Dead Empress Backwater We meet our ends

For Vayko though anyone else may feel free to creep around. Mod at some point will probably ask to see @Katna and @Eros too at some point. Will tag then. This will be Modesto last time in DEB.

Modesto's world had since dried up. All of their world had, it seemed. Modesto had been happy for the new slice of land she had found and while the creeks and ponds and smaller rivers and lakes dried up, the great Lagoon had remained.

No more. Now, it was but a vast expanse of mud pit. The last fresh water now put to rest. She must move on. She must leave. Now even Mother Nature herself was telling her it was time.

She would not travel far without alerting @Kyrios. He had been her one constant throughout her time in these Wildwoods. Soon they would leave and now it was out of necessity then wanting.

Now however, she returned to the place where it had all started and in much a sense, had ended. The bog of Backwater. Now these lands too were filled with either mud caked grounds or cracked earth where water once flowed. The lake of creeks, rivers and water beds revealing more of the broken and dead trees to make the land even more ugly then before.

She snorts, moving along carefully, quietly. But she could not stay hidden for long. Stalking along the borders without announcing herself would seem even more suspicious. So, she rose her graying maw and called out for the Backwater wolf she wished to see- @Vayko.

(This post was last modified: May 04, 2022, 08:40 PM by Modesto.)

Where there might have once been relief or joy, there was only irritation painted across his maw as the call rose for him. Vanadis would be giving birth any day now, the water was drying up more than he had ever seen it before… and he really did not know what the future of the Backwater was to look like without any water in it. To say he had been on edge was an understatement, and Modesto had chosen her snarky words and opinions over helping the family out when they clearly needed it most… it was with a lashing tail that he met her at the borders, his eyes lightly narrowed as he brought his shoulders back and held his head high.

“What are you doing back here?” Clearly Viorel had run her off and clearly Vayko had agreed as he had not gone to find her and ask her to return. “I think you said enough the last time you were here.” He had been so resistant to pick a side… but the careful contemplation and struggle he had gone through in the weeks to follow had made his choice quite clear. It was not just Viorel who had made this kingdom. He had helped with it and she had disrespected it. She disrespected the woman he loved, Viorel and his wife as well…

And now, there she was at the borders… he couldn’t help but wonder what her ploy was that time? Was she desperate because of the lack of water? Did she come to see if they had failed because of this hardship? One thing was certain; he expected an alternate agenda.

Vayko Valle

Vayko came to her with his head held high and a sharp, scrutinizing gaze. Family members not agreeing with one another was a heinous, unforgivable act, apparently. Still to this day they had their furs in a bunch. What had made Vakyo hate her so? Though Modesto was left unaware, Vayko had defended her when he had met with Viorel on it. What happened?

There was no happiness. To spark of excitement. It twisted her gut and she could feel the bile rise in her throat. She said nothing to it and would only reveal any uncomfortable by the twitching of an eye.

She was silent for a monent before then breathing in and letting out a heavy sigh. How sad. How childish. If he didnt want anything to do with her either, then... "I've come to visit you.... Mother and Eros, before I left." A pause. "I'm returning to the coast."

He missed the discomfort, but then again she was talented at masking her emotions. She had masked her despise of the Backwater for months. He had defended her and he had been so confused in the weeks following her banishment… until talking with Sharlee had made him realize how angry he was with her. His gut twisted uncomfortably, his chest panging but he refused to let it show on his features if only for the stubbornness of no longer allowing her to hold power over her. “Viorel will never let you near his children after what you said.” He stated simply, stating it as fact though Vayko could not bring himself to deny her a visit with grandmother before she left.

Katna was her mother, her family… and even if Vayko thought she had turned her back on the next generation, he knew how cruel it would be to deny her such a request. She was returning to the coast? For a brief moment, there was a flicker in his eyes, a hint of longing before he pushed it down. The coast came with so many rules he found that he no longer agreed with, archaic ways he did not wish to follow, and a council to control whoever the King or Queen should be.

