Traveling Secrets [ return ]

[kinglykingstone]

DALE COOPER

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

His paws would lead him through the soot stained halls of the Observatory, ash staining his paws as he left a trail of footprints. Where he was heading, he hadn't an idea, the traveler simply began to wander. While his health was clear, his mind was not. He found himself heading for the beach, to his spot with Suite, though his walk there was slow. He walked with a limp, but no new wounds.

The white feline turned, and when she spotted who the steps belonged to, surprise marked her features. "Cooper?" she called, pushing herself upwards. She scurried towards him, meeting him halfway to their moon-watching spot.

"Coop," he said as he came to a stop, not even sparing Suiteheart a glance, "What're you-- Hey." The greeting came out awkward, edged with something like anticipation like he was waiting for a catch. He was. "Why are you all the way out here?"

Margaery attempted to sound as bright and cheery as possible, but even her words betrayed a bit of her inner turmoil. No... Stop... She thought angrily to herself. This was about Cooper. Not her. Never her. "How does it feel to be out and about again? We missed you... A lot."

---

What had happened that night?

Cooper had gotten better, yes. But after that? Nothing. He was gone. With him, had disappeared Diya, the young daughter of Margaery and Suiteheart. Had their disappearances been linked? While that was unknown, it was a fact that Cooper would do anything to protect her. Wherever they were, she was safe with him.

Now, where were they? Let's find out.

---

Agent Dale Cooper felt a whisper brush against his ear, the wind chanting his name like it's life depended on it. The canine lifted his head, jaw clicking as he gave a wide yawn. He felt a pressure against his flank like someone was laying against his side. His hazel eyes blinked open slowly, peering at the fully grown white feline curled against his side. Ah, he must have dozed off with Suiteheart the night before.

He flicked his tail, bumping it against her muzzle to wake up. "Wakey, wakey Suite" yawns the canine, watching as she lifted her head.

"Suiteheart? Momma's here?" The voice that came from the white cat threw Cooper off, causing him to sit up quickly. "Diya?" he asked confusedly, looking down at her. This didn't make sense, last lime he'd seen her, she'd been a kitten? How had she grown, she was the full size of her mother, if not larger.

---

After a lot of freaking out and stressing, the duo had decided to return to the ascendants, discovering later it would be a long trek home.

So here they stood, right at the edge of what had once been their home. They were unsure of whether to plunge in and head through the territory or to wait for someone to approach them. Dale could remember the days when it was the other way around, when he came to greet every joiner that wished to enter their home. The day he met Playerone, his darling little sister. was she around? Was Bast, or Marg? Oh how he hoped his darling Suiteheart was here, he felt an ache in his chest with how he missed her. What about Rin? Roy? Onision?

Anxiety chewed at his stomach and he waited, tail tucked between his legs as he waited. His ascendants necklace still laid around his neck, beads glimmering in the sun; Leo for his zodiac title, Aquarius as well. What had the purple meant? He couldn't remember. His metal pendant sat in the center, clicking against the two rings on his necklace.

((I'm a bit rusty))

© MADI

[Simon F.M.]

DIYA

Diya stood tall next to her unlce, head brushing against his leg. She was unsure as to what was happening still. Was her mother here? Her siblings? Has they missed her, had they looked for her? She wasn't sure, but she knew she wanted to see her family again.

"Uncle Coop, I'm worried. What if they're not here?What if they're angry at us?" asked the snowy feline, looking up at her uncle. He didn't have an answer for her, instead simply wrapping his tail over her back. He could only hope that someone would come along soon; hopefully, someone who knew them.

"Suiteheart? Bastille? Is someone nearby?" The canine would call out, eyes scanning the horizon. Diya lifted a paw to her necklaces, her beaded necklace nearly too tight after all this time, her pendant resting nicely after all this time. She'd finally grown into it as her mother wanted.

[member=2426]Playerone Kennedy[/member] [member=649]Warringkingdoms[/member]

© MADI

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]This time there were not one, but two creatures at the border. Seeing only their vague outlines from afar, Rin would have been willing to guess that they knew each other- visitors rarely stood together if they were strangers. Actually, they looked familiar even to her, but she supposed she had seen enough faces in her lifetime that they would all start to meld together.

  What that didn't explain was their scent, carrying memories of years past directly to the front of her mind- nor the voice of one of them, calling out the names of those long gone.

  Blinking, Rin jogged over to the two, trying to keep her thoughts in check. It was possible she was hallucinating again, or worse, it was possible that this was one of the gods disguising themselves to attack her. Still, she couldn't quite keep the pace of her heart from quickening as she approached, hope threatening to break down her facade.

  Her eyes widened.

  There was no denying the pendants, rusted with age yet still gleaming in the light.

