First Light
03-22-2018, 04:02 PM
OOC: Arpeggio first, then anyone
Harmony's steps were hesitant, slender paws and shaky legs carrying her slowly across familiar lands. They seemed to have taken on a golden glow in the light of memory, and despite the hard times she remembered them fondly. Her brother creating the pack, her youthful quest to learn healing and lead the healers there. Chord's wandering ways that had always brought him back to them with tales of far away places. Rhythm's gentle humor and genuine love for them all. Motif's fierce protectiveness. All of Bass' children, and Motif's, and Rhythm's. Yes, there were hard times there. But they made the good times all that much brighter in her fading sight.
Beside her Peggy kept up her cheerful chatter, the same bright voice that had kept her going for this entire journey. Oh, she didn't know what she'd have done without the child. Of all the things in her life that she regretted, all the promises broken, she could not regret having broken her vow not to bear children for the fear that she could pass her condition on to them. Her children had been a joy to her beyond all that she'd known, a brightness to the past year that she might not have otherwise had with all of her siblings gone. That she did regret - that she'd been too physically weak to follow Bass and bring him home where he belonged.
She sighed aloud, and Peggy hastened to support her. "No, sweetling," she spoke in a faintly crackling shadow of her old warm alto, seeking to reassure her young daughter with a tremulous smile. "Don't worry about me. It's just... old memories." She'd come all this way already, knowing it would be the last journey she ever made - she wouldn't let this momentary weakness keep her from returning home to lay her bones in the cradle of the plains Bass had loved.
Harmony's steps were hesitant, slender paws and shaky legs carrying her slowly across familiar lands. They seemed to have taken on a golden glow in the light of memory, and despite the hard times she remembered them fondly. Her brother creating the pack, her youthful quest to learn healing and lead the healers there. Chord's wandering ways that had always brought him back to them with tales of far away places. Rhythm's gentle humor and genuine love for them all. Motif's fierce protectiveness. All of Bass' children, and Motif's, and Rhythm's. Yes, there were hard times there. But they made the good times all that much brighter in her fading sight.
Beside her Peggy kept up her cheerful chatter, the same bright voice that had kept her going for this entire journey. Oh, she didn't know what she'd have done without the child. Of all the things in her life that she regretted, all the promises broken, she could not regret having broken her vow not to bear children for the fear that she could pass her condition on to them. Her children had been a joy to her beyond all that she'd known, a brightness to the past year that she might not have otherwise had with all of her siblings gone. That she did regret - that she'd been too physically weak to follow Bass and bring him home where he belonged.
She sighed aloud, and Peggy hastened to support her. "No, sweetling," she spoke in a faintly crackling shadow of her old warm alto, seeking to reassure her young daughter with a tremulous smile. "Don't worry about me. It's just... old memories." She'd come all this way already, knowing it would be the last journey she ever made - she wouldn't let this momentary weakness keep her from returning home to lay her bones in the cradle of the plains Bass had loved.
03-28-2018, 11:19 AM
When her mother had first proposed this journey, all five of the yearlings had immediately protested. Surely with her age and infirmity she would never even survive the journey. She had barely survived the journey there when she had left Abaven after their uncle Bass had abandoned it, and she had since then had a difficult pregnancy and even more difficult birth that she had never quite recovered from. But their mother had not been asking, and she gently but firmly insisted. Arpeggio had elected to go with her.
Though neither of them, nor her siblings, had spoken of it, they all knew that it would be a one way trip for both travellers. Peggy had no intention of simply leaving her mother there, regardless of what relatives might still remain there to care for her and, for Peggy knew it would likely happen sooner rather than later, guard her grave. No, she would be there for her mother every step of the journey and beyond.
It wasn't simply loyalty that drove her on this quest though. She was curious about the rest of their family, craved to experience more than the homeland she knew. She wanted to walk where her mother had in her youth, where her unknown aunts and uncles had made their lives and where her cousins still resided.
So she followed beside her mother, hunting for and supporting her, until they finally came to the border. They stopped short of it, of course, and Harmony sank to the ground. Arpeggio hastened to help her get comfortable, trying not to seem like she was fussing, but Harmony still waved her off with a request to call to announce them. With one last smile and a gentle lick to her mother's brow, Peggy stepped up to the border and raised in muzzle in a howl.
Though neither of them, nor her siblings, had spoken of it, they all knew that it would be a one way trip for both travellers. Peggy had no intention of simply leaving her mother there, regardless of what relatives might still remain there to care for her and, for Peggy knew it would likely happen sooner rather than later, guard her grave. No, she would be there for her mother every step of the journey and beyond.
