[p] get-up-in-the-morning glories
#1
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Uh-oh, Saullieee.


She’d woken early that morning, but took five minutes to simply lie on her back on the bed and stare at the ceiling, her eyes half-lidded and her mind fighting away the last dregs of a dreamless sleep. She pondered the questions that had consumed her since she reached the forested territory surrounding the lake. She knew that many of her smaller concerns could be answered by observation, but there were some that were pressing and some that could be answered by sampling asking.

Shiloh eventually convinced herself to rise, and she did so, taking the time to brush out the tangles in her hair but not caring to preen excessively. She grabbed for her cerise summer dress and slipped it on, adjusting a strap as it fell off a milk-white shoulder. She left her jeweled flower necklace on the nightstand; the cat charm perched on her collarbone wasn’t even removed in sleep, so she didn’t have to worry about that.

She left her staff leaned on the wall next to the doorway, though she took the time to trace the grooves in the Frithr necklace. On second thought, she went back inside to where the pelt-wrapped bundle sat, grabbing the bottle of wine. It’d been left untouched since they day that she joined, as she wasn’t much of a drinker; intoxication was simply crude and unladylike, and she hadn’t had any need to take the small sips she’d allowed on occasion, either. Now, however, her slender fingers wrapped firmly around its neck as she stepped outside, taking the shortcut through the trees that led her to the Virdings’ home.

Nerves formed butterflies whose wings tickled the lining of her stomach, but she walked up to the door and gave a polite rap against the wood. She wondered if she’d be waking Saul’s mate, but on second thought, she didn’t care. After pausing a moment, she all but pressed her muzzle against the wood and called softly, “Saul—it’s time for that talk.”


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#2
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07.09.12 . 9am . saulin residence . optime form

Since Shiloh's acceptance, and Saul's ultimate revelation of mostly everything big that had happened to him, he felt a little better. Ironically he sensed that his sister didn't approve, but having her know was better than keeping her in the dark. Of course, they weren't finished yet- she'd promised a more serious talk. She'd been here about a week now, settling in, exploring Vinátta he hoped. Saul himself had been busy- the past week or so he'd been hunting a lot, using his bow as much as he could to get a clean kill through an eye to keep the pelt intact. After feeding Lilin, storing as much as he thought necessary in a sunny place to dry out, Saul had made his rounds of Vinátta- making sure Temeraire was eating well and keeping up his writing, dropping food of to Coli and checking she was doing well.


The talk with his sister was never far from his mind however and the male had woken this morning with a feeling of unease. He'd woken Lilin, a dangerous task, and asked her if she wished to accompany him on a walk to the lake. She'd declined with a grunt, rolling back over and back into slumber. Saul had made the trip on his own instead, taking his morning bath and running in his lupus form to try and relieve some stress. The closer they got to Colibri and Lilin's respective due dates, the quieter the male became- he had no desire to upset his mate with his incessant worrying which he knew got on her nerves. Re-entering the house, Saul had busied himself with cutting some of the dried pieces of meat into long strips that would be easy to eat.


The gentle voice at his door made him smile, before he remembered what she was likely here for. After calling out a soft= "One sec!" he moved to grab a few pieces of meat, wrapping them securely and placing them in his pocket for later. After checking once on Lilin, who he thought was still asleep, he pulled the door open, a radiant smile on his lips despite the incoming doom. "A walk, perhaps?" He questioned, thinking about taking her down to the beach. Offering the crook of his arm as he'd done when she'd joined, Saul tried to keep a happy smile on his face despite what was to happen.

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#3
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shortshort


The door swung open, and her brother’s tawny-smudge face appeared wearing a grin. She hadn’t expected that, but she guessed it made it easier for both of them to pretend this would be a pleasant and simple conversation. It was her natural instinct to return the smile and pretend along with him, but she refrained this time; she owed him some more honesty today. She didn’t scowl either, though, instead opting for a neutral expression, and only nodded as he suggested that they take a walk. That, at least, might be pleasant.

Shiloh adjusted her grip on the wine bottle as he stepped outside and, before he could make some comment on it, hoisted it up for him to see. “Thought we might need this,” she said wryly before taking his arm, her finger-pads pressed into the muscle. It still amazed her how large and strong he’d grown, but she guessed her transformation from a vain little girl into a mature young woman was just as shocking to him. Either way, she still had some flaws, and his were the catalyst for their need to talk.

“I’ll try not to ask you questions as if this were some interrogation,” Shiloh stated as she indicated for him to lead her. “You can just talk about what you want to talk about, explain what you feel the need to explain, and I’ll listen to you, Saul.” Her blue eyes flashed to his emerald ones, serious and luckily far from betraying her nerves.


