Ouroboros Spine auma ↝

set for tomorrow morning <3

she had not sought raimo out this time. in one evening she had lost her dignity and in the other she had lost meerkat; she thought long about that as well, finally stirring herself at first light and lifting from the ulaq. today she would run from it all; as the horizon turned to watercolors, kukutux approached the borders.

firefly stayed away from moonglow, upon the edges. this she hated with all her heart, but caught in her own silken threads, kukutux felt she had been quite selfish. perhaps they meant it in a show of respect, but they were her clan also. they had all lost pieces of the same world.

she searched for the trail of @Antares, eventually hobbling to a seat so she might rest her ankle and watch breathlessly at the sun rose.

His trail had led the alpha of the glow true. Not far from where she eased to a sit, Antares had fashioned his own lookout spot when the night was too restless. Sleep had run from him early, and it had urged him off into his own company, away from other fireflies--but seemingly now into Kukutux's as dawn warmed the skies. Likely, it was high time she find him from the shadows of her claim.

It had been sight of her approach that had caught his eye first, of course, though it was the pause that left him to wonder. The jaded Ostrega was slow to move forward on his own volition, but he did on quiet steps to appear in what would be her path. Antares dipped his dark muzzle to greet, his ears angling back, and posture subtly enough deferential.

her mind spun with a myriad thoughts, and none of them organized. names. silent plans. fear for the future of this place that she had built. but all was pushed away as she beheld antares at last, and her eyes filled with pain and with love for him, her sister's son. she gestured him closer with her muzzle, and when he had presumably come up, meant to reach softly to him.

"it is good to see your face, nuak." and that was all that must be said. kukutux was happy now only to exist beside the ostrega who must be nursed back to himself, silent unless antares spoke, and content even if he did not.

Antares sniffed carefully, subtly, and moved near on his ginger steps. To set aside the bone-deep aches was needing extra care, he realized as he peered back at his aunt, hawkish, but curious of why she had come out this way. Recent observations left him to suspect this was not typically the case.. so he could only attempt to draw his own conclusions.

As for his face, he glanced away briefly and felt his eyes narrow at the thought of his own appearances as of late. Such a far cry from his best they were.. Mm, I know I have been scarce, he admitted in a low tone, ears cupped back apologetically. It was easier for him in a small circle, now especially; he never intended it as a slight, but would have to agree. It's good to be with familiar faces, and see them walk among the living too still, though a sorrow loomed. Are you looking for something? Antares asked outright, settling back to her, hoping to pull interest that way as a whole.

kukutux shook her head. "i only meant to see you, and to offer you healing if it is needed." lane was among them; she knew of the other's background in leafwork. but more healers were better than none at all; here perhaps now between moonglow and firefly were three. the duck did not ask if antares had made a decision. this would be decided between he and bronco, she suspected.

"spring comes. the land grows warm." small, useless talk. but he had seen much and travelled far. kukutux believed antares needed better things now. she balanced her desire to fuss over him with her awareness that he was no child, and so only sat close. demure. "soon i will be able to hunt again," she laughed gently, lifting up the ankle that had still had mending before it.

So she had come for him, it seemed. Not that he was any more equipped to handle that knowledge, still harboring his uneasiness deep down. He had still failed to find her son, or husband, on those crumbling slopes and it made him guilty in front of her offerings. Antares shifted subtly. Healing? I don't know. Everything is still sore, needs time, he thought. And.. sleep, he sighed quieter, wanting for the vast, dreamless dark, and to feel infinite in its embrace.

But he picked up his ears, steadier then on a subject away from himself. Spring. The seasons stopped for no strife of his after all and without thinking about it, he drew a slow breath. The days were not so bitter. Subtle hints of returning greenery, the earliest buds on certain trees. It comes at a good time, he breathed, almost grimacing, before his glance went to her ankle. The spring, and her healing. He did look forward to the plentiful hunts again, not the absence of Atlas and Osiris there at his side.

the seasons gave down their change, and so had each of their worlds shifted, as well as the one they shared. she did not set her gaze toward moonspear; she held against that urge each day in hope that one day it would cease to plague her. something in antares' voice worried the duck, but she did not know how to mother him; did not think he wished to be mothered. 

she was not sure if asking him to remain here would open wounds within him; she wished to assure the ostrega that he was within the bonds of family here, but this was already known. "i have begun to collect green leaves as they sprout. i will be able to create a medicine for you. it will settle your ache and help you to sleep."

He went quiet, then, debating between brushing off her attentions to his hurts--suggesting use of such fresh greens go elsewhere, not to him, but he simply simmered in this inner conflict. Maybe she did know something to bring peace; she had brought this together seemingly well enough despite her own pains physical and mental, after all. Ultimately, it was best for him to accept, though he didn't know how to gracefully. Thanks, came his small, stilted reply, beneath a navy glance away. Laine was tending to some stores in the Glen, but.. this time of year, I think it was sparse, he mentioned; maybe such a mix may interest her, who knew.. he was doing his part to keep focus off him.

