479
Almost like traversing back through time, Alae must have been the first of the ex Dahlians to return to the lands they abandoned. They didn’t abandon their lands in any spite or hatred, but the Dahlia de Mai Empire was no more as they discovered a new means of purpose and life for themselves further north. The Northeastern parts of Ethereal Eclipse were previous stalking grounds for Dahlia de Mai, and the scents of the pack still lingered strongly as if they still resided there. Upon returning, there was a strange quality of silence reigning over the canopy of trees that wasn’t there when Dahlia still existed. Alae felt like Kael and herself were almost traveling through grounds that were sacred to Mother Nature herself, as she rightfully reclaimed her territory back in the possession of her Nature. The vineyards, the docks, Wolfville, and everything else went silent and still again despite the construction they attempted to do with renovating their Empire. Who knew if any future generations would decide on reclaiming Dahlia de Mai for their prosperity, but for now, all of the history and tales were the secrets kept by the trees and ruined establishments themselves, and for those who once called these lands their home. There was a fondness aching in the pit of her chest when she returned, but there would be no tears of sadness shed. Change was inevitable in this lifetime, and change would be welcomed with open arms. Perhaps it was time for Dahlia de Mai to revert back to Nature a little more before bigger opportunities would come from it, and to cleanse itself from the sordid history it held.
Alae specifically passed through here to take a gander at anything that might have been left the first time around. Much of Dahlia’s belongings were taken on the first trip, but there might have been some smaller items that fell off their stallions along the way. Not specifically returning to the den site she once lived in (for all of her belongings were brought along during the migration), Alae wandered through the more dense part of Ethereal Eclipse heading westbound. Her original intention was to reach the borders of AniWaya, a Tribe located by the tip of Nova Scotia to the west. AniWaya was certainly a good travel from where Ichika was now, but there were no qualms of traveling. Alae had been much of a rogue when venturing from Ireland to Nova Scotia, and Alae wouldn’t be stubborn enough to keep to the confines of Ichika (no matter how wonderful the Gampo Abbey temple was). Her snowy owl companion simply soared ahead of the two, often jumping from branch to branch or finding something to inspect in the trees. Their pace was casual enough, but nothing that was too leisurely. There was business to attend in AniWaya when they arrived.
