Hushed Willows be my baby

✹☾❂

 

There must be something about one’s birthplace, Eleuthera mused. Truly, it is a profound thing. From the moment one becomes earthside, the energy of the earth imprints on you. It’s like it never leaves, always calling you, hoping one day you might heed it and come home.

Though her mothers’ willow grove wasn’t the exact location where she was born, it was this entire land she called home. It was these mountains that sang to her, drawing her like a moth to the flame. A lifetime of exploration, and somehow this one place was permanently written into her DNA. It wasn’t just the willows, it was the mountain range and then the coast beyond it, and the sun-soaked valleys and the frigid taiga up north.  Every pockmark of the land and bow of the river; she had seen it all and become intimately familiar with its geography. It had been easy to find her way back, when it was time.

Eleuthera gazed uneasily into the neck of the rock formation that embraced and shielded the forested glen, a wisp of a grimace written across her face, knowing very well what lay inside. Knowing what she must do. There was another family making their home here now, it seemed that to be true, but she still knew what must be done. It was a funny thing, how time marched ever onwards and dragged every living thing along with it, too often kicking and screaming. She supposed she would need their permission.

She didn’t announce her presence, for the lilac fae figured she was already under their surveillance. She sat far back from the border’s scent-markings, almost as if she was simply a spectator — but she was not an uninvolved bystander. Far from it. Silently, the woman waited to be tended to.

The queen of the faeries hoped her birthplace was not part of her - birthed to two wolves who did not care for her, in a misty, cold and dead forest. If that place would ever call to her, she'd ignore it and go on with this new life she had created. Though she was seen as the weak link in her family's bloodline, she hoped that with this supposed weakness she could make the world a better place. About six full moons had passed since her return to the realm, yet it had not been enough to establish the court she so desperately wanted to form. This discouraged her somewhat, if she was being completely truthful.

She was making her usual rounds on the border. They had become more frequent ever since they'd found yet another trespasser in their woods. He had left without starting any kind of trouble, but it made her believe their scent simply wasn't strong enough yet (or that the wolves of this realm were more ignorant than she had initially thought). Loinnir, her albino screech owl, was perched upon her back. He seemed to have gotten over his little heartbreak, as he was acting like the same old prickly owl Lumi knew him as. He was cleaning his feathers when he spotted the female near their borders and hooted in alarm. Only then did Lumi notice her; the lilac figure, looking at their home from a distance.

Can I help you with anything? The fae called, her curiosity piqued, yet her levels of suspicion high.

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera was in no great rush. In all truth, she felt all sorts of poignant emotions about the fact that some other group called her home home. Though she innately knew that it was any wolf’s right to claim a free territory, her gut spoke loudly that these wolves did not deserve her mothers’ sacred, holy place. Her logical mind reminded her of the last time she was in her ancestral lands, when Séamus had told her of the demise of Elysium. The lilac girl had avoided the willows then, and fled the Teen soon after that.

If anyone would welcome new life into the Hushed Willows, it would have been the Seraphim. Perhaps Elysium and this new family might have even cohabited, had they not passed like ships in the night.

So she sat in the dappled sunlight, drinking in the emotions and memories of this place. The tree’s canopy held the summer’s heady humidity close to the ground, and there was a dull, listless breeze that snaked amongst the tree branches. Then the woman appeared, as Eleuthera suspected she soon might. She had an owl with her — damn, she wanted an owl friend too.

When the woman who greeted her prompted introductions, the lilac woman rose and drifted closer so that they might converse more easily. Eleuthera had questions; the answers to which felt so important that they were vital to her very being. She nodded her head in deference and kept her face placid, no longer a sense of longing or discomfort written across her features. “My family used to live here.” she explained without much pretense. “Who…?” she asked with a cant of her crown, signaling her meaning.

But Loinnir was no friend, not really. He was some broken soul she'd saved upon the mountains, and he had found her useful enough to stick around. She was his free ride, his free meals, his free safety and protection... Honestly, at that point, who would want to leave her side? She was much too good to others, easily taken advantage of and generally of the belief that everything could be talked out. She wasn't naive though, having lived a whole childhood with the most horrible wolves she knew, like a flower in a field of thorns.