  "...Cooper?" she murmured, even as her head warred with itself, destructive thoughts struggling against constructive thoughts. "Diya?" Speaking their names aloud, the shame and guilt at what had become of her old home slowly melted away, just enough that relief won out. She put up no resistance against the tears collecting in her eyes. Her better sense wanted to scream at her to stop crying, but... Nemhain wouldn't be forced to share in her emotions this time. It was alright, just this once, to let go.

  "Welcome home," Rin said hoarsely, not bothering to hide the crack in her voice. "I'm glad you're both okay."

[kinglykingstone]

DALE COOPER

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

At the sight of a figure approaching, Cooper stood up on his hind legs for a moment to get a better look. Squinting, the canine let out a gasp and dashed forward. He felt his heart race double as he nearly barreled into Warringkingdoms head first. His tail wagged excitedly as he bounded in circles around her, headbutting her shoulder. Tears streamed down his face as he came to a stop next to her, pressing against her side whilst ignoring that he could easily knock her over.

Tears had started to gather in his eyes as he nuzzled up to her, grinning. "Rin, my friend, its so good to see you again" he said, taking a moment to look around, expecting atleast Bast to approach. Hadn't that boy been able to sense auras? Where was he? "Where's the others, Rin?"

He so badly wanted to see everyone, to fill the longing hole in his chest. He was sure Diya would love to see her family as well, to see how she had grown. She was so big now, he couldn't get over the sixe difference.

© MADI

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]At Coop's sudden reaction- almost knocking her over, circling her, joyfully embracing her- it was all Rin could do not to collapse, both physically and mentally. Standing as firmly as she could against his weight, she let him press against her, her tail gently draping across his back. For just a moment, reuniting with a long-lost friend in the midst of the chaos, she could peer into the past without flinching back- think back on the fond memories of time spent together, watching clouds, tending to Margaery and Suite's children, and keeping each other from working themselves sick.

  Then he asked where the others were, and reality washed over her.

  You killed them, she heard the whisper, echoing through the space where the colorful memories had once been.

  "No," she murmured, as though the whisper had come from outside, not from within. Only after the word escaped her mouth did she realize that Coop and Diya were still there, as physical and present as ever. Staggering back, she swallowed, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two Ascendants. Ex-Ascendants, thanks to you. Was she still crying? She could feel the moisture on her cheeks.

  She could confess to her failures all she wanted. No amount of memorials would ever make up for what she'd allowed to happen.

  "I'm sorry." Words, stated bluntly, some facade of calmness slipping onto her face- and melting away just as quickly, the tears flowing in full force. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head. Of course they wanted to see the others. Of course they'd come here just to be disappointed. Useless.

  She didn't even have an excuse to pull herself back from the edge, now that Nemhain was gone.

  "I'm sorry," she choked out, her claws digging into the dirt. "They're gone. It's just- just me and Play, now." Everything had been fine up until this point. Why did she have to fall apart now, when these two were the ones with an actual excuse to break down? One, two, three blades of grass. Her mind counted, counted in some desperate attempt to not lapse again. One, two, three, four Ascendants left.

  Dozens more, gone.

[kinglykingstone]

DALE COOPER

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Panic immedietly began to claw at Dales thoat, his breath becoming quick and panicked. No. NO, there's no way that this could be happening. He couldn't loose them too. Everyone was gone? Wash? Roy? Suite and Marg had been imortally, hadn't they? how could they be gone. He shook his head, looking at Warringkingdoms, tears gathing in his eyes as he lifted a pay to his beaded necklace. "All... all of them are gone...?" he whimpered lowly, shaking his head in disbelief. Like a dam bursting, the tears began to stream down his face, soaking his cheeks. A tiny voice in his head echoed, his own but twisted. "We AlLwAyS eNd Up LiKe ThIs, dOn'T wE?"

He gave a small snarl towards the voice, shaking his head as if that would rid himself of the demons plauging his mind. He took a deep breath to steady himself but that simply brought on another wave of grief.  He found himself stumbling towards Warringkingdoms, aiming to press his head against her to comfort both him and her. "Have you and Play really... been alone all this time? I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you, Rin. I wish i could have been."

© MADI

[Simon F.M.]

DIYA

Diya, compared to Cooper, had a much worse reaction. She found herself frozen, staring holes into the groundas she processed what she had been told. "Gone?" she echoed, tone flat and emotionless. The feline shook her haid, feeling something buring hot fill her chest. "What do you mean gone? They can't be gone"

The snowy lady gave a low a snarl, shaking her head. "This is some joke, right? Where's my Mommas? Take me too them, I'm sure they miss me! They wouldn't leave without me!" she says, her voice rising slightly. Tears have sprung to her face as she crouches, shaking her head back and forth rapidly. "They wouldn't! They wouldn't leave me!"

© MADI

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]Even now, unable to meet his gaze, she could hear the panic and despair in his voice. A low, restrained snarl- aimed at her? No, but it should be. The thought reverberated through her head. Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why did it have to be

  you?

