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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Apr 1, 2012 17:04:34 GMT -1
It was the middle of the night, the moon high and bright, softly illuminating the circle of trees that surrounded the glass-like lake in a white glow. Every now and then, a gentle ripple broke the still surface of the water as Seirei, lying on his stomach, dipped the tip of a wing in and watched the small circles grow and spread across the expanse of water. Tersias had been gone only a few weeks, but in Seirei's heart there was already a darkness that had affected his mood and his days.
Seema had taken it upon herself to take the pups out on many day trips while their father had either remained at home, staring into the fire, or had forced himself to walk, sometimes for miles, thinking to himself. He hadn't meant to be neglectful these past few days, but it was like his mind was somewhere else. In his heart he hadn't wanted Tersias to leave, but who was he to tell her where to go? She was a determined person and he respected that, but was it wrong that he really felt that her true place was here with him and their family? "You're an idiot, Seirei ..." he mumbled.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Apr 19, 2012 21:23:24 GMT -1
Mira found Seirei sitting alone in the forest. Quietly, she took a seat next to him. "I miss her too," Mira said quietly. She smiled at Seirei. "And don't ask me how I know your thoughts, I can see it in your eyes." She stared down at her reflection in the water, seeing her eyes that were now also her son's.
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Post by Tersias Tara-Hisakata on Apr 20, 2012 7:47:07 GMT -1
Tersias was still weary and haggard from her homeward journey. She had tried to spend some time recovering before returning home, in the hope of not scaring Seirei at her appearance... but recovery was turning out to be a much slower process than she had expected. Her fur was dull, and strained tightly around her tiny skeleton. Spines of her shoulder blades spiked out of her fur, looking alarmingly like the wing-stubs visible growing in her son.
Confused and exhausted, she had left the makeshift den which she had built herself for while she recovered to go for a walk. The air was hauntingly still, and she shuddered as her mind's eye reviewed the landscape as her latest vision had portrayed it. As she approached the lake, she paused and hung back. She could see Seirei and Mira in the clearing, obviously sharing an important and intimate moment. She froze, not knowing what to think. They wouldn't do that to her - would they?
A sudden dizziness overwhelmed Tersias as her head began to spin with what she was seeing. Unable to speak or think straight, she slumped onto the ground, burying her head in her paws and trying to shut the world out.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Apr 20, 2012 18:49:13 GMT -1
Seirei didn't look up as another, familiar reflection joined his in the water. "I just hoped that she'd be back by now, you know? I let her go back home to sort out her family troubles, but now I'm wondering if she'll ever come back ..." Seirei flicked a pebble with one of his claws and watched it skim rapidly across the surface of the lake until it rested on the other side. "The sad thing is that the pups don't really know what's happening. They're probably too young to really think of it as much of a deal, but I know Ebony has figured it out. Such a smart girl ..." A rustle in the foliage behind them made Seirei suddenly jerk his head round. He couldn't see anything in the dark, so he assumed it was just a small creature rummaging around.
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Post by Tersias Tara-Hisakata on Apr 20, 2012 19:01:09 GMT -1
Tersias took a few deep breaths as she tried to get back in control of her thoughts. She was being stupid, she knew that, but she was so tired and confused. Emotionally drained, she sighed quietly and dragged herself to her feet. She was unsure what to do now - should she approach them and hope nothing was going on, or just walk away? She hesitated, unable to move her feet from where they were planted on the ground. Everything in her heart was telling her to just walk away... but she couldn't.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Apr 20, 2012 22:11:01 GMT -1
"She'll be back," replied Mira. "Yes, she may be sorting out family issues from her home world, but she also has her own family now. She has you and the pups, and she has Tialka as her home." Mira looked around as the rustling died down. "Has Ebony actually said anything to you about Tersias?" she asked after a short silence.
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Post by Tersias Tara-Hisakata on Apr 21, 2012 19:39:43 GMT -1
Tersias knew she couldn't just walk away. Her legs were shaking, so she didn't try to move. She simply tried to gather her breath and summon up her voice. "Seirei?" she called out tentatively. "Seirei, is that you?" her voice was shaking. That annoyed her - she didn't want to sound weak or pathetic, but she just didn't have the strength or energy to do anything else.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Apr 21, 2012 20:11:28 GMT -1
"Not to my face at least, but - " Seirei was stopped mid-sentence by a frail-sounding call from the same direction that the rustle had been. It was calling his name. "Tersias ..." Seirei muttered quietly before he was up on his feet and dashing to the trees. It didn't take long for him to find her. Against the dark foliage, Tersias' silvery-white fur stood out like a tiny beacon. Emotion swept over him as he looked her over; she looked almost nothing like the fluffy, vivacious fox he had said goodbye to. Her coat was a mess, and her all too visible bones sent a chill up his spine. Seirei sank to his knees and rested his head on her tiny frame, nuzzling gently. It was all he could do.
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Post by Tersias Tara-Hisakata on Apr 21, 2012 20:27:47 GMT -1
Tersias was shaking all over, weak and tired and unable to think. She couldnt speak, she just accepted the hug and breathed a sigh of relief. Seirei beside her made things seem more tolerable somehow. The difficulty of explaining things was yet to come, but that could wait. Right now what mattered was being back with her family.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Apr 21, 2012 20:36:07 GMT -1
Mira had followed when Seirei had dashed off unexpectedly. Though when she reached him, she realised why. She smiled at the couple's embrace. "I'll leave you two alone," she said softly. With that, Mira left the lake to return to the home she and Hiruko shared, and where he was looking after their cubs.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Apr 21, 2012 20:51:19 GMT -1
The two of them stayed like that for a while, not even noticing when Mira said her goodbyes. Finally Seirei came to his senses and sat up. With a few careful movements, Seirei had bundled up his mate in a feathery cocoon within his two wings, with the gentlest of touches, as if Tersias was one of their pups when they were newborn. It's strange how one's worries and selfish attitudes vanish in these precious moments. "Let's get you home," he said softly, and he began to slowly walk through the forest towards their den.
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Post by Tersias Tara-Hisakata on Apr 22, 2012 7:13:01 GMT -1
"It... it wasn't how we thought" she squeaked, her eyes looking sad. She looked up at Seirei "I'm so sorry" her voice was still quivering, and she had very little she could say to him. How on earth would she ever explain what had happened? And how would she ever look Seema in the eye again? Her relief at finding Seirei was quickly being superceded by her sheer terror at everything they had yet to deal with - so much to explain...
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Apr 22, 2012 15:22:05 GMT -1
"Sssh, it's alright" Seirei reassured her. The walk was a short one from the lake and Seirei could soon make out the distinctive group of trees with roots raised above the ground. Seirei had lost count of the number of times their family had suffered blows like this. He knew it was nobody's fault, but he thought it was peculiar that such bad fate had affected them in the past. Careful not to buffet Tersias on the entrance, Seirei entered the tunnel that led to their home. (Continued in Seirei's Den Thread ...) |
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