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Post by Relairah on Sept 24, 2016 12:21:27 GMT -6
It was the early hours of the morning. The sun had not yet begun its ascension from the horizon though its light already cast the dark sky into slowly changing shades of paler blues. In this time of changing lights, two figures moved forward across the barren landscape. Only hours before they had made their first landing here in the Noctre Imperii territories and had been granted peaceful presence for aiding on of the pack members. Erebus wasn't sure how long their welcome would last. But he intended to take full advantage and avoid unnecessary conflict. In the time since their landing and encounter with those in the pack, he and his companion, Rykjudo, had quickly crossed from the woodland to the Druin Isle to the east. It was here he had once called home...
There wasn't much wind at the moment, and his long mane-like hair hung loosely over his white scales. Its only movements were gentle sways as he walked. Was this truly the same land he had once known? It had been so long since he had last set eyes on it. He remembered a particular wolf. An earth wolf, that had aided the once Giaku Empire with helping the land to flourish and grow. He was almost angry at seeing it had been returned to such a desolate state. Had the new empire not seen fit to restore life to this isle as well as its own territories? Bitterness welled in his chest. But he remained stoic. Perhaps it was possible they were still at work with it.
Rising before them toward the center of the isle were the great towers in which many had once lived and called home. Not to mention the collections of artifacts and treasures stored there. He couldn't help wondering if that also had changed? His deep blue eyes glanced briefly toward his traveling companion to gauge her thoughts, before once more returning to the lands around them. Apparently the old landmarks at least remained.
Till now, they had spoken little. There hadn't been much need for conversation. "Everything is different..." he murmured. He couldn't help his emotions and thoughts. Despite all that he had put behind him and deliberately walked away from... this place had still been his home once, after all. To see it so abandoned. Well it was only natural, he thought. His face remained ever the same save for the softening in his eyes to show his shock. Was it possible they would not even find other Druins here?
He had heard after the union of the packs into one Empire that what Druins remained had chosen to stay also save for a small handful that like him had chosen a wanderer's path. But so far, he saw little life to consider or speak of. Perhaps they simply needed to travel further in. Perhaps they'd find what they sought within the towers. Or perhaps even the Druins had chosen to make their homes within the heart of the territories and abandon this isle altogether. Soon... they would find out. |
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Post by emil on Oct 3, 2016 21:33:06 GMT -6
It was a desert.
The contrast between this land and the last was stark as the line between ocean and sky. No longer the verdant carpet, the damp and dusky woodland...
A fortress, she thought to herself.
The land was battle-scarred, and with every step taken, every flutter of her heart, conforming to the strange march of the old world. Another shining feather, another inkling of memory, brushing up against her mind with a cat's-whisker affectation.
How fickle, she mused, a nervousness in her heart. The feeling was her own and yet not her own, inspiring some actual unease in the Druin. Her breath flickered in her throat, never quite catching, never making a sound - but she was laughing. She didn't know why, but she was laughing, deep inside. Wry and dry, like this vestigial bone of an island, free-floating and worthless. Rykjudo didn't even known the land, but already, something was in her and it was making judgements. Ryjudo never made such hasty judgements.
Her eyes caught against her companion's [beguiling lapis, so pretty and polished] and the steadily growing malaise abated.
They were.... here. And whether it meant her doom, or not, wherever that fleeting thought had come from. Like the tail-end of a hunting hawk, it sailed out of view as swiftly as it had struck.
"Everything is different..."
An ear shifted towards him, the other swiveled ever towards where they had came [out of habit], and she pondered, for a while, why that statement even made such sense. Her uncanny eyes had long been locked on the towers, so familiar and yet so different, and she felt as though she were looking upon a heinous fracture. Bones, when viewed from their proper place underneath the skin, now violently exposed. So familiar, and yet so different.
Yet, she scoffed at such a thought. She was certain she'd never been here before. But something strong, something strange, was wriggling through the woven threads of her mind, seeping in through her paws from the sickeningly teasing sand, and it made her shudder with revulsion. She'd only ever had this sensation once before, albeit flickering and weak, and only during her [comparatively comfortable] night-terrors... Something resonated, humming insufferably, ringing in her ears. She started ever so slightly, with an alarming flash of fang, but she caught herself. What was calling her to these godsdamned towers?
