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[html] It had been a long time since he had set foot in familiar territory. Well, not that Jaded Shadows was familiar territory, but rather the place that he had been born. The sprawling region that was named Bleeding Souls was truly one of a kind, though now as he was older the name had lost the coolness it had captured him with as a child. But he had changed a lot since then, no longer an aspiring, arrogant prince, but rather that of a scholar. Leaving Syemv had been one of the most critical low points in his life, though he had no decision in that. But leaving the home where his parents had gone to reside had been entirely his decision. Neither parent had objected and simply let him go without question. Coming back had been an adventure in itself because of the sidetracks and the places that interested him so—but now that he was there, things were drastically different.
So different, that in fact he thought that he had come to the wrong place. Syemv was no more, the coyotes had expanded their borders so far that he was barely able to spy out the house without seeing the angry flail of a tail on the horizon. Though sad, he wasn't angry about their claim in ground. After all, it had only been a home. One that he hadn't even spent a majority of his life in. So with the option of returning to his birth pack ruled out, the boy went purely on the memory and stories that his mother had told him. It was to the near direct north that he found himself stumbling across Jaded Shadows in a fit of twilight and light snowfall. He had never experienced the biting cold of Canadian weather having been born in the spring, but now it was most unpleasant. He seemed quite the unclothed heathen sitting squat in a huddled mass just outside of the looming walls of a homeless shelter, not sure whether to make racket to draw attention or to wait patiently. [/html]
[html] Walking, she was always walking. Walking away from that den and it's memories, the bustling of her children both older and younger. Walking away from hardships and towards happiness. That had been her goal in life. Find happiness. So many times she had assumed she had found it in the arms of another, and yet she had been left time and time again. So often that it had left a scar across her heart, restricting the very blood that ran through her veins. She was fragile, and yet still so strong.
"It's cold out here son." She said softly, eying the charcoal youth with interest. He was familiar, somehow. Her eyes travelled his frame, drinking in the familiar and yet strange appearance he sported. It wasn't until her green eyes rested upon that marker that she knew. Oh, she knew. "Is your mother with you?" Eager, almost happy, the shifted female clutched the shawl a little closer, and her heart stammered in her chest. If Akumu was here, it would be wonderful. She missed her sea-bound friend. [/html]
[html] Someone was coming, but he didn't exactly rise to his full height until he had been seen. The woman who greeted him was much shorter and much older than he, but as fiery-red as her long locks were, he had a feeling that he knew her as well as she knew him. Perhaps they had never been introduced, but did two creatures need to be introduced when they had heard of one another. As old as he looked, being asked if his mother was with him could have been regarded as poking at his youthful age, but Valentine could easily decipher the difference. “No, she isn't. I came here of my own accord,” he replied, his stature bending slightly with an ease of tension. “I'm sorry if I don't remember your name, but my mother has told me about you. She said that you were one of the few I could seek out here if I ever wanted a place to stay.” [/html]
[html] if it had been warmer, she might have clapped her hands excitedly - it was Akumu's boy! Unfortunately, the winter was unpleasant and doing so might cost her the shawl she was clinging to so desperately. A million question flooded her brain, and instead of asking them all, she jus calmly stepped in front of hte boy, watching him with a bemused smile. "It's been..." her voice trailed off as she counted up the months. "Well, over a year since I've seen your parents! Are they well?" Still, she had not given him her name. Bashfully she grinned, looking so much younger than five years old, looking almost like a two year old, given her height. "I'm Fatin. I was friends with your mother before she moved to Syemv." She explained calmly. "And I remember you as a little thing. Do you have any siblings?" She finally remembered his statement, the names of people that would take him in. "Oh! Of course you'd have a home here. Any Rouyaken was welcome here, as loyal as Akumu had been to us" [/html]
[html] At the precise moment that she said who she was, he couldn't help but smile thinly. Valentine knew the name all too well because both of his parents had known Fatin, and because of that and any stories they had recalled of their fading youth had involved stints with her as well. He had known his mother had been quite a vagabond, but when she did pick a place to stop, she had quite the unwavering loyalty. He had taken after his father in the sense of settling down, not letting much move him away from where it was that he belonged. Which in some cases was still with Syemv. “They are well, and no, I haven't any other siblings yet,” he said, not doubting that perhaps he would one day. But they had devoted themselves to raising him first, which had probably been a good thing. “I noticed that Syemv is gone,” he offered shortly thereafter, wondering if Fatin knew what had become of it. [/html]
[html] "Yet!" She was nearly giddy, hoping that Akumu would fufill her promise for at the very least, a hundred little Valiants running about. That number was one that Cross probably wouldn't have minded either, the more Fatin thought about it. "They'd better get working on it then! She's nearly as old as I am!" She could not remember which of the two females was older. She knew they were of similar ages, and she still could not wrap her mind around approaching six years old. "Oh..." Syemv, it was an unpleasant thought. So stuck was she to her memories of Syemv, of Thorn, of Phasma, of Akumu....and Inferni, of Kaena and Gabriel. "Inferni took back the lands that Rurik and Kidorah settled on. Well. Rurik and Syemv settled there, but Kidorah gave them permission." He probably knew all of that already, since his mother had lead the pack and all. "It was an unexpected attack, and for awhile Chimera and Syemv stood together under the name Aremys. Syemv broke off from them and lived in the city, but eventually the members died off like they're apt to do, and Phasma, the Alpha when your parents left, moved to Storm. She's still there...you might want to see her at some point. She'd know more about the details and facts than I do." Fatin said softly.
