Unfortunately, Zephyros was stuck to her like glue. Just the sight of the black and white brute made Star's skin crawl. He'd violated her in more ways than one and, despite sharing distant blood and being a member of her family, the mid-sized Dunamis found herself hating him. That was why she was so eager to get back home to the rest of the family. Zephyros wouldn't dare do anything unsavory while Erebos was around and they both knew it. Hell, even Enyo would come to her rescue if she knew what had been done to the much smaller woman. That wasn't Star's way, however. She was too proud to whine. Too proud to tattle. Though her blood was thinner, she still very much had that Dunamis ego.

Coming up from Auster, one had to traverse the land bridge between continents. The lower continent seemed to sit closer to the water and so Boreas appeared to be lifted up. As she traveled, completely ignoring her clinging shadow, Starchild kept her gaze locked on the horizon. Faller's Fjord rose up into her line of sight and she made her way towards it. Having such a landmark to work with kept one on track. One had to have at least a modicum of knowledge on the landscape, however.

Because Star had crossed through the Fjord to get to the land bridge that took her to Auster, she knew to look for it upon her return. One without such familiarity with the regiion might walk towards the pine covered cliffs, but would they even know what they were walking towards? This was all part of being a navigator, a traveler. You had to have a strong grasp of your surroundings to tread the path of least resistance.

Star kept her focus on the path ahead. Every step forward put more distance between her and the things she’d rather forget, and right now, that included the black and white brute sticking close behind. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was there, his heavy steps and random grumbling were enough. The thought of Zephyros made her skin crawl, but she forced herself to ignore it. He wasn’t worth her energy. Not right now.

Ahead, the dark outline of Faller’s Fjord was just visible, its sharply rising sides and pine spattered cliffsides drawing her forward like a moth to flame. This was familiar ground. She’d crossed here on her way down to Auster, and it had been the easiest way to mark her way back. The place was hard to miss. Steep, rocky, covered in pines and edged by drops that could easily turn deadly if you didn’t know what you were doing. Thankfully, Starchild did. She knew where to step, where the paths narrowed and twisted, and which patches of ground were stable enough to hold her weight. Maybe Zephyros would make a misstep while they were traveling and nature would rid her of his presence. One could only hope.

The fjord was noisy, waves crashing against rock walls and a strong, cold wind pushing in from the sea. She kept her pace steady, her steps light. One wrong move could send loose stones scattering or, even worse, send herself careening over the edge and into the cold waters below. She’d learned how to navigate by landmarks, not by looking at maps or over her shoulder, and right now, all she wanted was to keep her eyes forward and her attention focused.

A grumble from Zeph broke the rhythm of her steps. It was a sound of utter irritation and Star felt her jaw tighten. She didn’t respond, just kept walking, each step a small skip closer to the safety of home and peace of mind. He'd shocked her with his actions and the striped woman felt as though she no longer knew him. She definitely didn't trust him.

Once she passed the fjord, Star scanned the horizon for the next marker: the outline of Redwater Rocks, terra cotta colored mesas and canyons that rose up over the lower situated Wolfpaw Lake. Travelers had been using Redwater as a guide forever, she imagined, and the vast contrast between sun warmed stone and the greenery of the lake told Star she was on the right track. Once she reached the mountain of stone, she could keep the wall to her left side and follow the curve of the mountain until she reached the Gorge and thus, Insomnia.

With the shift in terrain going from sand to rocky forest, to soft, lush grasses, Starchild took the opportunity to pick up the pace. She could move more quickly when the land was flat like this. Once passing out of the Lake territory, she would have to fight the precarious footing of sand and rock until she made it home. She'd be exhausted.

Star could feel herself moving into a familiar rhythm, her senses focused only on the land and the distant goal of Insomnia. Every familiar landmark was a reminder that she was closer to home and farther from whatever Zephyros wanted from her. She knew he wouldn’t dare pull anything with Erebos around once they made it back, and that was enough to keep her pale paws moving. Soon, the striped fae would once again have her peace of mind and hopefully Zeph would fuck off for a while and stop pestering her.


"Starchild Dunamis"

WC-900/1500

z e p h y r o s

─

starchild was too late. she, in his mind, belonged to him; hypnotizing him the moment he touched her body. a taste and a hit, he craved for it more and more as days passed by. in some instances, he felt comfortable taking on Érebos and the consequences of openly having her. going against the traditions and fighting off who ever wanted to save star. the difference between Érebos and zephyros did not lay in the way they talked nor their styles-, but rather who they'd cross to have what they wanted. zephyros quite frankly had nothing to lose. he hadn't been the golden boy of their time, nor was he a family man like Érebos. zephyros deserved this, deserved starchild. couldn't he be happy too? or was it all for Érebos and enyo?

as moments pass on, he doesn't realize the angry spew of rigid lines on his face. his brows arched and nares flared, his tail whipping behind him in his steady tailgate to starchild. his eyes were narrowed, his frame pronounced with muscles that swiveled and dance beneath his piebald pelt. he was careful even in the wells of his consciousness, pondering and analyzing her from behind. gauging her body all the same as he kept her supervised. his newfound obsession was obvious and soon Érebos would have to be spoken to regarding the matter. and what approach then? did starchild know the man behind her was spending his nights brewing the perfect reason as to why he deserved to keep her?- justifying in detail why his actions were correct & valid? zephyros was cruel, yes. but who was cruel enough to say he wasn't?

they cross the fjord and he keeps his eye on her, mimicking her footwork with ease despite his larger body. some rocks fall but he shows not hesitancy or fear as each step he took was deliberate and sure. as they move along, he notices the landmarks and familiar brands of venturing closer to insomnia pop up. the red clay terrain of the redwater rocks had been a significant sign of heading in the right direction after coming from the greenery of the hideaway canyon, the scent of atlas trees still clinging to his thicker coat. panting by now, his paws ached but it ultimately went ignored. not paying any mind to his feeling and state of being while he pushed through to finish their navigation sessions. Érebos pushed them all to gain skill sets that would be make the dunamis useful in general- a reason zephyros couldn't deny the logic of. the patriarch seemed to buckle down on them as of late, leaving zephyros with the notion that Érebos was worn down and less likely to be forgiving these times around.

as moments pressed on, zephyros felt his patience grow thin both with starchild and the journey. "slow down. watch your step, woman." he rumbled aloud, head low as he paced behind her still. his care did not come from a place of love, but rather a place of preserving one's treasures. he was concluded to her and did not see otherwise. their bond happened and no would tell zephyros otherwise. he was quite comfortable telling her what her new reality was.

with the sky setting soon, birds chirped in the far distance as they grew closer to home. a part of zeph not even wanting to return due to the danger of Érebos being around. would she tell him? his attention was then taken as starchild increased her speed once on flatter ground. it causes zephyros to pick up his own pace, his paws quick to catch up to the agile thing in an attempt to control her. he'd chase her down if he had to, not willing to let anything slide past him when it came to her.



"talk."

Art by Nelsa/ Made for Alo by Skelle !