When the Moon's Light fills a Heart of Darkness (Closed)

[Leto Sunsinger]

Timestamp: 30th of Summer, 512 A.V.

The night was deep when Leto arrived back at Endrykas, immediately heading to where his pavilion generally is, riding atop Arias. As he made his way through Endrykas, he wondered if his aunt and uncle were okay. Their pavilion was near the reimancer's pavilion, and so passing by them, he finally arrived at his pavilion. But the sight he'd see was one that made him wonder if he had taken a wrong turn or something. There were no tents where the treebearer pavilion happened to be, no fencing, or horses. With Leth's glow upon his back, Leto dismounted Arias, and began to walk forward, only to be stopped by a reimancer that called him by his name, knowing that Leto had created glyphs for them before. "Leto... you're back finally," he said, and Leto turned towards him, his hand motioning backwards towards where the tents should have been. "Did my aunt and uncle move their pavilion somewhere else?" he asked simply.

The youthful reimancer sadly shook his head. "When the Djed storm came, they were one of the last pavilions to try to escape... and they didn't, I'm sorry Leto, the wild has claimed them and they've returned to the web..." he said, and then turned to walk away, leaving Leto to his thoughts once more. "They... didn't escape?" he asked to nobody in particular. Turning his head towards the place where their tents should have been, Leto moved forwards, and knelt down next to the ground, taking up some of the soft soil into his hand. Looking up towards the moon, a sigh escaped his lips. He felt nothing. No pain, no sorrow, no sadness. Just felt empty. Looking around, he saw a strand of webbing, glowing ethereally under the moons light. Slowly grasping it, he allowed his senses to be transferred into the web, leaving his body vulnerable.

As he began to traverse the web, he almost wanted to let himself go into it fully, to get lost in it, and disappear forever. He felt empty, and being in the web made him feel whole again. But then he remembered Sama'el, Denen, Kavala, and Ronan, the people whom he had met and became close to. Returning to his body, and allowing his senses to return to his physical form, he gave himself a moment, and then stood up again, his obsidian gaze focusing upon where the tents should have been. "Gone..." he said again in a whisper, his eyes trailing up into the sky towards Leth, and then closing as he allowed his body to fall backwards, landing upon the grass. Arias came over, and laid down next to Leto, nuzzling his lips into Leto's arm, as if to say everything would be all right. But for now, Leto just laid there, and didn't move. He just didn't feel like it anymore.

After about an hour passed, Leto's gaze on Leth hadn't shifted at all, but he decided it was time to get up, and leave. There was nothing for him there anymore. Mounting Arias again, he began to ride through Endrykas, seeking solace somewhere, other than where his aunt's and uncle's tent should have been...

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

They had set a hasty camp, as it was already night when they arrived in Endrykas, and the cook fire had burned low, mere smoldering coals that cast little light, when Leto returned. Sama'el was awake, the bear cub nestled against his belly in the linen wraparound sling he had created. Sometimes it seemed like the cub had never been born, but rather the pregnancy transferred from Issima to Sama'el. That was just a flight of fancy, though. Issima was gone. Sama'el remained. He looked up at Leto's approach, relaxing when he recognized the way Leto sat a saddle, the noble lines of Arias and Leto's own. His smile was half-hearted; somehow he knew it had to be more bad news. "Welcome back," he said quietly. It was an invitation to dismount, to sit, to speak or not, to stay. He didn't have a way with words, except when he did.

[Leto Sunsinger]

As Sama'el welcomed Leto back, his eyes looked empty. Nothing seemed to register at first, when he approached upon Arias's back, and then he dismounted, and made his way over towards Sama'el. His hand gently touched Sama'el's shoulder as he sat down next to him, looking into the dim coals of the fireplace. "It seems... that I am on my own now," he said slightly, eyes downcast towards the ground once more. "My aunt and uncle have returned to the web and the wilds... they didn't make it out of the Djed Storm..." he finished, a sigh escaping his lips once more as he turned his eyes towards a man he had grown to love, though that love would never be recognized, he would do what he could to help take care of Sama'el's pavilion. He'd do what Kavala suggested that he do, and become a teacher of sorts.

But he was alone, and he felt alone, so very alone now without the people he had grown up around. He had hoped they had survived the storm somehow, but knew in his heart that even though many drykas had escaped it, his family wasn't very known for it's luck in dire situations. Turning towards Sama'el, Leto didn't cry at all, he didn't feel anything, instead just watching Sama'el and the bear he was nursing. Pausing for a moment as he looked towards Sama'el, he realized... he never got to tell Sama'el that he was sorry about Issima. "I... I'm sorry about Issima," he said. "I knew she meant a lot to you... and I wish things hadn't turned out the way they have turned out... but I guess fate does what it does..." The elder drykas didn't have many words of wisdom for the younger drykas. The younger in this case was much more experienced than the elder...

