He had only half-expected the magic to have affected Huckleberry as well, so it was still a bit of a surprise when knowledge washed over him. It wasn't a physical thing, although his wish to Huckleberry hadn't been physical either. But those gifts were...all the more precious.

His eyes flicked to the distant tree and he watched as blue streaks began to climb the bark. It didn't destroy anything or hurt, he didn't feel distressed at their appearance, but strengthened. Reassured. The knowledge was this - this place was now a haven. Safe from Order, safe from Chaos, and others that wished this safety would flock here, Lessers and Greaters alike. As he watched, the white fungus that had begun to creep into his garden began to melt away. Everything within 100 yards of his beloved tree began to cleanse as the magic sweept through.

He thought his heart would burst from the joy of seeing it. Tears welled in his eyes and just escaped over the rip of his mask. "Huckleberry you...look. Did you wish for this?" He closed his eyes and breathed in, the air feeling fresher and more alive then it had in cycles. "I don't know how to thank you."

GRAY SOUL AND STATIC IN MY EYES

Shock caused Huckleberry to stop his sobbing in an instant. The moment stretched, as his own wish was released and Rift's flooded to him. The vision that he saw both scared and intrigued him. He didn't recognize the place at all, nor the name whispered to him. He didn't understand what a valkhound was, nor the significance. But he did recognize the three in danger and he did understand that they didn't make it. And that he could give them a second chance.

What had Rift wished for him? To have a new family?

He wanted to be mad, he wanted to be afraid - and he was afraid, families made him afraid - but this seemed different. It was not an obligation or an order, it was an offer. If he wanted, he could go there and help them. He could make his own family. And they could be the ones he protected.

He swallowed heavily. He didn't know what to do. He barely heard Rift and barely noticed the change in the garden, too caught up in his own confusion. "R-rift, you felt that too, right? You wished? What did you wish for?"

TRY TO SEE THE FUTURE,
BUT I'M NOT SURE IF IT APPLIES

Immediately concern about Huckleberry overrode his momentary awe and he stepped forward to make sure he was oaky. He looked almost panicked and for a moment Rift was concerned that he'd stepped too far or done the wrong thing.

His tail lashed behind him, wondering how he was going to fix this. "I did, yeah. And I...wished for you to find a purpose." He frowned. That didn't sound great, now that he was saying it aloud. "I mean...I didn't mean like that you're useless, I mean like. The Kingdom isn't here anymore. You feel...lost, right? Like there's no place for you anymore? Because I kind of felt the same way."

He sighed, his ear flicking back. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. I just don't want you to feel lost. It's hard. I know. Most everyone I knew is gone and I can't remember the ones left." He looked around, wondering if Huckleberry's had manifested as a physical thing, but he saw nothing else different in the vicinity. "So did you...see anything? Learn of anything?"

GRAY SOUL AND STATIC IN MY EYES

Huckleberry felt the tension relax from his shoulders. Things were making a little more sense. Not a family, but a purpose - that, actually, felt much better for him. The offer wasn't to rebuild a family, but to give his life a goal. And the goal was to give those three another chance, whoever they are.

He nodded. "Okay, okay. Yeah, I saw a cave. And three gembound that fell. I can give them a second chance. If I find them. Where's Cassiopeia?" He quickly reared an inch of the ground in momentary surprise, ears standing straight up. "No! No, not at all! I'm grateful. I j-just, yeah, feel lost. No Kingdom to help. If my...f-family is still around, I don't want to go back to them." He shook his head fervently. "You didn't overstep. This is good, actually."

Finally, he looked at where Rift had been looking and widened his eyes. "Oh...wow. This is what happened? I...I wanted you to feel safe here again. Have your forest back. I guess that's one way." The distress was wearing away as the awe of the moment and the magic was coming to him. Something truly special had just happened and...wow, he was actually excited for this. A new chapter in his life had been promised. And he had done something good for Rift - for everyone that loved Eridanus.

He looked back towards Rift, a sparkle in his eye. "You know what this means? That can't just be "The Tree" anymore. That's a special tree. You gotta give it a name!"

TRY TO SEE THE FUTURE,
BUT I'M NOT SURE IF IT APPLIES

Rift relaxed as well, relieved. "Ah, good. I know things are a little...confusing right now." That wish magic hadn't helped the confusion, but he wasn't complaining. It sure had helped in many, many other ways. He could already see the life and light returning to Huckleberry's eyes as he processed what his wish meant, and what he had given Rift in turn.

He turned to look with him, puffing out his chest proudly at the sight of the changed tree. He laughed. "Oh, that's true. It's like...the Divine in Cetus or the Monarch here. It can't just be the tree. Not when it looks like that!" He stepped closer towards it, trying to get a better look at the streaks. They were still far away, but the turqoise color, and the faint swirling in their depths, and the feeling of the magic radiating from them reminded him of the Spire in Polaris. He thought for a moment and nodded with his decision.

"The Arborspire," he concluded. "I think that's a good name. It's not the same as the actual Spire, but I think a part of that is here now."

He turned back to Huckleberry and cocked his head. "Cassiopeia? I...have heard of it. But I don't know where it is, exactly. A distant part of the caves I think."

GRAY SOUL AND STATIC IN MY EYES

Huckleberry hummed at the name. "I like the Arborspire. That's good." It was nice to think that, even if the Kingdom weren't here anymore, he'd be leaving Rift with something good. He leaned forward suddenly to bump his nose against Rift's. "Sorry, I know you don't remember me but. I liked you a lot. You were good to me. And I'm happy you have this now."

He shifted, suddenly feeling eager to leave, to go find Cassiopeia and find the gemstones promised to him. "Okay, distant part of the caves. I think Shiny - my best friend, we're linked and stuff - has been around. She might be able to take me there. If I find them, I'll let you know. Or bring them here to show you."

He realized, then, that he was talking like he wouldn't be back for a while. Truthfully, he probably wouldn't be. If Cassiopeia was that far, then it wouldn't make sense to trek all the way back with the three stones. As long as that area was relatively safe, he could raise them there.

Am I going to be a dad?! Perhaps that was an even more terrifying thought.

Heart feeling more full and worries still itching at his mind but slowly dissipating like smoke, he bounced forward, casting a last look back at Rift. "Thank you, Rift. I'll see you again." A promise - he wouldn't break this one.

Huckleberry turned and took off, wings flaring out to carry him out of Eridanus, first towards where he could feel Shiny, so they could be reunited, then off to Cassiopeia.

*exit

TRY TO SEE THE FUTURE,
BUT I'M NOT SURE IF IT APPLIES

Rift was a little surprised by the sudden surge of affection from Huckleberry. He didn't remember much about him, so he was a little surprised by the sudden shift of mood. But, then again, they'd both experienced something pretty crazy and he was feeling elated over his former dismal mood, with the new Arborspire glittering in the light.

"Good luck. You're always welcome back," were his parting words to Huckleberry and he meant every word. Even if he didn't remember him, that was a part of his past right there. A part of the Kingdom that still remained. He wondered, as Huckleberry turned to leave, if there would ever be a Kingdom again.

As he looked towards the changed tree and the cleansed space around it, he thought that there was something here worth protecting, at least. Maybe one day.

*exit