Generations [Valeria]

[Saphira]

Still numb, Saphira walked from On-aldirr Crevice, almost in a haze. It seemed so surreal that Vorilye was actually gone. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it, but was not sure she wanted to. There had been enough tears already, and she knew that if she were to dwell on the thought, the tears would begin again. For now, she had to stay together enough to inform Valeria.

Coming upon a puddle, Saphira drank greedily. All the tears had left her feeling incredibly thirsty, and she needed to shake off the haze now and continue as normal. This proved to be a difficult task, however. As soon as she managed to escape the heavy feeling hanging over her, she felt guilty for having been able to move on so quickly and spiraled back into a combination of grief over the loss of her father and guilt over not grieving more. Did she not care? Was she not going to miss him? That thought was almost unbearable.

It was then she saw Valeria. Normally, she would have called out to gain her attention and let her know she had something to say, but she did not feel like calling out. Instead, she slowly but consistently padded towards her, not veering course at all, her eyes lowered, not able to bring herself to make eye contact with her sister. Valeria would see soon enough that she was headed for her and wished to speak.

She reached her sister and stopped in front of her, still not looking her in the face, and not sure whether she felt numb or was about to burst out into tears. “He’s gone.” Those were the only words she could manage, and she knew it was all Valeria would need. It was not unexpected, and there was not much else her words could mean. Saphira felt grateful for that, for she was not sure if she could handle attempting to explain to Valeria.

Words: 333
Muse: good, of course
Tags: Valeria
Notes:

[Valeria]

The hunt had gone well for the pack. Though she had promised her father to not bring him any more scraps, the Seraphim simply could not bring herself to adhere to that choice. Valeria could not let her father go hungry and starve to death, alone in the dens. And so the alphess had seized a still-warm chunk from the pronghorn, the blood still dripping from the freshly severed flesh as she trotted back to the crevice to feed Vorilye. Though she knew he would not be pleased at her defying his request, there was no way she could allow such a barbaric way of passing. Her father deserved to die as he lived: with honor.

As Valeria drew near to the dens, she spied the familiar white coat of her younger sister. A gentle smile tugged at her golden lips at first sight of Saphira, but that momentary exuberance faded at the sight of Saphira's face. The young arctic femme would not even raise her eyes to Valeria's, and it was in that moment she knew.

"He's gone."

The pronghorn flesh dropped from her now agape jaw. Surely Saphira must have been mistaken! "I was with him before the hunt... He... he was up and talking to Zofia and I," she protested, but she knew in her heart that she was making excuses. Vorilye was gone, and there was nothing she could do to change that. While she had been afforded but a short time with him again, Valeria knew that she had been given a second chance. She had allowed herself to reconcile with her father before his death; there was no greater gift, apart from her father's life, that the universe could have given her.

"Saphira... I am so sorry," she murmured, rushing to close the gap between them as she nuzzled to the smaller femme's side. It was a mutually comforting act, but Valeria still had her litter mate. Though they were sisters, Saphira was the only remaining member of her litter. She was very much alone now, and Val could not imagine the pain her sister must have been in. She knew he was gone, so she must have seen him. "He will never be forgotten," she almost cooed into her sister's ear. The mother in her did not allow her to watch her sister suffer without comfort. And although she, too, felt the pain, Saphira had much to learn about the cruelties of the world, where Valeria had learned many of Mother Earth's lessons through the trials of time. They would heal, and they would heal together.

But for now, they mourned the loss of their father.


Word Count: 451 words
Tags: Saphira
Notes: I wish I didn't have so much muse for this but I do. I FEEL SO BAD.

[Saphira]

Saphira registered the fresh meat as it dropped from Valeria’s maw in shock, but instead of being appealing, it made her stomach turn. She did not want to think about food, though she knew she must be hungry by now. Valeria’s protests caused a pain to well up in Saphira’s chest. She had gone through the same thing during the time she had spent in her father’s den after his passing. She had gone through much. Denial, grief, bargaining, anger, more grief… Anything but acceptance.

