< he accept its his fate >

Sweet melodies serenaded around the woodlands as birds whistled good night to one another and shadows now eerily swept over the vast purple sea around them, with the suns light now dimming upon the horizon. Aurora and her companion strayed from their den, it was another evening to hunt as a unit, with most prey laying dormant within the comfort of their own homes and burrows, it was nearly an effortless to trap, the way they bounced off one another to gain the upper hand at catching their next meals.
Zig-zagging her way through, she lead the team just near the outskirts of the woodlands, where it bordered the expanse flat plains. She slowed her eager trot to a walk, almost touching the last standing tree with the tip of her nose just as a rumble shook from beneath, felt from the tough pads her feet, along her elegant long limbs and to the top angle of her alert ears. She froze in fear, eyes in bewilderment searching for her good friend behind her in comfort, or reason.
‘What was that?’, her voice raised above the growls echoing from the small quake, ‘Did you feel it too?’.

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@The Whisperer

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+1 discovery

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 It was another night of sweet repetition. A schedule that the bronze wolf welcomed. It was lovely, and wonderful, and life just as they wanted it. There was nothing to think about, just sweet bliss as they would head out to hunt. Ah, they owed so much to the pale maiden. They had learned to hunt under their friend's tutelage, had learned to apply herbs to help others. They only hoped that their companionship was enough to pay back that eternal debt.

 With the sound of nighttime birds serenading them, they would work in tandem with their best friend to collect meals for the night. They knew their part and knew it well. They would head towards the outskirts, to hunt their meal. Behind the lean maiden they would go. The wolf's gaze would shift skyward briefly... and that was how they saw it. The bright flash of light and then--

 The quake.

 The bronze wolf would yelp, helpless and terrified. Though they were loyal, they were not brave. Their panicked golden eyes would open wide as they bolted forward, the snake would hiss in dread and coil tighter around the wolf's neck. They would find Aurora and would press into their friend's side, head seeking to burrow into their neck to find comfort and offer it where they could.

 The Soul would rear upwards towards the sky with their serpentine gaze searching and terrified. "We do not know... Their wasss a blinding light in the sky and the ground shook." The snake would blink and with their tongue rapidly shooting in and out of their mouth, would speak again while directly looking at Aurora. "Wasss it an earthquake, mayhaps?"

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Aurora welcomed the comfort but also the fear that came from her friend, she too leaned into their warmth, attempting to suss out what just happened. The hiss of a reply came next to her, she looked to them as they spoke and saw the tautness of their coils wrapping around its Body’s neck; this made her gulp at the sight of the restriction, how it could actually so easily cut off the wolfs windpipe if it so desired - an unlikely event, however.
Her lavender eyes followed the snake's own, to the now blackened skies. A clear starry night, but no sight of a bright light anymore.
‘I don’t know…’, she was unsure and uncertain of their situation. Did they head home or carry on? There seemed to be a quietness now, and she waited to see if their friend wanted to continue on or not.
Eyes searched around her and looked out into the plains, something had caught her eye. She frowned, making sense of the kaleidoscope of colors in the distance, moving… running?
‘W-wait, what’s that?’, she gasped, in awe, in surprise, in curiosity.

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 The uncertainty was upsetting to them both, Body and Soul alike as they all tried to figure out what exactly was going on. It seemed that no answers were forthcoming, however, as Aurora remained silent as well. Did they continue their nightly hunt? Or take shelter? The trembling copper-toned wolf was timid, ready to take flight at the slightest provocation... however, if it was something of the elements then maybe they'd be fine? It wasn't as if the sky was bearing down on them, turning into some sort of sentient beast or--

 ‘W-wait, what’s that?' Huh? The pair turned towards where Aurora was looking and saw, just barley, the retreating form of... the sky? An aurora? In the shape of a wolf?

 That was... upsetting, oh so very upsetting.

 The whites of The Whisperer's eyes began to show as they started taking in deep breaths, panting, trying to take in enough air as they began to hyperventilate. The snake would hiss, terrified as they lowered and buried their head into the wolf's head fur. Simultaneously trying to offer and take comfort. The silence and the breathing was the answer to Aurora's question.

 They had no idea what that was.

