Midnight Plateau reflections of yourself

Maybe @Seri but otherwise all welcome!
Random Event: There is an active change in the Northern Lights! The sky lights up in greens, blues, and even shades of purple.

Time had flown and crawled all at once.

Kisina had managed to raise Seri far enough along that it seemed safer to let him travel, either with her or on short distances by himself. So she had informed him that she would brave the mountain, and if he stuck close, he could come brave it too. Perhaps there would be something worthwhile before it snowed far too much for anyone to get in or out.

And it seemed her brave travels would be rewarded. It required a bit of maneuvering to get in, but she eventually found a place to rest. A plateau that offered sanctuary in the ruggedness of the mountain. Not to mention the view from it was to die for. Perhaps Seri would be rewarded too.

Or perhaps they would at least see the same thing as the sky darkened.

A ripple of color that waved across the upper sky. Shades she had seen before and some she had not. Either way it was all so new to her. She had never recalled such a sight before.

"What could it be?" Wondered aloud into the cold mountain air.

The Vuesain patriarch did everything possible to keep his feet moving and mind focused on any little task he committed himself to that day. If he let his mind wander for too long, all he could ever think about was Kip and if she was alive or the possibility that she was out there lost. Every time he caught himself fall deeper and deeper into the sinking guilt, Aleister had to busy himself again. It wasn't that he was guilty of thinking about her, but it was the fact that his paws were tied in complicated knots. Three of his children were missing their mother and needed their father more than ever. How could he possibly leave them? Of course, they would have the whole pack dutifully looking after them, but Aleister helped bring them into this world and he was bound to protect them. He couldn't leave them, but they also needed their mother in their lives. There wasn't an easy path to navigate this situation and Al wished night after night that they would all wake up to Kip sleeping aside them in the den. However, with every dawn, her vacant spot was still cold.

As the night fell, he was too restless to sleep. Finding that his children were all sleeping soundly and safely in the den, Aleister decided to take a walk. Perhaps, he was being careless by going off alone knowing that Chan wanted them all to travel around in groups if all possible, but Al couldn't rest, and he didn't intend to be gone long at all. There was a pull for him, an invisible tether tugging him from the safety of the Cove to the higher reaches of the mountain. The Vuesain couldn't help but hope he might find his children's mother out there somewhere.

Trekking up the snow filled paths were not easy for the older man, but his experienced paws led the way until he was close to the familiar plateau that he spends a lot of his down time enjoying. As he crested the path leading to the outcrop, the breeze brought him news that he wasn't alone. Mismatched eyes spotted the dark tawny figure looking out across the sky, his footfalls slowly. Clearing his throat softly, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize the plateau was occupied."

 

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize the plateau was occupied."

Too deep to be the approach of her son, nor would he say such things when she had invited him along if he felt bold enough. So she turned skyward eyes to look towards the source. A dark tawny man, mismatched eyes and built strong. Oh, she could have pinned him anywhere if she dared to.

All of him familiar to all of her.

Yet he had not greeted her with any twinge of familiarity. Did he not recognize her at all? Or only not under such...tame situations?

"Only temporarily." She hummed lowly in response, a faint twitch of her tail as she reclined into a seated position. A ghost of a smile on her lips. "You're welcome to join me."

It wasn't until her striking, familiar grey-blue eyes pierced his hide that he realized whose company he was in. Mismatched gaze wandered slightly as he took her in fully as she hummed a response. Aleister never expected to see the unnamed vixen ever again, but here she was once again along the mountain. His thoughts lingered to her every now and again. Aleister wondered if the cause was the same for her, if he ever crossed her mind. He wasn't sure she recognized him, though if she had, she didn't particularly show it.

Moving to seat himself alongside her, he settled upon his haunches before casting his gaze over to her catching those piercing eyes within his. Their last meeting was reckless and fleeting, perhaps this time it will be a little more domestic.

A few silent moments passed before he opened his ebony lips to speak. There were many thoughts, but most could not be formed into words. "I didn't think I would ever see you again," he spoke softly, not sure if he really wanted to reveal that thought to the vixen. Perhaps, she really didn't recognize him.

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2021, 01:38 AM by Aleister.)

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

He had spent so much time around the spring that wandering was becoming something of a sport. At the news that they could travel into the mountains, he felt excited. He felt a calling, a yearning for adventure… so naturally he had followed right alongside his mother, though he certainly stopped to analyze things of his own and follow strange scents he had never encountered before. He was curious, but a little curiosity never hurt anybody… at least, he didn’t think it did. It had been one of his wanderings that had distracted him and pulled him away from his mother for a short time with the assurances that he was not going to be too far behind her.

