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+---- Thread: went to hell and back again -- return + new people (/showthread.php?tid=8150)
went to hell and back again -- return + new people - Warringkingdoms - 11-22-2018
/tl;dr: everything after the HR line, the stuff before it is backstory
/even shorter tl;dr: last two paragraphs
She smelled rain on the horizon.
Rain was supposed to be cleansing. Heavens knew she needed cleansing; she was tired from her travels, dust seemed to cling to her fur no matter where she went, and she still was no closer to the truth. Yet, in this fall weather, she had to wonder if her body could take the cold temperatures that the rain brought with it. She wasn't getting any younger.
She wondered, in the back of her mind, how she had come to perceive herself as old. She was only about three and a half years old, and most wild cats could get to be eight, even nine years, if she recalled correctly. She wasn't even middle-aged, really, but she felt as though she had already lived for several lifetimes.
Was it just what she had gone through with Starrynight, and Suiteheart, and Margaery? Losing so many people in the span of a few months would age anyone a few years ahead of schedule, especially when your job was to save people.
Yet, she got the feeling that that wasn't the whole story. There had to be something else to it, probably something from her past that she had forgotten.
Whatever it was, she had to know. Ugly as the truth almost certainly was, she couldn't go on living a lie. The people from her past life depended on it.
She had to keep walking, until something familiar showed up. It had been more than a month since she had set off in this direction, and she had essentially been continuously walking for most of that period. Surely she would find something soon enough.
She was tired, though. The feeling of exhaustion setting within her bones was disturbingly familiar. She was beginning to reek of decay and death. How much longer could she go on?
In a trance, she paid little mind to the rain deluging the land, soaking her thoroughly until not even a cubic inch of her frame was dry. If she started thinking about it too hard, she might physically break down. She just had to focus her mind on the past, reach into the fog...
...and come out on the other side.
The soft sound of plucking strings and crackling flame, in contrast to the roaring water of just a few seconds before, caught her attention. She opened her eyes.
The world around her was big. In the courtyard, surrounding a bonfire as proud as the gods themselves, were people. All but one of them were taller than she was, but the sight did not threaten her.
More startling was the fact that they were all talking, laughing, singing- smiling. The sense of euphoria surrounding them almost swept her off her feet.
She absorbed it all.
The one shorter than she was, a munchkin, sat before a quartet of children and spoke. Their violet eyes entranced her almost as much as their words, stories of families and friends from long past. They spoke of sorrow, but also of hope, in a manner suggesting that they had had copious experiences with both. The patchwork-laced child and the yellow-furred child occasionally interrupted to ask questions, while the other two remained silent, watching politely.
Standing almost directly in front of the fire were a group of apprentices. A pink feline rapidly rattled off historical facts as though talking about the events of the latest comic book, clearly very emotionally invested, as two canines watched. The mottled canine was clearly trying not to laugh, while the black lab beside her watched earnestly, absorbing every last detail about the Choshu domain's rebellion. A few feet away, with exasperatedly-amused expressions, sat a wolf wearing a bandana and a fox with a metal leg.
Against the railing, a tortoiseshell and a gray wolf chatted softly, their words difficult to make out. The way they leaned against each other, though, gazing up at the starlit skies, she figured what they had to say to each other was none of her business.
Then she stumbled across the source of the music- and all at once, the wall of sound hit her.
A duet of ukulele strings and guitar chords, in perfect harmony, gently flowing from the motions of their players- a seal lynx point and a blonde wolf. She stared, breathlessly, watching their nimble movements in time with one another. By the wolf's side, two servals sang along to the music, their voices warm and sincere. By the feline's side, another wolf, wings stretching from his back, danced along.
Five people she would never have expected to see getting along ever again, and yet here they were, as though nothing had happened between them. As though there had been no betrayal, no heartbreak, no complete and utter loss of hope.
"Hey," came a soft whisper behind her, drawing her gaze away from the performance and towards the speaker. Their eyes met, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. There was no mistaking the whiskey-colored hue in the other girl's eyes.
The other girl smiled.
"I guess the stars led you back home."
Home, a place she hadn't been in so long, and now it was right in front of her. She couldn't hold back tears anymore, surging forward to embrace her-
-and running face-first into a wall, the metal surface cold and slick with rain.
Lurching back, Rin whipped her head around, desperately searching for the scene that had been right before her eyes just a minute ago. She knew- no, remembered- that it had been real, but all she could see now was the pouring rain and scorched rubble for miles around.
She spoke, plaintively, as if a whisper alone could reawaken them.