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#4
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crap, sorry for the wait hun <3

As he stepped out to greet his sister, he thought he detected a hint of surprise from her though a more neutral expression replaced any nuance quickly. He allowed his own smile to fade softly- he knew this was going to be a difficult conversation for both of them and he perhaps shouldn't have greeted her with such enthusiasm. The simple fact that she was still here however and placed joy upon the male and he didn't regret his greeting. Instead he stepped out and closed the door behind him gently, spotting the bottle clasped in Shiloh's hand. It upset him slightly, that he didn't actually know if she drank a lot or if she didn't. There was a lot the pair needed to re-learn about each other.


As if she spotted him acknowledging the bottle, she hoisted it a little higher and offered some form of explanation. He snorted softly, a dry noise that both spoke of his agreement with the choice and at her foresight to bring it. This was going to be a brutally honest conversation and Saul knew he had a lot to explain. She took his arm and Saul began to move. At first he'd thought about the Lake, but the salty scent in the air pulled him in a more southerly direction, to the shoreline. It was a rarely used part of their territory, but the crashing waves had often calmed him before and he thought it apt that he needed to be calmed now.


Shiloh spoke then, a quiet reassurance that she wouldn't push him. For that, he was grateful. Aside from the fact that he had no idea where to start, he knew not how he was going to vocalise, justify a lot of the things he'd done. The pair remained quiet as the moved towards the shore, but Saul knew his time was limited when the crashing sound reached his ears and all too soon, toes wriggled into the soft sand that lined the top half of the beach. With a gentle sigh, the large male moved to find a suitable spot- settling on the top of a ledge of sand not far from where they'd emerged.


"I don't really know where to start... so I guess it'll have to be from when you and Ascher went missing. Bris had only recently given birth to Eclipse- she was a few months old, and Conor went a bit mad I think. Bris was never here and neither was Conor- Eclipse kind of fell into mine and Gideon's care. Everything was shaky, unknown. I'd recently built the cabin in the woods and asked Siku to move in with me and then Wretch turned up, so broken. There was nobody there to regulate, to take responsibility... so I did." He knew his train of thoughts probably weren't what Shiloh was thinking, but he couldn't help it. "We never had parents, Shi... Our mother was killed and our father didn't want us, despite his apparent interest when we were a few months old. We all had to grow up quickly..." He paused, unsure of where he was actually going with that statement. "I'd had a crush on Siku for a long time- since she arrived in Dahlia and I was involved in the whole joining process. When she moved in, I really thought I was in love with her." He paused, knowing that the worse things were to come, but wanting to give Shiloh the chance to process what he was saying.

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#5
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Okay, finally replied to this!


Saul snorted as she addressed the bottle, but he didn’t seem offended by the choice and seemed to accept that it was more a joke than anything—though she didn’t know if they really would need it to loosen their tongues. She hoped that he could be forthcoming with her without the alcohol, though, and maybe the bottle would be one of celebration, of gentle warmth in their bellies that would help them get to sleep tonight. She truly didn’t want this gift from Vinátta to be used for any other purpose.

Shiloh tasted salt when she licked her lips, noticing the direction he was guiding her in. She couldn’t say she’d visited the shoreline yet, only because there was so much of it lining Nova Scotia, while the pack’s rich forests were far more unique. The steady sound of the waves did remind her of her life as a yearling in Dahlia de Mai, though, and unexpectedly that roar comforted her, bringing a sense that things were okay even if memories of Dahlia and their childhood were long past.

She looked across at the bay as they reached the sandy shore, settling down beside him and smoothing her dress to give her time for some composure. Finding it, she let her blue eyes linger on his face as her hands dropped into her lap, listening as he began.

Shiloh could remember Bris and Conor’s faces and had fainter memories of the Soulstorm children, too. Her brow furrowed at mention of a Siku, trying to remember her as well, but she didn’t voice any questions, only letting her brother tell the story—of a cabin he built with his own hands, of the responsibility thrust upon him at such a young age. He spoke of their parents—or lack of parents—and she played with the folds of her dress. Dreyrugr was a difficult topic for her, for all the traveling she’d done in hopes of just seeing his face one more time despite their abandonment. She’d traveled miles when her paw pads hadn’t even callused from age and experience, desperately wanting a father to love, seeking news of him wherever she could gather it.

Saul spoke again of Siku and his feelings for her, and Shiloh gathered premature conclusions. “Was Temeraire hers?” she asked, but her forehead rumpled. It could have been a mistake between lovers, lovers who apparently hadn’t made it, but this still sounded a bit too long ago for the dark boy’s age. She shook her head then gestured for him to continue, deciding she’d try not to draw conclusions until he had finished.


