Where We Start Again

There is one critical lesson that everyone must learn at some point… Nothing lasts forever. Families crumble, children move on with their lives, and lovers come and go. Civilizations and landscapes wane and wax in the natural cycle that is time. At one point, Nox thought she had the ability to defy the natural order. That she alone could escape the inescapable that was change. In the face of it, she had bare her teeth and stamped her feet like a child throwing a tantrum. That’s when denial kicked in and continuously funneled useless falsities so that she might avoid the truth. In a blink of an eye, she had nearly lost everything. Nox’s mate had abandoned her in her time of need. Diaval, her son, had chosen to stay behind, despite her desperate pleas and her daughters? Well, they were nowhere to be found. There was no more agonizing sensation than a mother’s grief. The trauma of their loss etched deep into her fibers, leaving scars that would never heal but hopefully would leave calluses instead.

As she listened to waves lap upon the pale shore, she swore she could hear their voices. The laughter of her children once brought her joy but now the effect was conflicting. Did they blame her for what happened and that was why their losses haunted her so? Nox likely would never know, but it was not the time to grieve. New lands meant opportunity, new faces to bow and smile to with the hopes she might draw something useful out of them. Honestly, she didn’t much feel like socializing, but there was no time to waste. The progress that she’d made in Candenta had been wiped clean. She had a clean slate, whether that be good or bad was up to debate.

Ebony strands lay conflicted against the sandy shore. Blue waves washed up, barely kissing her paws as she lay and stare out across the mirrored surface. She had never seen such a vast expanse of water. It made the shores of Candenta seem trivial. Nox dug her claws into the sand, finding the sensation of individual grains between her toes rather nostalgic. She remained there for some time with the hope that a stranger might find her interesting enough to come investigate or that someone familiar might come strike-up a conversation. Either way, she was content to stare out over the horizon and let her thoughts blank.