As the stranger grew closer, she could see them more clearly. A woman, probably older than the fae herself, dressed in shades of olive and burnt umber with undertones of lavender and roses. The queen raised her tail, humbly showing her status among the ones who'd made the willows their home. She listened intently, hearing a story she'd heard before; in the past, this place had housed many. It was no wonder the children of that time had now grown and chosen to visit the place of their birth. I'm Lumiya - the Faerie Queen of the faes that now live here. She answered semi-proudly, but not in a cocky manner. You'd be surprised to hear how many come here with the same story - there must've been a great pack living here before us.

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera noted how the stately wolf listened to her so intently, and appreciated it. She felt as though she had this woman’s, Lumiya’s, full attention, so Eleuthera returned it with just as much focus and deference. Her pale, lavender gaze was serious, but not unfriendly, nodding along as the masked woman before her explained that they were a group of faeries, which might have sounded strange had she not be raised amongst the seraphim. Eleuthera nodding along, totally absorbing this new presence amongst the Hushed Willows.

At Lumiya’s next assertion, Eleuthera’s heart skipped several beats! Others, like she, come to call upon the Hushed Willows in hope of communing with some small part of Elysium? It had to be someone she was familiar with; after all, who from her childhood shelter was she not intimately aware of? It had been several years, give or take a few months, but Eleuthera knew she would recognize any of them in a heartbeat. She had a miraculous mind for faces, and rarely ever forgot a single wolf she met in her many travels.

Perhaps it was even — Séamus? But Eleuthera knew that was nigh near an impossibility, so she quickly dismissed the idea although her gut had already done several somersaults. Still, Eleuthera was exasperated at the idea of seeing one of her childhood friends. It was a far bigger gift than she had expected to receive, coming to call upon these weeping woods.“Really?” the lilac woman breathed, taking and ardent step forward, then intentionally shrinking back. This was not her home any longer. “Do you remember who?” Her tail lashed behind her. “— are they still here?"

Their visits had been brief and far in-between. The fae doubted they belonged together, though the two young women were equal in beauty. Lumi looked to the clouds, trying to remember the names that were exchanged in those brief conversations. They were two young women, but they did not travel together. She shared. I believe the first was called Ibis, the second Minnow. They left soon after arriving I'm afraid. And she hadn't scented them around again either. No, she was pretty sure both girls had gone their separate ways and found some other place to call home.

Little did the fae queen know, that Ibis was now a ruler of the Empire they had an alliance with. Their paths had not crossed, not even when she chose to visit Empress Reiko in the Vale. It was odd, how they had not been destined to meet again, despite her now becoming a topic of conversation. How Lumi wished to reunite them, if the lavender girl even knew of the other, but she was unable to.

✹☾❂

 
In the moments in between words and thoughts, Eleuthera felt time widen and she used this time to observe Lumiya more closely. Who was this Fairy Queen who now lived amongst the willows. Eleuthera hadn’t any reason to believe that she was anything other than entirely pleasant. She was beautiful, the lilac woman subtly acknowledged, and had a gentle mien to her that resonated deeply of home. It was unlikely that this woman led a pack of heathens and hellhounds. Perhaps they had even been drawn here because the magic of this place, much as her mothers and Lily had all those years ago.

In the moments where Leu was not making these observations, she was listening to Lumiya share the details of who had come calling upon the Hushed Willows. At first it didn’t register with her — Minnow who? Must have been from the litters that came the year after she and Séamus and Okeanos and…. Ibis! The grin that melted across Eleuthera’s lips could not be contained.

”Ibis? She’s my sister!”” she intimated, closing her lavender-hued eyes for a moment to revel in memories as they washed over her. Even to hear Ibis’s name, amongst a vast sea of infinite wolves and infinite names, gave Eleuthera the sudden experience of profound peace. She felt closer to family — home — than she had in a long time. They existed. They hadn’t been erased entirely.

Eleuthera hauled in a cleansing breath and opened her eyes, gratitude heavy on her eyelids. Even if she never saw Ibis again, to know that she had been here, to be with the willows and remember their mothers… it was a gift in and of itself. she would not squander the moment by focusing on the fact that she was no longer here. She would seek Ibis later, but now she resigned to steep in the glory of such news. Eleuthera gathered herself and regarded Lumiya.

”I’m Eleuthera,” she finally shared. ”Can you tell me more about your Faeries? When did you and your family move in?” The last time Eleuthera had been in these lands in early winter, the willows lay unclaimed and healing.

