Word Count → +300 :: Let me know if there is anything you want me to change.
Eden's nights were growing worse and worse. This wasn't the first time he had been stricken with nightmares like this, and he had hoped they would all just go away, but these seemed to be lasting much longer than usual. It probably didn't help that the subject of his nightmares were changing between two different visions. It was clear one of them was bring brought on by something he had witnessed himself.
The other one was stranger. The combination of seeing those coming back from the raids injured, the mix with the prisoners, and a general sense of dread were mixing into a nightmare that put him on the frontlines of a great battle. True to his nightmares, he wouldn't wake until he was struck down, or the sound of screams and call to retreat was ringing in his ears. Was this another thing that was being poured into his head by his Mom?
It certainly wouldn't have been the first time. He had begun to suspect that she was also the reason behind his overly emotion state he had managed to find himself stuck in.
The young male paced through his tower, sighing heavily. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go out for guard duty. He might have been able to tend to any injuries they might have had, but it probably wouldn't do any good with his current mental state. Instead, he found himself mostly staying at home, finding some things he might be able to do, be it progressing his teachings or just resting his mind.
He could feel her absence in much of this time as well. He wondered if there was a reason for it. The spirit had always lingered near him, and if she was the true cause, maybe she was keeping her distance on purpose. True to her own nature, the transparent, lupus being made her way across the land, heading for a certain home.
The one person who was the best at helping her son to calm himself from his nightmares.
Sleep eluded her this evening, the young Ulrich laid tossing and turning in the furs on her bed, a heaping mess from such feats. Her eyes flashed open, attempting to draw forth the visions of sheep in her minds eye to count in order to fall back to sleep, but it would not come. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind like she had forgotten something important kept her heart racing and unable to calm in order to sleep. Sighing in frustration, she sat straight up in her bed, eyes blinking as her head turned wildly around to face the door.
The odd sense that she was being watched washed over her and it gave way to a gnawing feeling within her gut. Cocking a brow, the girl pushed herself from her bed and made her way towards the door, unsure if she should open it up to let any unwanted visitors inside. It had been sometime since the scouting party had gone out, but what she had saw there scared her enough that she was cautious of every move they made. Although, the strangers were gathered and kept under lock and key, unable to escape their imprisonment until the time came that they would be fit to stand trial.
Pushing these thoughts aside, and hearing no other noise coming from outside, Evelyn opened the squeaking old, wooden door as a blast of cool air brushed past her, inside her home. There was nothing there. Yet, something caught her eye as the snows swirled around some sort of ethereal form, and Evelyn could just barely make out the etching of a woman as the snows battered at the invisible figure. Raising her brows, the tawny female raised her fists to her eyes and wiped at them as the blurred figure surely was just some sleep in her eyes.
Yet, there she stood, clear as anything.
"W-w-what do you want?" she mumbled, feeling a little strange for it felt like she was just talking to herself. The figure disappeared momentarily, appearing before her, but much closer this time sending Evelyn spiraling backwards and tripping over her own feet, and crashing to the floor as she attempted to escape the ghostly being. Yet, as she pushed herself up off the floor with a groan, she could not help but feel a calming sense of familiarity arising from it, and a sense of urgency. The pale figure was hardly visible to her within the confines of the warm house, but she could feel a pulling sensation coming from the fur on her hand as well as the feeling that something was brushing against her cheek. That sense of urgency over came Evelyn again, but she knew it was not her own feelings that she was reading in that moment.
"You want me to follow you?" she questioned, her head tilting to the side. The sudden tug was unmistakable and Evelyn soon found herself gabbing at her cloak as she ran outside and down the steps, feeling the wind push her forth in the direction of the village. Winding her way down a familiar path, the ghostly figure always stayed a few feet ahead, leading her towards whatever it wanted to show her. Evelyn was too caught up in her thoughts to realize this was the same path she took to visit Eden almost every other day.
Soon, it all made sense, although the girl would never believe it. She stood outside the tower her brother called home, and feeling a push from her back, like a breath on the back of her neck, Evelyn stepped forward, lifting her fist towards the wooden door before pausing momentarily. Another push at her hand had her knuckles rapping at the door, hoping she was not disturbing his sleep as he did not sleep well on a good night.