Which, he would go on to press that matter away more. Thinking of her injured ankle had the cogs turning in this direction, so he wouldn't withhold his question. He did not have his parents to go to for answers when the world troubled him so, so the last aunt he knew of would find his wondering. How were you able to make it off the mountain? he asked slowly, gauging the topic before pressing on to his own piece: From the glen, I saw the.. the flash, the star? Then after enough was obvious, I went to the mountain to search, which she knew the rest of that, even if his entire recollections got hazy in all of the panic. The perspective of the other glen wolves had been one thing, but from the Spear? He didn't know. But we all know how that panned out, he exhaled, more keen to listen than explain, frankly.

"i had met lane, before," she said softly. "she is welcome to discuss the things that are growing with sialuk and i at any time." in another life she would have seen the wandering firefly as apt match for him; but he had not been interested, and now so much had gone on that it was simply not something within her mind at this time. they must first heal, all of them. 

the inquiry posed pained her, though she tried not to show this as she took up the words to answer. "i remember the light. after that, all is black. i woke nearby; i was hurt. arcturus found me there and brought me to this place. i do not know who guided my steps after that, only that when i opened my eyes, sialuk had come down from the mountain."

he had spent many long days searching upon the ruined stone side of moonspear; had he heard her songs? the duck made no mention of them now. "i chose this land to stay because it is close to where we once lived," she added affectionately, though the edge of it was silver with a grief she did not want to show to antares. for him, she wanted to have strength.

Good, he realized, that Melaine already knew her. Very readily, he wanted her to have the chance to talk plants, knowing how sharp on the subject she already was. He would gladly see her hone it further but that was only half of his consideration. A part of him, one torn, sought to see the fireflies have a chance at comfort here.

But, he listened carefully. His eyes definitely narrowed when Arcturus was mentioned, and head tilting after--a surprise addition to the story, having guided her here evidently. Arcturus found you? he frowned. Where did he go after..? he had to ask even if she wouldn't know. Antares had not made the connection between the southern wolves that had found him and his uncle yet either, but now in the midst of piecing together her experience (stinging himself to recollect it at all), he had to pick and choose what to zero in on exactly. At least hers had ended in something.. better. Sialuk had come too. Not Saviguk, though.

For a heavy moment, he was silent then with only a small nod to suggest he had any thought. It was close. No denying that. He wondered if she was okay with that, looking at her and feeling pensive. Antares wasn't sure if he was, though the realization unnerved him deeply. I used to find strength in the shade of the mountain, but now.. I don't know. he mentioned quietly, while he had already supposed it could only need more time to heal. And the glen is full of ghosts, even before it got worse.. he sighed, still coming to terms with this, and what he was meant to do with the feeling besides attempt to cope.

kukutux had not forgotten the strife that arcuturus had brought to moonspear, but she did not think she had misstepped in her mention of him to antares. it was her determination to preserve him as an ostrega that led to such. "he returned to wraen," she said plainly. it did not matter to her that he had not stayed; he had come for her and that alone was the importance.

the duck looked toward moonspear, a knowing nod curving her muzzle back toward the darkfurred firefly who wore the eyes of his mother. the glacier held the body of the grey trader, whom she did not mention. he had lost enough not to be further haunted by talk of the dead. "i think i am comforted to know that i am so close to what was," kukutux ventured. "i live in their land. i live in their shadow. they are with me." and with you, but she did not add  this. aware, always, that she was alone in her ways save for sialuk. and now, moonglow.

"have you ever been to yuelong? meerkat says to me that it is full of sun. that it is a good place to find peace."

His aunt did have an answer about his dark-furred uncle, the one who had willingly turned away from them early enough on in Antares life for him to have moved on. It was easy to consider asking for more but Wraen alone further soured his thought on the situation, one he did not want to waste his time looking at now. Arcturus had not played a role in his life in a long time so no point in starting now, but it was a note to keep for later that he did still patrol these haunted valleys somewhere.. to some degree.

But, in his quiet way, he was thankful she did not fault him for his admission, instead confirming her own outlook--a sound one, he could appreciate.. to honor what was once great near, where they had come to be. As much as he hated to say it, his own felt like needing to flee from something looming over his shoulder, or simply giving up. But maybe it was all too fresh still, and too much of his life evidently left to live. Yeah, it's.. he sighed slowly through his nose, eyes squeezing shut. Hard. but it was not all he should say, when it had been nearly his everything. She steered his focus towards the island pack before his spiral slipped further. But, ah, no. I have never been. he softly shook his head, answer more stilted than he liked when he wondered where such a peace may be for him.

there was no small use of empty words that could hide the great rift that had opened around them with the destruction of moonspear, the way that ruin had also come to the firefly glen. kukutux could not keep the knowing sorrow from her jadestone eyes; antares struggled before her very eyes to hold himself together, to not come unstitched. it was more than bruises and sickness that bound him in moonglow; it was moonspear, shouting from beyond the grave.

an involuntary shiver touched the woman's shoulders. kukutux wished to offer him a home in her land, a position. but the ostrega-man would only demurely accept, polite even as he sank beneath the stricken pain of such a great loss. the boy's aunt was silent a time, and then lifted her own gaze in the direction of the glacier. "i have seen marks of hooves in the snow and in the mud. i do not know the name of this form," she said, for she had forgotten the common word 'elk.' perhaps the prospect of a hunt might cheer antares, something to consider while he healed.

