Who am I, really?
It was dark when she opened her eyes, the stars where faint and distant, blocked out by the roof of their den. She had liked it better when they had slept in the open with her Uncles and Aunties near by – they had provided her with entertainment when she couldn't sleep and in the open she had found it so much easier to sneak away. All the same, she was wide awake now and she knew her tossing and turning would disturb her sister. It felt too hot in the den anyway, too crowded and too many warm bodies around her. She needed some space, some air to breath and the the open sky above her.
Wriggling and sneaking through her parents limbs, trying not to wake her sister wasn't easy but she managed to succeed. She found the exit of the den and slipped outside, instantly feeling a cool wind on her fur. She sighed, and pressed her nose to the chill of it, shaking off the feel of heat left wherever parts of her sleeping family had touched her. She took another step forward, this time a spring in her step as she contemplated the freedom before her, and her successful escape.
Voltage had never broken his sleeping pattern, really. Although when he woke up he usually chose to stay where he slept and enjoy the calm and quiet beside his wife to be. But today he had chosen to roam. It had been apart of him ever since he was born. His energy was so boundless, he would accidentally jolt himself awake and be unable to fall asleep untill he wore some of it off. But as he grew, it morphed into something else. Some days, yes, he'd twitch awake for no rhyme or reason, but others he just woke up with this insatiable need to check on everyone, to do a circle of the beach or the prairies and make sure everything was just as it was supposed to be. He had nightmares, often, his mind constantly reeling, and some days he'd wake up with tears in his eyes. Today...was just such a day. He had woken up in shock to find himself not dragged beneath the waves, his lungs not full of salt water, but his eyes as wet as rain. He had slept through another retelling of that day, watching his daughter dragged away but this time..it was both of them, with Astrea as a soundtrack. She had repeated again and again in his memory how alike he was to his parents, and he needed to move, to walk away from his bed to get it out of his mind. It seemed to be a lucky decision, however, as he stumbled upon the newest and youngest trouble maker. His brow rose slowly as he watched her pull herself from her den, and he smirked slightly. Oh, poor Glace. Slowly, with the ninja skills he had absolutely perfected in his youth, attempting sneak up to the one wolf he could never sneak up on, he moved up behind her. "And what do you think you're doing??" He whispered in his soft voice, staring at her with stormy eyes that almost seemed to laugh. "If you're going on an adventure I'm quite offended that you didn't invite me." He said with a slow smirk, bending down to her level. "Where are we going?" His voice remained soft, a near whisper. He knew if Glacier woke up to him speaking that his eldest brother wouldn't fret. Seraphiel was with Voltage, and if it were reversed it would have been enough to calm any nerves for Voltage. Which, it had. He remembered when Glacier caught illie at times, and just knowing that, even though she was sneaking around, that she was in Glacier's hands, allowed him to fall back to sleep. Time to repay his Big Brother. "Burn Baby Burn" |
Seraphiel just about jumped out of her skin, stiffing a cry as a voice sounded directly behind her. She could have sworn black and blue that she was utterly alone, and yet, there he was. With her fur bristling on end and her tail tucked behind her legs, she whirled to face to speaker. Upon seeing Voltage, she was instantly embarrassed, shaking out her coat and sticking her head high in the air, a haughty position she questioned a second later as Voltage's words sunk in. ah oh. She was in trouble, wasn't she? She didn't want to go back to the den, it was hot and crowded and she would never be able to call asleep again if she tried to just lie there.
“Wait what?” he was offended he wasn't invited? But he was an adult, he was suppose to tell her off for leaving the den wasn't he? She certaintly wasn't about to remind him of that fact and instead leaped upon her good luck. If Voltage was with her, her dad could blame him and not Ray! “I don't know where you sleep" she pointed out, changing the topic quickly. “Can you teach me how to do that surprise sneak?” she wanted to know, just thinking about how useful it would be! “Uhh.. where going... I dont know. Somewhere open and windy” she decided, already moving in a random direction to find such a scene.
