Empress Riffle strangely familiar

For @Seri backdated to 5/14/22

The young Vuesain girl had hoped to find running water here, remembering the forking creeks and rills that had cut through that very spring. Instead she found more of the same, unusually dry conditions. Even the creeks had receded from the banks and the trees themselves were beginning to take on a parched look. There was a small grey jay following her from tree to tree, letting her know of his displeasure in the most raucous of ways. Stella's ears flicked back, trying to focus instead on the soft whisper of the breeze through the trees as she passed below.

Despite the drought and the unwelcoming feathered local, the land felt less ominous with each step. She was closer to home with each passing day, and though she knew that the Dead Empress Backwater pack resided not too far from here, she walked (perhaps foolishly) without concern, stopping only occasionally to examine the trail for signs of something that might sate her hunger and thirst, her ever-present companions on this journey.

There was a sense of anxious purpose as she loped along, eyes fixed ahead, heedless of the early-fallen heart-leaves underfoot. It was harder to ignore the constant pestering of the bird, though, and eventually she turned on her heel and snapped her teeth at the air. "Well If you'd pipe down, maybe I could catch somethin for the both of us!" The little jay just scolded on, and she sighed, turning to continue on her own way. In a way, she felt as if she probably deserved it. It wasn't really the bird that was bothering her so much, anyway. She wanted to be home, but she was worrying over her return, too.

(This post was last modified: May 31, 2022, 04:15 PM by Stella.)

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri had been sticking close to his new home as if his life depended on it. Then again, it sort of did depend on it. He didn’t want to be alone, and with his momma gone, and his dad still sort of… absent? Well, it meant that his friends were all he had. Realistically, he knew he could go to Aleister, he just really didn’t know how to feel about the whole situation and he didn’t want to be that far from his friends. Mr. Valle had been very nice in that regard, letting him stay and being so kind to him. He had wandered just beyond the borders, sniffing for prey trails that he could follow when he heard a voice on the wind, his head tilting to the side.

He made his way over with a soft frown on his features. “Somehow I don’t think it was him that was making all the noise…” He stated with a frown on his features, blinking at her a few times. “I’m Seri.” An introduction ought to be in order though he hoped she wasn’t mad by his statement.

To her surprise, there was a response to her words. Stella flicked her gaze away from the bird, dismissing the momentary fanciful impression that the creature had scolded her in return.

Instead her gaze settled on a tawny-hued wolf. He was larger than her, but she decided that he didn't look much older. There was something strangely familiar about his features, though she couldn't decide what. Had she met him briefly on her travels, or perhaps when they'd visited the wolves of the backwater briefly months before? She was sure to have changed somewhat herself, since then. Or was it something else? Perhaps it was just another flight of fancy, her homesick mind seeing familiar faces where they were not. At any rate, there was a frown on the stranger's face, and more pressing matters at hand.

Stella took a step back and fixed her stance more squarely, unsure of whether she should give ground here. She wasn't trespassing, was she? She had been quite distracted. Her assertive streak battled with her better judgement for a moment, as she decided there was no need to potentially anger the larger yearling without any good reason. "I'm Stella," she supplied her own name, flicking an ear as she wondered if she ought to give a fuller introduction. Perhaps once the tension faded slightly from the air. Her own golden gaze was finally broken with a blink and brief nod of her head in return. "You startled me," she admitted after another moment.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

She looked at him and he likewise really took a look at her, seeing her face. He really didn’t recognize her though he noted the vaguest association to his half-brothers Lynx or Leo… though really, a lot of wolves looked alike. There was no reason for him to believe there was any relation. She introduced herself as Stella and spoke of how he had startled her. “Likewise… your scolding spooked me… for a moment I thought you were talking to me.” He added, a hint of a cheeky expression on his features. He decided next that he should simply do what he did best: he should overexplain everything.

“I live not far from here… a little that way in a pack called Dead Empress Backwater.” He explained, motioning towards where he knew the borders laid with his head. “What about you? Whatcha doing out here..? Apart from yelling at birds, that is.” He was curious, and he’d never really learned the social boundaries of not prying into someone’s life and motivations during a first meeting before. It all felt really inconsequential when he thought about it. Strangers were the best people to ask, because one would never see them again… right?

There was something in this stranger's features that made her do a double take. That grin especially reminded her of her father's own. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that, whether to dwell further upon such an observation or simply chalk it up to homesickness. It would sound more than a bit odd to ask about anyway, how to even begin?

