Redsand Canyon gigante

"@Crowfeather?" her voice was breathless. she had not stopped to eat; she had allowed maxim to see her off and now she was swinging around the corner, seeking him. her eyes looked for him. her heart raced. the last time she had seen the prince, he had been telling her that he must leave, that he must come here for that man germanicus. and they had not seen him again, even though tavina and guards had gone to look. had he been here all the time? "why did you not say you were here?" she asked, gasping, throwing her thin forelimbs around him in an embrace once she finally found the young and former royal.

The appearance of the glass-eyed girl came as a shock. Before the dark figure could comprehend what he was seeing, she was upon him with fragrances he did not know, wrapping her slender limbs where she could hold.

B- B-…

Tears sprung into his eyes. Crowfeather had thought he would never see her again. When Germanicus had returned to say that there was no one in Akashingo by the name of Belen, the shadow had been overwhelmed with images of what might have happened to her. After some time with no word on the young girl, he had been forced to realize that she was gone.

Belen… you’re safe.

The length of his snout burrowed into the plush of her fur.

"si!" her eyes welled with tears; belen shut them hard and nuzzled into his rich dark fur. "pharaoh sent me to a place called — well, it was far off the coast, these islands. i was an acolyte." she sniffled and pulled away so she could look into the strain of his eyes with concern. "i was sent ashore. but when i came back, they were all gone. i stumbled onto mereo purely by accident." her small paw lifted to touch his own larger one. "you're not happy. and — your leg. what happened?"

The Pharaoh had sent her to an island. Crowfeather couldn’t understand why he would have pushed Belen away from Akashingo. But then, the Pharaoh did not push so much as suggest. He was capable of following through with his words and his open display of power. The shadow wanted to ask about her time as an Acolyte. Belen wished to speak about him. 

His leg, yes. The dark figure looked to the stub with an empty expression. It almost did not bother him anymore. He had already started working on the strength of the other three. 

I should not have left when I did. It- It was too soon for my injuries. Not soon enough for Germanicus to know my feelings. What a twisted truth it was. I had the healer remove it. She’s tended to my recovery. I’ll probably be able to leave this place in… a moon, maybe two. Crowfeather almost mentioned his fear of hunting on three legs. He kept the comment to himself after feeling the well of shame in his chest. 

Tell me of the island… he whispered to her in request.

belen knew at once that there was a large rift between she and the prince. no. not a prince. she looked solemnly at his changed body and then at how much he carried in his eyes. he had always borne so much there, had he not? belen folded herself closer, as much for her sake as for his own. the long days of desperation that she had bravely donned now drained the young wolf. seeing crowfeather was an expansive relief. he mentioned germanicus. "he seems — cold." she looked up at him. "was he cold to you?" but her tone suggested she only asked to ask, that he did not need to answer. "the island. i am not supposed to speak about it." she licked her jaws. "if i tell you, we will never talk about it again. comprende?" her body vibrated with the thrill of adventure, now that she was safe and with a familiar soul.

A bit, he answered softly. It wasn’t important in the moment. Germanicus had demonstrated depth and warmth, before. Crowfeather had grown to understand when his tact created a cold front, a wall so high that he could not see the sun on the other side.

Belen stated that she wasn’t supposed to speak about the island. This intrigued the dark figure. He scooted closer to her, fumbling slightly with only three legs. The girl stated that if he was willing to hold her secrets, she would share them with him. Crowfeather nearly blushed beneath his dark coat. The seer nodded reverently to Belen, leaning toward her intently.

I promise… I won’t say anything.

Crowfeather’s eyes were like a full moon.

it was all the encouragement belen needed. the gaze of the former prince beckoned her, and like a loyal servant she heeded. leaning close, belen told him about her long journey from akashingo to the coast, and how she had swam with marina to the other side. there she had met the young speaker and her proteges. there she had told belen of being a druid, and blood magicks, and earth magicks. belen described the islands and their beauty, and how misted and remote and removed from the world they were, a land unto itself. she stopped, breathless. and now fearful.

