The diamond awakens

@Cassian and/or @Igor

 A woman cloaked in tapestries of fine linen stretched her arm to the sky, shielding the sun with the palm of her hand as the world around her drifted into a midsummer slumber. The season was warm but not unbearable. Her hair was strewn in various directions, and in the strands were soft bulbs of the Kazan cherry tree that bent with the summer’s wind. Her ears listened to the sound of the bubbling creek that lazily floated on, while the ground beneath shook with the hooves of the doe dancing in the tall grass. Pulling herself on her elbows, she would look to the horizon… wondering what was out there. Was she to be stuck in her father’s grasp til she was as old as the tree above her?

 A small sigh escaped from pouted pink lips, looking upward as the fluttering of wings disturbed the silence. Sing-song tweets - innocent and sweet - rang outward from the chest of the pink-bellied bird. Dianthe could not help but be envious, wondering if she too could sprout wings and fly. Fly somewhere far away from here, away from her responsibilities - away from the suitors who continued to be pushed by her father.

 Cassian… oh how she wished he had not gone so soon. Was it fair for him to take his last breath without even uttering to her a goodbye?

 Gently she would fall back into the plush grass, unknowingly this would be the last time she would see her world again. To draw in her last breath in this body… as she left with an unknown cause.

 Had it been fate? Had it been destiny? Were the gods just playing a cruel joke? The warmth of summer dissipated, turning into the sting of winter. The chilled winds would stir the young maiden awake. Her mind was in a fog as if she had been sleeping for several years. Her muscles aching, pushing herself upward… but instead of fingers and toes… she had paws. Cloaked in the beauty of brunettes, with eyes of ocean and silvery diamond. Confusion saturated her mind, unable to keep herself afloat with what was happening.

 Where was she? What was she?

  “Hello?” She called, though her voice barely above a whisper, “Is this a dream?” She pondered… rather peculiar.

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notes here

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It had been at least a fortnight since Igor had found himself awake in this familiar and unfamiliar landscape. He took to exploring the boundaries of Cassian's pack. Taking in the sights and familiarizing himself with the terrain. His initial inspection of these lands when he first awoke was accurate. It was well fortified and a defensible position that could easily be protected should it need to be. The only difference being it was far more obscured than Igor was used to. Regardless, he was satisfied and willing to lay down roots in this chilly Northern pack underneath the evergreen boughs.

Today such explorations led him to the lady. Her soft and sweet voice called out and tickled the shell of his ears. He turned, a frown on his stoic features as he made his way closer—parting the thicket that was snow heavy. Branches snagged on thick pale fur, but he barely paid it to mind.

A couple more steps had him spotting the softly spoken lady. “This is no dream, Cudzinec — Outlander.” He blinked coolly. "My name is Igor. Is there any way I can help you?"

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@Igor

  The dream had started to push the boundaries into reality, the way the winds swept through the icy lands stirred a chill. She had turned her wrists over, exposing the black paw pads that once had blisters and scars from the various plants she had handled in her previous life. Dianthe felt her heart drop in her stomach, what had happened? She knew she had fallen asleep under the shade of the cherry tree…

 Just as she had thought her voice would be lost to the winds, she had heard the baritone of another step into her site. Blue-silver gaze turned to settle against a bear… no… he was a wolf. The creature stood tall, stoic, and captivating. She could not bring herself to look away from the predator. A hunter would have prized his fur, worn against his back as a cloak to signify the status and success of the hunt.

 He spoke. They could talk? Impossible. Truly this was a dream, one so vivid and alive that she had mistaken it briefly for something other than that. Yet, he had seemed so confident, speaking in a language she had heard a time in the markets of her kingdom. Dianthe would draw to all fours, unsteady… like a baby deer taking their first steps from their mother’s womb. She would wobble a few paces, feeling her paws slide from beneath her and land against her stomach with an ‘oomph’.

  “I don’t know how I got here… Where is here?” She questioned, looking around the surface of the winter wonderland, “Do you know how I can get back?” Pinch me. Make me wake up. She wanted to scream.

