shadow is the light

The sun was climbing overhead, well on its way towards afternoon. Antares had yet to wind down proper since the night before even, keeping to motion and riding the momentum while he had it. It had been a while, but it was seemingly serving him well to find the old routine, one he was almost certain he did remember enjoying once. He wanted to go with this flow, so did not resist when it worked.

After scoping the boundaries, he turned inward towards through the Frost Valley and pointed south. No longer did this feel like wandering strange corridors of trees and snow as he streaked along at a steady trot. His mental maps had markers on them, he had familiar stretches, and even beyond that, the rest of him was feeling stronger too--so he liked to think.

As he went, his ears flicked up abruptly when a sound streaked through the trees--a ki-ki-ki-ki, rapid fire, and pitched in a bird's voice that drew his sights up immediately. He did not catch the motion immediately, but well to his right finally led him to something. With interest, he was lured closer until he could catch a proper glimpse of just a flash--of light grey underside, short, broad wings--sharp, and disastrously quick through the air. The bird was hunting, though he couldn't decipher this yet while it moved away from him. In the distance, some breaths later, he heard a drawn-out kreey-a sound that spiked his hackles.. though strangely, not in a bad way. Antares didn't know why it felt like déjà vu, though.

Everything was quiet after that, at least from where he stood, his breath furling hot into the air. Antares took longer to regroup, eyes skimming from tree to tree, but eventually he slid forward into loose motion with a contemplative look on, brow furrowing and all. It swiftly brought him nose-first towards a good opportunity, however, and soon he was on the trail of @Izumi with good hopes to find her before something else came his way--good or bad, and of his own creation or not. 

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 Izumi had been meaning to check with Antares ever since he moved in...or since she'd practically dragged the man here, so to speak. She didn’t know if the mountains of Tsukiishi were any different from the mountains of what he once called Moonspear, but hopefully it would've been a good start for him to settle here until his mind was in a better place. The crane wanted to keep a better eye on him after all, and it was in her wishes that living amongst Shiroshika's people would give him something to busy his mind with until the time came where they'd go their separate ways -- whenever the red star would feel he was ready to.

 It wouldn't seem like the willowy crane would need to go far in order to search for him, since a dark shape would begin to materialize not to far from her flank and when she turned, it was indeed Antares who came towards her path of view.

 Spinning around on her own legs, the girl wasted no time closing the distance between her and the Ostrega to greet him. It had been a while since they'd met like this again -- only ever seeing him again in passing -- and wondered what the dark sire had been up to nowadays.

"How are you settling so far, Antares?"

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Willingly leaning into the task of tracking, Antares was soon rewarded. First a lurking sense on his trail that warmed, the winds in his favor, and not so long after that, he perked his head up properly to find the crane--her finding him, too, it seemed. Without another thought, he swirled his tail slowly, relieved instantly by familiarity, and second by success. The Ostrega chuffed a low greeting, then was pleased enough to say he was doing better than he had been. More distance between him and his reawakening had served him well, and he could often find something to do to tire himself out in full--eventually. Sometimes, he didn't even have to dream.

“Not bad,” he said first, bright eyed by his standards. “Well enough, I think,” he responded, firming his words with a nod. Better than expected was what he neatly left unsaid for now. Antares could lift his head higher these days.. though mindful right now, considering he had picked up on Izumi's relative status here in Shiroshika fairly swiftly. So, he stayed light, but careful enough of himself at the same time. “Still can't say I was ready for all the snow,” he mused, keeping it straightforward, and one of his most glaring pain-points about settling at first. He did not match so well to the snowscapes, but it was just him feeling seen in strange places, too. “But I'm getting used to it; it's good to.. be somewhere,” he added, vaguely, and let that sit there.

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 In the beat of Antares' movements, her own tassel would sway side-to-side in contentment. Outwardly, he'd seemed to be in a better headspace than when she'd first found him back in the Everfrost -- confused and lost, just like a lot of the people who woke in this world, and much like herself. There was the initial fear that he wouldn't like it much here at all and that the efforts to make him feel better would be more difficult than she'd thought. Thankfully, this did not seem to be the case and hopefully, things weren't as tricky as they seemed....

 "I'm glad to hear it then," she said with a nod, swerving herself to the left to stand beside him -- an invitation to walk around the mountains while talking, if you will. A huff of awkward laughter left her lips.  "In all honesty...I didn't think you'd be very fond of this place. I know it isn't the Moonspear you grew up in, and news of Reiko's illness as a plus..." the news was just as sudden to her as it was to him, much to the crane's dismay. Still, at least Reiko was okay from what Izumi could tell during their last run-in.

 Despite what the dark-clad man thought, relative to her status in the pack, the crane preferred the two of them to skip formalities as they talked. besides Izuka, he was another one of the only wolves here she held some form of familiarity with -- considering she'd known him since...well, before her assumed death. No, not much was exchanged between them in the previous life, but that was something she was willing to change if he'd allow it.