Unease had begun to build again, until he forced an exhale, heavier than he meant it but that seemed true to his fine edge. Even in the silence, he did not want its weight pulling so badly. Antares could only hope to find a good midway between despondent and a flight instinct wanting to kick in. Yeah? he asked with a tilted head, venturing past his sorrows towards a simple thought. Just hoofprints in the snow, leading towards a chance at a meal. A sizable one, most likely. His side ached at the idea for now but time would help, he hoped.

I met one of your hunters already, he mused quietly, trying viciously to follow the lead she tried to set for him and get past all the rest. What did Adrastus think of a prospect? Had he scoped the herd already perhaps? Of strange new faces here, he had seemed one of the warmest towards the fireflies that remained; Antares had not missed that, but he knew they were a respectable little lot so rightly so, all oddly near to his heart even through everything. One day they may hunt alongside Moonglow in proper, due thanks.

kukutux wondered silently who it might have been. antares' use of the phrase 'her hunter' unsettled the duck in a way she had not expected. in some manner, she still had not become accustomed to being moon of her own land. "adrastus, perhaps," she mused aloud, flicking green gaze toward her nephew. "he is the great white bear."

she did not believe raimo would have come to see the fireflies. he did not care for their presence here, and had remained reticent within moonglow itself. "he often hunts along the spine of moonglow, and looks to add others who might hunt to his party." a gentle hint. antares did not seem ready to rejoin the place of living wolves yet.

Adrastus, indeed, Antares gestured with a tip of his muzzle. Great white bear suited him, too, though ultimately the Ostrega found his company well--and understood why he may come to glean real respect in Moonglow. He has been very welcoming, he noted, to all the fireflies. Perhaps he saw their strength still, despite everything, and her mention of his recruiting to his hunters was not missed; he faltered, hopefully inwardly, at the idea. Pushed away, and pulled closer simultaneously.

He might be ready soon, he hoped. It was a fanciful thought and he wished that he might have more to give her now. More than mournful company with a wary look on. Tell me more about others that have joined you here..? he pressed for lightly, still keeping focus off him if he could help it.

welcoming. yes. she would also describe adrastus so. "raimo, shadowhunter. he helped to build this place. he is strong. and there is lótë. she knows similar ways to me and to sialuk. zane, zane is also ostrega," she told antares softly. but he had not been a part of hydra, and for now, that was what held the most importance.

"norah was with us a short time. she went to seek her own way. meerkat and she helped us also to make moonglow." a soft silence, falling like new snow between them. "they have become very loved to me."

Kukutux humored his request, perfectly concise yet personal in doing so. He could vaguely align some faces to names with this, and it filled in blanks his own observations so far could not see. To hear, also, that an Ostrega had come to find them (now, of all times) was also interesting--suggested by the small tilt to his head, though well-aware of their vast span of a family tree, generally enough. Norah was only faintly familiar, and of course Meerkat went without saying. There, he had to hang on the words beneath a soft sigh: they have become very loved to me. He thought again of his own fireflies, how everything had gone in the last few months. How losing them hurt so badly.

Good, he murmured, a hint of tiredness weighing more, not helped by the gratitude towards them that he did not know how to express. Moonglow made this out of such disastrous times, and were here to help give them this soft landing they needed. He knew she would deflect it, but he felt he owed them.. something. It was his last shred of anything now, as bitter a realization it truly was. I feel the same.. about the fireflies, the dark son added lowly, pondering how they warmed his heart in such unexpected ways. After losing Osiris and Atlas, this seemed.. magnified. I'm thankful, he said quietly.

antares bore exhaustion, surely. kukutux opted to hear it in the way his words were fading, in the tone of his manly, careful voice. he must be alone now, to think and to rest. to dream.

to heal.

"i will ask lótë to bring the medicine," the duck said softly. "in this place, we share thanks together." if allowed, the boy's pale aunt would reach her crown to brush his shoulder, gathering up into her hobbled stance. "i will come again."

kukutux would wait for the thing he might say back before continuing on. she did not mean to be so abrupt, but suddenly felt the crumbling of a swift and poignant grief inside her gut, to feel his sorrow upon the weight of her own. yet the jadestone eyes were soft as she watched antares.

It all sat heavy on his tongue, and made his neck feel tight. He was quiet and his eyes burned faintly, he realized as he blinked slowly. Kukutux's words continued to give him something to tether to, grounding him enough to still nod slowly. He was torn between sensations, and ultimately, tired. The idea of true rest was tempting.

He thought to answer, to say something, but he only managed a murmur that sounded more like a grunt before she would be on her way. Antares would keep the mention of this.. medicine for the newest distraction, and remember that there was still more to see. He stayed, for now, trying to muster the right answers--and to feel them for himself, too.