A cold gust whipped past them, a nd she shivered against the cold. "You'll start at subordinate, and work your way up. Knowing your Mom, she wouldn't let you wander off without knowing how things work in the world. We dont need much, but help to keep wood for our fires and kill for our young is always appreciated. I can show you to the common dens, if you'd like. It's much warmer in there." She said softly, her tail attempting to wag, even though the winds were fighting against her. What a strange turn of events this was, having the ebony boy show up on her doorstep! [/html]
[html] Phasma was someone who Valentine remembered much easier than Fatin. Perhaps that was ironic, given that he recalled being around the former Gamma of Syemv about as much as he had his mother and father. What Fatin told him was disheartening, but perhaps shouldn't have been so surprised. The coyotes had merely taken back the ground that had been given to them, which was probably all in their right manner. He knew to avoid the ones that were from Inferni, but had learned that coyotes elsewhere in the world were just as much of hard workers than wolves. He couldn't bring himself to discriminate against them like his mother (and perhaps his father) had. He too shivered in the sharp gust of the wind that rushed down the sloping frame of weathered mountain, nodding with the red-head's words. He would definitely seek out Phasma, if only to catch up with her, provided she even remembered him.
“Oh no, she never did let me do much wandering off. My father was very much the same way. They made sure that I learned a thing or two before I decided to go off on my own—it was hard enough for them to let me stray out of their sight now. But I would appreciate it if you would show me around,” he said easily, assuming that he had more or less gotten his foot inside of the door on this. She hadn't asked him of what worldly skills he had picked up, but then again he hadn't really mentioned that he had ever had mentors through the years. From his parents to just skilled people that they knew, he had learned enough to get by and even some relatively useless things for staying up in Bleeding Souls. [/html]
[html] mall-caps;">this table was touched by Misery
Eying the young male with a faint, knowing smile, feeling excited to have the boy around even if they hardly knew one another. He was a tie, a direct tie, to a piece of her past.
"Of course we can look around now. One thing we have now that might be a bit like home," she began, leading him towards the community dens. "We discovered a large cavern in the side of Ashen Mountain, and the more we investigated, the more we found. The cavern system is big enough for the whole pack, and then some, so we live here together. Any empty room you can claim as your own, and you're free to explore the rest of the caverns too. We have a library and a few storerooms with random nick nacks." She said, a proud smile on her face. She had been one of the first to explore with Mordulin that day when they had uncovered the giant crack in the Mountain's wall. "There hasn't been a whole lot of drama since you guys left, Inferni grew some, shrank some, had an issue with a wolf who is in Storm, luckily though, they seem pretty docile when it comes to Jaded Shadows." No need to explain the whys or hows, already there was probably enough talk of her dealings with Kaena running amuck. "We're about like we always have been, quiet, peaceful. The sleepy little mountain pack." She said with a grin.
[html] The pathway to find such a place was winding and lazy, well worn by the years of well travel. It was easy for him to picture his mother blazing her own trails in such a pack, as large and open as it really was. But for as pleasant as it was for Fatin to have a direct tie to her past, it was pleasant for him to feel an certain type of instantaneous acceptance by someone he hardly knew. He had figured he would get there and meet trouble, having those around him who would not know who he was talking about and turn it into something ugly. In such a place, who they all knew could either work to their benefits or their ends, something that he had been warned of heavily before he had decided to go back. He was indifferent to Inferni's seemingly docile stance with Jaded Shadows, but thought of it as a comfort, given that they had taken back Syemv's land; though he did not know the reasons just yet.