The air felt colder and thinner than he was used to… it took more to take a full breath, but it was far from bad. He was scampering to catch up, dutifully following the scent of the only caregiver and friend he had ever truly known. Sure, he had met others, and they had even taught him valuable things, but no one could compare to his mom. She had been his whole world for as long as he had known… he was closing in on her scent across the plateau, opening his maw to greet her until he realized who was there. His eyes widening and silence falling over him when he saw that she was not alone. He moved closer, tucking against his mother and not saying another word as he looked up at the man that she was with, always shy around strangers, at least at first.

She hummed a little bit of soft laughter at that. "I didn't think I'd see you again either." And truthfully she would have been content not to. Certainly he had others to return to and she had not been one to beg him to stay when their time had come to an end.

No, she had had bigger things on her mind.

Things like...wolves. Her wolf, her son. Who drifted like her shadow and positioned himself comfortably at her side. She would be quick to plant her nose to his crown for a moment and provide some semblance of comfort and assurance that all was well. Such a weed he had become, it seemed he grew larger and bolder every day.

She allowed her gaze to drift back to the skies, intentionally distant in that moment. Would her alluring stranger put two and two together? More importantly would he dare to speak such? It threatened to smother her in the smoke of a fiery belly. Not once had she had the conversation of fathers and dads with Seri, it had never made sense to. There had never been the threat of a man being in the picture.

Now here he stood.

Perhaps her silence might dare either one of them into attempting introductions.

A whisper of a smirk crossed his maw at her admission, showing she indeed remembered him. Though her words were not spoken in the way like she was sad she had not seen him again. She had not gone looking for him. There had been no expectations or hopes from him with that he was relieved with.

Though as they settled into another silent moment, the dark flash of another crossed his vision as the young cub settled himself against the tawny woman. Blue and honey gaze studied the two of them carefully, his mind whirling as he began to put things together. The boy's size was comparable to that of his children back home, so he was not even a year old yet. Aleister waited silently, his gaze flickering back and forth between the two wondering if she would reveal anything. But her gaze kept steeling upon the skies in front of them.

Was this his son? He wanted to speak, but he was truly speechless in this moment.

There was a possibility the boy wasn't his, meaning that he wasn't the only vixen's lover similar to how she was to him. But her silence spoke volumes to him. "Hello there," was all he could manage, as he dipped his head softly to peer over at the boy though his mismatched gaze watched his mother's gaze cautiously.

 

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

The presence of his mother’s fur against his side had been enough to comfort him, but the nose to his crown had caused his eyes to flutter shut for just a second as he drew in a breath, finding himself relaxed. His mother did not seem worried, and therefore he would not be as well. The man seemed to look at him, at both of them, and Seri tilted his head to the side curiously, a million questions burning in his mind though he didn’t speak a single one. It did not feel like the time. There was a greeting, addressing him directly and he hesitated for a moment.

It almost felt… tense? Perhaps he was making it up in his mind. “Hi.” He managed softly, having never been one for many words… unless it was in pursuit of knowledge but he truly did not know what to make of this situation. He’d never asked about his father, because the concept of a father or fatherhood had never encroached upon his life. The men he had met were separate and isolated instances, and they had only ever asked about his mother. His mother had never brought it up with him either. “Who are you?” He finally dared to ask, for better or for worse.

Thoughtful men, the both of them.

Neither dared to say too much to the other. Not that her dear Seri could do any harm with anything he might say. It was...him, mystery shrouded man who could do harm here. So she thought better of her aloof silence and thought she'd but this matter to bed before it raised too far for her liking.

"He's a friend of mine." Murmured for Seri but still intended to be loud enough for the older man to hear. They had no need to complicate any relations here, especially if there could be no guarantee to him that this was his son. Only Kisina would know such a detail. "Introduce yourself." Softly prompted to her son for him to spread his social butterfly wings and fly a bit.

And perhaps this would be an informal way of learning his name as well.

aleister vuesain

as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found

The young boy issued him a polite greeting, though he hesitated to ask who he was. Catching his luminous yellow gaze, he was tempted to spill the truth, but his mother's soft words halted his train of thought. In hushed tones loud enough for him to hear, the boy's mother told him Aleister was a friend of hers. A way to put it, he mused silently to himself.

She prompted him to introduce himself to the Vuesain man, a smile gracing his ebony lips. He would learn his name and possibly his mother's too. "I'm Aleister Vuesain," he started as his gaze shifted from the boy and to his mother. "I live just down the mountain in a valley with a big Lake. We call it the Lost Lake." Aleister told the boy, hoping his words wouldn't frighten him. Depending on how this meeting went, it might be the first and only time he would ever see this possible offspring of his.