Dead Empress Backwater Keep me from crawling

He's back! AW for DEB but special shout-out to @Clover and @Vayko @Viorel

It was growing dark again and it wasn’t fair. Jacy could swear the sun had only just risen; he’d barely gotten anywhere at all and he was going to have to stop soon! He didn’t like being out at night. He didn’t mind, at home, but out here where it was strange and scary and he didn’t know where he was… it all got so much worse when the sun went down.

Jacy didn’t mean to go out so far. He didn’t realize it was so late. The older he got, the shorter the days felt. He remembered enjoying naps in the middle of the day because they just seemed so long. It wasn’t fair that he was losing time just as he was getting big enough to enjoy exploring that much more. And now he was lost and he didn’t know how to get back home.

The spawn stumbled along, looking for anything familiar, hoping against hope he made it home before night fell in full. He just wanted to curl up with his mom and his siblings – even Dace – and be safe. He wanted it so bad he could almost smell them, the familiar taste of home.

Only… he wasn’t imagining it. He really could smell home. The borders!

Jacy broke into a fumbling run, racing back into his home and crying out for his parents. As he crossed the border, the exhaustion hit him all at once and he collapsed with a sob.

He was home.

"Speech" Thought

(This post was last modified: Nov 15, 2023, 12:03 AM by Jacynth.)

Clover had been worried sick with the sudden disappearance of the two children and Vasco, not only for their safety, but also unable to help that something more sinister had happened. She had spent most of each day either out searching beyond the borders for any sign or trail, or patrolling the borders just in case one of them returned. The children were still so young, old enough to survive by the grit of their teeth, but without the experience and knowledge to likely make it very far on their own.

Her paws had taken her back along the border, physically tired but mentally wired and unable to sleep even with the impending night. The frantic calls from a familiar voice brought forth a surge of adrenaline, and Clover raced along the border to its source. She could only hear the one voice, its desperation tearing at her heart, but she hoped the others were also there with him.

By the time she saw him with her own eyes the boy had crumpled into a ball of fluff. She wasted no time in enveloping Jacynth in her embrace, cooing softly to try and soothe him while at the same time checking him over for any injuries. "Are you okay?" She asked softly. The absence of Mira and Vasco had not gone unnoticed, but she wanted to make sure he was okay before asking if he knew where they were.

Dacian had been resting nearby to where their adoptive mother was, and her sudden, almost frantic departure sent him racing after her. Maybe before he would have given it a thought, but with both of his blood siblings missing? Every fiber of his being could only hope that this was them coming back.

He was half right. Dace slowed, panting from exertion, as he saw Clover curl up around a clearly-distraught Jacynth. But... where was Mira? The other Valle-Quinlan brother couldn't even scent her, but it made absolutely no sense that they weren't together now. They had to have left together, right?

Tentatively, clearly scared by all the possibilities, he tiptoed closer, dark nose stretching forward to sniff more at the air.

"... J-... Wh-..."

Dace swallowed.

"... where's Mir... ?"

(This post was last modified: Nov 14, 2023, 10:37 PM by Woya.)

It felt as though he'd only just collapsed when his mother was curled around him, comforting him and asking after him. Jacy just cried and snuggled in closer to her, breathing in deeply. Her scent washed over him, a balm to his terror, and he slowly quieted. That was when he heard his brother's voice and he stiffened. Mira?

He squirmed around and peered at Dace. "Mira's not here?" he asked meekly. Why would Dace be asking him where their sister was? She should be home. She was home, right? He looked back up at his mother. "Mom? What does he mean, where's Mira?" He might be mad later, that after he'd been gone so long all his brother cared about was their sister, but... Jacy loved her most, and the thought that she might also have gone missing was enough to slice through his relief at being home.

"Speech" Thought