[ P ] Waking Up Slow

Journey The path to the stones was a long and arduous trek not meant for many nor really a prime spot for a day trip away from the family. Though not her first time getting so close to looming thrums, every time it was the same. The anticipation in her chest, the swell of emotion as though the singing beckoned her closer. She knew from her mother how magical they were - what they could do - and in a way had become a part of her wishful thinking when it came to the disappearance of one of their youngest siblings. How easy would it have been for a lost child to be transported before them, vocalizing an unspoken promise that lured her to the other side? It was improbable, but it was as good of a theory as any they had come up with. At least with this one there was a hope, no matter how minor that their sister was alive, being taken care of, and it was only a matter of time before she returned to their embrace. "Almost there," she chirped toward Summit happily, her tail swaying behind her as she went. "You hear that humming? It's like a heartbeat, don't you think?" @Summit

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Summit Hiram Eithne
• • •
Behind Journey trudged her look-alike brother, just a few steps back from his much smaller sibling. He couldn’t recall whose idea it had been to visit the mysterious mountains of Tir Na Nog, though it had probably been a mutual thought. Sometimes it seemed like the two shared a mind, coming to the same conclusions without having discussed it first. Aside from their mother, Journey was the one he felt closest to. Born only moments apart, and still together as they searched that day in the higher elevations of the northern mountains.

There was not a day that he didn’t think of Daisy and the circumstances of her disappearance. It was still a weight he carried, like a boulder he was destined to bear for the rest of his days – unless, of course, they found Daisy. With each passing season, the chances seemed more slim, but that didn’t stop Summit. Thoughts of how and why often filled his skull. But he was pulled from that darkness by Journey.

"Almost there.” His sister’s bell-like tones inspired a smile on his ivory muzzle. "You hear that humming? It's like a heartbeat, don't you think?" Instinctively, his own tail began to sway behind him, mirroring Journey as the Stones finally came into view. ”I hear it. It’s an old song. As old as life itself,” he mused. The stones were alleged to be the work of the fae, or whichever ancient spirit protected the ethereal place, for no mortal could move such gargantuan pieces of rock. Even the tallest wolf was tiny in comparison when they stood in the shadows of the Standing Stones. It was a safe place, comforting, as if Summit had known the Stones in many lifetimes past.

Mismatched eyes looked around with the hope that the tiny cream-colored pup would suddenly appear. But then, she wouldn’t be that little pup anymore, she was nearly a year old. But a quick scan concluded that no others were present but him and Journey. ”We’re the only ones here, Jojo.” He worked to hide disappointment from his deep vocals. ”Unless we count all the spirits that I’m sure are here, even if we can’t see them. Maybe even our own ancestors?” Sights narrowed slightly as he observed his sister with a grin. "Unless you can see them?"




@Journey

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Journey Traveling here was a stretch in the best of ways, a choice to delay or inspire the chance of magical thinking perhaps. Would she be resting at the feet of the ancient stones, waiting to be taken home? Would she be as she was in their memories, small and so needing of protection that the Fae had taken pity on her poor soul? Would she be older now? But, no, such things were never easy. And, as she and Summit stood there beneath the strong gaze of the thrumming earth, she found herself lost in thought, a glimmer of a deeper sadness threatening to scratch the surface. Maybe she was nestled within an alcove or hidden behind one of these stones. Tir Na Nog was a large space of the north - she could have wandered anywhere if she had made it here. ”We’re the only ones here, Jojo.” Reality had settled against her beating heart like frigid water. As he turned to grin, she mirrored the feeling, the depths of thought washed away. "Spirits can choose when they want to be seen or not. Now? Who knows, maybe one'll pop up behind ya when you least expect it," she teased with a laugh. Moving to stand in front of the stones, the earth practically moving under her paws as they continued to hum, her lips parted again. "Daisy may not be here, BUT that doesn't disprove that she may have traveled through them." Her rebuttal wasn't much of a hope to cling to, but it was enough for now. @Summit

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Summit Hiram Eithne
• • •
"Spirits can choose when they want to be seen or not. Now? Who knows, maybe one'll pop up behind ya when you least expect it.” Summit looked over his shoulder expectantly, but… Still no spirits. Worst of all, no Daisy. Just a winter landscape and snow as far as the eye could see, and two lookalike wolves, albeit one that was much bigger than the other. ”Yeah. I guess you’re right.” A forced smile followed as he regarded his sibling with a nod. As he spoke, a frigid wind ruffled his fur and he shivered, unable to recall a time he had felt this cold. ”Well, let’s get outta here.” He peered at his “twin” to see if she was of a similar opinion, as they were usually two minds that thought like one. With one final look cast at the standing stones, Summit breathed a soft sigh. Not even the magic of Tir Na Nog could help their search.


