Northstar Vale Essential yet appealed

Foward dated one day to 9/13

She was woken before the sun by the sounds of the earth shifting. It had not ceased since first hearing it, and feeling too anxious to fall back asleep, she quietly moved from wherever she had decided to sleep the night before and trotted from the borders of Diaspora to search yet again for her missing son, this time heading north and making her way through the mountains. 

She kept her pace quick and unforgiving through the rocky peaks, reveling in the way it forced her to focus only on her next step. The sun was just glinting over the peaks to uncomfortablely warm her fur when she reached the southern part of the valley, and she slowed some to allow herself to properly inspect the area for any signs of Ego. Like all her previous searches, she found nothing. 

Another rumble sounded in the distance, vibrating the ground beneath her feet just before the sound died away. She paused and looked around, ears flicking back a little as she grew nervous and agitated by the persistent sound. Then she began walking again, steps cautious as she continued her search.

Mesa had never been away from the mountain. Nothing really tempted him from the familiar paths or the silhouetted peaks, at least not so far. He had been trying to keep up with his mother initially; there was talk that they were going to be migrating and Mesa didn't know what that entailed, what to expect, or what his role could be throughout it. What would his father have wanted of him? So he had been a diligent soldier and patrolled; following after his mother's scent even as it drifted from the limits of Diaspora and in to the unknown. She was much swifter than he was, of course. As doggedly as he followed after Takiyok, Mesa knew it was dangerous to have slipped over those limits without even speaking to his siblings - let alone to ignore Mahler as he went. He didn't look back.

Then, the ground began to quiver. It was as if the mountain was angry that the boy should sneak away in such a manner, further convincing the imaginative youth that Arrow Lake (and its surrounding peaks) were alive, that they were a danger to them all. A frightening few minutes passed where the earth shuddered and groaned, and Mesa paused to hold himself low and small against the dirt, as if that would help. Once the calm resumed he rose up again, slow and steady and a mess of nerves unto himself; but the scent of his mother was stronger, so that helped to calm him.

He continued to tread along - this time with more of an insistent, purposeful gait - and paused when he spotted the pale figure just beyond. That had to be his mother! The thundering of his heart increased as he sped towards her, calling out, Mother! And as he came up alongside her flank, dipped his head with snake-like flicks of his tongue, seeking reassurance.

The call made her freeze and whip around just as her son came bounding towards her. Her heart dropped into her stomach at seeing him here so far from Diaspora. What if she hadn't been the one he found first? She had already lost so much; adding another child to that list would break her for sure. Fear made her want to reprimand him for being so careless with his life, especially since she would have gladly let him join her had he asked. Instead, he had trekked through the mountains on his own. But as he attached himself to her side, his expression and nervous tongue flicking making it clear he was frightened and in need of reassurance, her anger fizzled out. He had been through just as much as she had, and she couldn't help but cut him a break. Mesa, she murmured worriedly, lowering her head to nuzzle him. It was incredibly dangerous for you to leave Diaspora on your own, she added a second later, the words anxious but holding none of her previous anger.

The ground shifted and rumbled underneath them again, and she pressed against him to both give comfort and soothe her own uncertainty about the sound. The quaking died away quickly, but she remained where she was for however long Mesa wanted. The worrying sounds and vibrations had her on edge, and she knew they must be even more alarming to him.

The feeling of something solid and familiar was welcome, as was the sound of his mother's voice. Although she was worried and fretting over his arrival, Mesa couldn't help but feel a warmth and a connection as soon as her voice hit his ears; she was everything to him now that Stigmata was gone, and he hadn't meant to worry her. Then again, he hadn't thought about the consequences of his actions—she'd gone off to wander somewhere, and Mesa had felt the need to keep watch over her. He'd lost one parent and wasn't about to let the mountains take another; granted, this time they'd gone beyond the limits of Diaspora.

Mesa had never been outside of the mountain range; that would change in the coming days as Diaspora found a new foothold somewhere, but he knew he couldn't root himself in one place for much longer. If his mother could go places then why not himself? He thought of Ego, suddenly. If he was alive then maybe the boy was on an adventure of his own? What was that like—especially without Takiyok's guidance, attention, and love? Mesa's face darkened with the layered thoughts and he did his best to shove them aside, it was not the time or place for any of it.

I'm sorry, he murmured in response to Takiyok, but shut his mouth and stared as the earth rumbled again. Everything was vibrating for a few seconds and when it died out, Mesa let out the breath he had accidentally been holding. What is that? Why does the ground do that? He blurted as the shaking thinned to stillness.

Are the mountains angry at us?

It certainly felt that way to him.

She looked around worriedly. I don't know what it is, she answered. But I don't think the mountains are angry with us, she offered; surely they weren't actually alive, and so they didn't possess the faculties to be angry. It seemed quiet enough for  now, so she began to walk again. I was looking for Ego, she admitted quietly, seeing no reason to keep it from him. She worried about her oldest being gone while the quaking continued. Not only was he potentially by himself in the harsh world, but now the mountains threatened to crumble down around them. What if he was hurt and there was no one there to help him? Her heart began to race, and she drew in a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn't let her mind go there. I haven't found any trace of him, but you can help me look if you'd like. He didn't have to, of course; she would escort him home or to somewhere else he wanted to see if that was what he wanted. She would just resume her search later.