 Realizing her hastiness, she would bow her head in sincerity, “I apologize, my name is Dianthe; Dianthe Couteaux.”

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With the influx of newcomers, Cassian felt it was time to patrol the Vale to strengthen the presence of the Philoi. Cassian was a territorial man, and the amount of outsiders in his territory was rubbing him the wrong way. It didn't help that one just so happened to be the one who haunts his waking thoughts, but that was a thought for another time.

Being left alone with his thoughts was often too much for the king, memories had a way of tormenting him about his past choices. Reminded him of how he had chosen a crown over love. How he had chosen bloodshed over peace. How he had chosen his father over her. Each one swirled around him, filling him with the bitter cold he had grown to embrace. It froze his heart, killing any emotions that attempted to bubble to the surface. They had no place in Cass's life now, emotions only viewed as a hindrance, a weakness.

However once the scent of Igor and another reached the king, his lip curled in disgust. Did the Northman bring along friends? Or perhaps was entertaining a trespasser? “What do we have here?” Though a smile graced his face, it was anything but friendly. If anything, he looked borderline feral as he prowled closer to the pair. However, when he caught the woman's name, he paused. His nose flared as her warm scent crept into his senses. The Gods just had to fuck with him, didn't they?

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gonna bring him in if that's alright <3
skill: outrider

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The chill of Philos seemed to awaken more than just the body. Perhaps Dianthe, a newborn to this frozen landscape both alien and familiar, was much like him. Her desperate plea to return home only solidified the slow realization that had been dawning on Igor. Pholis appeared to be teeming with unaware strangers, jolted awake from a sleep or dream, displaced between realities. It was, as he had initially suspected, a kind of second life, or perhaps even a purgatory. His rumbling voice, devoid of emotion, would cut through the air. “I am no kňažka — priestess. I hold no ear of the Gods.” he would state flatly, but before he could utter any more words, the young King, Cassian, made his presence known.

Steel-colored eyes observed Cassian, taking in the smile that barely hid a sharp edge. Igor’s judgment of the young King was silent, but clear. Cassian was young, impulsive, and fueled by a rage that seemed to span lifetimes. Though Igor often wondered what had caused such bitterness within the King, he deemed it inappropriate to inquire given the limited nature of their acquaintance.

Igor, typically unflappable, remained. He was unwilling to abandon these lands that mirrored his own, drawn to the comfort of familiarity. Hope was a consistent companion to Igor, and he dared to believe that with time, a bond could form between himself and Cassian. “She was asleep amongst the snow,” Igor stated, his voice even, “She is lucky to have woken.” He paused, then, venturing out on a limb of connection he asked, “Do you know her? Her name is Dianthe.”

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@Igor @Cassian

 This new world had consumed her whole. A body she had been unfamiliar with holding a mind flooded with memories of her life… that no longer existed. She would move to press her teeth against the length of her forearm, grasping the flesh between canines—she had no thumbs to pinch herself awake. Just as she reopened her eyes, expecting to see the world below a sprawling cherry tree… steel grey hues would be her only greeting. His voice was low, void of emotions - almost annoyed that he had to answer her question. Slowly, the rising storms began to thrum in her chest. She didn’t need his help anyway. She was perfectly capable of figuring out what happened to her. Right?

 She was about to give him something to complain about when another voice broke out between the pair. Her gaze trailed from the stark white of the snow to a well-blended figure, her ears would pull back. They would soon talk as if she was not here… His smile held all the unpleasantries that his tone had held. Her cheeks would puff up, feeling the warmth of embarrassment or anger.

 The man she had first encountered would ask a strange question. One in which she was sure would be impossible. How could he possibly know her? She had awoken a different species, though her eyes remained the same as when she was human. A hue of silver encompassed in softened blues. Her head tilted upward to the man he had asked, she would slowly draw to all fours. Feeling her body remove the tingling sensation from when she had first arrived, “I doubt that.” She interjected, “I don’t know any talking wolves.”

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