I was the one who had it all

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@Quicksilver

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Ten months and thirteen days ago, Haruki started on this journey to find his family; to find his home. He got lost along the way, and one month turned into three, and somehow, three had turned into ten. He’d thought he could do this one on his own; he didn’t need the help of strangers, but after what seemed like a lifetime of searching and coming up empty, the lost prince had no other way to turn.

He had spent the greater half of a year within the Temperate with no luck, and thus, headed for the plains. He’d taken one hard look into their tall grasses and nothingness, and decided that such a place was not fitting for his family, his home, nor even his mother. So he turned tail, and went north because there was no other place for him to go. And while he was prideful and vain, Haruki didn’t want to spend another ten months searching and coming up with nothing.

There had to be a way to better use his time in finding what he was searching for, so Haruki regretfully revisited one of his prior ideas. He needed help finding his family, even if that meant involving others. And with the heaviest of sighs, the lost prince climbed the nearest mountain - because he truly believed that the higher up he was, the more wolves could hear him - in an attempt to utter his very first cry for help.

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The days grew shorter, made to feel even more so with new pups born to Vanderfell. Their care, though presently primarily that of their mother, was the responsibility of everyone in the pack. Quicksilver kept himself busy tending to his Winter garden and organising his herb stores, though checked in with Ira as often as she would allow. Her babes were down-soft and beautiful, little treasures - they lit up his whole world without even trying. The druid couldn't help but wonder how they'd grow, how their personalities would come to differ from one another in time, and in stolen moments he would wonder if ever he would experience the joy of fatherhood.

Unlikely, he felt as he picked his way along the mountainside, considering the complicated situation he'd found himself in between @Reiko and @Izumi. He had promised to court neither she-wolf and resigned himself to a life of loneliness, though the small taste of affection he felt for the snowflower while she rested on the summit had certainly made him re-think that choice. Quicksilver had long loved Reiko, from the moment he first looked upon her in the snow-kissed lowlands, and there was nothing that his vow could do to alter that.

Onto the plateau where Ira and Hieronymous had wed only months prior, the silverwhite looked for a place to settle for a little while. He wanted some space from the caverns and from pack-mates, somewhere to breathe in fresh air and admire the view, though it seemed a dense fog had drifted in over the mountain's base and surrounding woodlands.

Something from far off drew his attention and, lifting a silver ear to listen, he heard the mournful call of a stranger from across the valley. Quicksilver stepped closer to the cliff edge and blinked in the direction that the howl had come from, curious and concerned, before he tilted his muzzle skyward -

“Are you hurt?”


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^^Haruki had opened his mouth to let the world know that he couldn’t do it on his own, and he immediately felt the emotion of regret swelling in his gut. What a stupid idea! No one would help a stranger. Haruki grumbled to himself as he was beginning to make his way down the mountain that he’d climbed.

He would simply just have to find his family on his own - assuming that they were here. They should be, shouldn’t they? Haruki thought about how he had dismissed the plains and wondered if that had been a mistake.

And then, within the silence, came a calling, in response to his own. Help from a stranger, from a bit of a distance away. He glanced into the direction that he’d thought the sounds were coming from and decided perhaps, he’d make his way there. Assuming this wasn’t a trap and an actual genuine response to help him. The caller wanted to know if he was hurt. And while Haruki had regretted his decision, another was involved now. It was too late to go back. The lost prince was silent for quite some time as he debated responding versus doing the work himself, but eventually chose to accept the help of this kind stranger.

“I am not hurt. Just regretfully a bit lost and not sure where to go. Can you guide me?”^^

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His voice tapered, and silence followed. Quicksilver stood in silence, tall ears pricked forward and eager to hear a response - but nothing came. He lowered his haunches and gazed out over the low-lying fog, curious of the stranger who'd called from the peaks that stretched into the sky far in the distance.

When at last another howl rose in response, the druid lifted his muzzle. His tail flopped on the stone ledge at his rear, glad to have been heard. He heard this as a cry for help and, always willing to aid someone in help, Quicksilver sent forth another call: “follow my voice. I will meet you half-way!”

Again, the medic was on his feet. He turned from his ledge and began his way down the mountainside.


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^^Almost immediately, Haruki received a response from the kind stranger; he wanted to meet up, and offered to meet him halfway. Haruki wasn’t at all sure where this halfway would be, but he quickly got to his feet and followed the sound of the other man’s voice, in hopes that this stranger would actually be able to help him.

Haruki had enjoyed the fact that he hadn’t been questioned, and the other was almost immediately ready to guide him home, without even knowing who he was helping, or where he was. Perhaps there was hope, yet.

^^
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