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Post by Relairah on Oct 5, 2016 20:07:09 GMT -6
OoC: So I thought it'd be good to link these:
s291.photobucket.com/user/aveilthe/media/GiakuTerra2-2.png.html
shinkou.proboards.com/thread/12724/geography-updated
It details the actual isle and such since Ave put so much work into it XD Essentially the canyons, badlands, river, bridge, and towers all are still there but it's just not green so the forests and such are demolished (other than some of the fossilized trees and redwoods - but they're spaced out and would hardly be called a forest). I wasn't sure if you were familiar with the territory! Although looking at it I just realized I totally got it a little off in directional space from the original SO territories DX oops <<;
iC:
They covered the landscape quickly, given there wasn't much now standing in their way to slow their trek. Perhaps it was because they had been together for each moment as of late that Erebus noted a slight change in demeanor with his companion. Or perhaps he merely imagined it. But he found himself slightly curious of her own thoughts, though he didn't ask. Could she also sense the dreadful stillness around them? He knew in days long past, those of the once Giaku Empire had dwelt in the neighboring territories until being banished to this very isle. It reaffirmed his thoughts that perhaps after the union of the packs, they truly had settled there once more. Of course he considered the possibility his mind was only trying to assure him. That he wasn't one of a nearly extinct kind in this world. Though he wasn't sure why that mattered too much. The world was always changing... that much he had learned long ago.
As they got closer, the towers seemed ever greater until at last they were before them. The great pillars of earth blotted out the sun in the distance and their shadows stretched a great length across the landscape. Now that they were closer, more details could be made out. Winding staircases were carved into the structures and various windows and entrances could also be seen from the base to the tops. There were numerous towers, though there wasn't much indication of playing pups and movement or activity. Had the war really done so much? Even here?
Erebus continued forward past the first few of the towers, moving toward one in particular toward the middle of the group. He had no interest in the tallest tower which once housed the royal family. Instead he paused at one nearby. As he entered, he heard a soft humming inside though at first no one in particular was seen. He looked upward a moment, before beginning the ascent of the stairs that were carved into the inside of the tower as much as the outside. The tower featured several levels connected by those stairs and each one had shelves with countless books and artifacts, some of which emmitted soft glows of light. He stopped his ascent on the third level, taking in the round expansive room before him. Once more, he found himself glancing toward his companion. "This will give us a place to start," he said simply.
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Post by emil on Nov 19, 2016 17:01:10 GMT -6
OOC: I LIIIIIIVE also, thanks those are really helpful  //
She shoved it down, tossing her head with carefully-acted carelessness, and caught a glance of a tower of extreme height. Menace.
She yelled internally, shut up shut up shut UP! Which seemed to startle this... thing, that had already begun to germinate. Morpho fluttered nervously in her breast, and this she noted, for it was unusual for her to receive such a signal when its power would be swiftly reaching its lowest point. Well, whatever this strange fit of madness was, it had only started when they'd reached the [accursed] [thrice-damned] [Hold your tongue!] towers.
Rykjudo was sure to keep close and quick.
She was practically blasted with disorientation as they entered one of the towers, but it passed quickly. Or rather, settled... as if at the outset of some sort of realization. Something in her mind was... settling. Because it chose to. It was waiting.
I don't recall inviting anyone in, she thought, grimacing outwardly.
But, it's not like we were invited here, either, she reflected as they climbed.
"This will give us a place to start."
Ah.
They were here.
"I must thank you once more for bringing us so far, fair Erebus. Certainly, there is at least something in this collection that will shed light on... anything, really, that either of us might seek."
She chuckled, a little dryly, but just as genuine as ever as she bowed slightly. Erebus was her friend, unlike...
She must not forget her quest. Whatever this is, it's probably a specter. I've more than dealt with issues like this before. She kept repeating her little mantra to herself, though it shifted and the words were suddenly attempting to elude her. She took the initiative to move futher into the room, beginning to browse. There were artifacts, not just tomes, but she would save those for later. Certainly, the reading material contained in the room would eventually explain many of them, and their relevance [if any].
First, she wanted to know where the world had gone. They could probably answer that.
Second, she wanted to find what she had lost. They could probably lead her to that.
Third, [and this was wishful], she now wanted to know WHAT THIS THING WAS. They would probably not say that.
