there's a long, long way to go

Nestled away in a cavern, he dreamt.

He dreamt of the soaring heights of his former home, of the expanse of the night sky dotted with pinhole stars, where the hazy streak of a galactic arm tore across it; where beneath him deep in the valleys and sprawling wilderness moonlight illuminated all coated in heavy winter frost, and where he could still feel the pinch of frigid air at the tip of his nose.

It seemed more a memory, truly. Even down to the warm glow of light that pierced through the night sky. A streak of ember and smoke seen long before it was heard, before it broke some sound barrier of the upper atmosphere in its wake like a thunderclap into thunderous roar—how it had transfixed him to the point in time he was or had been. How beautiful it was, betraying the destruction it would seek to render. And destruction it wrought—there and gone in a blink.

He awoke with a start, a gasp for air caught in his throat almost to the point of choking him. His skin felt aflame beneath his coat, burning hotly in spite of the chill that lingered. The cavern was dark still at its mouth, the air inside warm and damp from their collective presence. Altair had wedged himself between he and Hydra at some point, but the boy was too far into his own dreams to be stirred much by movement.

It was the prime opportunity to slip away and in his waking state, Dirge seized the opportunity. Greeted by the cold night air in the scant minutes before predawn, he licked his lips to find them just as dry as his mouth felt. It summarized what he needed to prioritize then—finding water. They had discovered several streams along the slopes in the days that had passed and almost at random, Dirge chose one.

His head pounded—the dream, or perhaps memory, was ebbing away.

Dirge sifted through what he could recall as he worked the stony, snowy path and its descent. What did it all mean? Was it a memory, or a dream? There had been something familiar about it, something too familiar in truth. Too vivid, perhaps, but even he knew that the devil was in the details when it came to matters of such. It was a mystery he felt he would never unravel, this notion of how they had come to be here, almost as though they had been plucked away.

There were days when he managed not to put much in the way of consideration into it, and by the time he had reached the stream he had all but forgotten the finest of those details. The presence of water was enough to make his thirst seem overbearing; the crisp temperature and taste of it was just as much enough to push him firmly out of the territory of drifting along a nondescript line of alert and at rest.

An ear turned to the sound of the birds stirring.

Morning would come along soon enough and there was always work to be done.

zero expectations for anyone to match length here

---

the staff team luvs u

Strangely, somehow, life simply went on. The days came and went. He was cautious, uncertain.. but as time wore, it grew easier to distance himself from the ache of something missing most hours of his day. Thankfully he knew well enough how to cope, and this tried-and-true strategy had him testing the waters of the strange mountain more—and not only because it felt good to stretch his legs and work his lungs. He needed the distraction. There was much to explore, and to feel, anyway.

Jarilo had started in the cover of the nights, which felt like a natural choice to his comfort's sake. He found it easier to digest everything that way, somehow, so had slipped right into a routine of long hours roving the dark mountainside. Mostly alone, usually, for he was still working on piecing himself back together in the meantime. A secure foundation of understanding underfoot would help him get there, he hoped. But more than that, at first, he had wanted to see the stars again from here. At least they were the same, or close enough to it that he could still pick out his favorite constellations.

So like his last few since awakening, he had roved the evening away, covering the woods and more to better acquaint. By the time he met the waterway, dawn's first light had already softened the dark; he traced the bank after a long drink, and contemplated his next move. Before he could make up his mind, scent lured him towards someone familiar. Timed well enough to interest him properly, his steps picked up just some, ears following the motion when he spotted him—Dirge. It felt right to do so, so Jarilo went striding lightly over to hopefully find a place beside him, tail swaying as he went with the momentum. “Morning,” he chuffed, a friendly swing of his head to match the rhythm.
the staff team luvs u

He was about to finish his drink when he became aware that he was no longer alone. Something stirred around him, whether it was footfalls or breathing, and his attention snapped to it smoothly as though he had almost been anticipating it. Jarilo was not an unwelcome sight by any means, though Dirge couldn’t have claimed to conferred much with Hydra’s younger brother since their arrival along the mountain. There was plenty to process, plenty to discuss, but even he wasn’t sure where to begin entirely.

“Jarilo,” he spoke, lifting his head from the stream. “You’re up early, or is late for you?” He knew the borders were not left unattended at night, at least not right then and there. Unlike Moonspear, they did not have quite the backing of numbers and proper delegation of such things. He knew he could rely on Desdemona as jut as much as he could Jarilo, but he also knew that Altair had taken his strides in helping.

There were others too—not to discredit them. It had been a team effort with all the structuring and posturing they had done for a long time now; it came to them naturally, just as his penchant for conversation here did. He had to hold onto these habits and ritualistic routines, if for nothing else than sanity’s sake lest he dared to unravel what could not be answered. The only direction to go was forward, and that meant their survival at the forefront.
the staff team luvs u

The dark Ostrega joined up beside the stream, though spared most of his attention for Dirge--very content to appreciate the simple comfort of someone else familiar, and the refreshing scent of the icemelt. His ears perked neatly and before he answered, he glanced skyward almost on reflex. “Leaning a bit more towards late today,” he replied with an easy, honest sigh. “Night shift's just worked out better for me lately,” he added on after a beat. “It's been a lot to get used to, somehow.” Jarilo also noted. In body, he felt better than he had in moons... Mind was foggy sometimes, but.. he wondered if this was for the best.