She had been trying to listen to everything he said while she thought all of this over, but it still took her a moment to process it all. One thing he said really did jump out and snap her attention back where it ought to be, though. "Dead Empress Backwater... my pack and I came to visit toward the end of last winter!" she exclaimed. Maybe that was why he had the vague air of familiarity about him. Stella shrugged her shoulders and gave her head a tilt to indicate the unspoken question, figuring Seri would say something if he indeed remembered such a visit. She felt more at ease knowing he was in the same pack as she'd visited with her family, though. She was somewhat embarrassed by her outburst, and by his follow up question, but really it had been a while since she'd spoken to anyone, much less someone near her own age. "Ah, I'm on my way home, to the Cove," she began, explaining "-and the bird was yelling at me first," she added rather lamely,

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

She knew of the Backwater? And they had visited… hey, wait, hadn’t the Backwater also visited his father’s pack too? Maybe she knew his dad! She only confirmed his statement and he grinned and nodded. “My dad is from the Cove! It’s a little complicated. I just joined the Backwater, but my mom is a lone wolf who kinda just disappeared, but my dad and his new mate and all of his other kids live in the Cove. I didn’t know he was my dad at first, and he didn’t know either but—“ He trailed off shyly with a nervous chuckle.

This was what his mother was always getting on him about, back when she was still around… info dumping on people or asking a lot of questions. “My dad is Aleister… he’s the leader there… do you think you could possibly give him a message for me? I didn’t really tell him I was joining the Backwater… but I want to tell him that I’m going to visit him soon.”

First she had been startled, but now she was genuinely surprised. Stella's eyes widened in shock and recognition, her jaw falling open. "No way, you're kidding!" she exclaimed, a laugh following after. It was just that, odd inklings of resemblances aside, she just wasn't prepared for news like this today. Her family was complicated, to say the least. Apparently, it was more complicated than she'd known.

"Sorry, it's just... Aleister Vuesain? He's my Pa, too... nice to meet you!" Another laugh, slightly awkward. There was really no point in beating around the bush. There were more more questions, so many, in fact. The need to ask after her family after being away was too strong to resist. And then, there was... "My ma Kip's been missing for a while now, and I went looking for her, but I had to turn back," she paused for a moment, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry about your ma. It's hard, right?" She wasn't prone to opening up someone who was basically a stranger, but it would seem that she and Seri had a lot in common, including blood. "Of course I can tell him, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that you won't be a stranger."

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

He saw the shock and he was confused as to what surprised her so much. “Not kidding! Apparently he has a lot of kids… at least, that’s what it seems like.” A handful of siblings seemed like so many when he had never had any beforehand… it was enough to make him a little disoriented at the very least.

His eyes widened when she admitted that Aleister was her dad too. “Wait! So that… that makes you my sister?!?” His tail wagged, clearly overjoyed by the news. He had never actually had a sibling before. He had his mud brothers, but he also recognized that while like family, they didn’t have the same blood running through their veins.

More importantly? She had grown up with him! She could answer all kinds of questions. “It’s… it’s okay. She didn’t like me asking questions about Dad… I guess there was some bad blood or something between them.” He admitted with a frown on his features. “What was he like? Growing up? It was just me and my Ma for the longest time… and even now it feels like I don’t really know much about him, you know?”

Seri's comment drew a laugh from her. "Yeah, it would seem so," she had grown up with her half-sister, but Kateri had always felt like another littermate to Stella. She hadn't ever expected to meet another long-lost sibling, but it was only a mild shock once the initial lightning-spark moment had passed. Their family dynamic had left her, if not prepared, then at least quite open to the idea.

She knew it might be a rough spot, to talk of what they'd lost, but they had gained something, too. Stella's tail wagged in echo to Seri's as he voiced his realization aloud. Her chest felt warm, seeing his joy, hearing that word in a new voice, sister. "Yeah, I guess that makes you my brother, too." She smiled, stepping forward to give him a light nudge with her shoulder.

The mood sobered slightly as Seri spoke of his mother, of his own questions. Stella listened, and then after a moment, tried her best to answer. What was her Pa like? She'd never really had to think about summing it up before. "Well, he's always busy, but he always made time for us, especially once Ma was gone," she began, thinking of late night chats they had shared. "He's one of the bravest and kindest wolves I know, but I might be a little biased. But I know he'll be glad to hear from you, and that we met by chance!" She grinned, before speaking up again. "So have you met Leo and Lynx then, and Kateri? When you come visit, we can all spend some time together and get to know each other better. Maybe we can all go fishing at the Cove," assuming there was any water left.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri had never had the chance to really know any of his siblings, not like they had all seemed to know each other. A part of him blamed his father for the fact that he was not born in the Cove… a part of him blamed his mother. He truly was not certain who was to blame, but he could not help but feel like he had been hurt because he hadn’t been able to form these kinds of relationships with his siblings like Eros and Archer had with each other. A part of him remained quite envious of his two friends and the bond they’d had since birth.

“I like that… I… haven’t really had siblings before. I was the only one… just me and my mom.” He explained, almost a little shy to admit that himself as she moved forward to give him a light nudge with her shoulder. To think about it, he really didn’t know what siblings did anyway? It was a bit of a mystery to him as a whole.

Aleister was, by all accounts, a good father. He spent time with them, especially after their mothers had disappeared… “That sounds… really good.” He answered, a soft smile though there was a bitterness in his mind that either one of them would have denied him that from the start… “I really like the sound of that! I learned how to fish with my Mama… but I haven’t actually fished in a long time.” He offered, his tail wagging at the prospect. It sounded like they were doing better with water than the Backwater does, if they could still fish.