It wasn't simply loyalty that drove her on this quest though. She was curious about the rest of their family, craved to experience more than the homeland she knew. She wanted to walk where her mother had in her youth, where her unknown aunts and uncles had made their lives and where her cousins still resided.
So she followed beside her mother, hunting for and supporting her, until they finally came to the border. They stopped short of it, of course, and Harmony sank to the ground. Arpeggio hastened to help her get comfortable, trying not to seem like she was fussing, but Harmony still waved her off with a request to call to announce them. With one last smile and a gentle lick to her mother's brow, Peggy stepped up to the border and raised in muzzle in a howl.
03-28-2018, 12:29 PM
She'd been getting braver now, wandering around outside the den with greater frequency, though she often waited for one of her parents or sibling to leave first. Today she'd started the day off by wrestling with her brothers and losing their play fights miserably until it was no longer any fun. After spectating a bit, that too grew uninteresting so the young girl started doing a little more exploring on her own. The plains were pretty big, with lots of plants and naturally the occasional snake which she had to steer clear of as soon as they came into view or she heard them doing their creepy slithering in the grass nearby. So far Rhea wasn't really fond of snakes.
Serpent related thoughts vanished when she heard a call at the border. Peering around to see if anyone else was close by, she didn't really see or smell anybody. May as well be brave and see who it was. Rhea trotted through the grass with her small, bouncing puppy strides until she saw someone through the grass. Slowing, she eyed them and noted there were actually two someones!
Rhea waited a bit, studying them and deciding if they were dangerous or not. One lady looked older, and the girl next to her didn't seem bad... with that, Rhea crept forward, little tail wagging as she greeted them, "Hai, I'm Rhea, whas your names?"
Serpent related thoughts vanished when she heard a call at the border. Peering around to see if anyone else was close by, she didn't really see or smell anybody. May as well be brave and see who it was. Rhea trotted through the grass with her small, bouncing puppy strides until she saw someone through the grass. Slowing, she eyed them and noted there were actually two someones!
Rhea waited a bit, studying them and deciding if they were dangerous or not. One lady looked older, and the girl next to her didn't seem bad... with that, Rhea crept forward, little tail wagging as she greeted them, "Hai, I'm Rhea, whas your names?"
03-28-2018, 04:25 PM
Sparrow really wasn't in the mood to be playing babysitter, but she also wasn't in the mood to have the pack's pups wandering off and vanishing like Storm's pups. Good thing Rhea seemed to be in an adventurous mood. Sparrow had every intention of going and dragging the girl back to her den and telling them of the phantom pups that went missing when they wandered around unaccompanied and now seek to lure the living pups away from their families forever.
Aaaand of course there was a call at the border now.
And of course the pup was heading to it.
As Rhea crept forward in her little greeting, Sparrow sped up, aiming to slam a paw pointedly right in front of her tiny puppy nose, a low warning growl in her chest.
"We don't approach strangers, Rhea. Haven't your parents taught you that?" The question was meant to be an 'of course they have' statement, but given who her parents were, Sparrow wasn't really sure they had ever had that talk.
With the pup secured, Sparrow looked up to see who called. Her eyes rested on a yearling with a simplistic yet pretty coat. Behind her there was an older woman.
Wait.
Sparrow knew that woman.
"Aunt Harmony?" she nearly stammered. The shock was evident on her face. Her eyes bounced between Harmony and the yearling. It was the eyes that tipped Sparrow off, but she still wasn't entirely sure.
"Is this your...?"
Tears stung at her eyes, but she held them back. She wasn't sure what to feel. She wasn't even sure she wanted to feel. Sparrow stood there, dumbfounded, waiting for confirmation. She wasn't dreaming, was she?
Aaaand of course there was a call at the border now.
And of course the pup was heading to it.
As Rhea crept forward in her little greeting, Sparrow sped up, aiming to slam a paw pointedly right in front of her tiny puppy nose, a low warning growl in her chest.
"We don't approach strangers, Rhea. Haven't your parents taught you that?" The question was meant to be an 'of course they have' statement, but given who her parents were, Sparrow wasn't really sure they had ever had that talk.
With the pup secured, Sparrow looked up to see who called. Her eyes rested on a yearling with a simplistic yet pretty coat. Behind her there was an older woman.
Wait.
Sparrow knew that woman.
"Aunt Harmony?" she nearly stammered. The shock was evident on her face. Her eyes bounced between Harmony and the yearling. It was the eyes that tipped Sparrow off, but she still wasn't entirely sure.
"Is this your...?"
Tears stung at her eyes, but she held them back. She wasn't sure what to feel. She wasn't even sure she wanted to feel. Sparrow stood there, dumbfounded, waiting for confirmation. She wasn't dreaming, was she?