Voltage let out a deep, rumbling laugh that warmed his chest at her reaction. She was so sweet and so new. He adored that she didn't know his usual tricks. Sure he could still sneak up on almost everyone (Glacier being an eternal exception) but they all kind of reacted the same. But this, he couldn't help but grin down at her as her fur bristled. Oh how adoreable. But she caught quite quickly onto the game, and that made him smile even brighter. He tilted his head to her and laughed softly. "If you ever want me..." He whispered softly, leaning in closer as if this was some big secret. "no matter where I am, or what I'm doing, all you have to do is call my name and I will get to you." He said with a bright smile, lifting his head again as he hummed, glancing around. Something open, and windy? "Why, I know the best place!" He said excitedly, turning without another word, and lead her towards the trail that lead up to the cliffs. He wouldn't look back at her, knowing that she would follow. It was either that, or break the rules. If she was with Voltage, he could bend the rules for their fun. Besides, some of the rules were his anyways. He picked his favorite spot, well worn from the years, and finally looked to her. "Have you been up here, yet?" He asked gently, smiling his toothy grin down at the girl. "Burn Baby Burn" |
He wouldn't tell her where he slept, instead he told her something perplexing. When she wanted him she need only say his name? “Do I have to howl it? I cant make that noise, like I've heard daddy make” she pointed out to him. Her efforts to howl had been nothing short of embarrassing and she wasn't keen to try it again. Of course, she was also asking him if he meant could she just whisper it too? Could she be lying there and whisper his name and he would just appear like a ghost? Maybe it would be one of those super cool Elementas gifts. She didn't seem to have any gifts. She didn't even match Frost.
She had started to lead in a random direction, but Voltage had other plans. She tilted her head and watched him, perplexed as he turned and made his way in a different direction. She paused for a moment, torn between annoyance that he hadn't just followed after her, and also a burning curiosity. Of course, her curiosity won. She had to run to catch up to him, her paws where much smaller then his. Where was he taking her? They went up and up and up and she was panting by the time they stopped, she settled down across from him, watching him without speaking for a moment. That perplexed expression had returned, and there was a little line between her eyes, “Your not like the others. Are you.” she said. After all, they seemed so... amazed with her, so eager to follow her and agree with her and play with her. So far, Voltage wasn't following the rules she had started to constructed as the normal. "It's okay. i'm not like the other either" she said, thinking again about what Astrea had said.
He generally played by his own rules, that was the truth. Luckily for him he was in a position to make his rules the actual rules. And besides, he was a grown up, so it really was his call wasn't it. He had chosen to wait for them to settle on the cliffs for him to answer her question, and he'd lead her to his side with a gentle smile. "You'll learn to howl eventually. But just call for me, I will be able to hear you. Whether with my ears or my heart." He said softly, smiling down at her. It was true. He had a strong parental instinct, ever since he were a child. He knew when he was needed, and like a superhero in the night, he would run to their sides. But at her comment he blinked down, confused for a moment. The others? Well, sure, he was a lot more bubbly than some of them, but really, down at the core they were all the same. The each belonged to the same family, and they each cared in their own way for their siblings. So he'd tilt his head, brows furrowing as she said that she, too, was not like the others. "What do you mean, not like the others?" He asked softly, concern filling his features. "We are all original, and yet we are all the same in some way. We are all Elementas. We wouldn't be the Elementas if we were all the same." He said with a gentle grin. "We'd just be Element. How boring would that be? Everyone acting like water or something? One fish is enough." He would laugh softly then, looking down at her before sighing and looking out at the deep black horizon. "Seraphiel, why don't you tell me what you know about the Elementas?" He asked softly, just staring at the gentle to and fro of the lulling waves, his eyes distancing as he thought of his heritage, and all that he had helped bring to life. "Burn Baby Burn" |
She dind't really answer the howl part of his sentence – her dad had told her much the same. Instead her frowned deepened as he explained his name thing. She was definitly going to be trying that out. Perhaps next time she woke up in the middle of the night, she would whisper his name and see if he swooped in again to save her from her suffocating den. “How do you hear with your heart?” she wondered, the pup of course took the words a little more literally then they where intended.
Her words hadn't really been a question so it made sense that he didn't really answer it like one. All the same, she giggled as he pointed out how their last name in itself described how different they all where. It seemed everywhere she looked there was another little secret to their heritage – that was, if she had actually inherited it anyway.
“I know everyone's element is different, Astrea sort of explained that. But she also made it clear everyone was suppose to be like their element – like how she was the guiding star that guides the whole pack cause star is her element and Selini and Solaris do.. other.. stuff” actually, she couldn't remember what Astrea had said those two did, had she explained that? It was a lot to remember, the whole star journey and stuff that explained her grandparents death and how her Aunt and Uncles where cast away from their home. “And she said I'm not like Frost in anyway she knows it. But that's what everyone says i'm suppose to be. But if I'm not like me then who am I?” it was a confusing question but she hoped he got the gist, and could explain it to her – or at least out right tell her she wasn't an elementas but was like her mother.
Voltage would chuckle softly as she asked her innocent question, and he couldn't help but be reminded so fully of Illie. Oh how he missed her. "Years of practice" Slowly he'd stretch out to lay on his belly, looking at her fully as he waited for her to explain. But he wasn't expecting what she said, at all. Slowly he blinked, confusion crossing his face before he sighed. Oh, astrea. Before he could continue, she did, and it left him completely distraught. His brows pinched slightly as he looked at her, knowing how she felt. Voltage was sort of misnamed himself, lightning over energy, but that didn't mean anything in the long run. "C'mere." he said softly, curling slightly to invite her to lay at her side. "Astrea was...only half right. See, her element is the stars, that's the element she most represents. She is a creature that lives in the clouds, while her paws are glued to the ground. She is meant to guide us spiritually through our lives as elementas and help us connect to our element, or the universe itself." He said softly, looking out at the stars that dusted the sky. "But Astrea isn't a star. She cannot always shine when it is dark, she cannot always lead the way. She is mortal, just like us. Because she isn't always on target, does that mean stars are no longer her element?" He asked softly, looking back at the young girl again. "Your father is ice, an unyielding, unfeeling, cold element. But he has the warmest heart I have ever met. Do you think we should take away his element because he has warmth to him?" He whispered before he smiled. "Frost is a beautiful element, Seraphiel, and it matches you perfectly." He whispered softly, smiling. "You haven't seen it, but I will show you next winter. When the temperature drops so fast, and the water along the beach freezes, its like a race. It runs along the beach, freezing in beautiful drops, as quick as can be. It is unyielding, young and curious. It freezes our breath in the air infront of us, so we can see it for the only a second. It uncovers secrets, and as it ages it grows thicker, and stronger but never any less beautiful and graceful." He said softly, looking to her and smiling softly. "Every element is gorgeous, and never in black and white. Astrea may have been looking at the negatives of your element, and missing the gentle beauty we take for granted. Its your destiny to show her the beautiful crystals of your frost." He took a breath then, looking back out at the horizon. "I was named for the lightning that streaks across the sky, crackling in the dark and lighting even the strongest of storms. It can be seen as a scary, angry, damaging element, but to me it is playful, chasing the thunder, rain and storms across the sky. I feel the energy that crackles the air, making the world feel more alive for only a second, before disappearing again." He looked back at her then, expectantly, hoping she understood. "If you only looked at the angry, crackling of lightning, there's no possible way I could match it. But take the beauty, take the natural elegance of it, and it almost fits me to a T, don't you think? We cannot say what you match, or who you are. Even someone that should be our guide through these questions. Only you can." "Burn Baby Burn" |
A wolf could listen to their heart after years of practice? Huh. ok. She let the question die after that, studying him suspiciously, uncertain if he was being serious or not. She had every intention of testing his little gift every chance she got, to see if she could catch him out. There was no way he could hear her every time she whispered his name. That would be... crazy, she nodded her head slightly, determined and ready to place this game for the next few days or weeks to come.
When he indicated for her to come over to his side she did so, placing herself beside him without really touching his fur – she liked her personal space, she wasn't much of a huger. Once she was settled Voltage would begin his explanation. He started off saying Astrea was half right – and Sera wondered if perhaps she had misunderstood her Auntie, it was a huge chunk of information to take in at once after all, she could easily have crossed her facts. A moment later she got what Voltage was telling her – she was some aspects of a star, in a way that suited her nature, not in the ways that didn't. She furrowed her brow as she tried to follow his logic. But she didn't know any aspects of Frost that suited her, that was a big thing wasn't it?
When Voltage described Glacier she giggled softly as she shook her head. “That sounds like daddy” she agreed. He also had the nicest laugh, it was one that encouraged her to join in, and she always instinctively knew she was safe with him, nothing could ever harm her – it was kind how she had felt the second Voltage had walked into her presence.
She didn't really start to get excited until Voltage pointed out how she was Frost, and the funny thing was, she could actually relate to it. “It really does that? I thought frost was always slow and cold. But no i'm fast like that too!” she said, eager to learn more now that she knew there was more to learn.
Voltage had a way of putting things in perspective, and she could see it when he said it, in a way she hadn't before. She smiled when he talked about his lightning – she had never actually seen a storm before so she couldn't match it to anything, but it was fun to imagine all the same. “So I really am an Elementas then?” she wanted to know “It seems really important to Daddy. I don't know what he would think if I wasn't one” she admitted “Can we watch a storm, Voltage?” she wanted to know, her fickle thoughts jumping one way and another.
Voltage would smile softly, welcomingly as she moved to sit beside him but not quite touching. He wouldn't push it. While they knew each other and she was one of his favorite nieces (he had two after all!) they didn't know each other so well. While he was a hugger and liked affection, he wasn't one to push the envelope unless he knew he could. He grinned as she giggled, watching as she seemed to almost get it as he spoke. He had had a lot of practice after all. Where Astrea, Sol and Seli were connected to celestial bodies, Voltage and Glacier had been the very beginning of their heritage. Would there honestly be Elementas without Voltage and Glacier? He doubted it. "You are Frost, hook line and sinker." He said with a toothy grin, winking a stormy eye in her direction. "You are an Elementas." He assured with a gentle smile, just watching her. "And your father would love you no matter if you weren't." He'd blink at the last question, before chuckling. "When there is one, yes. We can." He'd brave the thunder to show his niece the beauty of lightning. Even the storms, as booming and powerful as they were, had a gentle side. His heart panged softly for Arcus in that moment, and he wondered how his brother was doing. "Seraphiel.." He began softly. Obviously she hadn't been introduced to their heritage in a way that she could understand. Or rather, in a way that was right. He would have to talk to Astrea about that later. "Do you want to hear a story?" He asked with a gentle grin, tilting his head to the girl. To be an elementas didn't mean you had to connect completely to your element, it meant that you were the element reguardless. They didn't have to change themselves to match what they were named, they were what they were named. Their heart and souls were made from the fabrics of the universe, and no matter what a certain Relicus said, Seraphiel was the element of frost. She was beautiful, intricate, curious, and perhaps a little cold. But there wouldn't be life without the snow, just as there wouldn't be stars without the universe. "Burn Baby Burn" |
She was Frost. She was just learning what that meant, but she was eager to learn more, to understand it. She was an Elementas, a part of this rich heritage she barely understood, and a part of a pack that was made up of her family and people that loved her. She smiled up at her Uncle, knowing he would show her next time it was winter. “How did you know I was sneaking out Uncle Volt?” she wondered, now that the question of her element wasn't something worrying her. Volt would agree to show her a storm and she beamed up at him, knowing she would hold him to that and would find him, if he didn't find her, when the storm began. “Yes!” she said eagerly, jumping at the chance for a story. She settled in more comfortably beside her Uncle. She didn't know how long she would be able to enjoy this freedom before she was kicked off to bed again but she was eager to make the most of it. "Burn Baby Burn" |
Voltage would curl into a more comfortable position, resting his chin gently on a forepaw as he looked at her. He could certainly see his brother in her, not just her coloration but there was a gentle underlying curiousity beneath all that energy. His brother had always been the quite observer. As children when they had found something of interest, Voltage had always been loud and bouncy, excited over the aspect of finding it, where as Glacier had always seemed more curious about the thing itself. She was an ending seeker, a secret finder, and he couldn't help but smile warmly. She may be a lot louder than Glacier, but she had that unrelenting part of her that reminded him so clearly of his brother. And she had Ani in there too, but he was oddly reminded of himself. He smiled warmly at her curious question, and he slowly rose a brow. "I know everything, Seraphiel." He said in his gentle voice, tilting his head on his paw. "I can tell when someone is breaking the rules. I've had a lot of practice. You're not the first child that has tried to break the rules." He said with a soft chuckle. Not only his daughter, but the second litter...Serefina had been mischevious too, just like this girl. As Big Brother, Voltage had had to adapt, to be there to keep disasters from happening. When she agreed whole heartedly to the story he had to hum, closing his eyes slightly as she nestled in more comfortable. How would he go about this... "Once upon a time, the universe...split in two." He began, just the way he had when he told Arian of his history. "From it, two creatures were born. One was named Time and one was called Space. They found a special island lost between the seconds of time, and they settled down to create the earth. The first children they birthed were Energy, the beginning and the life, and Ice, the end and the unrelenting protector." He whispered softly, opening his eyes to look to her. "The two children grew, for a year together with Space and Time, when more children came. Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. They all lived together, happily and at peace for a full year. But when the second spring of Energy and Ice's life, they were cast away." His voice was soft, deep, as he watched the little girl. "They were banished from their siblings' sides, forced to break all connection with them and were sent out into a cold, unforgiving world alone. They struggled but soon learned how to live on their own. They spend nights laying together, worrying about their siblings. Another year passed with the two alone in solitude, when their siblings, too, were banished from their home. In their place, another litter had been born: the Storms, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, the youngest of the earth." With that he lifted his head to look out at the stars, sighing softly. "On that day, Energy and Ice vowed to guide their siblings through life, so they wouldn't feel that unforgiving isolation, so they could live a happy life despite their banishment from their life. They excaped the island between seconds, and found a volcano to call their own. But another year passed, and the youngest of the family was sent away. So Energy and Ice brought them all together, and they, again, moved." His eyes distanced then, sighing softly. "They found a beach of black sand, and lived there in harmony for a long time. A little cloud joined them, and a little mouse. Storm fled, fire ran off, and stars went searching for her place. And then...from Energy and Cloud, came Light and Electricity...but before their year came, something happened...something terrible." He paused then, to look at her with a frown, his brows pinched. "Before the earth turned to Fall, Light was tragically lost to the ocean, and without the power of light, Electricity lost her way, and she, too, left to find her light." He whispered sadly, laying his head back on his paws as he sighed. "And then, not long after, the family was given their light again, but this time in the form of auroras, and their Electricity was replaced with Frost...and soon, there will be more." He murmured with a small, gentle smile. No one knew his and Gaia's secret yet, not even her father. "Do you know why I tell you all this?" He asked softly, looking at her again with gentle eyes, his tail swaying to lay over his hind leg. "Burn Baby Burn" |
Ray frowned at Volt as he told her he knew everything. But did he really? Did he know about her friend Ren, about her reenactment of the mud monster tale her father had told her about himself and Voltage? About her secretly learning to swim so her dad wouldn't keep banning the ocean from her? Or how about the numerous times she had sneaked from her parents arms to enjoy the freedom of the cool, open air? She narrowed her eyes, searching his own, seeking out what secrets might be hidden beneath that steady golden gaze. did he know? After that it was story time and she settled down to listen, doing her best to take in what he was saying. She also wanted to know how much he would do with his voice. Would he change it for different characters? Lower it in sad moments, raise it to create suspense? Her daddy did wonders putting on different voices until she giggled. Had Volt ever heard his impersonation of him? It took her a couple sentences to realize this was a different version of Astrea's tale and she furrowed her brow as she listened to the differences. Astrea had told it to make it sound like the first litter was cast out before the second was born, where Voltage talked about them having a year together. She also noticed that in Voltage's tale the two oldest brothers where much more important guides and protectors to the family – they where the thing that brought the family together, and held it there. The story moved on to the beach – that stupid, over glorified land that she wasn't even allowed to explore because of the flooding, and she scowled. Why did everyone talk to highly of it and then ban her from it? It was like they where daring her to swim out there and explore the flooded caves. Cloud, Mouse, Storm? She was struggling to follow along and match all the representation to their respective owners. Who was the cloud? Soon there would be more? Because that wasn't cryptic at all. She frowned harder at him, willing this apparently knowledgeable wolf to somehow turn all her chasing thoughts into questions he could answer. " “Because its our history?” she asked when he ended his tale with a question. She paused then, trying to form her thoughts into something tangible. " “who's the Cloud and the Mouse? Who's the Storm? The Light? And who's Elen-a-tri-isity. And how am I replacing them?” she wondered. " “You tell the story much different to Astrea through I can see its the same one. She used stars, and hers was a little different” she explained. "Burn Baby Burn" |