“I can arrange to bring Katna to the borders so you can say your goodbyes.” He offered with a softness in her tone… and with it came the dying question on his lips as he looked at the woman he had admired for so long. “Did you ever mean to try? Did you ever try to see things the way Vi, and Shar, and I did?” He asked softly as he looked at her. Viorel had said his piece, to both of them… but now felt like the time for Vayko to get the answers he thought he deserved.

Vayko Valle

Modesto didn't bother to comment on @Eros. She had seen him since though sought no glory in getting the pup in trouble even if it meant defying Backwater's leaders.

She also caught the hint of interest in his gaze as she mentioned the coast. She said nothing to this, either. Best to stay on track. He would allow her to see her mother but it seemed that this would not come without a price. He wanted answers. Her jaw tensed. If it meant weighing her old af mother over her head, then she guessed she would have to give hum something...

"I did try. Do you not remember that I was with you all for nearly a year before Viorel sought it fitting to banish me?" It wasn't like she hadn't been there all that time. Hadn't helped to establish their founding, hadn't been there through the floods, the sickness, all the other stupid mistakes... "I did not agree with the way he was running things and I said nothing I regret. While Vayko was left to play his shadow. Had he forgotten so much already? That the years (she had been with them since the day they were born!) were all forgotten and washed away the moment Modesto spoke her mind? Said something that challenged their delicate claim?

"I was never happy here. You would have thought someone would have taken notice. Viorel complained that his family kept disapearing on him but never bothered to think as to why." That someone would have given two shits about her thoughts. But no. They ignored her. Just like they had Andrey. Just like they had Xulia. "It's like you all were just so fucking happy that are family had been stolen away- ripped apart from one another. No one bothered ever trying to find a way back. We never traveled far enough from this God forsaken swamp. You all just wanted to 'start over', 'start fresh' be bigger and better as though your life was nothing but shit until you were able to 'break free'. Well not me." A pause, then a final decree, for she was done with this conversation. She was sick of explaining herself when it didn't change anything and would not. "I'm going home."

He listened as she regaled him with simply how she had ‘tried’ though he used the word loosely, his teeth gritting as he stopped her mid-tirade. “The way we were running things.” He stated back with a frown on his features. “Viorel and I might have run into troubles and bumps, especially in the beginning… but we made those decisions.” He corrected her with a scoff. “You weren’t trying to support us. You were trying to make the Backwater like the Estuary but it’s not and it’s like that by design.” He stated back again.

She went on her tirade once more, and he listened to her as he remained stiff as a board. She could go home if she wanted to. At least he had gotten the truth out of her. “If you were so miserable you didn’t have to stay.” He answered back, his tone softer. “You never asked us why either. Did it occur to you that maybe I wanted to get away from the stifling rules you and the rest of the council created? That I felt limited, like I couldn’t live up to my own potential with the older Valles hanging over me constantly reminding me of the Valle name as if it was supposed to mean something. You, hell, even my mother and father…” Even if his father was not technically a Valle.

“I struggled with your banishment… I even defended you to Viorel… but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you were worse than the rest of them. Rather than just leaving to live your life and find your happiness, you had to cause a scene, insult Vi’s family who all hold the Valle name you love so much, and insult the woman that I love. We just want our family to happy. For us, that’s here. If that wasn’t here for you, then you never had to stay…” Finally, he had said his own piece, the words that had been on his mind for so long now… he could let her go with that closure. “Go home… be happy.” That was all he ever wanted, really... and he would wish that for her as well. He'd come to learn over the past year that everyone deserved their own slice of happiness.

Vayko Valle

Eros had come as swiftly as he was able after hearing his grand-aunt's howl. Even though she had addressed Vayko alone, he couldn't imagine a world in where she wouldn't be happy to see him too. He'd swung by the lagoon on his way to the Ridge when scouting for his dad, but all that had been left was muck and he'd been unable to track Modesto herself. It was a relief that she was not only okay despite the drought, but that she'd come to them as well! Maybe the adults were starting to get over being so mad at each other?