They'd settled in the last moon of the winter, when the frozen branches clattered together in a gentle melody. It was this melody, and the elusiveness of the forest, that had drawn Lumiya to this place. There was magic here, something sacred - to find it unclaimed had been a surprise. She'd waited, silently, for the land's true colors to show, like frequent landslides of poisoned waters, but she hadn't found anything amiss. The forest was perfect for their peaceful kind, and she found more of its treasures every day. The waterfall and the firefly stream were the most obvious, but deep within their territory lay a large cave, and another smaller one was hidden near the fall.

The fae smiled at the revelation, her faith in destiny restored. She knew their visits would become important one day, perhaps not for her, but for another. What a coincidence. She commented with a cheeky smile, knowing better.

Despite theories proving it to be impossible, Lumi's features softened further seeing the expression on the flower's face. It's nice to meet you. She sincerely stated. I came upon the forest in the latest moon of winter, others soon followed. We are the children of the Old Court, a pack far away from this realm. We have many ancient ceremonies and traditions, even festivals, but our main philosophies are peace and kindness. She revealed, keeping any details as to not bore the flower. They wilted so often, receiving too much sun. I wasn't born among those I now call family, I was actually spawned over these mountains, but I'm glad I returned to this realm.

✹☾❂

 

 
It was almost as if this fairy woman could have represent Elysium, herself. The more Eleuthera listened, the more she felt the familiar sensation of mom, which was strange, because Lumiya was clearly younger than her. Instead of questioning it, Eleuthera leaned into it and smiled at the Faerie Queen endearingly. Her entire mien shifted as if they had already become close friends — family.  “Oh, my family would have loved you!” the lilac woman chimed, laughing at the similarities amongst their customs.

Lumiya’s story resonated with Eleuthera in more ways than one. “Elysium was not a blood family, either. They were mostly bound together by choice. “ Sometimes that choice was marriage — even by exotic’s pack’s standards, there had been a large ‘free love’ element to Elysium — and sometimes that choice was friendship, or simply the choice to rest. That was also why wolves who did not agree also made the choice to leave. Oh so briefly, her mind flitted to memories of Mali. It did not stay there long. “I’ve traveled far, but I have never come across Old Court in all my travels. How lucky that I might find you here, now.” this was honestly the best she had felt in the past several seasons. For a while there, times were tough.

Eleuthera looked beyond Lumiya; she looked beyond the forest of weeping willows behind Lumiya; she stared off into a dimension that only existed in her memories. Being here, with this woman, was enough to nearly transport her back in time. “I was also born in these lands — the Sunspire mountain, far to the south. There was a pack there, once. We made the trip here when I was just a few weeks old. Mama said it wasn’t safe there.” she volunteered fondly, although Lumiya hadn’t asked.

She smiled to herself, then gathered herself and looked over at the Faerie Queen. “Funny how things change, isn’t it? she laughed. Still giggling, she asked “May I ask one more favor of you?” Now, time for the real reason she was here.

A bashful blush flushed over her cheeks, ears swiveling in return. At last, a family that would have loved her. Truly, she'd been born to the wrong souls, of that much she was sure. Why, thank you. She replied in a manner that reflected her shyness when it came to fondness, love and compliments. Perhaps, one day, she'd become comfortable with this openly, but the trauma behind it would probably never heal fully.

Elysium. What a wonderful name for a pack. It sounded mythical, the very thing she wanted to become. The court, too, had traditions and festivities around marriage. It was curious how the forest had drawn such similar souls together for all these years - it was as if it wanted it to be inhabited by the peaceful and kind of heart. The other spoke of luck, but all was more than that.

Funny - and good. It's necessary, won't you say? The seasons, night and day, the tides - all was necessary to give the realm newness, nature. Of course. She replied kindly, not able to promise much but her devotion.

✹☾❂

 

She and Lumiya seemed to be getting along just fine, and that felt groovy. There were far too many wolves in the world with whom she felt she must struggle through every interaction, but she was not one of them. Perhaps another creature might have been turned off by her sudden familiarity and her forwardness, but Lumiya seemed  to return it in kind, so Eleuthera resigned to, and felt the warmth of, what this was: friendship.

