Never Going Back Again
09-22-2018, 09:00 AM
Ara wasn't quite sure what drew her back to these familiar lands. Now that she had settled down within Lirim, she found herself traveling outside its borders much less frequently than before. She was growing older, she knew that quite well, and her body simply wasn't what it used to be. Traveling great distances took a significant effort, and she knew that such a journey would require some recovery time afterward. Her wanderlust, though ever-present, had definitely calmed in these last few seasons, and she was content to spend most of her time in the West, in the fertile valley and field of willow trees that was slowly turning into her home. Something drew her back to lands more familiar, though - she knew the journey would take a few days, and knew she might need to make herself a temporarily den in Fiori's old packlands to rest before returning to Lirim - but it was a trip she felt was somehow necessary. Carrying that old tattered satchel of hers against her side (she wasn't necessarily planning on collecting herbs unless she happened upon some, but it would be unpleasant to be so far from home and realized she regretted not bringing it), she started the long journey across the continent back to the eastern edge of Boreas. She had been tempted to invite Athena, but returning to her old home seemed like something she ought to do alone. She'd given her warning she might be away for a few days, but she wanted to take advantage of her body being less stiff than usual and make the journey before she was unable to. The pleasant summer weather was having a wonderful effect on her body in general, and the trip toward Sunset Falls was less arduous than she'd expect. It still took quite some time, two full days, with Ara resting at the beginning of the first, but by the time the sun had begun to set she had made it. Perhaps she could even find her old den-site to reclaim for the evening, if no other creatures had gotten to it before her. If she could even remember where it had been. It's been so long, she reminded herself as she wove between the familiar trunks of the mangrove trees, trying to remember as much as she could. Her memory had always been good, but she'd been away longer than she thought. How long had she spent wandering, with Athena as well as on her own? Her brows furrowed in slight frustration, a rare emotion for the normally quite composed she-wolf, as she continued on. A break up ahead in the forest, which led her to Sunset Falls, seemingly helped her to remember, and that brief frustration melted away. Perhaps sitting on the edge of the falls would bring her some clarity, and a welcome break from the day's long journey. What she didn't expect - what she never would've expected, not in all her years - was for a familiar scent to suddenly hit her nose. Ara paused, visibly distraught at what she could only imagine was a false memory trying to come back to her. No, Novel couldn't be here. She remembered how her scent had lingered long after she'd left, their shared den a place that had once been comforting to something she almost feared. Her scent had slowly faded over time, though it still caught her off guard as she returned to her den - her mind, ever-hopeful for Novel's return, constantly tried to see signs of her where there were none, and Ara couldn't help but think initially that was what it was doing now. She's gone, Ara had to tell herself firmly, briefly closing her eyes. Was she going mad? Perhaps her mental functions were beginning to deteriorate? No, she knew enough about the aging process to know that something like this wouldn't happen overnight; she'd seen no signs that her mind was going faster than her body, though she also knew the aging process didn't always lend itself to being readily apparent to the afflicted. She stood there for a long while, eyes closed as her nose twitched and tested the scent on the air. No, it was Novel. She'd know that scent anywhere, no matter how old she had gotten, and no matter how frail her body had become. The scent was the closest thing to home she'd ever had, something so plainly familiar to her that she was sure it was embedded deep in her bones. If she was losing her mind, at least she was imagining things as pleasant as this - though almost as soon as she thought this, she wondered if it was as painful as it was pleasant. It had been so long... where had she gone all these years? Why had she not returned? As much as it pained Ara to think, she could only imagine that something awful had happened to her, or to her family, but at the same time wasn't she at fault for not searching for her? Not that she'd had any idea where to even begin, or where Ahlon even was... Hesitant, she made to follow the scent. As it grew stronger, so did the tension in her chest. Despite the evidence, it was hard to believe that she wasn't simply imagining things, but as she caught the familiar scent of Elohim she was certain she couldn't be mistaken. Only when she neared the edge of the falls, spotting the familiar silhouette of a white-furred woman with a dark streak across her back and tail, with a single dark ear, was she certain she wasn't seeing things. Ara squinted against the fading light; the shadows that streaked down across the world only made Novel seem even more changed than she remembered, though she supposed five years would do that to anyone. Her words were caught in her throat, struggling to leave, though she continued her quiet approach. "Novel?" She finally asked after she was but a few yards away, already feeling a burn in her eyes and a knot in her stomach. Ara wasn't the type to cry, or to get overly emotional about anything, but Novel was - and had always been - that exception. |
