Barrow Fields Golden Days

@Hiram Backdated, moments after she has been at SS border.

Valette moved into the right direction of the taiga, or so she thought. She continued her way but due to a miss reading of the sky she happen to travel in the wrong direction of the taiga. She was still getting the hang of navigating well. The girl realized that she was traveling the wrong way when the mountains seemed to stop in the distance, and that the mountain range was on her left instead of on her right.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around over the plains. It felt so empty and.. lonesome. The girl instantly turned around, marking this barren land as something that one shouldn't be traveling through alone. Yet, was she really alone? She squinted her eyes, thinking she saw a very familiar wolf, she recognized the way he was walking.

I guess this takes place the day Reek leaves the grotto, between his thread with Jhala and his thread with Caiaphas.

He was a man on a mission, unwavering in his faith. Nova Rose had been sent to him for a reason, of this, now he was sure. It was all a part of the divine plan of Raas. His family -- his pups -- all remained protected in the loving embrace of the Daystar. All of them waiting for the return of their father and to be exposed to the warmth of his love. The Lord had protected them all from the wrath of Sleeping Dragon. Everything had built up to this particular moment; and so, Hiram set out upon his mission with manic energy and determination. He would not return to the grotto without his family.

His focus was unceasing as he scoured the landscape. He came across a field with his nose pressed to ground -- searching for any trace of the old maplewolves, even though he knew he would never find anything here. But still, he carried on with a sense of tunnel vision. So much so that he had yet to notice the wolf he regarded as his daughter nearby.

Valette watched how the male continue on walking. The girl looked at him go past a quite a speed. Valette ran to him to catch up with him. "Reek! Reek!," she called out. It almost seemed like a hallucination but she was sure he was there in this barren land.

She had been planning to visit the grotto, to have a good talk with him, but now as luck had it she was running into him now. It was clear that she had to talk to him. Was the male aware how close he actually was to Tavi? One who didn't want to see him by what she heard.

There was a voice; familiar. So much so that he stopped in his tracks and froze as soon as his dead name graced his ears. He turned his head, eyes wide and falling on the darkened shape of Desna. "Des!" The man shouted back, unable to hold back the excitement in his voice. Just like his pups, he had beleived her to have fallen with the rest of the maplewood. It had been another blow that weighed heavy on his conscience -- but he believed in miracles, and this was nothing short of one. Raas had led her here to lead him home.

He could not control his motion now. Taking off toward her in a sprint, the Cardinal buried his face in the scruff of her neck. Tears of joy flowed freely  as he rested his face in her embrace. She was alive. His daughter was alive. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came -- all he could do was hold her close.

Valette was super surprised how Reek reacted, though it was a pleasant one. She liked how he was so happy to see her and it made her very excited too. She let out a soft whine in return and nosed him right back. "Its me!," she let out. It had been a while since she had seen him, and it had been quite complicated too. Now she was more settled, and more confident in herself. It could be seen, she was really turning into a beautiful young lady.

"I was about to see you at your pack's place! What are you doing here?," she asked curiously and still a bit surprised she met Reek in these barren lands. She reminded herself that she should remember Reek to tell her her new name, otherwise he might be confused later.

His tail wagged behind him in a frantic rhythm as he showered his adopted daughter in excited affection. He rooted around with his muzzle through her fur; just happy to have her near enough to touch -- to be tangible. Finally, the man found his voice. "It is," he spoke through a mouthful of fur. It was her. Desna, here in the flesh. 

Thankfully, their timing had met perfectly. If she had waited longer, she would have reached the grotto and Hiram would have been long gone. "I thought you were dead, Des... You and the rest of the Maplewolves. It broke my heart when I heard Sleeping Dragon took the Maplewood. But, when I found out that you relocated, I left the grotto to look for you Des! You and the rest of my children!" He smelled no familiar wolves on her, but in his excitement he thought nothing of it. In his mind, she would always be one of the maplewolves. "Can you take me to them? I don't know where you went after you left the maplewood."

Now the male was explaining that he thought she was dead his reaction made much more sense. The young girl licked him back in return, growing excited with his excitement. She wanted to correct him that this Sleeping Dragon didn't took their lands, or killed them. Yet, frankly Reek knew already that they had just relocated. "You came looking for me?," she let out in awe. Feeling really special in this moment. She had been looking for him too but not with this intensity.

