Shroud of the Lost constellations

He missed home. Let that be stated first and last, but his father had insisted he see the world. Had told him to spread his wings, whatever that meant. It hadn't mattered much. The man had been old, nearly senile.

He had still loved him all the same.

But now he cut through a shadowy forest, rolling through it without a second thought. Only thought he had was how empty it seemed here. Not a scent scattered through here beyond the usual wildlife. Just. No wolves. Had a famine swept through? Illness?

He scoffed to himself, loudly and unconcerned. Then shuffled around the roots of a tree, wondering if someone had left something behind.

(This post was last modified: Sep 30, 2022, 03:07 AM by Elio.)

Stubbornness and the irritating little girl who had talked back to her had led her to double back on her path, heading to the northern edge of the peaks that lingered in the west… she dared not climb the mountain, seeking the warmth that came from avoiding the peaks especially as winter started to gather dauntingly in the distance.

She moved through the shroud, her paws barely touching the ground before pushing off. She remained steadfast in her venture, not even catching the scent drifting from upwind that would point to the presence of another.

It wasn’t until she heard the audible scoff that her head raised from the path, looking around, letting her nose sniff around in the air. “Who goes there?” She called out, a strong voice despite her tiny form as her eyes focused on the direction the scent was coming from. “Show yourself!” She would demand again, feeling a flutter in her chest associated with nerves. What if it was not a wolf at all, but something far more sinister?

His ears pressed back and forward, soaking in the sudden harsh voice that snapped across the woods. Nobody had been here literally moments ago. Now somebody seemed to demand him to discuss his present. Alright then...He found he understood literally none of this! Why exactly had he agreed to 'see the world' again?

Hey, uh, calm down? Not really sure of his own words at that moment even! I'm...over here. Because he had not managed to see her yet! So how exactly was he supposed to show himself to a...ghost?

He found he dreaded the thought of seeing them face-to-face suddenly.

(This post was last modified: Sep 30, 2022, 03:06 AM by Elio.)

She heard his voice, hearing a sense of… youthfulness to it that she figured might be more friendly… well, that and his words really. She moved and started to head towards the voice, her eyes watching carefully as he came into view. He appeared about her age, perhaps a little older but not by much… his features matched hers fairly well though the differences were distinct.

Between that and his voice, she was confident she had never met him before. Her nose wrinkled lightly, her eyes narrowing as her tail twitched. She knew how she was supposed to behave around boys, but Ayashe cared little for the harsh structure.

She blinked at him for a few moments, her demeanor guarded but not entirely unfriendly like her first callout had been. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” It came more from a place of curiosity. “Did someone send you around here or something?” She continued further.

I mean, if you mean my dad telling me to leave home like I'm sure he did all of his other kids, sure. Which he realized belated was one hell of a way to open up to a stranger. He couldn't regret it now, could he? So it was time to make the most of it. Laughed with some humor in his tone and features.

He stayed cautious, albeit mostly neutral otherwise. However, he did take a quick glance at her. Wondering how she ended up all the way out here. Middle of nowhere. What about you then? Tit-for-tat. He said with a broad smile and low sweep of his tail.

She remained guarded but not unfriendly when he admitted that he too was driven from his home, her eyes flashing wide for only a moment before she schooled her expression. She frowned, a hint of sympathy on her expression. It only drove home the idea that all kids were kicked out eventually. “What did you do to get you kicked out?” She posed, wondering just what crime he had committed.

According to her parents, she had killed someone… or gotten someone killed but then what was the real difference there anyway?

He asked about her and for a moment, her tail lashing for a few moments with a frown. The agouti didn’t know what she should say at first. “Same as you… parents kicked me out… and now I’m here.” There was the faintest hint of sadness in her voice.

Despite it all, how she didn’t fit in, she did still miss it.

He laughed for a moment, warm still. Vibrant in his boyish ways. I guess existing is the biggest crime of all, isn't it? But his shoulders shrugged. Signifying without words that it had seemingly been unknown. Without reason. A dying man's wish to see his son go...away.

He realized suddenly how horrible that was. That his dad's likely last wish had been to send away his son. Yeah. No hard feelings, sure.

Well, we sure seem to be the only two here. He lifted a paw to gesture loosely towards the land around them. Silent, devoid of canine life outside of their chatter.

She offered something of a frown to his words, the joke not quite hitting right in herself. It had been the biggest crime, it seemed, existing as a woman in her pack… it was as if they had needed to find something for them to do that was dainty and so they were forced to heal. She became the bane of her parent’s existence for simply wanting more.

It hit too close to home.

“We seem to be…” She offered, noting the seemingly friendly approach he had to him. In that moment, he reminded her of the better parts of home. “I’m Ayashe… what’s your name? Why did your parents kick you out?” She realized that they had never made each other’s acquaintances in the past.

She didn’t know what else to say… apart from continuing their conversation. “Are you from around here? I’m from the north.”

Elio Rigel. Spoken as if he had any sort of pride in the name. It didn't mean a whole lot here, did it? Not like anybody would even hear it except her. Almost no real reason. Seriously. Which was majority truth in his eyes. That and he did not feel like dragging her down further.

As for the location he came from?

Well...directions are not my strong suit. Kind of Northwest though I guess? He did a little circle in place, as his eyes roved over the trees and the paths all through them. It felt impossible to know which one had led him right to her. Is it seriously this dead here?

Elio Rigel. The name was simple, less of a mouthful than her own could be at times… They had no real reason for why he had been driven from his home. It saddened Ayashe to hear, that this kind of thing might be common for those her age… though in all truth she knew the reason she had been cast out, even understood it despite the anger she felt towards society for setting it up with their restrictions based on the circumstances of her birth.

“I’m fairly good with directions… I follow the stars a lot at night.” She stated with a soft smile, looking around at their surroundings. “I’m not sure why there is such a lack of life, or at least a lack of wolves… the area seems nice, hospitable even…” She imagined there was no shortage of prey, frowning as she looked around. “Perhaps something drove others out and we have not yet crossed it… perhaps these lands are even undiscovered.” The idea of being the first there certainly made her heart thump in her chest.