Valeria seemed to be able to accept the situation more quickly than she had been able to. In that moment, a thought flashed through Saphira’s mind that she knew was not very nice. Did Valeria not care that he was dead? Or worse yet… Was she happy he was gone? Maybe not happy, but relieved, at least. Did it not solidify her place as the pack leader and give her room to make any changes she wanted without regard for Descai, now that its alpha was gone?

But immediately Saphira felt guilty for that thought as Valeria expressed sympathy and nuzzled her comfortingly. Saphira stood there, not able to cry any more than she had, just enjoying the silence of the moment shared by her and her sister.

The arctic wolf pulled away after a minute and very confidently stated, “I want to be a Virtue. I know I’m not an elder. I’m hardly more than a pup. But I want to help lead. It’s…” she paused, her throat choking up a bit. “I think it’s what he would have wanted.” She could be a representative for Descai in Valyn. She could stand beside her sister as a well-respected member and actually have a say in what was going on. It seemed perfect for her. Hopefully Valeria would agree. And what more could Vorilye have wanted for his daughter than for her to hold a respected position and have a voice? Saphira could not think of anything.

Words: 341
Muse: good
Tags: Valeria
Notes: yay yay!

[Valeria]

Though masked by her outward comfort for Saphira, Valeria was reeling on the inside. She simply could not believe that her father was gone, and while she knew in her heart that it was true, the idea of accepting that was far more difficult than she expected. Her sister was suffering, as was she. The pack would mourn the loss of their great former leader; he was a great father to them all, and there would be no way to replace the elder male within their family. The idea of even continuing on almost seemed disrespectful, yet the Seraphim knew that their father would want nothing more than to see the pack continue in his absence.

As Saphira declared her desire to serve as counsel to Valeria, she found herself nodding slowly in agreement. Though the thought had not crossed her mind before, it made sense. Saphira knew the ins and outs of Descai, and although she was younger than Valeria might have wanted for her counselors, she would be able to serve alongside Zofia and serve as yet another voice of reason to the Seraphim. "My dear sister, if that is what you wish, then so you shall be," she stated, her words lacking the normal grandiose that they might have carried under different circumstances. They were both still shell shocked, but Valeria did not feel she had given their father the goodbye he deserved. She had unresolved business with him, and now there would be no chance for them to speak again.

A quiet sigh slipped from the femme's golden lips. Though she knew her half brother to bear a similar appearance to her, she was now the lone existing doppelganger of her father. Somehow, the weight pressing in on her felt even more overwhelming the more she realized what was at stake. She had run a pack before, and there had been no oversight from her father. But this was different. This was her birth pack, brought together with her pack. "How... how do we do this?" she asked calmly, her voice wavering for the first time. She was lost, and there was no Father there to find her again.


Word Count: 364 words
Tags: Saphira
Notes: N/A

[Saphira]

My dear sister, if that is what you wish, then so you shall be

Saphira was honestly somewhat confused by the immediate answer. Not only had Valeria taken her request seriously and given it consideration, she had immediately agreed. Saphira was not sure what she had expected. Perhaps an explanation why that was not a good idea given her age? If Saphira had felt like smiling, she was sure she would have. It was encouraging that Valeria had not only been patient and encouraged any path Saphira had wished to pursue but that she also seemed to honestly have confidence in Saphira’s ability to do anything she wished, including offer counsel, even before she was 2 years old. It was more than Saphira felt she deserved.

How... how do we do this?

The words distracted her from her thoughts. Was Valeria honestly asking her? Valeria was the one with the experience leading, not Saphira. Why did she turn to her now so quickly without giving her time to adjust to her new position?

Saphira knew the answers. Valeria was shaken up by her father’s death. It was understandable, and it brought tears to Saphira’s eyes. She buried her face in her sister’s fur again, looking for the comfort of a sister, not an alpha. She needed a little more time to soak everything in before she could shake it off and do what was expected of her as a contributing pack member. But she realized that she had had more time than Valeria had, having been there at the time of her father’s death. It was Valeria who now needed comfort, guidance, and strength.