His mother's confidence appeared shaken as the quaking of the ground grew, and as it faded to calm again he sighed softly, listening to the explanation Takiyok gave him. She didn't know what was going on and her worries did not help his own sense of stability or safety; but then she spoke of Ego, the pointless quest of hunting for him when Mesa knew there wouldn't be a single trace. It made him think of Stigmata, buried, rotting. Ego was probably still on top of their mountain somewhere—lost in a hollow, or buried from the quakes. Dead, just like the General.

But she asks him to help—or that's how he takes it, anyway. Two sets of eyes were better than one, and Mesa is keen to prove he is just as much a man, a warrior, a protector as Stigmata; so he grunts and begins to scour the surrounding slope, even though Takiyok had just been perusing it herself, and even if he could discern anything of use to the family it wasn't something his mother would miss. So, in short, he didn't find anything immediately.

I'll help, he states, although he's gone and nose-dived at the soil already and isn't paying attention to the angles of the hill, the proximity of his pale body to the edge of the mountain. He could slip and fall very easily unless corralled. We might find him if we all work together. Mesa states, referring to his siblings—to the pack, too—but doesn't look up, lest she notice the immense doubt in his expression.

She lowered her muzzle to the ground and began to sift through the scents she found. Prey, strangers, Mesa...but no Ego. She wasn't surprised, but it didn't lessen the sinking feeling in her chest. She supposed most would have given up their search by now, but she just couldn't bear to stop. She felt like by at least searching, she could still hold on to some part of her son. 

Mesa's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and her heart dropped into her stomach at his precarious position. She rushed over, issuing a worried: Ego, watch what you're doing! She quickly placed herself between him and the edge, and attempted to herd him to safety. You have to be careful out here, she said sternly. Twice now today, he had put himself in danger.

Her sudden burst of momentum caught him off-guard, but so did her pronouncement. It stung to hear her shouting so; to hear his brother's name, to be misidentified. She herded him to safety and he let her, but he continued on a few more feet afterwards too, coming to a stomping halt and turning to shoot a glare at her. Mesa hadn't meant to be so riled but he felt the fluttering of his heart and the wound-like sense of loss all over again, and it came to the surface in that one sharp, frigid look upon his face.

Mesa. He cooly retorted after his pulse began to return under his own control again — I'm, I'm not Ego! I'm -- but he didn't know what to say so he shut up pretty quick, fuming silently to himself. He wanted his brother back too but the boy was realizing that there was nothing he could do about it; Takiyok's panic stung at him more than it should have. I'm still here, he quipped finally, looking away from his mother and staring darkly at the blurred slopes leading down the mountain.

She hadn't even realized her mistake in her panic; all she had seen was her son in danger, and she couldn't let anything happen to him. Ego's disappearance felt like a failure on her part, and in the moment, all she could see was another child she was about to fail. Maybe she was being too overprotective, but she couldn't lose him. And that look on his face. She imagined it to be pretty similar to the sharp look she had given many others. But it stung to be on the receiving end, especially when she was getting it from Mesa.

He was upset, and she didn't blame him. Taki walked over and sat down next to him. I know, she said. I'm sorry. I know you're Mesa. Gently, she nuzzled his cheek if he allowed the affection. And I just don't want anything to happen to you, okay? Obviously, she couldn't control every aspect of his life, but she could at least keep him from tumbling off the side of a mountain.

Eep, short.

Mesa didn't like being angry with her, and was eager to do away with the feeling of it. So when Takiyok came drifting close he did not budge; when she nuzzled at his face he feigned offense for all of two seconds before melting at her touch, twisting an ear as she apologized. It was a little bit of a power trip with him. The fact he could curb her to his will so swiftly was something worth exploring—but for now he basked in her attention, nosing at her coat with a vague affection of his own. I know anâna, he murmured against her, practicing a bit of her northern language to show he was over and done with his little tantrum.

His tension left quickly, her affection and apology seemingly accepted without out much resistance. She loved to hear her language spoken by her children, and it soothed away any of the residual worry and guilt that lingered in her heart. She kissed the top if his head if allowed. We can explore a little if you'd like, she offered in the northern language. Taki thought they were in need of something lighter to do, and she loved the mountains even if she was concerned over the shaking and rumbling. She would search for Ego later like she did every day; nothing would keep her from trying to find her missing son, not even the increasing probability that he was dead or lost forever. If she kept searching, then she could still hold on to the sliver of hope that she might find something that would lead her to him. She looked down to Mesa as she waited for his answer, eyebrow raised as if to ask, interested?

Fade here? :)

Exploring felt right. Even if they did not find their lost kin they might find something else. A game trail, maybe. A vista previously unexplored. Perhaps even the origin point of the world's rocking; something to explain the chaos of the mountains as they crumbled. It did not matter so much to Mesa what they did from this point — although he would have praised every god and every tree and every grain of dirt upon their mountainscape if they did find traces of his brother, or better yet revive his rotting father from the dead. Takiyok's comment earned a small nod from Mesa, and he slipped along the slope and down among the trees, keeping safely away from the ledges as best he could, to continue the search.

She didn't let him get too far ahead of her, trotting forward to catch up with him. Shen noticed the care he took to stay away from the edges but remained close just in case. The mountains could become dangerous without any warning, especially now with the quakes. She, too, hoped they found something interesting to take their minds off of everything but more than anything, she hoped today would be the day that she found some trace of Ego. To be able to bring him home where he would be safe was something she often dreamed about. Until then, she was happy to lead Mesa around the mountains and show him all the treasures that could be found.