lit up, but it was still pretty.  And still fascinating, a fact that was evidenced by her tone.

As they reached the star Maia brought out a 'wow' that didn't go unnoticed. Somehow it was important to Charon that she felt as wowed by a place as he did. It amused him that her next words were 'it's dark', because he himself had been surprised that the star wasn't bright, as expected from something that fell from the sky. At first he had thought maybe it was not a star, but in fact a piece of the dark sky itself. Perhaps something like this falling was what created the stars.

But it was all no more than theories. I haven't figured that part out yet myself, he confessed. After a short pause he added: I think maybe it's a piece of sky that fell. So a star is made because a part of sky falls out and leaves a lighter hole. But there's no knowing for sure. I've tried climbing to the very peak of Moonspear each summer so far, but I have not once managed.. I would like to find out whether I'll be able to touch the stars when I get there. Maybe then I'll find out what they really are. He cocked his head as he looked at the piece of stone, still unsure about what it was really like. But maybe it is just that its light went out when it fall down here. Like the way the sun dies out every night. Who knew -- certainly not Charon, but he enjoyed philosophising about it anyway.

She liked the idea that it was a fallen piece of the sky.  Maybe whoever lives up there sometimes knocks pieces down. She added, feeling the start of a good fable here.  As they carve the shapes in the stars.  It would explain the constellations her mother had touched on, once upon a time.  Maia had never had too much interest in them aside from the stories behind them.

That sounds like an adventure.  If you meet any star wolves, tell them I said hi. She said, with a tentative smile.  This was a good idea, coming here and seeing this.  The mountain had to be forever high - especially if he ruled it and still had never seen the peak!

As a true Osprey child, Maia ran away with the description of his thoughts and sketched a picture of what might be the cause in a story sort of way. Charon wondered if anyone really did live up there, but didn't say so. Instead he just pictured some wolf pushing out pieces of sky. What would star wolves even look like? Just regular wolves living in the sky, or would they look like stars?

As Maia said that he'd have to say hi to the star wolves, he looked at her and smiled. Maybe you'll be there too that day, so you could say hi yourself. He'd said it before he realised, not really thinking too much. Only after he had said it Charon realised how much he wished Maia lived here instead, but he kept that to himself. Maybe it was easier the way that it was.

She didn't think much more of his statement than what it was, an invitation to come back and visit again.  She nodded.  Maybe, she replied, though that would depend on if he waited for her! And if he found a way up.  She wasn't much of a climber, and if the mountain was that tall, well.  It would be a good adventure at least.

That brought to mind Wraen, and their last time climbing.  She didn't know yet.  A disappointed guilt settled over her suddenly, and her smile faltered a bit.  I should probably get back.  I have to talk to Wraen.  She said, adding the last part as an explanation.  It wasn't a super long trip but it was kinda long, especially when one tended to get lost as much as she did.

i'll make us a new thread soon! :D

It somehow would make him happy to have her here with him on that day, knowing that he had someone there who cared equally much about the stars and to find out about their origins. He smiled at the thought, suddenly feeling very content just to be in this company; feeling enthusiastic and alive about things made him realise a lot of his life had become a bit of a slump. But he did not want to think about that now, just wanting to enjoy the good and bright feelings he had.

Maia took him from those thoughts as she said she should head back to Wraen. It hadn't even occurred to Charon yet that Wraen might not yet know, until now. Right, he said, the content smile falling off his face and making place for an understanding frown as he was brought back to the thoughts of his deceased friend. Let's head back to the borders. I'll walk you out. As it would be no good to let her wander the pack lands alone.

yay!

She appreciated that he didn't try to argue or guilt her into staying - this was going to be hard enough as it was, and she didn't want to do it.  She would've been hard pressed arguing, but she needed to return.

She gave him a grateful half-smile and began the walk back with her friend, enjoying the company a lot as a short breather before she had to start the next leg of her journey alone, dwelling on the news she still needed to deliver.