01-14-2021, 03:13 PM
one lives in hope of becoming a memory
Cheri wasn’t the only explorer daughter that Yanhua had, as he would likely come to find out soon. After all, I’d ventured out on my own today, into an unknown land that proved scary and large. And Reynard wasn’t his only child with inner strength. I had to have a kind of inner strength to cope with mother’s sadness. I shared these qualities as well, and I’m sure that the twins shared many of my qualities, too. I like to think that every child is inherently curious, and you have to be in order to be an explorer, as Cheri is.
“Maybe a billion,” I joke with him as I turn to follow his lead. I have to pick up a light canter in order to keep up with his casual trot. I give a half buck in play as I settle in beside him.
As we move, he answers each question carefully. My ear closest to him tips in his direction, a gesture that would become a habit living here within the bustling forest–my new home. I listen closely as he describes the four kingdoms. “Icicle Isle,” I repeat the name, half to myself, in a whimsical voice. I find myself longing to venture there, just to learn more about the land that I now lived. “If Icicle Isle and…” I trail off for a second, trying to remember the other three kingdom names, but failing (even though I’d heard Tephra twice and even said it once), “well, the other three kingdoms” I continue, “if they’re kingdoms, does that mean there is a king? …Or a queen?” The thought excites me. Royalty, I think to myself, that would be such a cool thing to see, or perhaps even aspire to!
I find my thoughts wandering, so I bring myself back to the conversation, just as @[Yanhua] mentions that he’s already told me who Reynard and Cheri are. I feel kind of dumb for asking who they were, so I give an embarrassed laugh at this. His mention of Amarine as “his mate” bothers me slightly. Wasn’t mother also his mate? I felt a kind of loyalty to her in this moment that causes me to falter in my steps. Even still, I look up at him with a kind of matter of fact look. “Well, I want to know more! You should tell me about them!” I try to push the thoughts of Amarine from my mind for now. Maybe him and mother would work things out soon, and he would call her his mate as well?
His mention of Reynard’s similar gifts to mine brings back my curious nature. I follow him as he cuts through the undergrowth of the forest, now being more careful of my steps as I went. “Similar magic gifts?” I ask. Does this mean he has empathic echos as well? Does he have flora revival, too? No, that was mother’s gift, something she had passed to me, and she wasn’t Reynard’s mother. But Reynard’s mother was Amarine, and Amarine must have special gifts herself, but I didn’t want to ask about her, so instead, I ask about the other twin. “What gifts does Cheri have, then?”
But alas, my questions would have to wait for another day, because the land became more familiar as we neared the place mother and I had spent the night, and I knew what came next. A king of sadness washes over me in that moment. I was having so much fun with father that I didn’t want to leave, but mother was probably sufficiently worried by now. Hopefully she’d had the sense to stay where she was and would expect Yanhua to bring me home safe and sound. So I give him a brief nuzzle on the nose, brushing the whiskers under his chin that I would soon share, and then I turn in the direction I had come when I first left mother’s side. “Bye,” I hesitate for just a moment, “dad. And thank you for everything!” I finish, giving him a bright smile.
“Maybe a billion,” I joke with him as I turn to follow his lead. I have to pick up a light canter in order to keep up with his casual trot. I give a half buck in play as I settle in beside him.
As we move, he answers each question carefully. My ear closest to him tips in his direction, a gesture that would become a habit living here within the bustling forest–my new home. I listen closely as he describes the four kingdoms. “Icicle Isle,” I repeat the name, half to myself, in a whimsical voice. I find myself longing to venture there, just to learn more about the land that I now lived. “If Icicle Isle and…” I trail off for a second, trying to remember the other three kingdom names, but failing (even though I’d heard Tephra twice and even said it once), “well, the other three kingdoms” I continue, “if they’re kingdoms, does that mean there is a king? …Or a queen?” The thought excites me. Royalty, I think to myself, that would be such a cool thing to see, or perhaps even aspire to!
I find my thoughts wandering, so I bring myself back to the conversation, just as @[Yanhua] mentions that he’s already told me who Reynard and Cheri are. I feel kind of dumb for asking who they were, so I give an embarrassed laugh at this. His mention of Amarine as “his mate” bothers me slightly. Wasn’t mother also his mate? I felt a kind of loyalty to her in this moment that causes me to falter in my steps. Even still, I look up at him with a kind of matter of fact look. “Well, I want to know more! You should tell me about them!” I try to push the thoughts of Amarine from my mind for now. Maybe him and mother would work things out soon, and he would call her his mate as well?
His mention of Reynard’s similar gifts to mine brings back my curious nature. I follow him as he cuts through the undergrowth of the forest, now being more careful of my steps as I went. “Similar magic gifts?” I ask. Does this mean he has empathic echos as well? Does he have flora revival, too? No, that was mother’s gift, something she had passed to me, and she wasn’t Reynard’s mother. But Reynard’s mother was Amarine, and Amarine must have special gifts herself, but I didn’t want to ask about her, so instead, I ask about the other twin. “What gifts does Cheri have, then?”
But alas, my questions would have to wait for another day, because the land became more familiar as we neared the place mother and I had spent the night, and I knew what came next. A king of sadness washes over me in that moment. I was having so much fun with father that I didn’t want to leave, but mother was probably sufficiently worried by now. Hopefully she’d had the sense to stay where she was and would expect Yanhua to bring me home safe and sound. So I give him a brief nuzzle on the nose, brushing the whiskers under his chin that I would soon share, and then I turn in the direction I had come when I first left mother’s side. “Bye,” I hesitate for just a moment, “dad. And thank you for everything!” I finish, giving him a bright smile.
memorie
