[AW] Meandering Again

[Aenan Pyr]

They had finally moved. It was more of an emotional journey than a physical one, as Shiras had hauled both Aenan and all of their things on the back of their travois. In fact during the walk the old man dozed in and out. Opening one’s eyes and being in a different place should be jarring for most, but the grizzled Pyr was used to it. Strapped in and only jostled every once in a while, the trip to their new home really wasn’t bad. It was letting go of the one link he had with his wife that was difficult. It was hard to let go of the hope of her leaping over the fence and holding him. Aenan took solace in New Caledonia’s renown, and that Shiras vowed to check at the old camp.

The process of joining had way less hackles rising than Aenan believed they would have endured. He was thankful for that. Now he stood, unleashed from the sled as Shiras ran around figuring out where they would stay within the borders. The town square was lovely and reminded him of the housing arrangements in Marquette. Slow moving, but steady with his walking stick the old man followed the scent and sound of water. So many luperci, lots of faces he hoped would become friends. Aenan was looking forward to seeing Percival and Inara again, and looked forward to seeing them every day! This would be a new life, safe, and when Alena would arrive with the pups, he would have finally found his heaven.

There was a river. The sight of the windy waterway made his tail wag. The meadow was wonderful, but the river was kin. He stepped into the waters from the bank and closed his eyes. The old wolf hummed as he stood knee-deep in it, putting weight on the walking stick. The cool water felt good, he was hoping to befriend her, and all the bodies of water New Caledonia boasted. His eyes opened and he turned his head upstream. The man wondered which way he should travel first. The sea was not too far away, and though the ocean perturbed the man, it was reminiscent of his birth lake. The source of the river though? Who was it and where were they? The area was mountainous and he was wondering where the trout started swimming in those run-feeding streams. He'd find out in time, but the youthful wolf inside of him wanted him to find out now. He grinned, turned his head upstream and took one step forward. It would have been a great step, but alas, Aenan lost his footing and plunged face-first into the water.

It was disorientating, but he knew the feeling. The man pushed himself from the river, gasped for air, and looked around before letting out a hearty laugh. He knew he'd get along well with the waters of this pack.

[Vodeva]

Vodeva had imagined that she would have grandchildren by now – but somewhere along the way Nín had chosen to send her down a different path. She had found patience and stoked smaller fires, solidifying her devotion in the absence of a husband.

It was easier not to think of him now. He had his own life and could dedicate it to the Realm as he had always wanted to.

She had awoken alone, half expecting to find Rand curled in the other room. Instead the cabin had been empty and cold, and so she had chosen to go for a walk in order to get warm. The Priestess wrapped a thick fur about her shoulders, fastening it at the front with a metal pin.

The water called to her, and so she followed the twisting river as she prayed to herself – thanking Nín for the beautiful day and for the tides that bound them together.

A loud splash caught her attention and she spotted Aenan Pyr as he stumbled into the cool waters.

With a wince she ran to catch up to him, her brows knitted with concern as she descended into the water. Her skirts floated and she clutched her furs, ”Are you alright?”

(///) | NPCs: na


heehee couldn't resist :>

[Aenan Pyr]

Aenan was soaked, but he was used to that. An entire life filled to the gills with fishing had lead to many, many spills and tumbles into the fishes’ domain. They had yet to get their revenge during the several ocassions he was waterlogged and flailing. That was a reason why he avoided the ocean. Not only did it smell weird, but he heard it contained giant fish that could rip apart men. While his home lake did not boast man-eaters, it did have sturgeon. If Lake Superior could produce fish larger than a man, would the sea create leviathans? The maps of old, spherical or otherwise showed just how tiny the greatest of lakes were when compared to the ocean.

It was an irrational fear that he may receive a gruesome death at the jaws of a sea fish. In the river he was safe. The only thing he had to fear was the water itself, and maybe the slippery rocks underneath. The old man had just acquainted himself with them. With head and and chest above water, he began to push the rest of his body out of the river. “I’m okay,” he told the concerned packmate with a grunt. Despite not needing it, Aenan was made even more cheerful at the fact that someone had come to his aid.  “Just took a little tumble is all,” he explained, wiping his soaked, scruffy hair out of his eyes.

Said eyes lit up at a familiar sight. Though they had met briefly, Aenan remembered the woman. “Hello Vodeva,” he greeted her. “Thank you, it’s good to know that someone would have come to help me if I was in dire straits.” Aenan gave an appreciative nod to her as his hands seemed to search around his body for something. He then looked down at the water around his legs. Further downstream, his walking stick bobbed as it was carried by the current. His eyes eventually found it, and though he knew he could make another one, Aenan still let out a sigh.

“I hope I didn’t worry you too much,” he told her, setting aside his displeasure of losing his walking aid.

[Vodeva]

”As long as you’re sure you’re alright.” She hoped that one day when she was an Elder in the pack that she would be treated with the same level of decorum. Aenan Pyr had lived a long life, as was evidence by the way he moved with the careful temperance of delicate china – his whiskers tinged in silver and curled slightly away from his face.

”No, no worry. Where is your child? Did they find their way here?”

She couldn’t help but imagine that he needed someone for… balance. Or atleast to assure that when he fell in a river that he got back up again.

”Oh no, your stick.” It bobbed in the river before being sucked into a fast moving current. The woman frowned as she crossed her arms, ”We’ll have to see about getting you another one.”

”Do you need help getting out of the water?”

(///) | NPCs: na