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el reminded himself of his blessings. The bear cub was a reminder of Issima, albeit a morbid one at times. Still, he chose to see it as a blessing, and to see even his curse as an opportunity for something good. If he didn't see it that way, he would die. And there were people around him that he loved, and who loved him. Leto. Denen. Ronan. Kavala. The horses. There was much to grieve on the Sea of Grass, but the Drykas had learned to accept some things as natural, and learn to thrive around their losses. "Thank you," he said of Leto's compassion, and then, one hand still pressed gently to the bear cub, to his son, he put the other arm around Leto. "I am sorry about your family." Though he knew what it felt like, he only knew what it felt like to lose an entire pavilion as a man-child, a boy except for their customs and the love of a Strider. Everyone's tragedy was particular, even when it followed a pattern. So he didn't say he knew how Leto felt, though he certainly had an inkling, and his arm tightened around the other man, who had taught him the rudiments of what mysteries could be worked with glyphs, opening portals into other worlds. If only they could open a portal to wherever the dead went, though he supposed that would be unnatural and end in tears. "You should stay with us," he said, a suggestion rather than an order, but despite his tender years, he had learned to assume the mantle of leadership of late. "With me." Certainly, he had valued Leto's work and skill more than the last of the Treebearers, and for that interest and encouragement, he had earned Leto. Not just his friendship, but the man himself, who had left his tiny pavilion to follow Sama'el into the great white north and certain danger. "Soon I will raise the banner of my pavilion again, and I invite you to join it. I mean no disrespect to your name, and the choice is yours, of course. You will always have my friendship either way, but..." He looked away for a moment, and his arm tightened around Leto again, "the nights are dark and the Sea is vast. We should stay close to the people we love."

[Leto Sunsinger]

As Sama'el put his arm around Leto, the man actually felt wanted, for the first time in his life. He knew that his aunt and uncle loved him, but he actually felt as if somebody wanted him around, and that made his heart skip a beat nearly. Turning his head towards Sama'el, a brief smile broke through the non emotional look he had had before. Laying his head upon Sama'el's shoulder then, he didn't say anything at first, merely, listened to Sama'el's proposition. Joining his pavilion. That was daunting, but Kavala had said that Leto should do it. She said that he should teach Sama'el's children of what he had learned about glyphing. It would be a way of showing Sama'el that Leto loved him, even if Sama'el couldn't, or wouldn't love Leto back. He didn't even know what Sama'el's pavilion's name was, but that wasn't important at the moment. He was sure that Sama'el would reveal it in time, given a lot had happened to Sama'el when he was younger.

As he laid his head to rest upon Sama'el's broader shoulder, the shorter man, finally spoke. "I... I'd like that very much..." he said. "To be close to the people I love, you... Denen... Ronan... all of them... I may only have a few friends in this world, but I trust all of you with my life... especially you Sama'el. Kavala once told me that I should teach your children my knowledge, pass it on as my legacy... Perhaps I will do just that if I join your Pavilion..."

But even as he spoke, he remembered his own pavilion, the things that had happened to it, it's demise. He felt nothing over it, but at the same time, didn't know what to think about joining Sama'el's pavilion. He was so conflicted, even though he knew that he wanted to join Sama'el's pavilion, he didn't want to leave the legacy of the Treebearers to go to waste. But... perhaps it wouldn't. They were great glyphers, and if Leto knew anything, he knew how to glyph. Perhaps that's what he could pass down onto Sama'el's children.

Turning his head up to Sama'el once more, he said, "I'm not sure what all I could teach your son... but i'm sure we'll find something that he will be good at..." Sighing, he allowed his eyes to shift towards the ground again. It would be strange, having a bear to join the family, but perhaps it was the god's way of testing them, strengthening them. Or it was just Sama'el's bad luck that had gotten the better of him again. Who knew at this point in time, all he knew was that they needed to take care of the child, as if it was their own.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

