Archainn Tunnels Light In Darkness

For @Ember and @Aleister

 

If asked, Neha Vuesain wouldn't even have recognized herself anymore. She had changed. Not so much physically, but mentally and emotionally. The metamorphosis had all started that one day when Draven, her now ex-partner, confessed his lack of love towards her. Shortly afterwards, her only son, Sachiel, vanished. That was the final nail in the coffin. Her heart could take no more. It turned to stone slowly, rivets of ice creeping from the inside out. She showed no emotion other than silent depression or steely indifference towards the outside world. Deep down, she was hurting. Crying endless streams of hot tears, overcome with guilt. But she would not let the world know. Would not let them see. She was the first born Vuesain....she had always tried to be strong. Always tried to do what was right. And now here she was, a failure as a partner, a mother and a disgrace to her bloodline. There was no more lively spark left within her.

She belonged here, in these dark, twisting tunnels. They were empty and devoid of life, save for the colony of bats. She didn't bother them, and they didn't bother her. Alone in the never ending darkness, Neha almost felt comfortable. She was still trying to track down her son, but hadn't any idea of where he might have gone. Her best guess was to search in the opposite direction of Quaking Vale. He could have headed north or south, or even west, over the mountain. The thought of him crossing it alone made her sick with worry. He was just a youngster and with winter arriving, his chances of making the journey safely were slim. She may have grown up surrounded by the mountainous peaks, but he certainly had not. Several hours in to the cavernous tunnels, she realized that she would find no trace of Sachiel here. There was nothing here. Paws dragging along the cold, rocky floor, she hung her head defeatedly. Dead brown eyes stared at her paws, their white fur now dusted in dirt. Maybe she should give up. Assume that Draven had found him and move on. Or, forget this chapter of her life completely. Wouldn't that be so much easier? Exhausted in more ways than she could count, the fallen princess slumped down on the nearest craggy rock. This would be her new throne now, as her eyes fluttered shut while she waited to waste away.

   

 

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2017, 04:46 AM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

She'd gone a little far. Ember hadn't intended to end up under the mountain itself, but the tunnels and caverns were far to interesting to pass up once they'd been discovered. Hopefully, @Kyna and @Greer wouldn't worry after her if she was gone the night. She was sticking around this time, really, just she got so damned distracted anymore.

The last thing she'd expected while down here, however, was the catch whiff of another wolf. So much time had passed since the days she would play with the Lost Lake princess that Ember failed to recognize her unique musk, and she certainly no longer smelled of her mountain birthplace. But someone was there and she could almost taste the grief that rolled from her defeated body. Without a thought she went to the stranger, cautious but unreserved. Had there been light in the cave system to see with, she might have recognized those brown eyes. As it was, she merely crawled up atop the lone wolf's perch and stretched out next to her, leaning her flank against the other's backs in hopes of comforting her with her company.

 

Sprawled like a helpless, skinny rag doll over the stalagmite ringed perch, Neha's now dull eyes fluttered closed. She would sleep and let the darkness consume her, be it for several hours or days. And if by chance she didn't wake, then so be it. As far as she was concerned, with the exception of Sachiel, there was nothing left in this realm for her. She could only hope, as he consciousness blurred into nothingness, that wherever he was, that he wasn't alone. That he was just as happy as he had been in the Vale with her and Draven alongside him. "Grow up strong my sunbeam. Don't make the mistakes I did..." Were her final thoughts before she descended into darkness.

When the touch of fur pressed against her side paired with the scent of another wolf, Neha was roused from her dreamless slumber. Who of all people could've found her in here, and why? Her first instinct was to lift her head up sharply, followed by a rolling growl in her throat and quivering lips. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She didn't need their pity, nor did she want any comfort. Or so she thought. But when her vision came into focus, settling with crystal clarity on the creamy fur and golden eyes of the wolf beside her, her harsh expression melted away. Bewilderment and the first signs of recognition crept onto her face. Parting her lips in a thin, hollow voice which hadn't been used in so long, she uttered one word. "E-ember?"   