She mentally stabbed [in gesture] towards the growing disruptive presence that was now most certainly defining itself, and arrogantly so. Rykjudo's body, on autopilot, started [gently] choosing books that at least appeared to be historical chronicles, sat her down gracefully, and let her argue with this... thing... that had begun arguing with her.
Picking fights, are we? You don't even live here!
In the strictest sense, neither do you, intruder!
How do you explain this particular intrusion of yours, then, intruder?
You started it!
Are you kidding me??
...hadn't she just escaped someone like this?
[Somewhere distant, a sun-wolf sneezes.]
Rykjudo was already very, very tired.
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Post by Relairah on Nov 27, 2016 21:44:42 GMT -6
Rather unaware of his companion's internal conflict, Erebus made his way toward one of the tomes, selecting it carefully and setting it on the floor in order to look through it. It had been so long since last he had set foot within these lands, and even the mere action of reading one of these ancient books felt both nostalgic and somehow foreign at the same time. His deep eyes looked toward Rykjudo as she spoke and he smiled ever so softly toward her. He did not speak, but only nodded in agreement with her words and returned to his read.
For a moment, Erebus wished he had the ability to absorb more than only a page at a time. Or better yet, for an encounter with someone familiar with the towers and their contents. But since neither were the case, he dismissed the notion. It was pointless to dwell.
Erebus closed the book after sometime, replacing it on the shelf and selecting another. He glanced toward Rkyjudo, findind nothing of incredible interest in what he was reading. He frowned as he studied her a moment. Their journey had been long and so her weariness could be chalked up to that. But there seemed to be something more.
He closed the book then, and also replaced it. He wasn't sure what entirely he was seeking. Perhaps a part of him had been hoping to know what it was once he discovered it. Or maybe he had just been searching for answers about what had happened to this once-magnificent isle. Maybe he wanted to know what had happened to all of the Druins and others who had lived here. Had they truly returned to the empire territories where they had once lived long before even his birth? Or had the Druins with the greatest pride and loyalty, the greatest sense of having made this land into the glorious empire it had become now truly gone? The notion sent an unpleasant wrench into his gut which was also unexpected. He had to admit he could never bring himself to believe that were really true.
Surely, there was more to the story. Surely, that was what he was seeking. And surely, the answer was here!
He grunted to himself softly and instead of merely selecting another tome, he began to scan the titles. "Rykjudo..." he paued, his thoughts still circling, "Have you ever thought of ending your life of wandering should you ever find what you seek?" he asked. |
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Post by emil on Jan 8, 2017 19:02:00 GMT -6
For a time, she humored it. Studied it, even. The books had now been entirely pushed to one side, both physically and mentally. Rykjudo noted the increasing femininity, the melody, of the voice - oh, how quickly it took definition! - and her true heart, the one that pumped blood through her veins, beat hard as the strained wings within her soul. Who... was this? For a moment, the haughty outrage of the voice gave way, cracking, small and child-like in its fear. And so very, very familiar in its tone... a tone that was now changing, tinged with desperation. Why?
I... don't know. I don't know who I am. I thought you could tell me, so I was mad at you. I've been so lonely, please...
It hadn't occurred to her to think on it very much; something in the Druin simply accepted this, and understood entirely.
I shall help you, child. But first, I must find the way. But perhaps, tend to more polite behavior?
She spoke, as though reciting a spell. A pause, like a sigh, quavering with uncertainty.
Okay...
Not quite sullen, but with an uncharacteristic exhaustion unlike any child's. And tension.
These were steps she'd taken before, she realized, as something in the base of her very horns was tingling. Tingling, as though they were still growing... and before the colors burst behind her eyes, she remembered...
An idyllic place. As if she were in the enchanted forest once again, the grass was as tall as she, and her stubby tail fought to waggle as the rest of her charged wildly through the dark forest undergrowth. Her head tossed too easily with each step, and she felt none of the familiar sensation of branches breaking before her mighty horns; alas, they were not yet anything at all. She was chasing something - her body light and springy with untested youth, her steps untrained and haphazard. Sunlight flashed in her eyes, and curiously, the tone of the sky around her changed with each burst. She called, "[...]!", heart full of perplexing glee, but she could not hear the sound of her own voice; her throat only made a sound not unlike the dull roar of a headache. However, the voice of the other cut straight to the base of her skull. It beckoned, rich with dreamlike intoxication, "Rykjudo!", and had it not been so familiar the Druin would have thought she'd been the subject of a siren's prank [such was its beauty and grace].
