It'd been a while since she'd been here.

The campsite that the Elenya Clan used to inhabit had been long abandoned. The moss was still scuffed and flattened to rock where a dozen feet had walked in and out a hundred, hundred times. Whatever had been left behind had been scavanged by others; the shelters that had been built were new dens for Lessers that scurried deeper into Eridanus when Vivilene approached.

She was born here. That was weird to think about. Attikias kept some moonstone from her chrysalis around, though the bulk of it was still hidden among the thrush next to the casings of her siblings. Siblings that she hoped were alright. She hoped Attikias was alright. She wondered; do they know?

It's not like Vivilene had ever been very close with Azizos. He was her stone-giver, the shard of moonstone that sat in her belly was the same moonstone that had sat in his forehead. He was not a very... present father, however-- not like Attikias had been, at least. If it had been Attikias that had died, she wouldn't be feeling mostly okay.

And it was strange, to feel okay about it. It was sad, and it was weird to have someone in her immediate family die, but it was... okay. Vivilene was okay.

She just hoped everyone else was, too.

The cervitaur paced around the chrysalis casings when she noticed something unusual; little dappled white fungus that sat perfectly symmetrical between the edged of them. It seemed... wrong, in some way that Vivilene couldn't quite articulate. Had someone been here, and spread spores around? Every nerve in her body told her not to touch them.

Hooves scraped on the cave floor as she stepped away from them, tail lashing uncertainly.

She lifted her head. In a moment, the fungus and embers were forgotten and she went bounding towards Adenium. It didn't matter that they hadn't had much interaction in the past: this was family, her little sibling, and it had been a long time since she'd seen family. Pride didn't count; Pride was never with the Elenyas.

She circled her taller sibling, bleating softly but excitedly. Too excitedly, actually-- it was only occasionally that Vivilene felt like she couldn't speak again, and usually it was for bad reasons. It wasn't often because she was happy.

It wasn't like it wasn't unusual for Vivilene to reach into the minds of family to impart what she couldn't do so verbally, either. This particular magic came as easy to her as breathing, and in a moment things were being broadcast to Adenium. Her magic was gentle, feather-light and non-invasive, despite the circumstances.

There were no words; no monologue. Just the imparting of feelings and thoughts. How are you? Why are you here? Do you miss the camp? I missed you.

I have food for you, came the thought a beat before Vivilene's hands were burying into her saddlebags and she took out a pench-- no, Pride said they were peaches, and offered it out to her sibling. A further image came, then-- the pit in the center, that it was too hard to bite into. It grew into a tree when planted.

We could grow it together.

The spell wavered, somewhat, but it was still there-- a quiet presence that touched the back of Adenium's mind. There was a little hint of sadness-- did we leave you behind? --and, mostly, concern. Especially when they mentioned that Eridanus wasn't safe.

Vivilene could have guessed that, with all the smoke and irregular fungus around, but hearing it said out loud made it feel more... real, and tangible, somehow.

It won't be this way forever, came a distant thought. One that tried to be reassuring; one that had some logic behind it. Even when all the trees burned down, their seeds remained. The dead sowed new, fresh soil for new things to take root. Life couldn't be alive without death. We just have to find somewhere safe, but nice, for now.

A padded hand reached out to take Adenium's, gentle and warm. Vivilene's tail lashed uncertainly but she smiled all the same. The endless stream of thoughts began to slow, as Vivilene sorted them out and the initial excitement ebbed. Instead, now, she showed the camp in Cepheus. Warm faces, warm fire. Bedrolls laden with blankets and pillows stolen from the palace.

I haven't been in a while, came quiet clarification. I fell asleep in Orion. I don't know why I came back here first.

Well, that wasn't entirely true; Azizos was dead and someone else. Something about that felt wrong in a twisted way that Vivilene couldn't articulate nor dissect. It wasn't her dad anymore. She'd lost that familial connection, and though she had a legion of siblings, it still felt hollow. Empty.

Something had been taken away, and it would never come back.

Her thumb rubbed against her sibling's knuckles as she wandered through Eridanus, hooves stepping carefully like she thought the ground might give way beneath her. Do you know your dad? Do you talk to him often? (This was pure assumption, incidentally, on Vivilene's part. It did not occur to her some people have mothers.) Your dad who isn't Attikias.

Do you want to?


Cepheus was nice. The weather was mild and it wasn't as hot as Eridanus could get. There was a white palaced bathed in violet light; a courtyard with gardens and swans. They have funny mouths, she shared. An image was sent through the link: a hellswan by the water, its neck ripping open into barbed teeth as it caught a fish clean out of the river.

I'm sorry, she thought, grimacing and squeezing Adenium's hand. I can show you the way. At least Vivilene was fairly certain that their family would still be there. There would still be bedrolls and pillows and food and warm things. Maybe more siblings. How long had it been since Vivilene fell asleep, anyway...?

Her tail lashed. She didn't know Titanite-- but she knew what Adenium must have been feeling. My dad was like that too, she sent down the link. My grandfather said he died. That he died a long time ago.

A pause. I don't want to think about it too much yet, or burden you with it, I think. It's hard not to think about. She had to consider, for a beat, before adding-- it feels like making a mistake. Like there was something different I could have done that would have stopped him from dying somewhere. Was he alone, when he passed? Afraid? The questions rushed into the cervitaur and she really didn't want to consider them much more than that.

Death was natural. It was fine. Everything is as it should be.

She took a breath. "Maybe we should find dad," came her voice, finally-- small like a little tinkling bell. "He might still be in Cepheus." She really hoped she hadn't fallen asleep, too. "We can plant peaches there."