Together, we are so alone
Aranea
02-27-2021, 03:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-27-2021, 03:43 PM by Ulric.)
The early evening sky overhead was rich with oranges and reds as the day began to draw to a close just as he was finishing up his last patrol of the day. Their new home was slightly easier to patrol since there was far less slopes and hills to deal with and there was no river to cross, but it was more spread out and made the patrol longer over all so he supposed there was a trade off between the two. At least the weather here was much more mild than the winter that Boreas was weathering this year. At this point he was willing to accept any small blessings he noticed and try to find some kind of joy in them.
He reached the center of the Starlit Plains on his way back to the castle and paused, turning to look back toward the sunset behind him. His pups would be expecting him back before they went to sleep so he couldn't linger here long, but it was still nice to take the small moment of silence as he watched the sun continue to set. Eventually he resigned himself to staying here long enough to see the brilliant stars that always put on such a show out here and settled onto his haunches to wait, rolling his shoulders as he tried to relax with a heavy sigh.
His trip to the Lazuli Falls had helped in the end and he felt less weighed down by his own grief, but the gap he felt in his life was still undeniable. After spending so much of his life alone, having someone to share it with had been a welcome change. He didn't want to admit it, but he was lonely with Azariah gone. At the same time, thinking of filling that hole was still far too painful. It put him into a situation with no real solution and felt like a nagging thorn in his side.
With a slight shake of his head, he pushed the conflicting thoughts out of his mind tried instead to focus on the shifting, slowly darkening colors of the sky in front of him.
02-27-2021, 05:48 PM
Aranea still hadn't found the time to to become social around the pack. She was more worried about other things, like her family back home in Boreas. She still tried her best to pull her weight by gathering herbs and catching what small prey she could. She definitely didn't want to let Resin and her pack down. It was important for her to find and know her place in the pack, and she wasn't willing to just throw in the towel and give up. Of course there was always her family back in Abaven to fall back on, even if Theory didn't have room inside the pack to house her.
She was on her way back from scouting around the territories for herbs, but it seemed some others had the idea of coming to Auster in search of resources. So when she came across some of the local herbs nearby, she would just leave them be. It was at least good to know where they were hiding if anything else.
The sun was setting off the coast, which was just off the other side of the castle, the plains darkening under it's shadow but the silhouette was always breathtaking no matter how many times she laid eyes on it. She took a moment to admire, and just as she relaxed to start her short journey back to her room inside the castle, she would notice that a pack member had the same idea. Or perhaps, his thoughts drifting as he saw the sun setting. It was a scene to make deeper thoughts cross any mind.
She gently went to approach him, if anything just offering to take the walk back home together. It would be more strange to ignore the friendly company of her pack mate than to offer her own. With tiny steps towards the monstrous man, she wouldn't hinder him as threatening. Maybe just a year ago she would have, but not anymore inside the protection of the pack. Her nose reached out in greeting, though she could feel the hidden, or maybe not so hidden harsh feelings that dwelled inside him. The news of Azariah and one of the children wasn't something loud amongst the pack, but it was heard. "Ulric," She spoke as if she didn't really know him because she didn't only his name from Tamsyn and the occasional passing by she noticed. Aranea was quite observant while quiet, but she wanted to change her silence to make her friendliness and welcoming known. "We haven't properly met, I'm Aranea." She wouldn't go forward to the castle until he was ready himself, though she didn't intend to stay out in the plain all night. "Are you fairing well?" Her questioning about the abandonment by his mate she tried to keep hidden and only wanted to ask generally, all out of the kindness of her heart. But if he could sense the slight uneven tone in her voice, she could only hope it wasn't offensive to the man who may have wanted to stay and look as strong and independent as he still appeared to be.