She burst through the forest with a suddenness that nearly toppled her, now facing an endless field of poppies. However, her lovely playmate was nowhere to be found. Alas, a crossroads.
An arrow shot skyward from the rustling wood, landing [somehow] behind the sun, and it somehow had no tip nor end nor did it truly move; but, before she could react, butterflies clouded her vision like static.
But in her breast, she felt a pull, a pull towards where the paradox arrow had fled. She knew. And she would go.
You...
Had the specter seen it, too? It positively resonated with hopeful wonder.
She started suddenly, a waking hypnic jerk, and her head snapped towards Erebus, eyes wild. She hoped she hadn't been simply sitting there, looking absolutely mad, for very long... but, that didn't matter now.
"Have you ever thought of ending your life of wandering should you ever find what you seek?"
"... my friend, I may yet find it!"
She nearly shouted, still in awe of what had just occurred. But, remembering her decorum, she settled and coughed into her paw suddenly, looking a little sheepish.
"Ah. If I may inquire, have you found anything of use to yourself?"
Admittedly, my own revelation has naught to do with this literature, fine as it may be. She hoped they hadn't come, at least partially, in vain, for Rykjudo cared much for her companion.
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Post by Relairah on Jan 9, 2017 23:05:42 GMT -6
Erebus had continued scanning the shelves slowly after questioning his companion. But after a moment of silence in which she didn't respond, his ears had flicked deftly and he had turned to look at her. His brows furrowed and he frowned. He was not certain if something had come over her, or if she were merely lost in thought. Perhaps she had discovered it in what she was reading? He dropped to all fours, having risen previously to two in order to look at the higher shelves and moved toward her, intending to peek over her shoulder at what it was she was reading.
It was at that moment she seemed to recollect herself and she looked toward him. He stopped mid-step, raising a brow slightly in curiosity. He was about to ask her if she were alright, when she answered him. His eyes widened slightly at her response and he tilted his head in curiosity. Particularly at the volume and excitement of her response. As she then realized her own animation and settled, he smiled and even chuckled softly.
"Not within the tomes of this tower, though other thoughts have come to me since we began. Other towers may hold what I seek. Or perhaps the lands themselves." He realized his answer seemed a little ambiguous. But at that particular moment, he wasn't sure how to yet convey his inner turmoil. "And what of you? By your exclaimation... are you on the brink of something?"
He moved forward then once more until he stood beside her, ears fully alert atop his head. |
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Post by emil on Jan 27, 2017 18:48:07 GMT -6
"Not within the tomes of this tower, though other thoughts have come to me since we began. Other towers may hold what I seek. Or perhaps the lands themselves.
"Ah."
Her ears flicked with the emotional expression of one stung.
"And what of you? By your exclaimation... are you on the brink of something?"
She was a little embarrassed that she'd gotten so much out of this, and he what seemed to be comparatively little. However, there would certainly be time to rectify that. She had no plans to leave him, even if the tantalizing specter from her dream presented itself to her at that instant, presenting a metaphorical golden apple. Ultimately, it was her nature to pledge fealty. She was the Moon Knight, the one who walked between worlds to seek.
"I feel that I am... I know where to go, now. Not where, exactly, but... I will go."
The pull strengthened when he moved near. It was... the sensation of a spinner's thread, twining 'round her claws, glittering in the sun. The stiff tailfeather of the paradox arrow, its guiding apparatus, tethered to her awareness only by this thread...
The second spirit within her shuddered, as if vibrating in the wind. It muttered something cryptic, about the scent of royal's blood, though not threatening or foreboding in any way. It was not prophecy, but pathfinding, and it laid out a path before the spirit and Druin both. The tenuous spell would break if she defied it. She would not crush this bird's-egg revelation, for she required the tenderly beating thing inside. She would go.
"With you. Wherever you are drawn, I will surely find what I seek."
But, she had not forgotten her manners. And she did not believe in using others as a means to an end. Erebus was her companion; she would not tread on his toes, or merely follow apace with apathy.
"And, should you wish it, I would aid you in kind, however I can..."