Saphira could feel her mindset shift. She would do this for Valeria and for the memory of her father. She would be strong. “An announcement needs to be made. The others deserve to find out from you. You’re their leader now.” It took everything Saphira had in her to come up with a genuine smile for Valeria. “There will also probably be a lot of questions from wolves, particularly those not from your pack, about what things are going to change now. Are you ready to answer questions?” If the answer was no, Saphira would be there for her until she was, doing all she could to help. It was all the newly father-less sisters could do for each other.

Words: 395
Muse: good
Tags: Valeria
Notes: aww sister bonding. :3

[Valeria]

In the end, time was her greatest enemy.

Valeria could not help but feel completely numb. The horror and devastation loomed over her ominously,  but the Seraphim was still fighting her own internal battle. Saphira was here for her, yet as she felt the younger femme nuzzle into her side, the ebony wolf grew tense. She was the only leader of their family now, and though she would have Saphira and Zofia to assist her with the decision making, she was the one who now had to break the hearts of the rest of the pack with the news of their alpha's passing. There was a far bigger mantle than she was prepared to bear at that very moment. Right now, Valeria was simply a daughter mourning the loss of her father. Their father.

Valeria knew their father would be proud of the strong Saphira showed now. She was a rock in the young Seraphim's life, and she could feel this would not be the last time she would lean on her sister for assistance through difficult times. As Saphira told her she should be the one to give the news to the pack, she nodded solemnly, her golden eyes devoid of the normal sparkle. She did not want to tell the pack alone, and she would not call an immediate meeting of the pack. Instead, they would honor their father in the traditional way.

"Saphira..." Valeria paused shortly. "We must sing for him. We must let the world know of the greater leader that has fallen." And with a heavy heart, the Seraphim threw her head back, letting loose the sorrowful cries of a daughter mourning the death of her father. Her haunting song echoed across the pack's lands, and likely outside of their borders. She did not aim to summon her pack, but instead she wanted them to know of the great works of Vorilye. For the leader they had lost would never be replaced, and Valeria could only hope to lead the pack in the way that would make her father proud.

For with the death of Vorilye came the death of Descai.

Long live the wolves of Valyn.


Word Count: 365 words
Tags: Saphira
Notes: This is still making me sad!

[Saphira]

Saphira could feel her sister tense at her touch, but she did not pull away. She would be strong. She could do this for Valeria and for the memory of Vorilye. She would try her best to do everything with intentionality, strength, and dignity in his memory — to be a better daughter, sister, subordinate, and leader for the pack.

Valeria nodded in response to Saphira’s suggestion but did not say anything, so Saphira continued, “I can stand by you when you make the announcement.” There was no need to add that she thought it would be good for the unity of the pack and for the members of Descai to see her next to Valeria for the announcement, lest they think that she was only doing it to solidify her claim as alpha and rule over them in the absence of Vorilye. Saphira could see now that that was not at all Valeria’s intention. She was willing to compromise and work together. And Vorilye had willingly passed the position to her. It was something everyone would need to accept, and while Saphira was slightly worried, she wanted desperately to believe that it would happen smoothly and no one would create problems.

Saphira… We must sing for him. We must let the world know of the greater leader that has fallen.

Saphira could feel the support and strength coming from Valeria as much as it came from her. It seemed the two of them were able to strengthen each other and feed off of the strength of the other. Saphira was positive that if this continued between the two of them, there was not a thing they could not face, including this recent tragedy. A new hope began to swell out from her as she, too, threw her head back and joined her sister in showing her father this final honor.

After Saphira felt their song was done, she slowly lowered her head and looked at Valeria. “Thank you. I do not think Descai and Valyn could do this without you. I do not think I could have done this without you.” She was unspeakably grateful that her sister was here now, a far cry from her initial reaction when Valeria had shown up so unexpectedly with what was left of her pack. “I think Valyn will be great again.” She hoped her words gave Valeria some confidence, comfort, and hope to move on.

Words: 411
Muse: quite reasonable
Tags: Valeria
Notes: I’m sorry!! I’ve been trying to pull this thread out of the depression its been in and turn it around a bit!