Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 0:13:46 GMT -5
Thick fog enveloped the forest in the early morning hour, winter’s chill clinging to the misty air. The barren trees shivered overhead. Alone, a wolf followed along an old path, once familiar but now so strange, so surreal. He felt heavy as he walked, head hanging low as his nostrils tested the scents in the air. The scent markings were recent, and hauntingly familiar to the young brute. His pale fur was wet from the fog that encircled him, large paws padding over the mud alongside a river that had once taken him far away. Today, the same river would lead him home once more. His heart was working overtime inside of his ribcage, conflicted emotions building with every step.
The earliest signs of spring were beginning to appear in the woodlands, but most would not notice the tiny green buds forming on the branches above. In spite of the scant sunlight, Arche saw the hints of color around him. It was a promise of new life, the coming of a new, merciful season. He had never cared for winter, in spite of his heavy coat. The new life was the same verdant hue as his gentle eyes – the same eyes as his mother before him. At least, that was how he remembered them… But so much time had passed, sometimes the memories became muddled in his mind. No, he was certain his mother’s eyes had been green. He could never forget her loving eyes.
But he looked different now – very different. He was no longer a young, energetic pup, full of life and limitless energy as he explored his father’s territories with his litter mates. A year had hurried by without him. Now, he was as large as his impressive father, tall and muscular from a year spent in self-imposed exile. Arche realized that his brothers and sister were fully grown by now as well… if they had survived. They were alive – they had to be alive. He could not bear the thought of returning to an incomplete family, but he was fully cognizant of the fact that he had been the one to tear their family asunder in the first place.
Do they believe that I am long dead? Will they recognize me as one of their own?
Veering away from the fateful river, Arche began the trek into the realm of Shyia. The familiarity was both exciting and frightening. So much time had gone by, and he had not returned to them. Of course they thought him dead. He would have come back to them if he were alive. Right? And yet, he hadn’t. He stayed away, unwilling to face a truth he could not stomach. He tried to tell himself that what happened before no longer mattered, that they would be happy just to know that he was alive, but there was still a gnawing fear that his reception would be hostile.
The brute stopped in his tracks before he strayed too far into his father’s lands, tilting back his chin to call. He could see his breath hanging in the cold air as he howled to announce his presence before falling silent to await his future. There was no turning back now. His head felt light and his heart soared at the prospect of seeing his family again.
you and i
have memories
have memories
longer than the road
that stretches out ahead
?
?