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Post by Relairah on Feb 6, 2017 13:56:29 GMT -6
Erebus nodded slowly at her response. He was silent a moment, his deep ever-blue eyes studying hers. There was something he was missing, but he couldn't quite tell. After so much time traveling with her, he felt he at least had some of a sense to her normality. The way her sentences had been broken, as if her mind were trying to gather her thoughts from different realms of being was curious. Should he dare to ask? "Rykjudo," he murmured, "if you feel that you have discovered something, I should say that we travelled all this way only in part from my own desire to do so. The other part being your own curiosities and questions. So then, if you wish to pursue some thought or tangent, by all means I will also follow where you wish."
He paused then, shifting his gaze out of one of the tower windows briefly, and then toward her once more. "I will admit that what I seek I am not entirely sure I will find. The answers to my questions may not be written in any of these lonesome towers. Those I once called friends and loved ones appear to be gone. And I am wondering if all of this is truly abandoned, or if they have merely hidden themselves well."
He shifted. "Truly, I am not even certain if I will find my purpose here, if anywhere, for all of the time I've spent drifting. But regardless I must learn the truth of what has happened in my absence. All of this will happen in its own course of time. So before I venture through the rest of this isle searching for what I am not certain I will even find, if you wish to pursue something, I will also follow you in kind." |
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Post by emil on Apr 15, 2017 17:22:13 GMT -6
OOC: Thank you so much for your patience!! Things are calming down, so I tried to at least write SOMEthing...
"...by all means I will also follow where you wish."
The thing within her quieted, slackened, but remained in the same way a tender shoot beneath the hardened winter soil remained, ready to spring forth and bloom when she needed it to. It had established itself as something... good. Something desirable. Beautiful, even. What she had wanted all these years, if she would only reach out to grasp it. But, now was the time to listen, and lay plans. She doubted their way would be anything but complex, and possibly fraught with peril, especially considering they were very possibly looking for things that had long passed...
For now, she allowed it to rest, and it would allow her to rest in kind. And so, having fallen out of the dream-state entirely, she held herself with her old composure, her typical focus. And she gazed thoughtfully at him, out of the tired sweetness of having found... enough, if the small and strange magic now working alongside her own was to be trusted. Even her spirit was held in this hopeful tranquility, the once-frenzied battering of wings against ribs now relaxed.
"I will admit that what I seek I am not entirely sure I will find. The answers to my questions may not be written in any of these lonesome towers. Those I once called friends and loved ones appear to be gone. And I am wondering if all of this is truly abandoned, or if they have merely hidden themselves well."
Though, she furrowed her brow a bit. It was... unfair. For all they'd gone through, and would doubtless continue to go through, it was unfair that there were no hints for Erebus, beyond a revelation limited only to herself. She didn't want his goals to be merely incidental... Well, the tale of the old-world prince and the moon knight wouldn't end so easily or so quick. There were other towers, as he said, and the world was vast. And so she spoke, with conviction.
"My friend, we may yet find what we seek. I don't know what I've found, or what's found me, but it means no harm and it told me that my fate and yours were... intertwined, somehow. And, someone else's... I think I'm looking for someone now, too. So, let's decide where to look next, together."
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Post by Relairah on May 1, 2017 22:22:42 GMT -6
OoC: No worries at all XD I have also been incredibly busy of late and so the pace works fine. As you can see I'm getting to this later, but I was definitely excited reading your reply! ^-^
The pale Druin couldn't help a slight quirk of his brow as she revealed that she had indeed found something - or perhaps had come to some sort of revelation. His curiosity was peaked, but he knew better than to pry. Instead, he knew in time, all would reveal itself. So he smiled at her and nodded his head, grateful for her words of cheery reassurance and comfort.
"Very well, dear Rykjudo. Do you suppose we should continue to search amongst these ancient towers? Or do you feel a pull from elsewhere?
My heart is drawn to this, my homeland, inexplicably. And I am certain something here awaits me, though not yet revealed. What is it that your heart is saying?" He truly wished to know.
He turned his gaze to look out one of the large window-frames of the tower to the land beyond for but a moment, before seeking her gaze once again. Somehow, the words she had spoken had brought more warmth than ever he had known. She was his first true friend, and she perhaps did not realize how eternally grateful he would be towards her, even if someday their paths did part ways.