“It sounds rather charming and elaborate,” he commented as they neared the entrance to the rocky fortress of the communal den. It seemed like an ordinary hole in the wall, but the way Fatin had described it to him, he knew there was much more to that simple crevice in the mountain. “So you've lived here a long time then,” he went on after a moment's pause, eyeing the structure as it unfolded easily. He knew that his mother had more or less grown up right there in Bleeding Souls, which left him wondering if Fatin had been so lucky (that was, if one could be considered lucky to grow up there). But rather than asking bluntly, he tested the waters first. They were still acquaintances and not life-long friends and this was just a way to better know one another, right? [/html]
[html] mall-caps;">this table was touched by Misery
She nodded to his question, counting back the years. "I was one when I came here, and I've been here for four years." She said with a small smile. "I'm pretty sure your mom lived everywhere at some point, but I've only been here....I kinda envied your mom that she was so well traveled, but I dont think this place would mean as much to me if I had spent so much time elsewhere." She said casually. She felt a connection, a strong one, with Jaded Shadows and it was her home through and through. "We've put a lot of work into the caverns, but we're always looking for ways to improve them. If you find any, dont hesitate to let me know, kay?" She said with a grin, looking back at him briefly before she pressed on, finally reaching the broken wall. "At first we were scared to go in....it was dark, and not much light could get in at all. We keep torches lit inside, and large fires, to help guide the way." She explained, knowing that a lot of the times, people didn't understand how their home could would in the darkness. They made sure, or tried to make sure, that there was never any darkness to be found.
[html] “Compared to my father, she probably has been everywhere. She has the stories, that's for sure,” he joked, though in truth he was quite serious about it. His mother was even more of a vagabond over his father, making him wonder just how on earth they really got along sometimes. He had never seen them argue, but he had never seen his father go against his mother on anything in his short life. With a bobbing nod in response to her cavern construction, the full first room of the cavern opened up to him, and the fire was the first thing that caught his eye. He thought that Fatin must have seen the way those honey-gold irises locked onto it, because she was prompt in explaining how they used it to light things. Quite helpful indeed, because that would have been his next question.
“This is pretty impressive though, to make use of a cavern like you have. I think part of me guessed that there would be little houses built all over the place after Syemv did it first,” but alas, such wasn't the case. Aside from the human city and the house that Syemv had lived in, he had never seen another structure outside of those places. But pipe dreams were just as good as regular dreams, he figured. “Do you ever think this place will catch up with the rest of the world? I mean, outside of here there's quite a lot. As much as we all utilize Man's tools, it wouldn't be hard to push things forward like that.” As young as he was, he didn't share half of the traditions that were founded there, so maybe the idea was truly unwelcome against the growing backdrop of things. “Even the structure of the cavern could be improved if it need be, I would think.” However, he was far from a carpenter, or an architect. [/html]
[html] mall-caps;">this table was touched by Misery
"She told me a bit about the packs she had seen, the places she had been. I felt guilty for drinking her stories up when I hardly had anything to offer her in return." She said quietly. Akumu had always barreled through life in her effortlessly confident -at least in the amber haired woman's eyes- way, making her history whereever it suited her to do so. Fatin envied her, of that there was no doubt. Fatin also missed her, in many ways Akumu could easily have been considered the amber female's closest friend. And now, Fatin had Phasma and Gabriel, and a handful of others.
"Eh, I dunno..." She shrugged her shoulders in a youthful, effortless way. "I'm not sure that the world here, as set in it's ways as it is, would make room for waves of the future. Well, I guess it's not really the future since the rest of the world uses it." She smiled lightly, handing him a torch as she entered in to the main cavern. "Syemv was special. They were the first real taste of the world outside ours, and soon enough they infected our packs. Chimera, mostly, and then I guess myself. My son Endymion's Father was Thorn Russo, he lived as the Cook in Syemv. You might have been too young to remember him really." Her casual, gentle tone carried over the empty space of the cavern, and she stepped towards the main fire warming up considerably.
"It'd take a lot to bring our world and the one outside together. In some ways, I think it would do us good...in others, I fear it might bring us closer to destruction." Odd to be having such a philosophical talk with a young boy, but Valentine,like his mother, had hardly seemed to fit his age.
[html] http://twilight.silens.net/rp/val/t01.png); background-position: top center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> What Fatin perceived as effortless confidence, Valentine had always seen as foolishness. While his mother was without a doubt a very loyal wolf to come into contact with, that loyalty was ever wavering. He sought not to make the same mistakes as she did, and stuck to how his father did things. It would certainly take a lot to move him now that he intended to plant his roots within Jaded Shadows and its earthen bulk. Letting the topic of his mother and her extensive history fall to ruin, he listened in on her voice and what she had to offer about the technologies that were making themselves more known in the world around them. He took the torch from Fatin and held it up, lighting the pathways ahead while she led the way.
“I'm afraid I don't remember Thorn. I never had the chance to meet anyone who was originally apart of the ship—they were all gone by the time I was born.” Which was really a shame, he thought, given the history and the things that they without a doubt had to have known. But he had been also keyed in on things that had happened there, but only because he had been the nosy child who had eavesdropped on his parents. Valentine knew a lot of things he probably shouldn't have known. “I suppose you might be right about some of the things bringing us closer to destruction. Especially in the sense of weaponry and such. I forgot that this isn't such a peaceful place… but some things, I admit, do bring a great deal of joy into the lives of others. Music, literature, and so on and so forth,” he went on to say as they made their way through the worn tunnels. Valentine would never want them to dabble in the warfare objects, though there was always the ‘what if’ chance that someone actually did… [/html]
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