There was no response but the drumming of water on the pavement. Not even a whistle of the wind indicated the presence of the ghosts from before. Of course, they had left long ago. They cared not for any pleas she had made in the past, why would they start caring now?
She let the tears fall willingly this time, her infuriated, anguished cries echoing to the starless skies above. No one was there to observe. The gods and the mortals alike had ceased to find amusement in her failures.
[font=trebuchet ms]The colors of autumn had muted, death extending greedily across the landscape.
It was natural for the world to decay around this time of year, but she was only beginning to grasp how fleeting the natural order of things was. The outlier was not her fallen family in their short-lived existence, but herself in her inexplicable longevity. Misfortune was the rule, not the exception.
She could not explain, then, why she now had a band of small children following her.
There was no wisdom in her decision to take them in. The reasonable thing to do would have been to drop them off at the nearest clan, where they would have a safe place to live, and then leave society entirely. Nothing good could come from their being around her, for them or for herself.
Yet, she could not shake the thought that if she would not be there for them, then no one would. They had already lost their parents, and had no place to go. Even if she did leave them with another clan, who was to say that that clan wouldn't be destroyed, or that they would be safe from abandonment and betrayal? She only knew one person who she could trust to be completely loyal, to keep coming back even despite death or despair, to never give up on protecting their family- and that person was, ironically, herself.
For all the pain they might suffer while around her, having even just one person there who wouldn't betray or leave them might help them to turn out differently than she had.
So, they were going back to the Ascendants, and she would not look back at her old home. There was nothing left for her there.
The strong scent at the borders was relieving in a way she could not describe, as was the sight of the observatory standing strong in the distance. At least something had stayed intact despite the chaos. Stopping a few feet away from the border, Rin glanced behind her and silently counted heads.
All of them were there- she hadn't lost any. With a soft sigh, she said, "We're here. Everyone feeling okay?" Once they got inside, she could inspect them more closely, but for now food and shelter were higher priorities.
[member=2926]miyuki[/member] [member=163]array[/member]
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - array - 11-22-2018
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - calliope - 11-23-2018
❅ The girl didn't enjoy thinking about her parents, as much as she loved them. Spending days upon days waiting for them, and spending the weeks that she was on her own obsessing over what-ifs on what happened to them. Did they abandon her? Were they dead? Was it her fault? It was hard to take care of herself, considering her condition, but Miu managed somehow. A month or so of self-doubt and fending for herself later, Miu had come across Rin.
Now, she wasn't one to trust strangers in the slightest. Miu knew that people were one of the world's many dangers, and in fact, she wasn't willing to take any risks. Though, things changed when she met Rin. Something about her reminded Miu so much of her own mother, to the point that she couldn't help but feel comforted about her presence. Despite the skepticism she would've had with anyone else, she decided to go along with Rin and the other girl she was taking care of to an unknown destination.
Still, Miu would be lying if she said that she wasn't scared. Her life was going to change drastically yet again, possibly making it completely unrecognizable. At least, for once, she wasn't alone. The other stranger, while having a different experience then her, was on the same boat. They were going through this uncertain future together, something Miu could find a slight bit of comfort in.
The girl let out a tiny sigh of relief upon realizing that they were finally there, eyes shifting towards the auras of the two strangers for a second before looking away, eyes trained off into her unseeable surroundings. "Ah, yeah. I'm fine," she mumbled quietly. The girl could tell that there were others around, whether it be through the scent or the occasional flicker of someone's aura in the distance, being a tiny flicker of color and clarity in her completely fogged vision. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, exhaustion hitting her like a brick wall. "I'm... really tired, though," she added. Everyone else probably felt the same way, she figured.
Now, she wasn't one to trust strangers in the slightest. Miu knew that people were one of the world's many dangers, and in fact, she wasn't willing to take any risks. Though, things changed when she met Rin. Something about her reminded Miu so much of her own mother, to the point that she couldn't help but feel comforted about her presence. Despite the skepticism she would've had with anyone else, she decided to go along with Rin and the other girl she was taking care of to an unknown destination.
Still, Miu would be lying if she said that she wasn't scared. Her life was going to change drastically yet again, possibly making it completely unrecognizable. At least, for once, she wasn't alone. The other stranger, while having a different experience then her, was on the same boat. They were going through this uncertain future together, something Miu could find a slight bit of comfort in.
The girl let out a tiny sigh of relief upon realizing that they were finally there, eyes shifting towards the auras of the two strangers for a second before looking away, eyes trained off into her unseeable surroundings. "Ah, yeah. I'm fine," she mumbled quietly. The girl could tell that there were others around, whether it be through the scent or the occasional flicker of someone's aura in the distance, being a tiny flicker of color and clarity in her completely fogged vision. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, exhaustion hitting her like a brick wall. "I'm... really tired, though," she added. Everyone else probably felt the same way, she figured.