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Post by emil on Aug 5, 2017 0:31:32 GMT -6
OOC: I lost direction for this for a really, REALLY long time. I still don't have a great idea of what I can contribute/where it will go beyond my vague idea for the very VERY end of Rykjudo's current arc at least, but I'll try not to be too passive, trite, or weird. Admittedly, I have rather bad depression, so I'll be struggling until I can see a doctor or something. I'll try my best, but I will probably continue to be obscenely slow at times... but I don't want this RP to just die, so I'll keep trying. This is really small, but hopefully we can move forward a bit with it. Thank you for your endless patience.
"What is it that your heart is saying?"
"It..."
In response to beseechment, it rose, at his call. Royal's blood, huh? The sand outside still caused her bones to rattle whenever she managed to catch an eyeful; their business in the towers was far from done, she supposed.
She placed a paw on her chest, eyes heavy-lidded with thought.
A whisper.
In the real world, an ear swiveled, towards the sun.
The arrow. Double-ended, but it had moved in a clear direction in her strange revelation.
"We should try the next tower, if there are any similar to this?"
She looked to him, seeking direction. And, truth be told, because she was a little shaken. She had dealt with many supernatural and horrible things, but this was new, and heavily personal, and, perhaps, had the potential to derail someone else's life. She couldn't maintain her cool detachment as well as was typical.
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Post by Relairah on Aug 8, 2017 23:54:46 GMT -6
OoC: Oh no! That definitely sucks you lost direction  But I definitely love you continue trying! Part of the beauty of this rebirth RP site is that it brings together the awesomeness which was SO but with the realization that people have lives and real things going on and gives plenty of lee-way for that. So just, whatever works for you. Know that I am rooting for you and that I enjoy having you 
On another note, I actually briefly had an rp with Demin in which Erebus ran into his brother, Charon... that actually sparked some ideas for me and gave me some notion of direction. I was thinking we could use liquid time and fast-forward a bit. I was thinking maybe Erebus has discovered his purpose, and is now heart-set on it. Maybe I could reply with him revealing this to Rykjudo... and something else >)
I'll just post it and if you like, we can go from there. Or it's whatever!
No matter. He smiled as she finally suggested the next tower. "Yes, lets." With that, he moved toward the entrance. The amount of towers which included tomes and knowledge were many. Far more even than the ones which had once housed the residents of Giaku. He felt wistful. He could almost feel the previous presence of life and activity. Of young ones bounding about, laughing at play, or of the older ones discussing matters of politics or other affairs.
That had been so long ago. Now it was so... barren.
He looked up toward the heavens, wondering if they would encounter another within the towers. It was possible, yet the chances were slim.
OoC: I'm thinking here is where he encounters Charon and they have their skirmish and part ways...
iC:
Charon had thought he was going to be on his way. But no. This was far from over. He felt burning in his chest a new and sudden resolve and certainty. Why hadn't he seen it sooner? No... it was a matter of acceptance. He had simply been far too resistant.
It was time for these lands to rise once more and return to their glory. He now understood. He had been away during all this time so he could learn, could grow. And more importantly, so that he would not be impacted by the trivial matters which had taken place in his absence. He must bring forth a new future.
He moved steadily toward the edge of the canyon on the far northern edge of the territories. Truly, the entire landscape around him was so desolate. It was sickening. But he knew that growth was possible. It had happened before. It could happen again. Perhaps he could find the wolf who had once helped them... Vita. Or even if not, even if he could not elicit his help, he could find others. Great earth wolves who could help. Surely, the possibility existed.
Giaku was not meant to simply be abandoned and forgotten.
Erebus stopped, raising his head and looking out toward the great landscape beyond. He was one of the remaining of the ancients. It was time for him to stop running from it and face it.
His gaze shifted toward that of his companion's. "Rykjudo... for too long, I've run from my birth. From my heritage. From everything.
It was all under the guise of independence. Or perhaps of a quest for knowledge. But truly, as you know, it was a quest for self.
I have found it. And I pray not too late." He paused. "No, I think only in the perfection of time itself. I know now that I have returned now for the purpose of restoration, and of direction. I must see to it that these lands find glory once more... and move forward anew."
He paused once more. "Will you remain with me?" he asked, his tone softening at the question.
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