Hushed Willows oh, where are you now, pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?

the concept of home was a foreign one. there was no one place that tugged at his heart. in all his travels, he'd not found a single shred of wistfulness for the teekon wilds. not one iota of homesickness.

but for her. . . cam missed his mother, more often than not.

he stopped at the border, staring up at the willows underneath whose boughs he'd been born. the rain fell softly, landing in crystalline droplets on his brow, his muzzle. it looked the same, felt the same — didn't smell the same, though, for what once was unoccupied land was now claimed once more.

lily's death had shaped his entire adolescence. loss was as big a part of his personality as anything else. she had been his first and greatest love, and she was buried here. he had come to honor her.

he was now an adult and much more aware of wolf norms and procedure than he once had been; there would be no foolish trespassing today. he howled for an audience, shifting his paws in mild impatience.

the willows brought memories, good and bad. he wanted to leave before the nightmares began.

✹☾❂

 

In Orlaith’s absence, Eleuthera had taken it upon herself to become Seelie Court’s de facto guardian. It was out of necessity, as much as it was enjoyment. Though Eleuthera intuited that the threat the Saints posed has lessened, as the rain had suddenly and unequivocally taken priority, but it didn’t mean their borders needed to be manned any less. In fact, perhaps they needed it to be manned more, now that they were lacking what she considered to be the Willow’s most proficient guard.

Eleuthera couldn’t do much to a wolf that wanted to incur wrath upon the willows, but she figured she could at least warn people — let them know what was up. Plus, @Kincaid was never far behind and he had perhaps become more fond of the Faeries, and more willing to protect the willows, than even she! That was worth something, right? Though Lumiya almost always beat her to the punch, her duty had become something she actively fantasized about. 

When the lilac woman heeded the young man’s call, she was surprised to find that she was the first one to arrive. The past few wolves she had met amongst Seelie Court had been wildly exciting for her, expanding her familial circle by almost double, and triple! Little did she know that it was about to quadruple, too. If one didn’t mind the rain, things these days didn’t seem so bad :) Even still, Eleuthera really didn’t know what to say to the dark boy — she was almost always arriving right in the middle of things, never at the beginning — so she just parroted what she had heard every pack leader of every pack she had ever joined say.

“You are at the borders of Seelie Court,” she chirped. “Eleuthera, speaking! How may I help you?"

it wasn't long before someone came along to greet him—a soft-looking girl who spoke up immediately. she looked a lot like someone who would have been a part of elysium, and for a moment, cam wondered if they might have returned. a combination of hope and fear sent his heart surging into his throat, and he paused to clear the lump before speaking again.

erm, hi, he replied awkwardly, trying to pitch his usual quiet voice above the din of rain. i'm cam. my mother is buried here. . .i'd like to visit her grave.

it couldn't be them. he recognized none of the scents, absolutely none. no seabreeze, no olive, nor any of the brood that he'd cohabited with; not his father or sister, or his brother whom he knew was far afield in the north. it was the willows, but it was not elysium.

but his mother was here. he knew that for a fact.

he stared expectantly at the young fae, blinking raindrops from his emerald eyes as he waited for her response.

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera wanted to drop her mouth open in shock. She wanted to revel in her shock and surprise and awe at how much a thing came to be. She wanted to feel the great leap of adrenaline, the voice in her head that simply couldn’t believe reality, or the small part of her that spontaneously started believing in God. But, none of that happened when the universe miraculously revealed itself in the body of this lithe, shadowed man. Instead of surprise, she felt deeply pleased and satisfied — almost smug. Of course another Elysium child had meandered through the world and eventually found their way back to the willows, all at around the same time. Of course! 

“You don’t say!" Eleuthera, despite herself, could not help but beam at this funny, coincidental occurrence. She took a step closer, wondering what he was feeling right at this moment — she did not know him, knew absolutely nothing about him, but knew that if his mother was buried here, he was likely experiencing no small amount of trepidation. It seemed that’s how they all had been — the children who came seeking their mothers' ghosts — small, fearful, in the midst of great change and seeking the comfort and validation of home. Luckily for this familiar stranger, the unconditional love that he once knew underneath the willows, still very much existed.“Who were your parents?" she questioned brightly, with a cant of her ashen crown.