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - ATTICUS - 11-23-2018
▹▹▹▹ It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that these people weren't okay,at least in the standard definition of the word. It was completely possible that whatever they had been facing before this was far worse than it is now, making their exhaustion and the pain they carried in their eyes minuscule in comparison, but who, truly, was to say? From a glance, their expressions and their tired bodies said enough for Kit to quietly step forward once he caught traces of their voices, the large jaguar quietly pausing before them as his steely golden gaze drifted over them. There was fear held with some of them, and yet a striking sense of familiarity in Rin, as well, who seemed less cautious, less worn to approach this place- or perhaps return to this place? Atticus would have no memory of her, yet the Cosmic General only took to quietly sinking back on his haunches, his deep voice softening considerably as his spoke, a sharp contrast to the stoicness of his expressions. "Welcome to the Ascendants," he offered, first and foremost as his gaze still drifted. What a strange group of people that had gathered. One that seemed apprehensive, another that was calculating all the little details around her, and the third who simply seemed... Tired.
"My name is Atticus; I am the Cosmic General of the Ascendants. I assume your business is to seek shelter, but I would also ask for your names," he continued idly, not wanting to keep them waiting on the border too long if that were the case. For one, they accepted most anyone who showed up at theborder,especiallyinsuch conditions, but one could never be certain of someone's intentsions. It was strictly business, yet Kit could hardly bring himself to fathom that these people, with how exhausted they looked, would bring them any harm. "And where you've come from," he would add after a moment of thought.
"My name is Atticus; I am the Cosmic General of the Ascendants. I assume your business is to seek shelter, but I would also ask for your names," he continued idly, not wanting to keep them waiting on the border too long if that were the case. For one, they accepted most anyone who showed up at theborder,especiallyinsuch conditions, but one could never be certain of someone's intentsions. It was strictly business, yet Kit could hardly bring himself to fathom that these people, with how exhausted they looked, would bring them any harm. "And where you've come from," he would add after a moment of thought.
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - Warringkingdoms - 11-23-2018
[font=trebuchet ms]Adelaine would have had a fair point. "Okay" was vague, hard to define, and could only apply to them now in the loosest of senses. They were alive, and all their limbs were attached, but they definitely needed medical help as soon as they could get it- which Rin could provide, but only once she had herbs.
Still, once you got used to functioning on the bare minimum of motivation, help, nutrition, or whatever else, you started to forget what "okay" felt like before that.
Miyuki was more upfront, though Rin doubted that Adelaine's simpler answer meant she was doing any better. Their worlds had fallen apart around them, they were both understandably terrified, they really had no reason to trust her... they needed food, water, sleep, medical treatment, and so many other things that the Ascendants could provide, but only once they got there safely. Sure, they were at the border, but how long until someone came by to let them in?
Rin opened her mouth to speak, when she noticed someone coming up to them- someone she didn't recognize, but she could tell from their scent that they belonged here. They would be able to help.
At his question, she nodded. "I'm Rin," she answered, then gestured to the two children, "Adelaine, Miyuki. Long story, but yeah, we're here for shelter." Taking a deep breath, and nearly shuddering at the frigid air, she added, "Used to be a cleric here. I can treat their injuries, just need herbs- and food." No reason not to be short and to the point as much as possible, given the weather.
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - array - 11-23-2018
Re: went to hell and back again -- return + new people - ATTICUS - 11-23-2018
▹▹▹▹ Atticus was not blind to the exhaustion upon their faces, dipping heir head softly as their names were given, no surprise lighting upon her face to learn that the woman had been a part of the Ascendants once before. At the very least, there was no denying they could use another cleric or two on board, and she seemed familiar enough with the doings of the clan, or at the very least clan-life, that he dismissed any other notions. He would not, at the very least, keep them standing at the border, cold and ready to drop right where they stood. "Then I should welcome you back," he murmured gently, eyeing the younger two of the trio for a moment before he dipped his head a little lower to meet their gazes. "Just a little further, if you can manage it," it was not said in a patronizing manner either, more a straightforward notion as he rose up to his paws. He'd carry them, if he must, but that was the last resort for all of them. The wind blew gently on his fur, his ear flicking at the change in temperature as he turned upon his paws to begin to lead the way back. Winter was fast approaching, it seemed. "Let us return to the observatory. There, you will have the food and shelter that you need. If you plan to stay more permanently, that can also be arranged."
/rusheedd sorry
/rusheedd sorry