Guilt washed soon over her though. Her head dropped a bit with that horrible feeling. "I lost them," she admitted. "They were relocating, and we were so close to Silvertip mountain were some of my friends were, and well, I went to visit, but when I returned they were gone. I don't know where they went. I was all alone, and left behind. Then the famine hit and so.. I joined Silvertip Mountain," she admitted. She remembered how she didn't want to go to Reek at the time. How it didn't feel right, how disconnected she was until Steady spoke with her. "I'm so sorry Reek. The last place I saw them was Horizon Ridge. So they either could have gone to the beach or South. That would have been their only option, I believe," she spoke. Which might help his path to find them. "If... If you find them will you say sorry? I didn't mean to lose them!"

"Of course I did," he responded without missing a beat. He had not forgotten about Desna, nor would he ever. Her place in his heart was permananly etched. However, he had imagined he would find her along with his children -- like some sort of package deal. Unfortunately, it seemed this would not be the case.

The news she gave him caused his heart to sink. She had been seperated -- the maplewolves were gone with barely a trace. There was, however, a silver lining within the darkness. She gave him a direction, one that matched the description Nova Rose had given him. He was on to something here. She went on to speak of her pack; her new home. It pained Reek to know that she had not picked the grotto, but his heart lifted knowing that she was safe among them. Perhaps he would swing by the mountain on his way back to the grotto.  

Finally, she gave him a simple request; a request to apologize. He had apologies of his own to give, so it would be no problem to add Desna's in the mix. "I will Des," he said. He wondered what exactly he would say when he came face to face with Saena... would she even let him speak? Or would it be easier to take his children back in secrecy?

Valette nodded slowly in thanks when the male promised he would. Instantly there filled a silence. She looked down, unsure where to look. Unsure what to feel. She felt guilty for not coming to him but at the time the wounds of his departure had been too fresh. She had been on her on for awhile, disconnected from the world. Yet she hadn't told him that. Steady brought her back and therefor she had given him her loyalty.

"I--- I do not identify with Desna anymore. It was connected to my father's culture and well my biological father is not really someone I am proud of. I go under the name Valette now. It sounds a bit like my mother's name. To honor her and be the best parts of her without being walked over like wolves did with her," she then spoke to fill up the silence. "You can use it if you like," she mumbled then. Her hazel eyes moving to her father figure and to turn a bit away from the topic that she hadn't come to his pack in time of need. Maybe she would, eventually. And if Reek wanted to know, she would answer him.

Surprisingly, Desna's story had taken a similar turn. Like his old name, Reek; Desna was old hat. A dead name. Buried in favor of something else. The meantion of her mother casued the cardinal's heart to stir. She had been the first and only patient he had truly lost. He had thought so highly of Scarlett. She had been a wonderful friend -- her death pained him to this very day.

"Valette," he said, testing the name on his lips. It would take some getting used to. "It's beautiful." In a way, the spirit of her mother lived on in her -- not just in body, but name. "She would be so proud to see the young woman you've become," he added, feeling the sharp tug of emotion on his heart brought on by the memory of Scarlett's passing. He could only imagine, knowing how proud he was of her.

"I go by a new name too," he said. "They call me Hiram now... after my cleansing." The spirt of Raas had not just given him a new name, but had renewed his spirt. He would try to bring Valette into the fold, to save her soul, but only when she was ready.

Valette listened to Reek, and was almost tearing up with his words. He thought her name was beautiful and that her mother was proud of her. She hoped so. She hoped so badly. The girl quirked up her lips. Touched by the other. She missed her mother, though she was also set free when she died. She had been very attached to her mother and now she had become her own person.

"Hiram," she repeated. "It fits you," she spoke with a smile. "Thank you for saying that Hiram. You will always be a father figure to me. I will try to visit you more often and I hope you find your other children. I would help with looking if not for this mission I have myself," she admitted. She was a very loyal creature, and now she was serving someone else.

She stepped closer and buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry I didn't come to you when I was lost. I was just hurt and very confused," he admitted.