  Gone, she heard repeated. Denial, anger, desperation. All some kind of joke. Her jaws parted in a low wheeze. "They wouldn't leave me-" but they would leave you. Get over it. Were those claws gripping at her fur? Stop crying but she couldn't.

  Warmth, strength, pressed on her frame- holding her up. A simple question, with a complicated answer. An apology, thick with grief. A wish- a regret. Unsteady and yet remaining strong, for a friend's sake. Rin breathed in their scents, familiar in the same sense as holding a childhood stuffed toy, dusty with age but still intact. The past would never return, but at least Cooper and Diya were both alive.

  Pressing back against Coop, gently enough not to knock him over, she took a deep breath, the air sinking into her constricted throat. "'s not your fault," she whispered, enunciating as clearly as she could. "Everything just... all went wrong at once." Swallowing back the sob that threatened to emerge, she shook her head. "'m just glad you're alive."

[Hope Arcanium]

The feline-fox hybrid was getting used to her rediscovered godhood, still unused to having such powerful energies and connections to things she never knew she did. It was like having a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders- like she knew who she truly was now. Sure, she might be in the realm of the gods, but that didn’t make her anymore important than those she shared this planet and life with. They were equals as far as Player was concerned, and the only difference between her and them was this... so-called divinity. Could it even be called that? Perhaps. It had drawn the attention of many, commanding respect and attention as she passed through crowds or approached individuals who did not know her personally. No matter what she did to try and reassure some folks, they still regarded her as some higher power, much to Playerone’s annoyance.

But most of this instilled paranoia to parts of the population, causing her to feel alienated by her own group. She heard whispers from group mates as they spoke of her possibly being a spy for the gods Rin was fighting. It made her blood boil, and her loneliness kick back in full-gear, just like the time she first joined the Ascendants.

The Ascendants...

Her senses alerted her to a very familiar scent, and the fur on the back of her neck stood up, the scales on her draconic wings following suit as she cautiously approached. This could very well be a trick of one of the cruel gods they had been waging wars against, and she had been on her guard constantly ever since. Elysium’s safety was her number one priority right now.

But that smell... could it be? The hybrid’s fiery god aura burst from her body, the surge of energy overwhelming her, urging her forward towards the source. The intense nature of her soul reflected in the bright red, fiery flames that surrounded the feline-fox’s body as she felt like a passenger in her own body, sprinting now towards the forms of two painfully familiar faces.

“COOPER! DIYA!” The desperate wails left her throat without her thinking, and she aimed to throw her body into Cooper’s, going for a tight hug. Tears streamed down Playerone’s face, joy overwhelming all other senses of caution and potential danger. Please, please let me have this moment of happiness without it ending in ruin... Cooper, Diya, I’ve missed you so, so very much. She pleaded quietly in her mind.

“Stars above, I’ve missed both of you... so much...” If she had succeeded in a hug, she would try to hold them tighter, wrapping her big dragon wings around them. “Please... tell me this is real... don’t let this be another dream... please...” Lately dreams and reality had been blending together for the hybrid when it came to remembering the Ascendants- she missed them so much. She relived the memories in her dreams so vividly, that when she woke up, sometimes she was convinced that they were all still alive and everything was the way it had used to be, until the illusion was broken by the cold hard reality that she and Rin were the last remaining Ascendants.

Until now.

“I’m so... so s-sorry, Coop... Diya... please forgive me...” Why was she apologizing? There was no reason to, but there she was, doing so anyways. It was just a part of her nature, and subconsciously, perhaps it had been survivor’s guilt? She couldn’t think right now- there were so many emotions racing through her that the intensity of her godly aura increased by the second, so grateful these two were alive. So grateful to see their faces again.

//powers used right now; Fire elementals(aesthetic, not harmful), mutations(glow, dragon wings).

[kinglykingstone]

DALE COOPER

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cooper rested his muzzle atop Rin's head, taking a moment to process what he had been told. Quietly, he moved his head next to her ear and spoke. "It's not your fault either, Rin. I can tell you blame yourself but, I can't promise it's not your fault." He could feel her aura, cracked with sharp pins of pain, tearing his heart to pieces as he wished only to comfort his dear friend. "No matter what happens, you'll never be alone again, I swear." A few tears dripped off his face onto her as he held her close.

As he sat there, in tune with his clairvoyance, he felt something strong ram its aura into his head, causing him to physically flinch, looking around to find the source. When he saw what appeared to be a fireball racing towards them, fear constricted heart but, he allowed the aura to wash over him, taking it in.

Was that? It had to be. Despite its power, he'd recognize it anywhere. "PLAYERONE!"

The canine was off in a second, barreling towards her at top speeds, aiming to knock her over, and send them tumbling, grappling onto her the best he can. If succesful, he would repeatedly headbutt his younger sister, tears of pure joy streaming down his face. "It's really me little play, I promise," he would say as he continued to attempt to get as close to her as possible, like he thought that would keep her from ever leaving.

© MADI