The deprivation of his mind, body, and soul during the sickness was finally gone. Healing injuries molded scarred tissue in various areas, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. It was the pain of missing someone close to him that made his heart ache. Having lost her to the wilderness in the mountains and the insanity within his brain, he realized now that he should've never left her side. How could he have been so foolish as to leave her alone? What if something happened to her? Regret riddled his face as he wandered back to the place they met. Trees twisted up to the heavens in a gnarled fashion that brought back humorous memories. That fated day where she had quite literally fallen from the sky. How her eyes lit up when she spoke and her overall energetic attitude kept him on his toes. Talk of the future had been faint, but not forgotten. He was trying to help shape that for them now after joining the Pirate's pack. If they had somewhere to build and grow what they were destined for, surely it wasn't a bad decision. Each step of his paws grasping against dewy dirt was slow and calculated. His yellowed eyes never left the treeline above him, just in case. He missed her and there was nothing he could do to go back in time now. Lifting his muzzle to the sky, Gilgamesh let loose a quiet and somber howl calling out to her. Emotions flooded his body as he continued his walk through the forest. The sound of spring and chattering animals was lost to him as he only listened for one. "Modesty," he whispers softly to himself.

The girl had been laying low since the world turned dark, viewing the goings on and doing her very best to not agitate whatever spirits or Gods were raining down their vengeance upon the lands. While there was a streak of jealousy that it seemed like everyone except her had managed to glow, she was also grateful that she had been spared.

Another unintended consequence was getting separated from Gilgamesh. Modesty didn’t even know where she might start looking for him, so why not go back to where it all started anyway? Seemed as good a place to start as any if she had to choose one way or another. She had clambered up the step like branches again and perched on a limb, her kite just offering her a disapproving stare this time. It seemed by now he had figured out telling her off didn’t do any good.

As she was about to give up and move on, a howl came to her on the wind. It was such a familiar voice that her her whole back end began to wave, shaking the branch she sat on. The Abraxas only managed half an excited howl in response before she overbalanced in what was now becoming a familiar fall, bracing herself as the earth raced up to meet her once again.

“Speech.”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

He continued a low-headed, ears half-back sort of moping walk through the forest. Occasionally glancing up at the trees, he wished that maybe luck would be in his favor today. Delving deep into thoughts that no one wanted to be in, his nose twitched at a familiar scent. It was faint, almost gone, and he thought perhaps it was leftover from the last time she'd passed through. Pausing, Gil lifted his head as he looked around. No, it couldn't be. His tail began to wag excitedly as her half-squeal of a howl lit the air. Eyes widening in surprise, Gil rushed toward the sound as he heard her claws clambering on a tree limb. "Modesty!" He calls out, his eyes searching the tree branches for her galaxy-coated form. Not far in front of him, he watched as she began to descend toward the ground. Just like when they first met. His heart raced quickly as he leaped forward to once again be directly beneath her before she could hit the ground. Closing his eyes roughly, feeling the pressure of her larger body on top of him, he let out a quiet groan. "You really have to stop falling from the sky," Gil mumbles, unable to hide his amused smile.

The hard earth didn’t meet her the way it did when she fell from the tree in front of Hattori, instead a cloud of familiar scent wafted up around her as her fall was broken. The girl squeed and wrapped her paws around the body beneath her, burying her face happily in the thick, splotched fur over his rump while her tail thwacked him in the face. Happy tears stung her eyes but she couldn’t let him see her crying so she refused to get up straight away. “Where have you been?” the girl happily wailed, squeezing even tighter if he dared to moved. “I missed you so much!”

“Speech.”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

She indeed was still larger than him. That much hadn't changed, but the weight of her body now laying on top of his was welcomed. Even as her tail thwacked across his cheek and her paws clung to his rump, he couldn't help but chuckle. Listening to her wail happily made his heart twinge as his own eyes welled with tears. "I'm sorry I disappeared," Gil mumbled as he moved a paw to gently brush her tail off of his face. "The ooze had made me too dangerous. I was worried I'd hurt you," his admittance to this left his voice trembling as a shiver ran down his spine. "Could you possibly get off so I can breathe?" He asked with a small smile as he tried to turn his head. Though all he saw was a colorfully flecked rump, he couldn't help but laugh again. "I promise I'm not going anywhere without you again," Gil spoke reassuringly as he tried to wiggle out from underneath her.

“Next time lemme know and I’ll just sit on you! Can’t hurt me from there can you?” She taunted, playfully tugging on the mottled tail in front of her before lifting her weight off Gil’s back, aiming to whack him with her waving tail as she moved to put a little distance between them. It was only as she moved away that she picked up on the new strange scent on his fur. “You smell funny. Like pack wolf funny.” She commented, screwing her nose up as she rounded back around to really look him over.

“Speech.”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

Her words drove a serious meaning into his heart. There wasn't any way that he ever wanted to hurt her again. As her weight shifted and he finally felt the relief of being able to move, his eyes squeezed shut as her tail batted against his face. Cringing as her soft fur smacked almost gently at his face, he chuckled. "Okay, I deserve that," Gil rumbled as Modesty stood and moved a bit away from him. Shaking off his fur, he glanced over at her when she mentioned that he smelled like a pack. The sight of her nose wrinkling at the scent made him frown. "Oh, about that," his voice hesitated as his yellow eyes shifted away from her. "I decided to join the Pirates seeing as your mother wasn't all too welcoming of," Gil paused again as he looked back to her, "us." The sheepish grin and shrug that followed were all she needed to know to put the puzzle pieces together. "I promise our dreams will come true one day, but for now, it's safer to stay with a group," he reassured her as he stepped forward to lightly press his nose against her cheek.