 "Ah, I'm still getting accustomed to it all as well. I was not blessed with my mother's northern coat, unfortunately..." she mused back. If anything, her and the majority of her siblings took more traits from the paternal side of the family -- hence, why she despised trips to the north so much as a kid...speaking of which -- "You mentioned how your mother ruled the mountains of your home, right? there was not a lot they exchanged about each other's younger lives, was there?

"What was she like?"

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Good to go with the flow, he wordlessly took that invitation to mosey on with a subtle nod, and stepping onward after. He was in no hurry, though, for he had plenty to listen to. Maybe a little justification to make; it wasn't Moonspear, no, but maybe he had needed that to be the case right now. And at least Reiko's illness had not turned out to be anything too dire, either. “It is different, but so is.. almost everything right now anyway,” he said, knowing he had nowhere else to go. He didn't particularly know anyone else well enough to say otherwise and had never found a single trace of the dark Archer he was certain he had last traveled with, so went on assuming he had come this far alone somehow. So, this effort as a guard in Shiroshika made as much sense as anything else did.

Thankfully he took some solace in hearing she could relate, too. “At least you match the snows a bit better,” he lamented with a sidelong glance her way, but too bad the northern plush did not come with her ivories, too. Still, about the weather was a minor fuss in the grand scheme, he knew, yet this was the snowiest summer he had ever seen before. What was winter going to be like?

Izumi brought him back to what had come before, and he was nodding his answer before his voice was ready to catch up. She knew just enough of his before that he did not balk. “Yeah. My parents led the mountain--that my grandparents founded, and left to them just before I was born.” he explained, quickly packaging that subset of Moonspearian Ostrega history's finer details.

Antares scarcely knew how to summarize a presence as great as his mother's, however. He started carefully, almost reverent but it was a landmine of grief still. “I get my look from her, very much. Also, she was one of three identical sisters--and they would were good at using this to an advantage. Herself, she was... devoted to her family, a confident warrior, proud leader, all else... Not anyone I would want as my enemy,” he chuffed, perhaps clear enough to see, Antares had easily looked up to her. Both of his parents had inspired him greatly, and he had been nowhere near ready to lose them. “She always was my teacher in many ways--she taught me how to sneak and, ah, I think she taught me some pieces of the language Hotaru and you spoke when I joined, too.” he patched in, having wanted her to know this.. that he had some hint of a familiarity there. Only in fragments, though, so he hoped she wouldn't worry as he stared hard at the path ahead.

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 Her pelt was a match to her environment, she supposed, though it was more silk rather than the plush she’d need to bear with it all – if anything, it was a coat made for the more temperate areas she grew up in, for sure. Izu’s lilac gaze would fall on the Ostrega every now and then as they walked – at least Antares’ pelt was dark enough to absorb what little heat reached these lands…and the snow against his ebony pelt had somewhat of a visual appeal to it. Not in the sense that he’d be better off, but to her it didn’t look like he’d have a hard time getting used to it all. Maybe it was just her though….

  Perhaps it was too soon of an occasion to bring up the topic of his mother, seeing as the last memory he’d had of Hydra was her own demise, along with the rest of his family. Although she was curious of the Moonspear he’d grown to love as a kid – curious about him in general – 'What made you the person you are today, Antares?'

  His mother, it would seem, as the midnight clad went on to talk about her and the way she’d raised him. Izumi wondered just how much of his mother looked identical to his own features, after all, everyone shared many traits that come directly from their parents. A leader, devoted to her family and protecting her home with the prowess of a warrior – Izumi’s dark audits twitched in interest. “She sounds like an impressive leader…..mother as well – you seem invested in describing her legacy, I can tell you two shared a tight bond…” The crane commented with a solemn smile. The two of them walked these mysterious lands void of their families, but it was good to know that Antares’ relationship with his mother was more fleshed out. How was it to be taken under the wing of one's own mother, really? To grow up being assured that your mother wishes the best for you?

  “Ah, I see…” the cranebird acknowledged softly at the raven’s comment on their lack of a language barrier. What an interesting discovery…..

  Then, a few more seconds of silence to process what had just been said,

  “Wait…what?”

  and her head would snap to her side to look at Antares again.

  “あなたとあなたの家族は日本語を話しますか?” — You and your family speak Japanese?

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There was much he could say about his mother. Too much, possibly, but he was satisfied with the summation, though it quietly made him dreadfully sad to think of his time with her as past tense. It all felt so unfinished to him still but he readily nodded towards Izumi's remarks. “She was important.. to a lot of us.” he added quietly enough, but touched with sincerity. “My parents made sure we were invested in that legacy, somehow or another. We were their first litter, and all.” The only litter on the mountain that year, a privilege fought for, so all the focus had been upon them as had been proper for the alphas' lot. They had been raised deliberately for a cause, and made true its beginnings as they fortified the Moonspearian Ostrega reach in the Great Bear Wilderness, once.