Crowfeather listened to Belen as she shared her stories in quiet tones. He did not speak a word. His attention belonged to the girl. 

The things she spoke of were like a fantasy. He was reminded of the Starsea and their practices. Were all wolves alike in that way, that they needed belief in something greater to fill their lives? The shadow could not judge, for he carried the beliefs of his homeland everywhere he went. He wondered if Belen had enjoyed her time away from Akashingo- a thought broke this. 

Belen, he whispered tentatively. You do not have to return to Akashingo? Hopefulness filled his eyes.

belen shook her head, tentatively at first and then with widening eyes. "i thought i would go back, to say goodbye formally. but — i can send a message." pharaoh wanted her back. but would he forbid her another few months abroad in replacement of those she had lost? her face was filled with a pleasant glow. "are you staying here? where are you going?"

Belen did not appear to have any intention of going back and making Akashingo her home. This was relieving to the young man. He did not think that it was a good place for kindness. She asked him where he might go, or if he would stay in Mereo. Crowfeather breathed a soft sigh, unsure of what his future would hold for him. Winter would not be far away. 

I will not stay. Being allowed to heal is the most that can be given to me in Mereo. The shadow didn’t believe Germanicus would ever extend a permanent invitation to him. The older man had severed a part of Crowfeather in their talks. 

I would like to go east. Maybe- Maybe there is a place that I can make into a home. There was a momentary pause. Would- Would you like to go with me, Belen?

one day belen might understand. but she suspected it would take much more talking than they had already done. he was so hushed and wan; she wanted to see the former prince restored. crowfeather spoke of travel and she did not look at his leg. there was a determination in his golden eyes. "yes," belen answered at once, more than a little breathlessly. something warm touched the inside of her spirit. he would need nursing, in more ways than one. maybe, away from this place and that man, he might look at her the way she had once seen him. "when shall we leave?"

The breath that was sucked into his lungs quaked. She had said yes without any moment to think it over. She had agreed so earnestly that he was stunned. Crowfeather wanted to ask if she was certain, but he feared what that question might spark within her - minds could be changed, Germanicus had proven as much. The shadow did not want Belen to reconsider. So he accepted her agreement with a humble lowering of his snout. 

I have been working to get my strength back. I- I think when I can travel further, we can leave. It wasn’t specific. Crowfeather did not want to be in Mereo when the snows fell. He had feared seeing the eagle man prowling through his outpost, but Germanicus had not been seen by the shadow since their last talk. I’d like to go before winter. Should I talk to- to- I should ask that you get to stay until I am ready to go. Even the older man’s name was too painful on his tongue.

belen inhaled. "before winter." and before she could say anything else, her slim jaws split with a yawn. "i will help you exercise and get stronger. i helped you before. i will do it again." once she had thought of him in vaguely brotherly terms. but now he was more. and he seemed to grow before her eyes. "i will rest here with you," she decided, curling close. "and then i will speak to him myself."

Belen said that she would help him grow stronger. Crowfeather smiled weakly at her, unsure how he had been so fortunate to have met the women that he had. Satsu and Belen had both shown nothing but love and kindness to him. Belen had helped to keep his secrets when he had run from the mesa. His heart was heavy with the realization of all that she had done. That heaviness was solidified when he realized how hard he had been pushing for Germanicus to see him in a different light.

Why had he chased the older man? Why had he cast aside the kindness he had been shown by others?

The closeness of the girl made him feel strange. He lifted a leg and draped it over her slender frame. A sigh slipped through his nose. He hated that he compared the feeling of her body next to his with that of Germanicus. He wished that he had never met the man. He wished that he had met Belen when he had first entered those new lands, that they had chased fireflies together and fished in the waters instead of the stoic older man.

Tears stung his eyes.

Thank you, Belen…

He would not cast aside her kindness again.