When Lumiya spoke of the necessity of time and change, Eleuthera could not keep a hearty chuckle behind her smiling lips. “You know, someone else just told me the same thing," she chortled, thinking of scarab and his soulful musings upon the dead and dying. She doubted this was the way Lumiya meant it, but it wasn’t too far off base. It appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a universal truth. Things always changed, and it was up to wolfkind to adjust — or to suffer.

It was a theory that Eleuthera had come to be grateful for. She needed newness, just as Hushed Willows needed newness in the form of this Faerie Court. She needed newness like the heated earth would soon need the soothing breeze of autumn. She needed newness like a born-again virgin — and to find this newness, she felt she needed to return home. 

“I’ve heard that my family is buried in the rose garden," she started, amazed that she had made it up to this point. It had taken her the better part of 6 months to work up to this point. Eleuthera lowered her whole demeanor for a moment, to signal to Lumiya that she knew it was well within her right to turn down such a request. Not everyone was as welcoming to strangers as her family had been — still, she remained hopeful. 

“May I visit, and maybe share a story or two? Oh, and I would love a tale of the Faeries in return!"  she bartered, good naturedly.

Should she inquire about the identity of the one who shared her beliefs — leave it up to the mystery that was her fate, trust that it would cross the paths of her and those she needed to meet for enlightenment? She wanted the focus to be on the present, on Eleuthera and her quest to find the remnants of her blood-stained dandelion seeds, scattered throughout this realm. It was surprising how far such tiny things could travel, given the time and an opportunity.

Her next comment caught the fae slightly off-guard. Though she could not relate to burying her real relatives, not even loving them for the time they were alive, safe for a handful, she sympathized with the flower. It was in her right to refuse or approve this request, but anyone that knew Lumiya well would also know she would not place her pride above the emotional needs of others. She felt like Eleuthera would not abuse the opportunities given to her, and so, without giving herself much time to think everything over twice, she replied;

Of course. She'd be surprised if there was any doubt in the flower's mind about if the fae would allow her to visit her family. It disturbed her slightly that there were wolves buried under the grove she'd seen as just a beautiful place, but perhaps, with this information, the place could take on its original duty again. Though I warn you, I'm not the best story-teller you'll find in this forest.

✹☾❂

 

Lumiya agreed to let her in — Eleuthera was pleased, though she hadn’t doubted that her wish would be granted. The faerie queen seemed to be the intuitive sort, and she probably easily felt her benevolent intentions. She could probably see all of her mistakes and shortcomings too, but decided to open their home to her without a second thought. It felt so eerily familiar, especially when she cooly strode foreword and placed one paw across the scented barrier.

then another paw — 
and then the next one —

and then Eleuthera was inside, holding her breath inside her lungs, almost as if the gods might strike her dead right then and there. But they didn’t, and eventually Eleuthera pursed her lips as a pressure release valve and exhales deeply. She was here. The lilac woman blinked to herself, then raised her head and addressed Lumiya in a ‘i’m eager to move on from that’ kind of way. “that’s nonsense," she corrected with a wry grin. “i’m sure a wolf as beautiful as you has lived a very interesting life, with many stories to tell."

Eleuthera let Lumiya make the first move towards the rose garden, not wanting to be overly presumptuous… but the sprite needn’t be led to the location at all. Nay, this place was imprinted so strongly in Leu's memory that once when she had been laying at death’s door, the willows were all she had thought about. It had called her back. She knew this place, and it knew her. She was home.

should we close up this one, and continue in another?

Seems good to me! A present-dated one? Or would she decide in this thread to stay? Lemme know in Discord? :)

She stepped aside to let the other pass with the wave of a tail, watching silently how the flower returned home. It seemed like this was a large step for the woman - the air was thick with excitements and anxieties. She was afraid Eleuthera might back down from the challenge, deciding it was too much for her to handle on this single day - she'd come so far, the fae was sure... though she'd respect the choice, she'd hate to see it.

But the moment never came - the flower took a breath, and let the past be the past. This was enough to earn the fae's respect, and now she was even more excited to learn about the pack that came before them - and Eleuthera herself. A blush flushed over her cheeks at the comment, bashfully shaking off the nerves she got whenever someone did compliment her. She chuckled, then replied softly; I'm sure my beauty has little to do with it, and my stories never have happy endings. She then would continue to 'lead' the other to the grove, knowing the forest well by now.