Stormy eyes would stare back at her, a knowing smile on his face as he did. Perhaps he didn't know the specifics, but Voltage never needed to know the specifics. That was Glacier's job. Voltage knew of the emotion, he knew of her curiousity and how she grew. He new what she needed, and what she wanted, and he was intune with her just as he was with everyone else in his family. Voltage knew what he needed to know, and she wouldn't understand it. So he let it be, moving onto his story. He would watch her curiousity, smiling softly as she seemed to try to trace everyone to their representation, and he knew there were some missing. He chuckled softly at her searching gaze, at her excited questions. "Yes, because it is our history. You are here because your father and I helped create all this so you wouldn't have to live the life we had. We are all here, together, because of it, because family is the most important element in the world. You can grow angry and leave, you can search for yourself out in the wide world, you can become...lost, but if we are all together, and we remember that family is important none of that matters. The hardships wont touch us, and those that are missing will one day return to us, in some way. Family, Seraphiel, is most powerful than fire, stronger than ice, more fragile than frost, and most needed than the air we breathe." He said softly, looking at her. "Remember that, baby girl. If there's anything I ever teach you, I hope its that." He murmured softly. And then the flood of questions came, and he grinned softly, nodding his head. He would answer all her questions, he would make it all clear to her. Every last bit of it. "Storms is your uncle Arcus. He holds the powerful winds and raging storms in his body, and it makes him very angry sometimes. He grew angry with me, and he left us. But I am positive he will return..one day." He said softly then, looking at her. "The cloud of our story is my wife-to-be, Gaia. You've seen her, I'm sure. Mouse is your mother." He winced slightly when she said the word replace, and he slowly shook his head. "Replaced was not the right word." He murmured, sighing softly. She had to know, because if history were to ever repeat it would be because of ignorance. "Light and Electricity are my daughters. They were born last spring, and they would be a year old today. Light is my baby girl Illume Skye, and Current is the electricity that coursed through us. They went swimming one day, and an unseen current grabbed Illie and pulled her under. Current was saved, but she had lost a large part of her...her sister. So she, too, left to try and find her." He said softly, shifting his front paws and staring down at him. "They will be back, one day. And no, Seraphiel, you are not replacing them...I'm sorry I said that. You are unique, and perfect, and there is always room for both of you." He grinned a sad little grin then, tilting his head to her. "You remind me a lot of Illie, though. She was a very curious thing, always breaking the rules." He hummed softly at that last tidbit, looking up towards the stars then. "Astrea only knows the beginning from stories, just like you. She wasn't there at the start, which is probably why her story is different from mine. But that doesn't make it incorrect, it just..makes it her own. But, you can trust mine." He said with a wink in her direction. "Like I said, I know everything." "Burn Baby Burn" |
She certainly understood the importance of family – from her very first breath, from her first words and her first steps all she had known was family. She was surrounded by those related to her through blood or love, and she knew better then her own name, what those wolves meant to her, and what she meant to them. She might sometimes rebel against the suffocating knowledge that there where eyes everywhere, and that they all cared too much about her safety to let her break all the rules she wished to... but in the end, she loved them. Arcus – yes she had heard of him, and Cloud was Gaia? She grinned when he said her mother was the Mouse. Yes, she had heard her dad refer to her that way before and she should have guessed. Astrea had told her about Voltage's daughter but she couldn't remember if the star woman had told her their elements. Again, it was something she could have guessed if she had let her thoughts arrange themselves. She would hear a lot more about Volt's daughters this time around, and her brow knitted as she put a paw forward, placing it above the much larger, yellow marked one of her Uncle. She was breaking her own rules of contact here, and yet she didn't mind as she looked up into his bright eyes. " “I'd like to meet her one day” she said softly, and smiled at him, like there was not one doubt in her mind that it was a one day and not a maybe or an if. She removed the paw then, preferring the cold air to the warmth of bodies. She liked to be aloft, and cold, perhaps even a little heartless at times – but it was not true. There was too much of her father in there, too much compassion and love and understanding, no matter how she dressed it. "Burn Baby Burn" |