Answers Within, Answers Beyond 
(Glade 92) Summer Precession, 122nd Year, A.o.S.
Music filled his ears when the wolf opened his eyes to find that he'd somehow napped, albeit he felt half-awake right now, on the sofa next to the cradle the twins were nested in. He was in a large room that essentially contained three separate areas, serving as the main reception for the family and any of the little projects they had in store. Where Rickter rested was near the twins obviously, and there were even toys littered about the floor, yet it was the sound of notes from a ukulele that stirred him even more.
Telion sat in her robin's egg blue dress playing the instrument near him, surprised to see the wolf rising out of his temporary slumber from the looks of it. "Oh! Did you have a good nap, dear?" Rickter looked at her with eyes wide in near bafflement, until he realized just how comfortable he'd actually been here. They weren't the only ones either. Hannah sat near the fireplace on a lush blue sofa in her own casual attire, being that of a white blouse over the cinnamon-colored trousers she wore. The rogue had her legs stretched across the sofa as she sipped her wine delicately, with a look of content over the back of the sofa toward the pair in the children's area.
Patrick wandered in from another room near where Hannah sat, his attire simple by standards as well, as the smell of deliciously cooked food followed him from within the room. Rickter could only guess he'd been in the kitchen, preparing everyone's lunch or dinner since it seemed late into the day. Sunlight shone through windows after all, filling the place with a warm serenity as Rickter checked on the other two. Talon and Aoren sat closer to the window of the area Rickter and Telion were in, the silver winged Synnekar half occupied with a book he'd been reading, while the raven winged Kathar next to him appeared to be whittling wood ever so carefully.
Hang on. Some of the toys the children had were made of wood. Had Aoren... been making them for the twins? Both the Avialae were in their own casual attire as well, still marking their status as nobles of House Novalys, but completely relaxed as though they had found tranquility here as well. "Something wrong, Sorumeito?" Not quite but Talon's inquiry did leave Rickter a little alarmed, as though he might've forgotten about something important he had to do. Yet his family was all here. Together.
"Lunch almost ready!" The Atinoran called toward the group from the kitchen doorway, as Rickter looked still rather dumbfoundedly at the scenario. What the hell was it he was supposed to do again? The wolf couldn't remember.
"No. I just... forgot what I wanted to do earlier."
"Well, you've been working so hard lately, it's no small wonder you needed that nap!" Telion teased as she rested the ukulele in her lap, the music cut short as Rickter wondered when she'd started playing again. Last he recalled it had been a couple seasons since he'd ever heard it's tunes, let alone the melodies Telion would create when she played it. It was good though to experience that again, good enough to bring a slight joyful smile on the wolf's face.
"Well... Gotta make sure I can look after all you." He remarked as a set of knocks came on a nearby door, though the entire group seemed oblivious to the three patient taps resonating from the otherside. "...Someone here?"
"What? You hear something?" Aoren inquired as he looked up from the project in his hands, as the top half of a figurine had been carved out of the wooden block he held. Telion and Talon looked to Rickter a little urgently, as if they were alarmed by Rickter's out-of-the-blue observation. Yet no more knocks came, and so the wolf merely shrugged before cozying back into his chair. He could still smell his two Bondmates in this close proximity, and almost wanted to resume napping a little closer to them as well.
"Nah... Just my imagination I guess." He had nearly concluded up until another few firm knocks resonated off the door, which prompted a curious stare in the direction he'd heard it from. Who the hell was at the damn door? And why couldn't they allow him this time of peace with his loved ones? For once Rickter had actually felt content with himself, nearly unwilling to disturb anyone or anything because of it, and now here he was hearing sounds that nobody else was hearing. Reluctantly however he got up with a sigh, which led the others to stare at him curiously, as he fixed wrinkles in his shirt by tugging it down once he rose on his feet.
"Going somewhere?" Hannah checked as she rose from the sofa with the wine glass still in her hand, yet the bubbly white substance within it had never lessened when she'd drank from it earlier. That struck Rickter as odd suddenly, especially given how fixated everyone had been on him specifically.
"Already?! Why not stay? Aren't you happy here?" Rickter looked to his beloved with a bit of awe, a little taken aback by the question when he did. What did she mean by that? Of course he was happy here! He had all his family in one place, one simple place where they could all be happy! So why? Why on Ransera would she ask that question, when she ought to know just how happy he felt. Talon and Aoren looked to Rickter a little concerned as well, which induced a bit of guilt within the wolf as he smiled to the lot of them apologetically.
"Of course I am! You know I love all of you, and that I..." Another set of knocks and this time it jogged his memory, leading the wolf's eyes to widen from revelation when he stared at them all as a whole. What had he been doing? Talon and Aoren weren't safe and sound here, they were prisoners within the Imperium! He had nearly forgotten that fact until gazing upon them reminded him of the fact. The drop of his sentence led everyone around him to freeze, as though they were waiting for Rickter to say or do something with held breaths. Another set of knocks with a bit more urgency in them this time, leading Rickter to gaze at the door they came from when he clenched his jaw.
"That I'd do anything to see you live long and happy lives." He reassured himself as he remembered those words, and the conversations shared between his immediate pack earlier that same day. So this was what he'd dreamed of then. A content life filled with happiness, unfettered by the troubles of the outside world. Part of Rickter didn't wish to answer that door now, knowing that he'd found some semblance of that peace within his chaotic world. But something else called to him here, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. Thus against all the protests that his pack mates threw at him, Rickter reached for the door to pull it open, unsure of what he'd expected to find when the structure came ajar.
Beyond it was a dark and empty-looking room, a place that felt completely familiar to the wolf as he lingered at the foothold of the door. Did he really want to give up enjoying this dream? Did he actually want to go beyond and seek out the answers he'd wanted to find? The pack had clustered together at his back now, the twins held by Telion and Talon each as they all looked to Rickter somberly. Why? Why did they make it so hard to leave? What was it about this place that caused them to act so... Of course. He realized now that these weren't his real packmates, that they were simply a part of this cursed dream he wanted to stay within forever.
"I love you..." He urged softly with his back kept toward them, the sharp cries of his twins setting his nerves on edge quickly, as he felt compelled to turn around and tend to his saddened family. It was almost too much for him, and had Rickter not that ounce of courage he needed, then he probably would've given in and stayed with the lot of them. But no. The step across the threshold soon cut the wailing of his growing infants to a halt, and a glance behind him revealed that the door he'd stepped through no longer remained. He'd crossed over into the black abyss that he'd remember feeling before, with the stone mosaic floor beneath his feet as his eyes wandered around.
Rickter had crossed through whatever hold that dream was, and managed to enter the one place Tiberius had used to open a gateway into his very soul.
The Crossroads.
Telion sat in her robin's egg blue dress playing the instrument near him, surprised to see the wolf rising out of his temporary slumber from the looks of it. "Oh! Did you have a good nap, dear?" Rickter looked at her with eyes wide in near bafflement, until he realized just how comfortable he'd actually been here. They weren't the only ones either. Hannah sat near the fireplace on a lush blue sofa in her own casual attire, being that of a white blouse over the cinnamon-colored trousers she wore. The rogue had her legs stretched across the sofa as she sipped her wine delicately, with a look of content over the back of the sofa toward the pair in the children's area.
Patrick wandered in from another room near where Hannah sat, his attire simple by standards as well, as the smell of deliciously cooked food followed him from within the room. Rickter could only guess he'd been in the kitchen, preparing everyone's lunch or dinner since it seemed late into the day. Sunlight shone through windows after all, filling the place with a warm serenity as Rickter checked on the other two. Talon and Aoren sat closer to the window of the area Rickter and Telion were in, the silver winged Synnekar half occupied with a book he'd been reading, while the raven winged Kathar next to him appeared to be whittling wood ever so carefully.
Hang on. Some of the toys the children had were made of wood. Had Aoren... been making them for the twins? Both the Avialae were in their own casual attire as well, still marking their status as nobles of House Novalys, but completely relaxed as though they had found tranquility here as well. "Something wrong, Sorumeito?" Not quite but Talon's inquiry did leave Rickter a little alarmed, as though he might've forgotten about something important he had to do. Yet his family was all here. Together.
"Lunch almost ready!" The Atinoran called toward the group from the kitchen doorway, as Rickter looked still rather dumbfoundedly at the scenario. What the hell was it he was supposed to do again? The wolf couldn't remember.
"No. I just... forgot what I wanted to do earlier."
"Well, you've been working so hard lately, it's no small wonder you needed that nap!" Telion teased as she rested the ukulele in her lap, the music cut short as Rickter wondered when she'd started playing again. Last he recalled it had been a couple seasons since he'd ever heard it's tunes, let alone the melodies Telion would create when she played it. It was good though to experience that again, good enough to bring a slight joyful smile on the wolf's face.
"Well... Gotta make sure I can look after all you." He remarked as a set of knocks came on a nearby door, though the entire group seemed oblivious to the three patient taps resonating from the otherside. "...Someone here?"
"What? You hear something?" Aoren inquired as he looked up from the project in his hands, as the top half of a figurine had been carved out of the wooden block he held. Telion and Talon looked to Rickter a little urgently, as if they were alarmed by Rickter's out-of-the-blue observation. Yet no more knocks came, and so the wolf merely shrugged before cozying back into his chair. He could still smell his two Bondmates in this close proximity, and almost wanted to resume napping a little closer to them as well.
"Nah... Just my imagination I guess." He had nearly concluded up until another few firm knocks resonated off the door, which prompted a curious stare in the direction he'd heard it from. Who the hell was at the damn door? And why couldn't they allow him this time of peace with his loved ones? For once Rickter had actually felt content with himself, nearly unwilling to disturb anyone or anything because of it, and now here he was hearing sounds that nobody else was hearing. Reluctantly however he got up with a sigh, which led the others to stare at him curiously, as he fixed wrinkles in his shirt by tugging it down once he rose on his feet.
"Going somewhere?" Hannah checked as she rose from the sofa with the wine glass still in her hand, yet the bubbly white substance within it had never lessened when she'd drank from it earlier. That struck Rickter as odd suddenly, especially given how fixated everyone had been on him specifically.
"Already?! Why not stay? Aren't you happy here?" Rickter looked to his beloved with a bit of awe, a little taken aback by the question when he did. What did she mean by that? Of course he was happy here! He had all his family in one place, one simple place where they could all be happy! So why? Why on Ransera would she ask that question, when she ought to know just how happy he felt. Talon and Aoren looked to Rickter a little concerned as well, which induced a bit of guilt within the wolf as he smiled to the lot of them apologetically.
"Of course I am! You know I love all of you, and that I..." Another set of knocks and this time it jogged his memory, leading the wolf's eyes to widen from revelation when he stared at them all as a whole. What had he been doing? Talon and Aoren weren't safe and sound here, they were prisoners within the Imperium! He had nearly forgotten that fact until gazing upon them reminded him of the fact. The drop of his sentence led everyone around him to freeze, as though they were waiting for Rickter to say or do something with held breaths. Another set of knocks with a bit more urgency in them this time, leading Rickter to gaze at the door they came from when he clenched his jaw.
"That I'd do anything to see you live long and happy lives." He reassured himself as he remembered those words, and the conversations shared between his immediate pack earlier that same day. So this was what he'd dreamed of then. A content life filled with happiness, unfettered by the troubles of the outside world. Part of Rickter didn't wish to answer that door now, knowing that he'd found some semblance of that peace within his chaotic world. But something else called to him here, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. Thus against all the protests that his pack mates threw at him, Rickter reached for the door to pull it open, unsure of what he'd expected to find when the structure came ajar.
Beyond it was a dark and empty-looking room, a place that felt completely familiar to the wolf as he lingered at the foothold of the door. Did he really want to give up enjoying this dream? Did he actually want to go beyond and seek out the answers he'd wanted to find? The pack had clustered together at his back now, the twins held by Telion and Talon each as they all looked to Rickter somberly. Why? Why did they make it so hard to leave? What was it about this place that caused them to act so... Of course. He realized now that these weren't his real packmates, that they were simply a part of this cursed dream he wanted to stay within forever.
"I love you..." He urged softly with his back kept toward them, the sharp cries of his twins setting his nerves on edge quickly, as he felt compelled to turn around and tend to his saddened family. It was almost too much for him, and had Rickter not that ounce of courage he needed, then he probably would've given in and stayed with the lot of them. But no. The step across the threshold soon cut the wailing of his growing infants to a halt, and a glance behind him revealed that the door he'd stepped through no longer remained. He'd crossed over into the black abyss that he'd remember feeling before, with the stone mosaic floor beneath his feet as his eyes wandered around.
Rickter had crossed through whatever hold that dream was, and managed to enter the one place Tiberius had used to open a gateway into his very soul.
The Crossroads.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