Summit had always been a spontaneous creature, not one for forward-thinking or considering what his future may look like. But they were getting older now, nearly two years of age. And so it made sense that the youth would make more of an effort to control his own future. But Summit did not know Journey already had plans of her own, plans that would no longer include Summit. ”Y’know, Jojo, I was thinking that after winter finally ends, I’d like to explore to far east of Saora. I’m not sure we’ve ever been all the way to the shore in that direction. What do you think?” He smiled, blissfully unaware of the secret his sister had been keeping.

They were born together. And Summit mistakenly assumed that was just how they would stay. Together to the end. Adventurers forever. Or so he thought...


@Journey

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Journey With a passive nod, Journey prepared herself to follow her dear brother away from the stones that warmed her through the vibrations, her heart almost aching as she stepped away. It was an odd feeling, the need to want to draw closer to the thrumming, to get lost in the noise. If she were too grief-stricken - if it had been too soon after the disappearance of their sister - would she had been lured too close? Would she have disappeared too? Summit's voice drew her from her thoughts, mirrored eyes finding his as he spoke of their future travels. Heading far east, she certainly wasn't one to say no, she never would to him. Sounds fun! Maybe we can bring everyone back a souvenir from the shoreline." But the thought of the months to come had caused her steps behind him to hesitate in their pace before she slowed to a stop. "Maybe... while we're over there you can see me off to Abhainn Campus in Inverness." she smoothly voiced with a solemn smile disguising apprehension. Journey knew without much dialogue between them where Summit stood in his life - he enjoyed traveling, the freedom and experiences that came with it and sharing it all with her. But for Journey, traveling had become an interest in a different way. The devastation of war inciting a thought that their mother seemed to echo in her bid to protect the fae forest. "I heard they have a good program for environment conservation in their science division." She turned her head, eyes drifting slightly. "It seemed kind of interesting." @Summit

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Summit Hiram Eithne
• • •
”Yeah! A shell for everyone! But it has to be the perfect shells for each of 'em…” His voice tapered off. He stopped in his tracks when he realized that Journey was no longer beside him. Curiously, he looked back at his closest sibling as she spoke with a soft smile. She spoke of a campus in Inverness, earning a perplexed look from the young male. See her off?

She spoke again, saying a bunch of words that Summit didn’t quite understand. ”Science?” He repeated the word, confusion scribbled across his features. The world in which they were raised had no use for those sort of words. That was the stuff for scholars and students, not for travelers like them. ”Why would you want to…”

It was only then that the realization sank in, and his puzzled facade melted into sadness, a frown crossing his pale muzzle. As he looked into her eyes, a perfect mirrored image of his own, it felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He inhaled a breath, trying to steady the cascade of emotions that crashed over him. ”You’re… leaving?”


@Journey

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Journey At his confusion of the words that almost seemed foreign, her body shifted. "Yeah, it's some odd words, but they seem to know what they're talking about." With heart leaping from it's home, Journey watched her brother's face shift through a myriad of emotion landing on what she had most been anxious to see. With a breathy chuckle, she stepped closer, a smile hoping to diffuse his own apprehension. "No - not the highlands, at least. It's just... another kind of trip. My home's never going to change." Taking a few more steps closer, she reached her paws out to embrace his neck. "Believe me." @Summit

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Summit Hiram Eithne
• • •
Journey laughed lightly as she moved nearer to Summit, with a gentle smile on her ivory muzzle. But her expression was not mirrored by her twin, with his crestfallen visage and tears welling in mismatched eyes. The pair had always been so much alike – shared energy, a sense of adventure, even the same thoughts sometimes. What had happened? What changed?

Feminine tones explained, "No - not the highlands, at least. It's just... another kind of trip. My home's never going to change." Summit was positively baffled. Why would she want to settle down when the world was so big, so beautiful, and theirs to explore? His voice came weakly: ”But… Home is when we’re all together.” Their parents had said so, many times over during their lives. Daisy had gone away, and that was hard enough. They were supposed to stay together. They were family. And family belonged together… Right?

He felt the warmth of her embrace, but Summit made no move to reciprocate his sister’s affection. His limbs felt heavy as logs, but not as heavy as the heart within his ribcage. He opened his mouth to speak, prepared to persuade her to change her mind, to lay out arguments in favor of their shared life of traveling. But he stopped himself. They had also been taught to make choices for themselves. And if this was the choice she made…

”I – If this is what you feel is right…” He pulled away from her hug, the tide of emotion threatening to overwhelm him. ”I guess we should go back now.” A thought occurred to him then: ”Have you told anyone else?”



@Journey

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