Hourglass

Ignis · 11-04-2022, 11:49 PM

The festivities of the Samhain Festival had been interesting thus far. He'd been mostly keeping to himself, while his companions kept an eye on the kids as they either attended the festival or stayed home. The statues had been interesting in and of themselves...his foreleg bandaged now after his self-sacrifice to one of them. Although the statue didn't break his legs or curse him for life, he wasn't sure if his sacrifice would have a positive effect. He didn't feel any different than before. All he felt was...nothing. His mind was still the same. He felt empty. Still bitter. But hey, at least he had yet another wound from yet another stupid decision. He didn't know why he tried anymore. In the end, it doesn't even matter.

He wandered away from the festivities to try and clear his head. And when he realized where he was, he could already smell the scent of sulfur and molten fires from the underground. The last time he'd been here, he had gotten burned by a steam pocket. That was long ago now. As he stared into the depths and watched the faint glow of the lava that lurked beneath, he thought about what the familiars had said. The veil between the living and the dead was...thinning? He didn't know what that meant, really. But...part of him wondered if he'd end up seeing Elias or Acere...or even Eden or his missing pup...

But how would he go about even trying to see any of them? Perhaps going into a place where nobody else really went...how often did others come down here anyway? It was hot, it stunk, and it wasn't exactly the most welcoming of places. But he didn't mind it. Isolation was something he preferred pretty often. Stepping inside, the crimson wolf made his way further into the underground.

The bubbling and gurgling of the molten lava could be heard echoing in the cave, and this time, he was careful of his movements and aware of his surroundings so that he wouldn't be caught off guard by rogue steam pockets again. He walked in silence until he reached a wider part of the path that rounded out into a sort of half-circle that jutted out a little more into the molten fire. There, he paused for a moment before sitting down. He forced his mind to quiet, though he worried that his demon would interrupt at any moment to try and destroy the peace he was trying to create.

Closing his eyes, Ignis took a deep breath before exhaling. I...don't know what I'm doing, but if anyone can hear me... he didn't know who he was speaking to, or what he was trying to do, really. It was his fault that Acere was dead. His fault that his entire family prior to his current litter seemed to not want anything to do with him. He had driven them away by his actions. Did he regret it? Sure. But perhaps his remorse was overshadowed by the pride, and his demon certainly made things more difficult. "If anyone is there...I need...I don't know...something. A sign. I guess? That maybe there's still hope for me. That I'm not the monster I think I am. Acere, if you can hear me...I need you...I think..." Hesitation painted his voice. Reluctance to admit his wrongs and take responsibility for his past. For years it was them versus him. Or that's how he felt, anyway.

He wasn't sure what else to say. Wasn't sure if anyone even heard him, or could hear him. He wasn't even sure he believed what the familiars were claiming about the veil into the world of the dead. But stranger things had happened before, no? After all, the Long Nights had proven that unnatural things could happen. So why would this be any different? He had a damned demon within him, after all. And his latest litter was likely cursed, too.

"I have more kids," He abruptly began, "I've been doing my best to do right by them. But I fear they are cursed as I have been. I don't know for sure, but I have the feeling it's a strong possibility. And honestly, I don't know what I would do if they were found to be afflicted with the same curse that has plagued my bloodline for generations...Acere managed to beat it, but...I wasn't strong enough, I suppose." He sighed, feeling stupid for even speaking to...well...nobody, really. He didn't expect anyone to jump out from the other side.

Still, he closed his eyes and forced himself into silence once more. Focusing on the faces of those in his past, and those he hoped would be in his future. What did he have to lose but a few minutes of his time? If the familiars were right, then maybe...just maybe...he'd get some sort of answers.

"Ignis""Blödhgarm"

Art by Naiterion

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Hourglass

Beau

Ignis