"Eden, it's me, somethin' weird's goin' on," she groaned, raising her voice just enough that he might hear her from inside and so that she did not raise suspicion or wake anyone that resided nearby.
Eden honestly wasn't sure what was worse, the nightmares, or this sudden feeling of knowing that he was facing them alone. Both thoughts were terrifying, but at least when he was usually pacing about, he had the familiar feeling of her at his side. It was something that brought him some kind of comfort, even if there was a voice nagging in the back of his head that she was playing a part in why he was feeling the way he was.
It made him wonder more where she had gone. She had felt so much stronger when she was around him, but seemed to hold her shape no matter where he had gone in Salsola. What was her anchor point? Was it just him that was keeping her here? Maybe it was just that selfish nature of not being able to let her go that kept her from moving on. But if that was the case, then why had she left him now?
Why now of all times?
The answer came when he heard a voice from outside his door, one that had come after a solid knock. The voice that rang out was his saving grace, his sister. She was always the rock that held him together after sleepless nights, more so than even the spirit trailing along with him. Question was, what was she doing here? Was she aware of what was going on? She seemed to be under the impression that something weird was going on, but that in of itself had such a vague meaning.
The young male made his way to the door, slowly opening it. Sure enough, there was his sister, but there was someone else out in the cold. The familiar shape of her, growing more solid as she moved past the siblings. Pink gaze followed the spirit, finding her circling around them before moving inside his home. He couldn't believe it.
She had gone and gotten Eve. Of course, it all made sense. What parent would want to see their child like this?
Eden couldn't hold back some tears, turning his face on his sister, "Eve, please come in." He paused, waiting for her to come into the warmth of the tower's interior. He moved a hand up, brushing away the tears, "She came and got you didn't she?"
Evelyn did not like knowing that Eden had been struggling by himself all alone out here, but it brought her some comfort in thinking that maybe their mother's spirit had been offering him the same calm that Evelyn one did when they both shared a roof together. It was one of the main reasons she had moved closer to him so that she could check up on him more often than she could from the church. She remained about halfway between both homes because she also was torn in leaving her Papa and Father out there by the church all alone as well. Either way, her travel had been quick, hurried by the anxiety of whatever was pushing her towards Eden. Somehow, she knew it was her mother, but Evelyn never wanted to admit it to herself that her spirit could still be here watching over them. It seemed bizarre, but apparently, it was the truth.
Her raps on the wooden door were answered quite quickly and that's when Evelyn knew that her brother had been awake as he always had been from his nightmares and she felt a little guilty for not being there for him more often now that they were getting so much older. She could not protect him forever, but that did not mean she would not try to anyway. As long as he remained near her, she would never go anywhere. Evelyn did not know what she would do if he ever decided to leave. Shaking those thoughts from her mind her eyes blinked up into the warm light coming from the crack in the door as Eden peered out, throwing it open when he realized it was her.
Inviting her in, Eve stepped her little blonde head into the warmth of the tower, shutting the door behind herself as she did because the spirit skipped by them both as she entered already. Eve's ears pricked at Eden's question, her brows knitting together in confusion over what was going on exactly because not even she could explain the feeling into words to her brother, the one who could probably understand the best. The tears that sparkled in her eyes made her heart lurch and the twin Ulrich could not help but reach out and embrace Eden in a big hug to help calm his fears.
"Something did.... is... is it mom?" she asked, feeling her voice waver with the question as her own hot tears sprang forth in her eyes unexpectedly at the overwhelming emotions that gripped her, tightening her throat at that moment as she was not sure how she could explain it in the first place. "Oh, Eden, is it really her?" she mumbled, pulling back away from him, but letting her own hands trail down his arms so she could find his hands and grip them tight as her blue eyes shot around his small tower before she came to rest on a much more visible form of her mother. It was much more apparent now that she became more receptive to the idea, but the girl was in total shock, and the emotion that clouded her thoughts had gripped her voice and she was not sure what else to say.
What did you say to someone you felt so close to, yet never knew other than from stories?