The raised voices told him otherwise, words fading in and out of recognition as he neared. Eros frowned to himself, ears lowering at the hints of confrontation. Why? Banishment wasn't good enough of a punishment, they had to keep arguing about it all too? The youth was tired of not understanding, but he couldn't read their minds and solve the mystery himself...

He came into view and moved to greet his Aunt first, passing his Uncle by. He saw Vayko every day, he wanted to visit with Aunt Mo.

The way he spoke, it reminded her of how teenagers spoke when they wanted to break free. When they wanted to get out from the household they were born into, to make their own decisions, their own rules, their own life. Usually when they did grow up, there was two things which could happen: A. They make it and our proud of their accomplishments, even if they did not remember it was their parents and grandparents which were there to build their foundation. B. They failed and hated so that they did not listen to those who were older and wiser, who had been there and done that.

Vayko was still young. Viorel too. Maybe after all their mistakes, they would make something decent of themselves. Maybe not. Only time would tell.

"Your nearly three now, grown. I'd tell you to do as you please, but I think we are passed that." She murmurs In-between breathes of his verbal retaliation. And his love? Who was that? If only she had known he had fallen for his cousin's leftovers of the one he decided not to choose for a wife!

And there it was. She was worse then the rest of them. Which apparently meant instead of telling her feelings and be truthful no matter who got butthurt about it, was worse then just disapearing on them without knowing what happened, dead or alive. Modesto couldn't understand this. Couldn't understand how arguing was better then just leaving without a word. It didn't matter. She didn't need to understand. This was not her home and these were not her people any longer.

After Vayko finished with his "its our way or the highway" speech (a complete example of his dictatorship vs. the councils democracy) Modesto stood silent- waiting. She had answered him as he had liked, now she wanted to see her mother and made no attempt at furthering her conversation with the high and mighty King of the swamps.

"Eros", she nearly gasps at the sight of the boy but does not run to him, lest she be reprimanded and tossed out of this land without seeing her mother firstly. It is clear the love she once breathed into Vayko and Sharlee was now replaced with another. They had grown up to be disappointments. Maybe Eros wouldn't. "I've missed you, dear boy." Spoken with the same smokey growl as ever as she embraced him in turn.

(This post was last modified: Jul 05, 2022, 01:25 AM by Modesto.)

It was clear they would never see eye to eye. She would always be family. That would never change in his heart… but she was far past any affection he had once held for her. She did not answer either, at least not directly. She could condemn all she wanted, but at the end of the day, he had everything and she had nothing. That was enough for him. He kept his head up as Eros arrived, a frown on his features though he would not send the boy back. Viorel would not approve of him bringing his boy to Modesto, but since the boy had done so of his own volition, he wasn’t going to scold him.

His tail flicked lightly in irritation at the lack of acknowledgement that he was even there, but instead he cleared his throat. “Eros, your aunt is leaving for greener forests… she came to say goodbye. I am going to get my grandmother, but take the time you need.” He spoke more to his nephew than his aunt before turning in order to do as he promised. He kept his word, unlike the Valle councilwoman had when she promised them so much.

The effort didn’t matter, not when the end result was just as bitter as violent. It was not long before he was coaxing his confused grandmother from her den, guiding her carefully towards the borders edge so she could have what would likely be her last moments with her daughter.

Vayko Valle

As expected, his grandaunt greeted him warmly. Eros' tail lifted to wag as he nuzzled into the warm fur at her chest, happy to drink in her affection for a moment. He wanted to tell her that he'd missed her too, that he had been worried, but Vayko interjected first. The young boy blinked as he looked over his shoulder at his uncle, ears tipping back with displeasure not only at the turn of phrase used, but also that he put his own bitterness before his nephew's feelings.

He let out his frustration in a sigh, and looked back to his aunt. He didn't like hearing that she was leaving the Lore, but he couldn't say that he was all that surprised. The older he grew, the more he understood just how shitty Aunt Mod's position was. He also was slowly coming to understand Uncle Vay as well; he was usually only pissy when he cared. There was no sense in Eros adding to the negative-emotions pile by getting upset with either one of them.

"... are ya gonna find the sea?"