The would-be Ankal sat there, left hand cradling the bear cub, right arm thrown around his friend. Though the summer night was not cold, and the banked fire near enough, he held them close. He was silent as Leto spoke, granting him that respect as he listened to his words, so haltingly spoken, like a young colt spooked by uncertain footing and some unknown threat. After a moment, his eyes fell to the vague bulk of his son in the sling, fur limned in the faint firelight. Though he did not speak his hope, with each telling of his shame, he hoped that his atonement would be enough, that Oriana would show mercy upon his son if not upon him and make him a boy. It was not that he did not love the little beast, but bears were not humans, and he feared that when the cub grew to maturity in a few short years, he would wander off, never to return. For a Drykas bent on rebuilding his family, this would be a tragedy. "If you do," he said carefully, with growing hope that Leto would swear a blood oath with him before the Ankals and elders, "then my children will be your children, and they will learn all you have to teach. They will be stronger for your presence in our family." He spoke too with hope that Oriana would consider his debt paid and allow for future offspring. If not, he would have to rely upon sworn brothers to populate his pavilion with new children. All they had, really, was hope. There was no certainty whatsoever in the life of a Drykas except that Dira loomed nearer with each passing day. Perhaps Priskil should have loved him for his hope, and it seemed he even instilled hope in others; in Denen and Ronan, in Leto and Kavala. In Issima... So strange. "You have time to think about it," he said quietly. "Perhaps when Autumn begins, we will be ready to stand before witnesses. In the meantime... and beyond... you are welcome just to ride with us wherever we go."

[Leto Sunsinger]

Everything that Leto was hoping for was coming true. Almost everything that is. Sama'el had not necessarily returned the love Leto so desperately wanted from him, but Leto had not necessarily spoken of it yet to Sama'el, he still kept it buried deep within his soul as he continued to allow his head to lay to rest upon Sama'el's shoulder. Carefully reaching up, he gave the bearcub a few strokes between the ears, to reassure him that he wasn't there threatening, almost as a parent might reasure a child. Listening to Sama'el speak, it garnered confidence in the elder drykas, confidence that he could be of some use to somebody in this lifetime. And everything that Leto felt for Sama'el, he didn't know how Sama'el would react to it, but, he couldn't deny his feelings for much longer. Kavala had spoken of how he could help, and he'd definitely follow her advice. Sama'el would need heirs for his pavilion, and even if Leto couldn't provide heirs to Sama'el's pavilion, he'd certainly pass on his knowledge to make their pavilion a stronger one, just as Sama'el said he could do.

Then Sama'el spoke of Leto riding with them whenever they did, and Arias neighed a bit upon hearing that, in complete agreement with what Sama'el was saying. Leto smiled, a good smile that broke through his fog of disparity, and he allowed his obsidian hued eyes to look up to Sama'el as he kept his head upon the younger drykas' shoulder. "Arias certainly would like that, as would I, Sama'el. And when Autumn comes, I have no doubts, I will become your blood brother... if you truly wish it," he said, leaning upwards, wraping his arm around Sama'el as well, to show that he cared about him in a brotherly manner, even though the love for Sama'el went much much deeper than that. But now was not the time for that, it was a time to mourn his losses, the loss of his pavilion, and to greet the coming of a new pavilion, one that would rise from it's ashes, and become inclusive of many drykas that would help build it stronger, and better than it ever was before.

Not necessarily replacing the previous one, as Leto was sure that that one had been fairly strong, just not strong enough, but turning it into something new, something better than it had previously been. Perhaps replacing was the right word, but Leto would never take anything away from Sama'el's previous pavilion that he had been apart of. Each pavilion was different in it's own rights, and Leto knew that the Ankals would see this pavilion as a strange one, consisting of possibly and mostly men, but the women would come, granted Leto and Denen more than likely wouldn't be helping with the population of the pavilion, they'd be more than willing, he was sure, to spread their knowledge amongst the young of the pavilion...

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I do," he said simply, as they sat there in the dark. There wasn't much more to say then. Secrets were easier spoken in the dark, but they had shared enough for one night. Sama'el grieved for his wife. Leto grieved for his family. They were bound now in grief as much as in love. Though nothing more was said, Sama'el felt the occasional tremor run through Leto. It might have been a silent sob, or those shivers that came sometimes that had nothing to do with the cold. But eventually Leto's breathing found that regularity and depth that bespoke slumber, and his weight felt fine against Sama'el. He was the watcher in the night, watching over the cub, the man, and the horses. He made a silent vow to keep Leto safe, knowing it would be repeated and confirmed in the Autumn when they became a pavilion. He thought about rousing Leto and putting him to bed, but let it go and let Leto take what animal comfort in his closeness as was possible. Sama'el understood the emotional toll of loss. And eventually, hours later, perhaps, he fell asleep against his friend, too.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name: Leto Sunsinger XP Award: N/A Lore: Losing family to the storm A magical Legacy The Price of Love Notes: Name:Sama'el XP Award: N/A Lore: The Reminder: A blessing or a curse? Offering Leto a home Notes: Good thread. Mainly story, so not much to reward. If you want specific lore please message me! Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM