[ Post a Response | Prayer ]
Posted by ~*Kipcha*~ on 9/26/2008, 5:47 pm
131.215.220.165
Usually, after a time had passed such as this, Kipcha made her first stop in the Hunting grounds or at the mountain itself. Places where creatures frequently visited so that she could be seen. Word used to spread quickly about her returns from various absences. But not this time. She knew it was different. She could feel it was different. Many of her old friends, allies, companions, and even enemies had faded from the face of the mountain. The land and its inhabitants had moved on over the past year, and it felt strange to come back after so long. Kipcha almost felt like... she didn't belong anymore. She didn't even know what ranks were still around. For some, she held no hope for returning. Old legends like Kirik and old friends such as Abyss and her only love Anubis- they were all long gone. Perhaps they would return one day as she had. But with every year that passes, Kipcha couldn't help but lose hope for each one, little by little. There would be new, hopeful faces around the mountain now. Offspring and new wanderers alike, the mountain was always changing.
There was a scent or two in the Prayer lands that had given her some hope that this place was still partially the way she had left it. However, finding a familiar scent in these parts usually is a foreboding sign. But one scent she knew she wouldn't have to worry about when it came to physical safety, at least. The other was a frequent mourner, so she was optimistic that a new tragedy had not befallen him. They were just vague markers preserved in the still grass of early autumn, but they brought her comfort. Perhaps temporary comfort, but comfort all the same. It was also a comfort that, for the first time in a long time, she could take a good guess as to where her family was. Hayden would be looking for her mate on the outskirts of the mountain, and Orca would be running around. Literally. She never had a doubt where Aranel was, since she never left that haven that served as her emotional prison. But this was not Kipcha's time to be concerned about Aranel, or her own children. She was here for the departed. Those who left the mountain that were close to her, dead or alive. The large obsidian wolfess sad on the cool grass, dark feathered wings folded tightly to her sides. Her head bowed to an invisible monument, a single pendant hung from her neck- a simple black leather tie with a single golden feather. A token from a friend, a symbol of both friendship and alliance. Emerald eyes slid shut as she considered her history here.
She considered her companions who were taken from her by the scion's curse, shortening her friends' life spans dramatically. These losses had been hard for Kippy, especially the deaths of Noel Star and Shadow Star, her first dragon ever and her daughter. Their spirits remained on the mountain, but for now, all spirits left the ebony wolfess to herself. She considered those who were the painful victims of her constant enemy, Dagmir and his compatriot Vash. She mourned the unjust execution of her close friend Rusco, but took a moment to feel grateful for the benevolent phoenix who gave him the gift of a second chance. Kippy continued to consider those who fought, and those who died beside her before she disappeared. The battle at the Ice Pack had been violent and caused many injuries, and claimed a few precious lives. It was with gratitude that she considered these lost souls. If the fighting hadn't been so much as to distract Bandido, Kipcha herself would have fallen to join the casualties. But she did not. She survived.
Finally Kipcha had to consider the lost. She did not know whether they were alive or dead at this point. She wished that she at least knew so she could know whether she should wait out of respect, or wait out of expectation. First was Rica. Her very best friend since puphood, Kipcha was devastated at the loss. But Kipcha did have her niece, Rica's daughter, to hold dear to her heart as she fruitlessly waits. And then there were the friends that had grown up with Kipcha and the mountain. Abyss, Nabooru, Nicodemus, Taz, Khaz, the list went on for ages in Kipcha's mind. Her face had become somber as sadness washed over her in endless waves. This is why she came here first. She could not make her return at the mountain, expecting some sort of recognition. No, none of that now. She was no leader, she was no fighter, she was no mother, she was no friend. Kipcha's sadness mixed with helplessness as she continued to pay her respects to those who were no longer with her. To those who would no longer joke with her or hunt with her or joke with her.
Finally she had to consider the creature which make her heart shatter. Anubis. The silly little jackal who had stolen her heart away, given her two pups, and then suddenly vanished. That was five, maybe six years ago. Kipcha's breath hitched as she forced herself to think of him as one of the lost. His return was near impossible now, but nothing could keep her from hoping. The constant reminder of her hybrid children and grandchildren running around kept Anubis in her mind. She didn't need any reminder to keep him in her heart, no matter how painful it was. But for now, she had to face the one truth she couldn't ignore.
Kipcha opened her darkened green eyes as her head rose to observe the horizon. She was back.
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