At the mention of Pirates, her ears perked forward and a smile came readily to her face, “From the party?” her tail waved happily, they seemed plenty nice enough… but…

Her waving tail slowed, an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety growing tightly in her chest and making it’s way readily to her face. It’d mean leaving her mother and siblings, wouldn’t it? And what if they didn’t like her? She’d never really felt like she was part of Ashen. Her family was all she had ever known. Would they even want her? She wasn’t a good fighter like Gil, what on earth could she offer them?

They seemed to like having a good time. Modesty remembered the tingly, dizzy feeling the alcohol had given her, the way her face felt warm. Maybe… “I can’t offer them much… except maybe a good time?” her expression flitted from thoughtful, to hopeful before settling on a carefree smile. It wasn’t what she had been taught to use the ritual ingredients for, but it was worth a shot, and if it earned her new friends ascension, well the more the merrier, right?

“Speech.”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

He smiled as her tail began to wag and her ears perked up. "Yes, from the party," Gil said with a nod of his chin. Though, seeing her uncertainty made him question if it really was a good idea. Mulling it over quietly as he took a step away from her, he was glad she then offered to join with him. "That's all they ask for," he says in response as his yellow eyes meet hers. Letting the quiet expand around them again, he grew thoughtful before an idea popped into his head. "I know we were separated for some time, but during it, I found this potion thing that I've been meaning to use. Want to see what it does?" Gil asks as he steps away to a hiding spot in a bush. Pulling out the mysterious item, he looks to Modesty. As he steps back toward her, the item slips from his teeth and falls to the ground. The contents spill out and an overwhelming feeling that someone is watching them makes his skin crawl. Looking out toward the distance, Gil spies a deer larger than he's ever seen before. Fear doesn't come, but a sensation of knowing him does. Tilting his head to the side, he wonders why the deer comes closer. Maybe to bring a gift...

When Gil dropped the item, the overwhelming feeling of eyes fell on her. Her brows drew down in concern but before she could utter that she didn’t think that had been a good idea, the words were stolen from her throat. A large buck was watching them, but it was unlike any Modesty had ever seen before. Her head began to ache and her eyes crossed as his gaze fell on her. Well she certainly hadn’t been expecting this today.

“Speech.”

We are the jack-o-lanterns in July setting fire to the sky

Deer Dad's Blessing- Modesty

Be Blessed, and go in Peace

The large deer approaches the two who spilled the potion. You now recognize this deer as your good friend Gilgamesh. The two of you were doing something, but you can't seem to remember what anymore. In the safety of the woods, all walls come down and the older deer, just shy of shedding his antlers for the season, leads you deeper. You follow willingly and find that the surrounding flora smells much sweeter than it did before. The two of you descend into the soft grasses and mosses deep within the woods. He lies down, and so do you, finding the spot perfect for a nap.

When you awake, you are by your good friend, the wolf Gilgamesh.

You gain:

• Post-Acceptance Minor Deer Mutation- Any deer-themed minor mutation will do! Post in maintenance for it! Takes 1 OOC season to take effect. Subject to staff approval.
  

Deer Dad's Blessing- Gilgamesh

Be Blessed, and go in Peace

The large deer approaches the two who spilled the potion. You now recognize this deer as your good friend Modesty. The two of you were doing something, but you can't seem to remember what anymore. In the safety of the woods, all walls come down and the young deer, still losing her fawn spots, leads you deeper. You follow willingly and find that the surrounding flora smells much sweeter than it did before. The two of you descend into the soft grasses and mosses deep within the woods. She lies down, and so do you, finding the spot perfect for a nap.

When you awake, you are by your good friend, the wolf Modesty.

You gain:

• Post-Acceptance Minor Deer Mutation- Any deer-themed minor mutation will do! Post in maintenance for it! Takes 1 OOC season to take effect. Subject to staff approval.
  

What happened next felt like an illusion and reality all at the same time. With a blink of his eye and as the deer approaching came nearer, he looked at her confusingly. They were deer? How was that possible? Blinking a few more times as the feet beneath him moved through the land, Gil allowed this out-of-body experience to go according to whatever diving plan was in place. An overwhelmingly sweet smell envelops him as he continues to follow the fawn deeper into the woods. As they find a clearing with lush grass to lay down him, he lets his eyes close once more to fall asleep. In the next moment, in what felt like hours, Gil was returned to his wolf body. Again, he blinks sleepily as he lifts his muzzle to peer around. No, they definitely were still in the Mile-High Woods. Was that a dream he had experienced? Dazed by the dream-like state, he glances over to Modesty to ensure she was still okay and still a wolf. His yellow eyes, now slitted to the appearance of a goat's, lights up at the sight of her. Reaching over to gently bump her shoulder with his nose, he is glad they're both still alive. "Do you feel okay?" He murmurs quietly as his tongue licks over his teeth that feel kind of funny.