Time Recycled

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

Taking in a deep breath, her ears flicked as she entered the busy streets of Rionna after a long day of work and frustration that came with it. With the lack of executions at the moment, she had been moved to basic jail keeper duties to assist in limited numbers again, just as she had been before she went on leave. She was starting to remember why she had started to enjoy the little bits of days off instead of burying herself in work like she used to and why she even thought of retirement for most of her absence the last half a year. A sigh escaped her lungs, admittedly not missing being surrounded by no family either as bustling citizens zoomed past her or knocked into her. Her reaction at least wasn’t as visceral as it used to be at a stranger's touch but the fur along her nape couldn’t help but flare in discomfort while she kept her fangs to herself.

It was fine. She was fine though she craved a drink more than she wanted to admit but she avoided turning at the bars back in Yorkshire and she wasn’t going to start drinking so close to home either. Heading home. Being there. That was more important than dealing with her own scars so poorly like when she was young. Chances are Khepri left to who knows where again and the children were being watched by someone within the manor, hopefully a relative over a servant. He knew she didn’t like using the hands to care for them since they needed love, not someone simply paid.

Her paws came to a stop as she neared the wealthier sector of buildings, her gaze skimming over her old cage so close to the castle, brows pinching as she thought of her eldest. Maybe she should stop and visit Aurora as much as she didn’t want to touch that tower cobble. She wasn’t really sure which of her children mourned Nassar the most, but Aurora definitely had the most outward reaction to the news with potent tears and a vacancy in her gaze. The younger two, Sheik and Haskell more just seemed lost and down, perhaps because they didn’t fully understand death yet. In a way that was a gift to not have to meet that reality till they were so much older than her, but it was hardly a mercy.

That single ember would trace the streets in the direction of the Tiamat manse, weighing her options of which would make her a proper mother. Too bad there were pros and cons with both. Before she could even come to a set choice, she caught the scent of a different child on the wind, though she didn’t see him, making panic set in. Her gaze darted around for the brown coat of her nephew, worried he might meet the same fate as her son.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot

He didn't mean to cause concern for his family members, least of all his beloved aunt. He was still grappling with the death that had shaken the solid foundation of the Tiamat family to its core. No matter how the adults explained the events of the last few weeks, Mios could not cope with what his eyes had witnessed. The sting of smoke and ash still lingered in them, and inside the manse he swore he saw his grandmother's absence in every flickering torch and shadow upon the walls.

As a result, he took to sleeping less and less in the house, finding solace in nature where life was both endlessly evolving and comfortingly constant. He'd always been drawn to the outdoors ever since his first day stepping out into the back garden, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise when they started finding him nestled in the embrace of ancient tree roots or sheltered beneath bushes still dripping with rain.

Today was no different. Unaware of his Auntie Sif's proximity or despair, Mios was dozing in the curve of a massive oak tree's branch with his stumpy legs hanging off either side, almost scraping the earth. By the light dusting of white across his pelt, it was clear he'd been there for some time now.

code: elyon | art: ashon

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

Her gaze would shift along with the tilt of her head, agitation at the idea of another family member vanishing or being harmed making her restless. Where she didn’t know Badari much at all, her absence upon the last day of war had brought a different kind of ache than one of a beating heart. It was turbulent and angry at another possible life lost within the household. If Mios did disappear too, that anger would become pure rage with a mind to become the judge as well as the executioner would wish to prosper. Taking in a breath, she would do her best to calm down for now, not sensing anything off. No scent of blood or muddying perfumes that belonged to someone she knew to be hostile. Even as she mentally self-soothed, fur rose slightly along her shoulders with anticipation for the worst outcome as she often was.

Happy moments rarely ever came her way, so why start expecting it now?

As the clouds would begin to part, the sun would sneak past the cotton in the sky and cause a shadow to loom over her that at first, she had assumed was simply from a tree but when did trees grow long limbs? Ears flicked with mild amusement and heavy annoyance; she would hear the soft breathing of someone sleeping. That gentle in and out, far too slow for someone prowling up on her, making her swiftly accept that she wasn’t being hunted by the young boy.