For someone that had opened himself up to try and understand the spirits better, there was still so much that he didn't understand. She was the first one he had ever seen, ever felt, and he thought that he might have understood everything about her, but here he was, watching her as she was reunited with both her children. He had no idea Evelyn had even be able to see her at all. So much just sent him into emotional overload.
And he didn't do anything to try and hold it back.
Eden focused on his sister, having made her way inside as well. She had noticed the tears that raced don his face, and seemed to let her own come out as well. He couldn't help but feel bad that he had made his own family member feel some sadness for his weakened state. It was the last thing he would have wished on her. She was much stronger than him, in terms of both emotion and physical strength. There was no reason she should have to break down to his level.
But one touch of her embrace brought the surge of feelings back. They still had one another, and in the comfort of one another, it was ok to cry.
His head moved back slightly, watching her as she continued to move around them, soon settling down by their legs. She was always so cold to the touch, "Yes.. it's really her.. she's been here all along. Do you remember when we were younger? When I would tell Dad about that figure that always showed up in my dreams? It was Mom. It was always her."
His ears pulled back, the flashes of nightmares tearing down any of those good memories that formed in his head. She couldn't help but seemed to sense something, taking a step back from him, "But.. she hasn't come in a while.."
A surge of emotions overwhelmed Eve as Eden confirmed that it was, truly, in fact their mother's spirit that surrounded them now and bringing them together in Eden's time of need this evening. Evelyn could not help but let the tears slip down her face, but it was a smile that broke out over her muzzle, betraying the emotion that she was pouring out. It was not often that she cried, Eden had always been the one more in touch with his feelings than Eve ever had, but it had always been comfortable when she did need to express those feelings that it was with him.
The cool touch around her legs made a shiver erupt up her spine as she embraced her brother, sad that he had been so alone out here and dealing with it all on his own. The figure had always been around and until now Evelyn had never actually been able to see her and always just took her brother's word for it because he was more in tune with those things than she had ever been. She had always believed him though, but now things were starting to make a whole lot of more sense than she could ever believe.
He mentioned that she had not come in a while and Evelyn began to wonder what had brought her here now, on this particular evening.
"Why all of a sudden now is she here?" Evelyn asked as if Eden was the expert on all things ghosts and supernatural phenomena in the world. Her eyes darted along to the unmistakable figure that hovered around them as Evelyn continued to take hold of her brother, not wanting to let go of him in his time of need. She had no intention of going back home now and would probably stay the night if Eden let her, comforting him as she always had when they were much smaller. There was an ache in her heart that she could not mend, missing these simple moments, in particular, that made her wish they never really had to grow up and live in the adult world of the Thistle Kingdom. Everything had seemed so much simpler back then.
There was never anything wrong about letting ones emotions run wild for a little bit, though Salsola on the whole might disagree with such a statement. Perhaps a better way to phrase it was, 'it's ok to let emotions out so long as it was done in the comfort of ones own home.' Eden had always wondered if such a thing would constantly get the better of him, and even when it ran the risk, though around him didn't seem to mind all that much.
Maybe he was just accepted for it regardless, or they were just kinder on the whole that he had once thought. Guess that was again a matter of forming his own opinions, something he had expressed to their Dad wanting to have done since the day he had become more of an adult. He couldn't let others sway his own thinking of things.
At least not always outloud.
The young male's gaze moved down, following along the spirit before his head turned back to his sister. She had been watching their Mom as well, but soon questioned why she was here all of a sudden. It was a wonder why their Mom had only seemed to show herself to him and their Dad, but not to Eve. He couldn't think of any reason she would want to hide from either of her children.
Maybe there was just some reason that Eve couldn't see her like the males could. Maybe it had to do with their ties to the Blackwoods and the sense of magic about them. Eve seemed much more interested in other things than such things that witches dabbled in. Then again, she was one that did tag along with him on some instances for the witches, so it was a bit hard to say.
As to what she was doing right here and right now, well that was easy to answer. Eden lowered his head slightly, leaning in towards his sister's shoulder to place his forehead there, "I haven't been sleeping very well. Mom probably knows you help me a lot when I have nightmares and probably went to go get you. I'm glad she did. I feel better already having you here."
The undeniable feeling of regret in not truly getting to know their mother welled up inside the young Ulrich woman. She had longed for the companionship of her mother, but never truly felt like anything had been missing in her life until now. Her family had made sure that any needs she had were met. It was difficult though to explain the loss she felt now that her mother was here with them tonight and how little she truly knew of the woman that birthed them.
It was a little difficult, growing up in such a male-dominated family in a matriarchal kingdom, she had never had a lot of feminine influence in her life, which would explain her more masculine tastes and interests. Evelyn wondered how different her life might have been had they had the influence of their mother growing up and how different Eden would have turned out because her death had the most significant impact on him that not even Evelyn could understand. Her loss had been a blow to the whole Ulrich clan, even if the children did not notice it until they were much older and could now understand it.
Eden leaned into her, setting his head on her shoulder and she gripped him tightly in a hug once again. He explained that he had not slept well as of late, the nightmares were dogging his mind once again, and Evelyn felt a little guilty that she had not tried to come and visit him more. She let out a soft sigh as he stated he already felt better having her here. "I miss you Eden," she said softly, while they saw each other a lot and there was nothing to really miss, what she missed was having him around all of the time, she never had felt lonely until he had moved out, but she thought that he needed his space.
"Well, I plan on staying tonight, any time you want me to stay just let me know and I will come over," she said letting her hand of her opposite arm from the one he was leaning into reach and play with the hem of his clothing on his leg. "I have found it difficult still getting used to not sharing a bed with you," she confessed, even though the last thing she wanted was to make her brother feel guilty for leaving. She hoped he understood that.
Eden was at peace when he felt his sister wrap her arms around him again. This was all he really needed right now, and was the perfect thing to help distract him away from the terrible things in his head. He didn't know how she was able to do it, but she always had the ability to chase them away. Perhaps their Dad wasn't able to because the son was annoyed when nothing was told to him about his own Mom, and why go to him when his Mom was the one in his dreams in the first place?
He could have probably talked about them with their Papa, but he was so close to their Dad. Maybe that was the thing that kept distance between them. Not with his sister, someone who was always there for him. He would have to return the favor in some way, something more than just doing the same for her in return.
His head turned in a bit more towards her at her words. He missed her just as much as she missed him. It was liberating in a way to be living on his home, but there was still a piece of him that would always miss having his family around with him. Maybe not right at this moment with all the lack of sleep and nightmares, but on a much better day, "I miss you too Eve."
She had made the decision that she was going to be staying here tonight, whether her brother wanted her to or not. He couldn't help but laugh a bit, feeling his own arms move up to bring her into an embrace, "I would love for you to stay. If you ever feel lonely, you know you are always welcome here, or send me some kind of message and I'll come to your home. Just because we live on our own now doesn't mean we should have to feel separated." He began to push away from her, letting his arms fall as she played with his clothes, "Why don't we go upstairs so I can lay out some bedding for you too. We can find something to do for the rest of the day I'm sure."
Oh what Evelyn would have given just to know their mother instead of the revered woman they had only heard stories about. With her spirit still with them on this plane, she was sure she could get to know her a little better with Eden's help she was sure, but it just was not the same as if she had been around to help raise them. With thoughts of her mother, thoughts of their aunt Dahlia upset Evelyn a little, as they had not been able to see her in some time. Was she still even around? As she grew older, she started piecing together little bits of information she remembered as a child and Del Cenere was a Gang made up of a majority of late Inferni members, and therefore it was not safe for Dahlia to come visit them. At least she hoped that was the only thing keeping their aunt away because the thought of losing her even if they did not get to see her hurt just as bad.
Eden reaffirmed her statement, stating her missed her too and the young woman could not help but smile at her brother, glad to have these moments with him still even though they were both adults now. It sure did not feel any different being an adult, just more responsibilities and a lot more expectations thrust upon them. Perhaps Evelyn just thrust them upon herself and barreled full tilt into adulthood without taking a second to wonder what she could do for herself instead of doing things for the pack. Working with the horses did not feel like a chore though even if it gained her considerable recognition in the pack, working alongside Grievous always let her fulfilled and she felt she had gained so much knowledge from him that she could never repay the male for it.
