Ravensblood Forest Saying Goodbye

Backdated to June 24th! For @Violante, Lorelai, and @Jorunn. @Vagabond, Asara, @Vale and @Bilah are also welcome if they wish to say goodbye! Please allow Jorunn to post first <3

Lenora had returned to Sacrarium for the last time. With Jorunn at her side, she felt strong, brave, even. She had never been happy here, and now she was going to confront it. She let out a soft call that all of the adults would no doubt here, and maybe even some of the pups, if they were awake. Lenora was so jealous of them! They all got to go hunting and patrolling with their parents, but her own father and sister had disappeared and her mother never let her do anything at all! Jorunn was going to teach her to scout, and Lenora was excited. Finally, it was time for change.

how odd it felt.

to show up on a neighbor's door with the child in tow, here with an offer to take her elsewhere. there was, of course, the possibility the mother might say no and that the leader may scoff. this was something jorunn might welcome. if only to not possible wound the heart of a mother.

yet she was also aware she was doing her part in helping the young girl. what if somebody more sour had found her wandering the coast?

regardless, she fell silent in thought as she awaited the arrival of an adult.

A call came from Lenora — a call saying goodbye. The Vicera turned at once from her patrol route and whisked off to find the girl accompanied by another woman. Lenora, where have you been this time? Disapproval colored her tone, but then she looked to the other, and she dipped her head. Thank you for bringing her home. I am Violante Cruor, Vicera of Sacrarium. You... smell of Sapphique. Had Lenora really wandered so far away?

Vagabond arrived shortly after his mate had begun speaking, catching most of her words. Thank you. He smiled warmly at the stranger. His smile faltered and his eyes grew troubled and downcast when they fell on Lenora. The child had caused her mother more panic than was ever necessary by running off again like this.

Bilah had heard the commotion and watched from the distance, he had no words for the child. His heart hurt. He wondered too where she had been, and hoped she would stay this time, but truly didn't think that would happen. With the reception that greeted her, he highly doubted it. The disappointment was clear and apparent on the Vicera and Harbinger's faces. He had done all that he could for the girl, even risking angering the leaders by allowing her to stay out of the den when she was meant to be confined for a previous transgression.

Bilah took in Lenora's expression. It was one of determination, she was here with a purpose, and this stranger was here to help her. He moved forward slowly, his stomach tying itself into knots. Hello again little one His smile was kind but sad, concerned.

Lorelai knew what this call meant — she could hear it in her daughter's voice. Perhaps that is why it took her so long to arrive on the scene. She shows up reluctantly, scarcely able to look at her daughter. She was with a woman unknown to Lorelai, but she smelled Sapphique on her just as Violante had.

Carefully, Lorelai stepped forward. Lenora... what are you doing? There was no anger in her voice, just hurt and sorrow.

Under the gaze of so many adults, Lenora grew uneasy. Shaking her pelt out in an effort to hide to rise of her hackles, she told them all, I... I'm leaving Sacrarium. Jorunn is going to teach me scouting. She swallowed hard, avoiding her mother's gaze, keeping her own on her paws. She was not sorry, nor would she say it.

Going to go ahead and move this along!

Lenora was leaving. This made the Vicera pause, drawing in a sharp breath. Her first thought was to deny — Lenora could not leave. This was her birthplace, her home. But no... somewhere along the line, the Vicera knew, it had become a prison.

She looked at @Jorunn, long and hard, silent for several long moments, until, You will take her under your wing, in Sapphique?

her heart broke, but all seemed to understand the scene well.

i told her to come tell these things to you. her voice was solid, despite the soft waver of her gaze beneath the women before her. i am a scout and counselor. sapphique has many children. we are friendly neighbors. all is safe. i told her if she wishes to travel, i can train.

i will care for her like she is my own.

perhaps a hole in her heart, that she had wished to fill.

Vagabond nodded reluctantly, addressing Jorunn. Thank you for keeping her safe, and for coming to us. It certainly wasn't necessary to travel back when the woman could have taken Lenora and sent a message instead. They had failed to look after their own afterall. Did they really deserve this goodbye? He wished there was something he could say to his niece but he knew anything would likely postpone a visit even longer. So for Lorelai's sake he was quiet and somber.

Bilah stood supportively at Lorelai's side, eyes downcast. He knew he didn't belong there, but he wanted to be there in case she needed someone to lean on in this moment. His heart was full of sorrow and he wanted nothing more than to fix the broken relationship. But the damage had clearly already been done, and he was nothing more than an outside observer as he had always been.

Lorelai could not handle this. She could not process this. She felt as if Lenora had taken her heart from her chest and smashed it all to pieces. The young Mystic's eyes welled with tears, but she could not speak. She could not think. So, she turned and left, and would not be stopped.

Last from me!

After everything had been said, Lenora expected her mother to fight, but why, she didn't know. Instead, her mother did what she usually did when things got rough — she fell to pieces. Lenora's gaze hardened and she looked down as her mother ran away, but she had nothing else to add, except to mumble to Jorunn, Can we go now?

if it's not my turn, swat at me and i'll get this deleted. just wanted to wrap for us so we can all move forward.

it was horrible to all witness.

but jorunn did not know if she felt so terrible about bringing the girl to sapphique now. perhaps it would be better there. the joy of the sea, of more agemate friends.

thank you, she whispered at last to the remaining adults. a soft tip of her head and ears.

then she turned to nudge along lenora.

yes. stay close.

the path back to sapphique was a familiar one to jorunn, new to her newly acquired student.

Violante wished she could have comforted Lorelai, but she realized losing her only remaining daughter would be damaging — traumatic, even, knowing how fragile her mental state usually was. She could only watch in stoic silence as the Mystic left, and the girl pleaded to leave. Violante wished things could be different, but knew no one could change the past.

Looking to Jorunn one final time, the Vicera dipped her head and said, You have our thanks as swell. Safe travels. Then, she turned to look to Bilah. Go, be with Lorelai. She will need you for this. A soft sigh, and she glanced to see the girl and seawolf leaving.

Finally, she looked to her mate. We should go, too. Her children, Lenora's cousins, would have to be alerted of the girl's departure. It would be a sad day.

Last from me.

Last from me

Vagabond watched Lorelai leave them, knowing that he would not be able to help her at that moment. He sighed deeply and turned his gaze to his mate, unable to speak, he simply nodded at her and headed towards the caverns.

Bilah had not needed the Vicera's prompting. He had already been poised to follow Lorelai the second he had been dismissed. He had always wanted to help her, and he hoped he could do something, anything to ease her suffering in the slightest.

The last from me as well.