Turning on her heels, she would see a mound the size of her nephew but hardly the color of him as relief flooded her breast and her heart would slow in peace. Slowly moving towards him, she tilted her head in search for a face in those fallen frozen tears, seeing the darker hues of his mask underneath. Quietly, she would slink closer and closer until she reached the branch he was perched atop, guessing him to have been there for a few hours. There was hesitation to disturb him as she observed his chest rise and fall causing the snow to crack and smooth out over and over again. It was kind of mesmerizing and she found herself watching him sleep for probably an unhealthy amount of time, admittedly finding a sleeping child the best kind. It made her almost want to join him, but she wasn’t about to climb a tree and take a nap either.

Had he been a certain old man husband of hers, she might have playfully buried her face against his or pushed him off but instead, she would not bother to go onto her hinds at all. Grabbing one of the last bits of foliage left, she would tug a leaf free before slipping under the branch he rested on, using the leaf to his paw pads to feel like a bug was crawling along them. Ever curious to see his reaction. Any heavy stirring that seemed like a bad reaction would cause her to stop, preferring to keep it harmless.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot

There was no rousing from his aunt's presence or warm breath ghosting across his cheeks, but a smile did indicate a subconscious response, as if by coming near she had unknowingly warded off a bad dream. Even in slumber, Mios felt safe when Sif was nearby. Her protective embrace vanquished his fears when his parents were away and he felt confident enough to be carefree when he knew she was watching over him. That he could see how much his mother trusted her only intensified the attachment he felt for the golden-faced wolf, implicitly understanding that Xandria did not offer her loyalty to just anyone.

But he did stir when he felt a tickle scurry up his limb. Within his dreams it became the familiar tickle of a beetle. Winter had diminished the time he could spend foraging for insects, most hidden away in the walls, so it wasn't long before those inherited eyes blinked open, searching for the culprit. Mios' disappointment that it was a leaf was curtailed quickly when he saw who the wielder was, plump tail thumping against the branch and sending a gentle powdering of collected snowflakes falling to the ground. "Aunthie Thif?" His lisp was getting better after evenings spent practicing words and names when no one else was around, but he still stumbled occasionally, especially in the early morning or following a nap. He seemed to notice how ice cold his nose was compared to the rest of him that was covered in a thick coat of insulating fur, unable to suppress a shiver. "I think I fell athleep," he admitted sheepishly.

code: elyon | art: ashon

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

A loving smile softened her features as the boy awoke with a great amount of excitement shortly after upon seeing her, always finding it endearing when he lit up around her so easily. A chuckle gently sounded from her throat as he once again said her name wrong but she wouldn’t correct him, knowing he was trying his best and it was a vast improvement from when he didn’t really speak at all. She had admittedly grown accustomed to his silent way of communication, having always found it peaceful compared to the other children of the house and in a sense she missed it, knowing even with him now silence wasn’t a virtue. Still, preferring silence or not, it made understanding his needs a lot easier and gave her less of a chance of misunderstanding what he wanted.

“Hello, my little bug,” she greeted with a gentle swish of her tail, blinking a touch dramatically as snow sprinkled down atop of her to prevent it from freezing an eyeball. Lashes would catch most of them before melting from the heat of her body, but some would manage to survive at the very tips. “It appears you have. Why are you up there? Pretending to be a caterpillar?” she asked, shaking her head free of some of the melted snow before it could have a chance to turn into icicles.

Ears flicked, noticing the little shiver that seemed to take over his body and she would let out a little huff. “Why don’t you come down and nestle into my fur, you look to be freezing. We don’t need you catching a cold or something worse,” she mused with a hint of worry in her tone, certain the coating of snow on his back and face were not helping him keep warm. The thinner fur along his nose and eyes she could only imagine were like ice since even hers tingled a little despite the dense hair of her northern coated heritage designed so readily for the harshest colds nature could offer.

They already lost enough kin; she didn't want to lose him to something entirely preventable.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot