Everclear
Once more, a restlessness had stirred in his soul.The sooty-coated station emerges from some unknown depths of the land in a routine that had become a ritual by now. So often had he retreated and returned before that this time feels no different.
At least, that's how it seems at first.
He'd been blind to the catastrophes of recent years, the earthquakes and tornadoes, the losses and rebirths. Sequestered in his solitude somewhere in the central forests and valleys of Beqanna, Everclear’s ignorance had pervaded as it often had. The last time he had taken any interest in the goings-on, there had been little of interest. The only thing that had caught his attention had been the humble revival of the Amazonian beliefs. One kingdom – oh, what was its name? Nerine, right? – had strove to resurrect the fiery feminine mentality and he'd been piqued by it for sure, but it had still not quite been the same.
Some part of him regrets not sticking around, though. That regret will deepen once he realizes that place has now been stolen away again.
The magics of Beqanna never cease in their fickle ways, always giving and taking without precedent.
Perhaps subconsciously, he has found himself in the western lands, foregoing his usual pattern of returning to the Meadow. In the recesses of his mind, he has wondered whether he might find familiar faces here, where once there had been rocky beaches and coarse sands.
Instead he has found a rather familiar scene of would-be lush greenery and vast, rolling hills of a comfortable landscape. Memories stir of a life once lived in a land much like this one, even in its muted wintry dressings. He had called this place home so many, many years ago.
Everclear lifts his head, ears forward as he surveys the Gates. It seems empty here, solemn and quieter than it had been in his days here. Standing alone atop one of the median hills, a quiet whicker of questioning shudders from his lungs, carried along the waves of a gentle, biting wind at his back. It is a simple greeting - is anyone here?
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