It would have been a pleasure to look for the ex-maplewolves along with Des— Valette, but Hiram understood the necessity of her undertaking. Still, it was good to see her, even if it was simply a product of circumstance. She knew where he lived and he was pleased to know that she would visit. So much so, that he couldn't help but smile.

"My home is your home," he said. "Never hesitate to come visit me there, and maybe soon, I can come visit you." He didn't exactly know where her mountain was, but she could always clarify that later, but he did not press her to explain as she buried her face in his neck. "I've missed you so much," he murmered into her ear.

Of course, he wished she had chosen the grotto -- to live with him, but he understood why she chose otherwise. She had been hurt. "We all were," he reasoned. "We've been thrown through the wringer, but I think things are going to get better." They simply had to.

Valette nodded instantly at Hiram's words. "I will remember that. Currently I am not ready to leave Silvertip yet, but I promise I will visit," she spoke to him. She wanted to see this man more often, she had forgiven him and knew that she had to keep the loved ones she had close to her.

She leaned back into his touch. "I missed you too. You don't get rid of me that easily. I was just a bit emotionally closed off, you know being a teenager and all before. But now I am an adult and well, I matured a lot more," she admitted to him, and quirked up her lips. "I can honestly say that I am doing better."

Valette smiled. "Yes, you should visit me, and then you can see where I live, and meet my alpha Steady. I think you will like him!," she spoke with some excitement. After all, the girl wanted Hiram to meet the wolves she was living with. Maybe she would show him Ezekiel too.....

She was better too. Though she was ignorant in the ways of the Lord (though she wouldn't be for long if Hiram could help it), perhaps Raas had affected her life in the same way He had healed Reek, the broken, despondent man. The Daystar had given him strength and made him new again -- maybe He had done the same to Desna, but in a more subtle fashion. The Lord worked in mysterious ways, far beyond Hiram's worldly comprehension, but the possibility didn't seem too far fetched.

"I'm happy for you Val," spoke the man with pride glimmering in his eye. "I'm happy to see the young woman you've become." She had not crumpled under the weight of loss, but she had been made stronger. 

When she returned the idea of Hiram visiting the mountain, he couldn't help but smile. "So, where exactly is this Silvertip Mountain?" He asked. "You know, so I know where to find you." His trips south beyond the sunspire mountain range had been few and far between, with most of the land lying beneath being uncharted and unknown.

Valette was clueless to the new believes of Hiram, and how he thought a god had changed him. It was different for Valette, or at least she liked to thinks so. Maybe he would change her mind if he would tell her about it. The girl blushed when he called her a young woman, which she was, but it sounded so fatherly coming from his mouth. "Thank you. I try to be the best version of myself, always. I had a low point but I've been doing better. Much better."

The girl instantly responded the smile. "You can't miss it. It is a big mountain with a white tip. One side has a glacier. Do you know where Black tailed Deer Plateau is? It is right next to that, over the sunspire mountain range, the lone mountain after that. Between the firestone hot springs and the sea," she tried to explain as well as she could. "I would love for you to come there," she admitted.

Wanna fade this here? I'd love to have another thread with you sometime soon!

Finally, she gave him the directions he needed. Hiram nodded his head. He knew of Blacktail Deer Plateau -- Saena had taken him there long ago to meet her family. The memory was still fresh in Reek's mind, and with it's recollection it brought him a twinge of pain. He shelved the twist in his heart, locking it away so that it wouldn't show. That chapter of his life was over and that bridge could not be rebuilt.

"I'll come as soon as I can," he said, "but now I have to keep looking for the maple-wolves." Time was of the essence and there was a lot of ground to cover if he was to find his children soon. It pained him to leave Valette here and to draw their meeting to a close so fast, but he knew she would understand as he pulled away and dipped his muzzle downward as if to say goodbye for now.

Yes! He should visit her at Silvertip! She would love that!

Valette nodded. "I won't longer keep you here. In a few weeks I will be back home and you should visit me. Then you have more of a feeling of my new home," she offered. She stepped closer and nosed him. She had to have him close one more time before she stepped aside and let him go. "I will see you around."

She went in the other direction for Reek after all she had to go to the taiga. She needed to keep the mountains to her right side and that meant she had to return. She went in the wrong direction. The girl looked back to see her father figure leave. She knew she would see him again soon.

- end-