But, oh, he did have to splay his ears out as the realization of what he had added set in for her. Antares nodded, though chuffed apologetically. “Speak is probably generous for me, it's rough at best...” he assured her because she was not missing much. He was horribly out of practice, no less. But hearing it again here was an unexpected burst of nostalgia about his mother's mysteries. Which, he did like to hear it most of all. Not so much out of his own mouth yet. “My mother did, and said her mother taught her--that's where it comes from. I didn't know what it was called, really. I was still learning.. before everything happened, so I know some words.” he detailed. Then, in a very small way to prove it: “腕がなまる... — Out of practice/Ude ga namaru” he said very carefully with a frown, having to slow down his walk to say so. “But my mom liked learning other languages for.. ah, tactical reasons? I suppose. I thought that was interesting,” he said, knowing he could stand to learn more, especially if they used it around here.

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 A pleasant surprise was what this was to Izumi. To find out what the starward boy and her shared something similar in common pleased the woman, and it made her more curious as to what other things she had yet to know about Antares and his family. A gentle, encouraging tail wave was flickered behind her -- "練習していないかどうかにかかわらず、1つ以上の方法で話すことができることを知っておくのは良いことです." — Out of practice or not, it is still good to know that you can speak in more ways than one. she hummed softly "Though I'm quite surprised that you hadn't told me sooner..." -- and in knowing this, she started to feel a bit silly after that day on the borders when she switched tounges -- her ears splayed sheepishly at the memory.

 He spoke more on his mother, which Izumi supposed she had a lot to know more about as well. The language was passed down from what she assumed was his grandmother, and maybe even generations before that. Japanese was not the only tounge however, according to the young fire star. Tactical reasons -- similar to how leaders of many other packs would gather information for military use. Hydra sounded like a competent woman with many talents, and she could see why Antares seemed to look up to her so much. Izu was starting to do the same. "What other languages did she speak? Other than Japanese?" the cranebird inquired.

 "--and was your father similar to her in that way?"

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Antares had to listen intently, and give it an extra dose of focus to really grasp the meaning. He was slow to pick it up still and probably glossed through pieces, but he could at least follow when the crane spoke. It was as his mother had taught him too; knowing more could only be a benefit. “Hm, guess I was still feeling a little shell-shocked last time,” he supposed, though it wasn't the best excuse as to why he hadn't brought it up until now. Maybe he had needed to be more sure he really was hearing it properly, and by now, he definitely was. “I could stand to learn more. Get better..” he added, quietly.

Then, swinging back to what he could remember from before: “The other I at least know about--” and who knew what there was that he hadn't had the chance to learn yet. “--came from coastal wolves that joined us once, from a place called Drageda. It sounded rough, but pretty close to common tongue so not difficult to hear. Don't know what that was called though, something-gedasleng, or much more than that.” he said alongside a soft sigh. Quite frankly, he respected the might of the very few Drageda wolves he had known in his youth so wasn't trying to insult their language any further than he had to.

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 She hummed thoughtfully "Hmmm...I could always teach you?" Until a suggestion popped into her mind -- one that had her heart jump a little with excitement. If you could actually believe that she was capable of such an emotion. Izumi never really got the opportunity to teach something so cemented into her own culture like the mother tounge itself, and if Antares sought to learn more of it, what was stopping the crane from being of any help? Well, that would be his permission to allow it -- and that lavender gaze of hers lingered I'm her side view to see how he'd react to the proposition.

 As suspected there was more to his culture with the expansion of his father being in the picture -- unfortunately though, Izumi couldn’t recall ever hearing anything about a group of wolves that spoke in a tounge that they referred to as....gedasleng?

 "I don't suppose you know some of it too, do you?" She inquired, running a tounge across her maw, tasting the snowflakes that sat dormant on her muzzle.

 "I don't believe I've ever heard someone speak it before."

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His ear flicked, just one for now. He didn't think about his answer before he knew he had it; declining would be unwise when he already had the foundation in place. “Yeah? I would listen,” he said, blinking when he realized his exact phrasing. It wasn't all listening after all.. well, not what he knew he should practice. But he needed to rebuild his confidence slowly before he could really wrap his tongue around it. “I mean, I'm hoping hearing it more again will help, too..” he added when what he was trying to say was that he was thankful for the chance, believed himself a quick study, and trusted that Izumi wouldn't make too much fun of his accent. “Thank you,” occurred to him.

But, beyond that: “Not really,” he shook his head. He only had fragments, and not even enough to cobble together a real statement. Antares tried to remember, but few had used it much. He had noticed it sprinkled in there though and his mother had never batted an eye at it; all to her advantage. “Their word for warrior was gona, hunter like honta, and uh, hello or hi was hei.” He clunked over the heavy intonation of trigedasleng and paused long enough to shake the gathering flurries off his coat. It was maybe enough to showcase how similar it could be to the common, though. “I don't remember too much else,” was what it was from him as he stepped onward.

And the conversation meandered some from there, but he appreciated the company on the walk's route. It was easy to lose track of the time as they moseyed along, all simple until something else would call upon them--one way or another.

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