Taking a step out of her mind, she tried to focus on the present here with her brother. Pale eyes watched as he hopped up, and she nodded enthusiastically, "Let me help get it ready. What would you like to do?" she asked, with a small tilt of her head as she followed behind him, reaching out with her hand to grip his own as he lead her around his new home that still felt a little unfamiliar to her unlike the room they shared back in the church what felt like forever ago.
Word Count → +400 :: We can probably work on wrapping this thread up. We should do another one sometime.
Family had always been important to the siblings, if not more so to Eden. So much was still shrouded in mystery, even after knowing that his mother had a way to communicate with him. She still kept quiet a lot of the time, showing him images and events that she seemed to want him to piece together. It was frustrating to say the least, but Andrew had opened up a lot of doors for him to do this. Maybe that was something that he could fill in for his sister.
He did miss their aunt, and often did wonder what she was doing. Only the two of them knew the truth of where the gray woman had gone, leaving them behind with their Dad and Papa. It hurt, but at the same time, it was the best for her. She never felt like she fit in with Salsola, and so long as she was happier away from here, then they should be happy for her as well. Though, it wouldn't hurt to be able to see her again sometimes.
Maybe they would both get lucky in passing one day. No one could forsee the future.
The young male was happy enough to see the smile return to his sister's face. This wasn't the time to be thinking about such things, not when they had the company of one another. She has wandered off somewhere, probably in the distraction of the siblings reconnecting with one another. It was fine, they needed some time together anyways.
When night came, she was sure to come back to them on her own.
Their hands connected and Eden was more than eager to lead her through his home. Much of it was as it had been when he claimed the home. He would need to do something to make it more of his own space, but that would come later. His pride and joy wouldn't be until he could start his garden, something he would need spring for. Guiding Evelyn's hand, he led her to the bedroom, furs laid out where he slept. He sat down by them, looking over to his sister, "I should have a few spare ones if you want to set up your own spot. And I don't know. We can do whatever you want Eve."
Just being able to do something with his sibling was enough for him.
The fact their mother was here with them in this space was enough to make Eve feel overwhelmed with the emotion. She was so close, after having been away from the siblings for so long, well at least away from Eve herself. Eden had been seeing their mother for some time now it seemed and perhaps Evelyn had never been ready to see her. Of course, Eden had always been the one in tune with that sort of thing unlike Eve but now that she thought more about it, the presence she was feeling here was all too familiar to the presence she experienced out in the woods outside of the church a few times when she was younger. Could it have been the same one? She just thought the woods were haunted by old spirits.
"Maybe, if you are up for it Eden, we could make a trip outside of Salsola and perhaps... maybe... we could go see how aunt Dahlia is doing?" she asked, her brows raising hopefully at the prospect of getting to visit the one person still alive that connected them to that side of their family. There was more than enough family members from that side of the family, but Dahlia was their mother's remaining sibling that resided in these territories - as far as they knew Hope had never returned and it was not someone that Evelyn knew a whole lot about anyway.
Either way, it was just an idea, and she tried not to be hurt if his answer was no. She could make the trip herself. Little did they both know their family had grown even further.
"I want to sleep next to you tonight, it's been so long Eden. I feel so much better being able to reach out and touch you and know you are there," she offered a small, shy smile that was normally unlike her. She knew that they would both feel better being near each other tonight, especially with what they both shared in this evening that bonded them even further if that was ever possible.
One thing was for sure, Evelyn was very impressed with the home that Eden was creating for himself here, while it had yet to have his own touch or imprint on it, winter was coming to an end and she was sure he would have this place spiffed up by the time summer came. Decorated with lots of wildflowers and plants, and crowns made of those same plants littering the whole place. It really did start to feel like a home though and she knew she would spend a lot of time here if he would let her. There was no denying that even though they lived apart now, they were still as close as ever and she was thankful for that as Evelyn was very close to most of the members in her family, especially Eden.
"Got anything we could cook up for supper?" she asked with a quirk of her brow, happy to share a meal with her brother and with their bellies full they could drift off to sleep that much easier with their mother's presence lingering and watching over them making her feel whole for the first time in a very long time.
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