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#6
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^^ <3

Shiloh was quiet as he regaled the early beginnings of his tale. He'd known she wouldn't have interrupted him and he was glad for that. It was difficult to organise these thoughts anyway and try to remember all of it and it would have made it so much more difficult to retain a logical train of thought had his sister peppered him with questions every now and then. So he continued on, stopping every now and then to gather his thoughts and review what he'd already said. Shiloh remained quiet, perhaps trying to relate what he was saying to her own memories- she'd have very little to do with Eclipse before she'd gone missing.


He'd paused in his narrative and for a moment, the pair sat in silence. Cinnamon backed ears perked up at her question, an automatic shake of his head given and a bitter snort. "No, Siku's not his mother." He offered softly, before trying to think of the logical continuation for his story. "Well, after the storm anyway, Bris and Conor pretty much disappeared and Nayru stepped up as leader. Dahlia de Mai didn't last too much longer after that and in the middle of summer, we merged with a neighbouring pack, Phoenix Valley, and formed Ichika no Ho-en, this side of the moutains, but further east. It was a pack based on absolute peace and it seemed to suit us. Not so much Siku... She began drifting so much that she was gone most of the time." He shrugged softly, allowing those old feelings of bitterness to ebb out of him, it was done now.


"Gideon and Nayru eventually managed to understand their love for one another and became mates, but it didn't last long either. In the fall, Gideon and Nayru split and he didn't want to stay anymore. He left without a word and left Melee and Range without a father. Around the same time, Siku left again and I wasn't having it. I left to look for them, to get her to explain why they'd left again and for Giddy to be safe." He'd never wanted to abandon his pack, but he'd had enough of being abandoned. "I found Siku just days away and her real feelings came out- she said she never loved me and she was getting free on her own... I'd thought that had crushed me, at the time. Not long after, a wandering female by the name of Imari found me and encouraged me to drown my sorrows in alcohol... which I did." He shook his head softly, perhaps at his own stupidity.


"I was so intoxicated, and heartbroken, that it seemed natural enough to so whatever she wished. I didn't have a clue what I was doing... but we had sex." It was difficult to admit how idiotic he'd been, but it was clearly part of the story. "I awoke the next morning with a horrid headache, but there was no sign of Imari. I didn't think anything of it and I carried on. I found Gideon on the way back to the Solbjorg, probably up in Alaska somewhere. He told me he wasn't coming back, probably not for a long time and we parted ways. After that, I wandered for a bit before making my way back here. I was almost home when Imari caught up with me and presented me with this little ball of black fur... I was terrified." He admitted, dipping his head down briefly and taking a soft sigh.

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#7
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Saul continued the story, disproving her premature theory and leading into the fall of Dahlia de Mai and the creation of Ichika no Ho-en: a name that she recognized from Gideon, alongside the name of its leader and his former lover. Like the dark Stormbringer and his mate, however, it seemed that love wasn’t meant to last for Saul and Siku on the other side of the mountains. She offered him sympathy with her eyes, wanting to comfort him, not trusting herself to speak and knowing the words would sound hollow.

The Siku part of the story ended depressingly, and Saul went on to say how he’d gotten intoxicated with a random female stranger. Shiloh wiped her expression off her face before it could truly form, very aware of the bottle between them. She found the whole thing extremely distasteful, especially succumbing to the liquid drug when already in such a weak state of mind—and so it was not far-fetched to believe that his body would act of its own accord, joining with Imari’s. Shiloh burned at the thought of the woman taking advantage of her sweet brother, more anger at her than him.

Imari disappeared from the story until she returned with a puppy in her arms. When her brother bowed his head and sighed, Shiloh scooted closer and snaked a slender white arm around his shoulders, her fingers rubbing his tawny and grey fur. “I can’t imagine,” she murmured, but nuzzled his ear as she added: “But I do think you did a good job with Temeraire, considering. He seems like a bright boy, maybe a bit unruly, but that’s just like any other teenage boy—which I have plenty of experience with.” Her final words were teasing as she remembered how unruly she’d viewed her brothers as. It was amazing to see how they’d matured since then, Saul a pack leader and Gideon such a brave man and Ascher scholarly and wise buried in his books.

With her reassurance, she pulled away lightly, wondering if that might be the conclusion of the story. A tooth pressed into her lip as she considered how long to wait before she asked the other difficult question: the one about Lilin. She found herself dreading this confrontation, though it did help her to understand Saul so much better.



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