 

(This post was last modified: Jan 03, 2018, 10:35 PM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Rather than respond to her presence promptly, the wolf beside her drifted off into a stilled slumber. Ember was not impatient, and had no qualms about remaining through the woman's rest. She would keep her warm, ensure that she eventually awoke, at the least before she could bring herself to move on. Ember certainly couldn't see herself abandoning the wolf, not when she was so clearly not okay.

Her thoughts drifted with time, until she was snapped back into the moment by the stranger stirring back into consciousness. Her muscles braced in preparation, and as expected, her presence startled the other. As the growl rumbled through the enclosed space, Ember got up onto her paws in a crouch with one swift movement, putting a chunk of space between them. She was prepared to dodge away completely if the wolf struck out at her. Instead, however, the woman shocked her completely.

She said her name. And that voice... it was matured, a bit different from her memory, but still the same.

"Neha?"

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

 

She curled up into herself, a tight ball of tense muscles and unkempt agouti fur. The others pale yellow eyes and light tawny coat struck a spark of remembrance in her crowded mind. But it was the voice that echoed back to her, uttering her name, that brought distant childhood memories back to life. The corners of her brown eyes quivered, torn between holding back tears and putting up their icy glare. The female who had entered the cave and come to lay by her side, in her darkest hour, was non other than her friend. The one she and her brother met in the amber leafed forest.

Her ears fell then, her throat closing up. She thought she had lost everyone. That anyone remotely close to her was gone. Yet here Ember was, fully grown and looking well. More could be said for Neha, who by a simple glance, had been more through her share of strain. Yet it was on a mental scale; she only chose to allow her body to suffer physically. With a shake of her head, she tried to clear her mind. "How did you find me...?"

  

 

(This post was last modified: Feb 01, 2018, 01:58 AM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

Ember's ears full back as Neha's sorrow rolled off of her in waves, knocking against the paler woman and affecting her physically. She couldn't help the empathy that overwhelmed her, and soon she was curled around the other once more, pulling the lost lake princess close.

"Luck," she answered Neha's tearful question. There had been no true reason for her venturing in other than curiosity. Had Ember believed in a higher power, she might've thought this was fate, that she'd been meant to find and rescue her old friend and that was why she had felt such an inexplicable draw. The paths of life weren't so perfectly tailored, however, even if they did sometimes lead to perfect places.

"What's happened? Why are you down here? You're so thin, Neha..."

She could feel the other woman's bones pressing against her as she cradled her. Neha needed to be fed, cared for, but would she even leave this spot? Ember could feel it in her bones; for whatever reason, she had come here to die.

 

She swallowed hard, forcing the overwhelming urge to just fall apart into a blubbering mess back deep down. With a squaring of her shoulders, her brown eyes hardened again, but she let the other female wrap her own body around hers protectively. Just by chance, Ember had found her. It was as simple as that. Neha was both relieved and ashamed that another had found her here. Relieved because it was her of all wolves. Ashamed because she was not who she had once been, in so many ways.

The question that she knew was coming slipped out for her ears to receive. A wince of agony, regret and bitterness swept across her face once it hit the air. Through her nose she drew in a long breath and let it out in a deep, tired sigh. Slowly, she drew her head down and let her chin rest across the female's hip. Emptily, her eyes stared out into the darkness and for a time it would seem as if the silence would stretch on. But then Neha found her voice. And when she spoke, it was hollow. Broken. "It's gone...all gone..." One chocolate eye shifted to the side to eye her friend, while her head remained still. "I lost everything." A shudder wracked her spine and her lips tightened at the pain of the memories she sifted through. "My parents....Cernan...my little sisters...my son..." Now that would come as a surprise, the last one. Neha, a mother at this age? "They've all vanished. And the Cove?" She knew what Ember had to be thinking about her birthplace. What of it? "It's not the same. It hasn't been for a while now."

   

 

(This post was last modified: Feb 14, 2018, 08:18 PM by Neha.)

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.