At least he was making his strides in improving that homebound sense of security each day. Already, that much had come easily to their lot. They had wasted no time getting to work with a solid little core among them, urged along by Hydra well enough, even seemingly displaced and with a few new faces trickling onto the slopes. It all very much reminded him of how it had always been, and that felt right.

“Do you have any plans for today yet?” he wondered at Dirge, before he leaned in towards the waters for a short drink of his own.
the staff team luvs u

An agreeable note caught in his throat as Jarilo mentioned things being a lot—it was true. There was quite a bit to process yet, things that Dirge would have admitted he wasn’t. It was far easier to busy himself with what needed to be done, whether it was pertinent or not. But in that brief lapse of conversation between them, he thought back on the fleeting essence of the dream that had woke him.

All he remembered of it now was the blinding, white hot light.

And then, there was nothing.

“I thought I might get an early start on the borders,” he answered, rejoining the conversation. “Hydra and the others are still asleep, for now. Other than that I haven’t planned for anything, though I had been considering following some of the game trails to see what else we can find.” He could weigh and balance his options all day long too if he had desired so.

It seemed fortunate that they had ended up here in what he hoped was the later part of winter rather than the beginning. Their caches were pitiful at best, but he felt they would improve as they gained a proper lay of the land. His gaze left Jarilo to survey their surroundings, the stirring of the birds in the boughs reminded him that daylight would happen upon them sooner than later.

“So far it seems we haven’t troubles to worry of,” he murmured. It was an odd comfort as much as it was unnerving; he had grown used to Moonspear moving from one regional issue to another. The absence of it and the time it consumed lingered, though the free time was welcomed in spite of its unsettling nature.

Of course, this was an omission of their scattered family.

He had not forgotten of that either, but could not afford to worry endlessly of it.
the staff team luvs u

Listening, imagining, strategizing the possibilities for the day.. he soothed into it, somehow. It just seemed right, still, and made him feel a bit more grounded in this present so his tail swayed slow on. “Can't hurt, though hopefully stays quiet as the days goes...” he supposed about an early start. They had taken naturally to laying claim to this mountain, so even now he was not inclined to feel too bothered about it. Hydra had yet to raise any concerns to his ears, and he had a fair chance now to gauge Dirge on his own.

“Wonder if it'll stay that way for long, or what's going to come along,” he clicked his teeth and slowly smirked a little. “It's nice to not be a complete beacon of bullshit for a moment,” he said after a thoughtful pause. It was quiet here, as far as he could tell, and he was certainly able to appreciate the mountainside at their paws here. “But it just feels like we're piecing back together still. I haven't gone far yet, either. Not enough to really run into anyone off the mountain, or sniff out much of anything or anyone too strange..” Jarilo went on, finishing on a soft huff. He was finding plenty to do in getting acquainted with here, home. Building these attachments from scratch, seemingly (it didn't always feel like it, somehow..), was a lot to him and at least a decent direction to send his efforts.
the staff team luvs u

“We’ll get there with time,” he sighed, “though I am in no hurry to discover what troubles could await us. Doubt we’ll have to look for them.; seems in my experience that trouble has generally found us before we find it.” Whether it was just some generational or familial curse or simply how life truly was in general, he didn’t know or try to decide. It was simply what it was and nothing more to him, though he felt every inclination to avoid the return of repeated disaster banging down their door.

“Either way, I’ll feel better once we’re better established. It seems like every couple of days we find another of ours and as long as that keeps up, I don’t think we’ll have much to worry about. Things seem to be quiet around here and hopefully that’s a sign it will remain that way.” It was a sentiment that echoed Jarilo’s words—it was nice not to be a beacon of complete bullshit for a change—even if the circumstance they were in could have qualified as troublesome.
the staff team luvs u

He gave a little half-scoff of an almost-laugh. “Yeah, in no time I'm sure..” he agreed and rolled his eyes. It may only be a blink's worth for all he knew how it could be, and how everything always circled back inevitably. Peace would never last for good and they would be dealing with something somehow. But they were remarkably tough-skinned and apparently good enough to get through it if they could reflect and groan like this, living to see another smear of strife.

“We're well on our way, I think. It's feeling way less.. scattered,” the dark Ostrega supposed. Never not having a home set in absolute stone made him need to feel established before anything else was going to truly happen, so he was feeling aware of it. “By the day, even..” If he could suggest it. There were some days that seemed to stride ahead of the rest to him somehow. “And it's hopeful, at least, still finding others too...” his look got distant, almost. Was he waiting for someone to turn up next? He felt like he was, this urge to search digging under his nails. “I feel like something's missing sometimes too, but am grateful to have what we do have already. It's a lot, already.” But they were certainly making it work, and he was proud to be able to be a halfway functional part of it, content to discuss his thoughts on it--and he very much appreciated Dirge's willingness to listen and share with him, too, even if the conversation could jump between duty, family, and otherwise all seamlessly enough.

He would come out of this in a better place, he knew..
the staff team luvs u