Paradise Falls {M} Call it down on my head, for these sins are mine

Adrestia had never actually been in a pack that rejected same-gender lovers. Even the Wolves of the Jagged Coast had several same-gender unions like her friends Jasper and Cobalt who had pups of their own and Freya and Sigrun. Within the Night Witches, other unions had been accepted like the marriage between Eris, Isidore, and Bastet. The Night Witches celebrated love and all the forms it came in.

She nodded as Riven remarked, her eyes momentarily clouded in sadness before it faded into a bittersweet expression before fading back into her gentle gaze. The male was also experienced in child birth and pregnancy which was good. She wasn't quite sure on the mating laws here and didn't really ask because she didn't think she would be carrying pups at all and part of her didn't think she would ever find someone she could settle down with after what she lost. He then asked if her wife was here.

"Not here physically," she said.

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OOC→ lalalala

His own pack had not been so understanding. Riven had grown up only seeing male and female relationships - and monogamous ones at that. It was something to do with their view of nature, but Riven couldn’t understand why the way he felt was unnatural. He recalled the warmth in his cheeks on his late night walk with Adelard so long ago, how his heart had skipped a beat, those sun-gold eyes…

He had no hope that it would be that way now - he wasn’t even sure if he still felt the same about the other man. He wouldn’t know until they met once more, he supposed.

Adrestia’s expression changed, sadness invading her features, and Riven’s ear pressed to his skull. He’d hit on a painful spot, it seemed, and guilt squeezed at his chest.

Not here physically.

Riven frowned sympathetically, blue eyes flicking down before finding their way back to the other healer. “My pack… believed that we would go back into nature and become one with the earth around us,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “That we would become part of every leaf and blade of grass, every hill and valley, every drop of rain and flake of snow. So perhaps she is here physically, in a way.” He offered the woman a small smile, hoping he wasn’t overstepping.

Adrestia listened as Riven spoke. She understood other packs had their own beliefs. And some seemed to have none at all. She didn't condemn them for that. The goddesses worked in mysterious ways. The Wolves of the Jagged Coast believed in Mither, the ocean mother of whom birthed the lands and mountains. She's heard of male gods but didn't put any stock into them. She did have some bias.

"I was born in the pack known as the Night Witches. We are the attendants of the three goddesses: Moira, Kismet, and Lacheisis. The three goddesses of fate. It is believed there are two realms: the realm of the living and the realm of the spirits. And that on the full moon the barriers between the worlds are the thinnest. I'll be able to talk to her...and our pups on the full moon."

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OOC→ lalalala

Riven perked his ear as she spoke about their goddesses. It sounded nice, he had to admit, to have a life after this one. One where your living loved ones could still visit you on occasion. But he found just as much comfort in his own beliefs, where his body would return to its rightful place and he would play his part in the circle of life.

“That sounds nice,” he told her, a small smile still present on his features. “That you get to speak with them again, I mean. It sounds comforting.” He cleared his throat. “I apologize for sharing my own beliefs. I realize that it might’ve been insensitive. I certainly wasn’t trying to invalidate yours.” Not only had she lost her wife, but she’d lost their pups. Multiples. Riven hadn’t lost a great many wolves in his own life, so he had no frame of reference for how it would feel. “And I’m sorry for your loss.”

Adrestia nodded as Riven spoke but then frowned slightly as Riven started apologizing. "You are fine," she said gently. "I took no offense nor minded, it is quite interesting to hear others beliefs." Poor thing was a bit shy and awkward. She wondered what had happened, how he had gotten those scars. But it wasn't her place to ask nor would she.He offered her condolences and she dipped her head. "Thank you," she said. Trying to change the subject a little she asked, "Are you of these lands or from elsewhere?" She didn't want to pry too much or step on an ant nest. She wouldn't even mind talking about where she had come from but knew not to just dump the trauma on someone,

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OOC→ lalalala

He relaxed a little at the dismissal of his apology, tension bleeding from his form. “I think so too,” he said in response to her comment about hearing others beliefs. “I think it’s a good thing to learn about, when you get the chance.” He smiled softly. “Your beliefs sound beautiful.”

“I’m from both, I suppose. I was born far south, but I lived here with my friends for a long time.” He shifted a little. “Something… happened, and I couldn’t be here for a while. It’s why I’m here now. My pack wasn’t in the same place when I came back.” He wouldn’t burden her with the details - perhaps sharing even this much was too much. But it felt nice to get to talk about it at least.

Riven tilted his head and prompted, “What about you? Are you from around here?”

Adrestia nodded, listening to Riven speak. He spoke of the pack he came from and the one he used to be in. She wondered about what other packs were in the area as well as their history. She didn't know if these other packs had simply faded or there were other things at play. It would be a question for later. She regarded the wolf in front of her, he didn't look as old as she was and his pack had already faded? The Night Witches had been around for generations! As had the Jagged Coast pack, hells both packs had had history keepers for that reason.

He asked her more about herself and she figured she would share the highlights. It was nice being able to open up to someone. She had opened up before to others in the Jagged Coast. This man wasn't a part of the pack yet but she felt like they were on the way to being friends.

"I came from a pack known as the Night Witches, quite a distance from here. Our lands were heavily forested and there were several cave systems throughout the area. My mother was the daughter of the Alphess pair of the pack and I have no father. Our pack was primarily made up of women. Most other packs looked unkindly to us, as we worshiped goddesses and were known for our healers and rumors spread between other packs that we practiced magic and could curse others. I got half my face ripped off when I defended a lone she-wolf from a overzealous male on my pack's borders. The warriors of our pack killed him and it sparked an uprising that culminated in many wolves banding together to evict us from our lands and killed most of us. Including my family and my wife and our children. I was one of the few survivors." She paused again then continued. "I found myself wandering until I came across the Wolves of the Jagged Coast. They lived on the coast in large cave systems in the cliff faces. Their ways were different as well. They also celebrated love in all its forms and had elaborate weddings to celebrate unions." She chuckled. "I helped one of my friends plan her wedding, three brides and it was quite fun." She paused. "Then I was sent a message from the goddesses, a dream of the north star. I followed my goddesses will as I parted amicably with the Jagged Coast, I trained two other healers before I left. Then I found myself at Paradise Falls borders and it seems like I was sent here for a reason."

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OOC→ lalalala

Riven listened intently as the other wolf spoke - a long, intricate tale. Some good parts, some devastating. His ear lowered when she mentioned her family, her wife and children. Riv had never had anything like that, so he didn’t know what it would feel like to lose it, but he imagined it would be like having a piece of your very soul carved from your body. If it was anything like how he felt when he found the Chasm empty after searching for so long, then it must have been unimaginable.

“A pack of healers sounds wonderful,” he said with a soft smile, tilting his head to the side. “Ours had assigned roles, but that was mine, and I’ve always… always loved doing it. It was the right role for me.”

Celebrating all sorts of unions was another beautiful thing, and one he wished his pack had done as well. Thinking of how he was driven from his family at such a young age for something that now seemed so trivial made him sad now more than anything. There was still a bit of guilt, but it was minuscule in comparison to how it used to be.

“I’m sorry you lost so many people. It sounds like you’ve lived a life full of joy and sorrow,” he said, casting his eyes down. “I’ve received no dreams - I don’t think I was born with the gift of prophecy - but I do think I’m here for a reason, as well.”

What that reason was had yet to be seen.

faded <3