Jeremiah 24:9
Tox pups/ Cala
It was eerily quiet as the troupe made the journey into the fog blanketed swamp beyond the borders they had once called home, the children carrying their lives in bags upon their backs and shoulders. He clung to Faith as best he could, keeping her in his sightlines to anchor him as his emotions roiled and swelled within him. He sought to keep an eye on everyone, and Hallux stayed overhead as best she could. Once the trees got too thick to navigate, she had perched over his hips for the rest of the trek into the swamp. Eventually, Toxicity gave the signal to stop, and they quietly unpacked and settled at a clearing deep within the swamplands. A sickening emptiness had settled over the boy, though his mind was whirling, it seemed to only be chasing the same few questions in circles with no sign of letting up. The space between his ribs felt hollow and yet distressingly tight at the same time, he wondered if he was dying. When he finally dropped onto his belly, heavy and clumsy in his sorrow, the wraith tucked his forepaws to his chest and cast his two toned gaze despondently upon the bare earth beneath him. "I apologize for rushing you all. It was no longer safe there for us." his mother began, and her voice bore less of the strain that it had while they were packing in the Shrine. He could feel her gaze boring into him, but the tired yearling couldn't quite bring himself to lift his gaze and meet hers. His heart hurt, he didn't like leaving his home behind so suddenly. "Venom has rejected us, she did not wish for her pups to come to the sermons nor to finish the lessons needed to ascend. When given the facts, she was so overwhelmed by guilt that she couldn't by herself handle. She had grown too far from Abraxas, but rather than try to grow closer to him, she tried to strip him from us, taking our Abraxas name and banishing us from the pack." Toxicity explained solemnly, and as the words tumbled from her jaws, so too did silent tears begin to fill his eyes again. He could feel them beginning to track down his cheeks, and he couldn't stop them. They were banished? Nameless, homeless, and abandoned by their family. It hurt more than he could put to words. Hallux hopped her way into the boy's personal space, easing into the space between his folded forepaws and chest. The familiar warmth of her small form resting against his chest was a welcome sensation, and he pressed his nose against her back to exhale softly, haltingly, into her feathers. "Ashen is our home no longer. Instead, we will travel and see the world Abraxas has created firsthand. We will meet many new wolves and your lessons will be put to the test." his mother continued after a brief pause, and though her tone was gentle and warm, there was little room for excitement or glee in his sad little heart. All at once, he wanted to rush up and bury his face in her fur, and cry like a child. He lifted his gaze to her features, wondering if he ought to do just that- let the moment of weakness move him against his better judgement. When his mother offered up a smile, it managed to ease the turmoil in his soul enough for him to take a deep, shuddering breath in through his nose. "I will answer any questions you have, then I think it's time for you all to meet your grandfather through the ascension ceremony." Wide eyed and struck dumb, the fanged godling found himself lost for words. Shifting his position so he could look at his mother without craning his neck, he blinked owlishly at her. "Are you certain we're ready, mother?" he asked quietly, as though daring to speak the words might break the spell and she would change her mind. "speech" |