“Perhaps we might be siblings."

he wasn't sure what could be so amazing about his appearance here. not knowing her recent encounters with family, cam figured he was just another traveler. another young man chasing ghosts. but he would humor her, anyway. . . well, to a point. 

i don't think so, he said with a shake of his head. he had one sister; that was lana, and she'd disappeared without a trace. my mother's name was lily.

it wasn't worth mentioning khali. if he was here, cam would smell him, surely. or the mention of a past mate would jog the girl's memory and she would fetch him. if he wasn't here —

he wasn't here. his father was gone, good as dead. the yearling didn't relish that cold, hard truth, nor did he dwell much upon it. it was a mystery that would remain unsolved, and he was probably the better for it. 

she's buried in the roses, cam added helpfully, already feeling his throat tighten with grief and with nausea as the ghostly smell of those thorny flowers entered his subconscious.

Sundance was not the first of Elysium's children to be lured home by silent sirensong, and was unlikely to be the last.

He did not consider the arrival of yet another ghost of his past when an unfamiliar howl sounded from the willows' borders. Having been meandering along the territory outskirts in a lazy patrol, the silver yearling quickened his stride to attend. Powder blue gaze caught sight of a raven figure first, and he was not surprised to spot Eleuthera as he ducked beneath sweeping branches. Sundance, glad to see her, was sure to offer his sister a thin smile in quiet greeting should she choose to look upon his face. Having missed out on most of whatever conversation the pair had shared prior to his appearance on the scene, Sundance paused near to Eleuthera's flank simply as support.

He pricked an ear curiously at the final comment made by the obsidian youth - she's buried in the roses - and shifted his gentle, searching eyes to Cam's obsidian features. There had been other litters born to Elysium alongside he and his brothers, and they'd played together at the rendezvous often in more peaceful times. There had been only one with such dark furs though, that he could recall. One whose mother had perished alongside his own.

"Cam?"

✹☾❂

 

The boy seemed sad, which was totally reasonable, so Eleuthera did her best to tamp down her own elation and match the mood. Dead mothers were never a happy thing, she knew this well  — and it seemed this dark boy had come to reckon with his own. It was a process that she should not, and would not, stand in the way of. 

So, they weren’t officially siblings. Might as well be, Eleuthera considered. “Oh, Auntie Lily?" She knew Lily well as the valiant, dark-furred woman who had found the Hushed Willows in the first place. She was their fearless leader as they led a band of mothers and a gaggle of pups across the mountain range. She served upon Elysium’s council. And now, as Eleuthera had come to understand, Lily had died defending sanctuary until her very last breath. “I didn’t know she had pups." She had been a true seraph, through and through. 

If he was interested, and might find the coincidence uncanny, she chanced to offer him this next bit of information. “I’m one of Olive and Seabreeze’s kids, from before, when Elysium was still Bracken Sanctuary. " her tail wagged in familial recognition, only stilling when Sundance arrived and pulled up alongside her. He held back before another uncanny coincidence took the three wolves up in its grip.

Eleuthera figured it made sense that this ‘Cam’ and her brother would know each other, as they looked to be about the same age, but this was really the first time that Eleuthera had ever really considered that there was this entire part of Elysium that she would never know. Most of its history was something she would be told, not something she remembered.

It was more than what had happened to her mothers — Sundance had since cleared that up for her. Earthquakes, apparently, had been Elysium’s ultimate undoing. It was more that Eleuthera was saddened over having missed the pack, and her mothers, for what she considered to be its heyday. There was an entire generation she didn’t know, that had relationships she was not a part of, with memories in the willows that she would never understand. They saw mothers actually perish fighting the bear, whereas Eleuthera had only learned about it after the fact.

Sure, Séamus had brought her much happiness on the road, but it counted for little here, when she suddenly felt so alone amongst her (now) closest of kin. 

She was running late to the call at their borders, mostly because she had gotten her hind leg tangled in some branches. She had no idea how they'd become tangled, it was almost as if the forest was trying to claim her existence so it may thrive once again - the way it had done with Elysium. After some struggling and biting she was free again, but it had gotten her turned around and still pretty late to whoever was calling for her presence.

Loinnir was out for today, probably catching his own dinner, so it was easier to run. Still, when she heard the voices of the others, two of the court and one stranger, she slowed to a calm pad and made her entrance. I hope I'm not interrupting - terribly sorry for my lateness. She greeted with an apologetic dip of her muzzle. Her attention shifted then to the dark stranger - a boy, their age, a gaze of wet rosemary and damp fields. She awaited an explanation from either three of them, not minding who it would be to share why the boy was here.

 

auntie lily. he didn't know whether it was a simple term of endearment or something more literal. were they related? he nodded, the oh-so-familiar feeling of missing his mother tugging at his heart. it was an ache that had never gone away, especially as they brought her to life once more (if only briefly) in conversation.

i remember olive and seabreeze, cam responded, warmth in his voice. they had helped raise him, too. a thought occurred to him, though he didn't want to entertain it for fear of being wrong. but it was worth a try—? are. . .are they here? he asked, but then another wolf had joined the scene and his attention drawn by the sound of his own name.

he squinted at the pale young man, finding that he recognized him, though no name in return entered his mind. he remembered reif, and the brown-cream boy; this wolf must be their brother, he thought. hallo, he said awkwardly, not knowing how to proceed without a name. i—

still another wolf came, this time another female, one of the most striking creatures he'd ever seen. cam tried not to gawk as he stared at her silvery pelt and alluring gaze. it's. . .fine, he murmured, eyes raking the ground before returning to her ethereal face. i'm cam. my mother, lily, is buried here and i've come to visit her grave. in the roses, he said once more.

did they love the roses as much as elysium had? it was a cemetery, now, with more than one departed soul tucked away beneath the flowers.

His heartbeat quickened, so thrilled he was to be at such proximity with another of Elysium's lost children. Sundance's expression softened to one of fondness for him at the hint of recognition in Cam' gaze, but there was no room for real acknowledgement as the fae Queen announced her anticipated arrival.

The druid bowed his head then, respectful of her title, and made a careful sidestep to allow her a better look upon their raven-pelted visitor. Lumiya apologised smoothly for her late appearance, for her interruption, and Sundance looked between both she and Cam as the latter offered explanation for his summons.

"Cam was born here," he added softly for her benefit, suggesting that he was no stranger to their beloved willows.

✹☾❂

 

i remember olive and seabreeze. are… are they here?

As exciting as it was to find new family, and to be further validated that Elysium once existed and once matter, this was always the question she loathed. She didn’t have ability to give the answer that she wanted to give. The reality always imbued the situation with a distinct sadness. Then there was the inevitable trip to the rose garden, where she would be forced to confront the painful reality once more — that almost all her family was dead, and she hadn’t been able to do anything about it. 

Eleuthera’s maw took upon her customary grimace. Her head wilted towards the ground in a way that could not be helped, nor ignored. “They are… also, in the rose garden." but she figured the fact that her mothers were dead probably paled to the fact that his mother was also dead. Dang. 

Thankfully, at this point, Lumiya had joined them. Cam introduced himself, them Sundance introduced Cam — the only wolf left who needed introducing, was the Queen. Eleuthera was honored to take that responsibility upon herself. “Lumiya is the Faerie Queen of Seelie Court," she gestured to the ashen, masked woman who was new on the scene. Then, she amended, realizing Lumiya wasn’t the only unknown moniker in that sentence. “That’s who lives here, now." she explained with a raise of a brow, wondering if he would be as fascinated by the Faeries as she — and perhaps Sundance — had been. 

It was as close to home as she could ever hope to be once again.