 The Body's rear legs buckled under them, forcing them into a sit as they stared in fear at the now inactive night sky. Their tongue ran across their lips as now they sat inert and unable to do more than stare in panic.

 Was the sky going to attack them now? Were they all going to die?

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---

@Canis Major Astra sighting!

She acted as a shield to the trembling wolf aside her, placing a paw in front of them just as they broke down into a seat. Her eyes were never removed from the mesmerizing colors in the distant horizon, it almost looked familiar… 
She held onto the silence between them, watching with curiosity and fear, at the kaleidoscopic of greens and blues, dancing in its marbled glory.

At first, she thought they were retreating, what with the great distance, but the deep glow was heading toward them, and Aurora relinquished her bravado and squeezed herself to the floor, laying down and attempting to camouflage so that whatever this was, it couldn’t find them.
But as the light grew, and the being came closer it dawned on her that it was, in fact, huge. The size of an extinct sauropod, but it claimed the physique of a wolf. Its whole body glowed with lights that shone in the north - aurora borealis. She gasped at its beauty, the extraordinary sight.

She thought at the speed it was running toward them, it wasn’t going to break its stride through the forest, that it ultimately could’ve flattened with its colossal size.
Aurora whimpered, frozen in place as time had run out to dart anywhere. And just as the wolf reached them, it leaned on to its hocks and catapulted up into the skies above them. Auroras' ears pricked up, head tilting skyward as she followed its route.

The great lights slowly faded, -- she was speechless.

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They didn't want to witness any more. They didn't want to see. They just wanted it all over! The Soul was completely still, attempting to hide amongst the fur of the Body. They had mostly succeeded as well, for their scales matched so closely with the gilded wolf.

The wolf themself would press onto Aurora, as if they were hiding just as the snake did. They would shield their eyes from the sky, from the divine light. Were they to be smited down where they stood?

Aurora would lower down next to them and The Whisperer would bury their face into their friend's fur. Trembling. They would say nothing, fearful that a single noise would bring wrath down upon them.
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Auroras’ frozen form gradually thawed, her muscles now lax, as the cool night swept at her. Her dear friend was still petrified beside her. She didn’t say anything to her, with unspoken comfort she leaned into their buried head. Her lavender eyes shone with the sparkles of the stars above, as she sought the giant wolf that seemed to have disappeared, it was almost as if she had just completely imagined it all.
 
Time pressed on, laying there for quite a while, making sure that it really wasn’t going to make an unexpected return. Her tail wagged gently, to signal to her companion that all was now safe. And rose up onto all fours, removing her intense gaze to the skies and scanning her friend to ensure they too were now okay. The benevolent lady nuzzled them tenderly, encouraging them to rise.
‘It’s all okay, dear one’, cooing at them, to rid the worry and fear that encompassed them so.
 
Eyes glanced back into the purple maze behind them, the moon cascading down now lit the flowers into glowing orbs of baby blues, contemplating if they should just retreat home and recover from the shock of their unannounced ordeal. But the vibrations in her stomach were totally against this, so she made a move in the direction of where their usual hunting grounds were. She hadn’t moved far before looking back to see if her team-mate was indeed okay and definitely following her.

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 Time marched on, ever so slowly for The Whisperer. They felt like the whole sky was watching them, as if any movement would result in being smited. As if the whole world would come to an end by the skies above. At least if that happened... they would have Aurora next to them to help come to terms with the devastation.

 The tail wag was the first signal that things were going back to normal. Slowly, very slowly would they unfurl and unhide themselves from their companion. When the other rose, The Whisperer would press themselves into the ground. Both pairs of golden eyes would stare upwards, sad and uncertain about the future of things. Aurora's soft voice would coerce the wolf's ears to perk up but the snake would stay flattened and they wouldn't rise to their paws yet.

 After a few moments, when Aurora began moving forward the snake would lift above the Body's head as the Body's own head would rise... but they didn't stand and instead would stare mournfully at Aurora. They were still quite uncertain about everything. The wolf would chuff, hiss softly, and give a few twitches in what was their language to the snake. After a few heartbeats the snake's mouth would open to whisper to Aurora, "What was thisss? What happened? Was it a divine being from above..? What if it returnsss?" The wolf's eyes would dart upwards, scanning across the stars through the canopy to make sure nothing was returning while they spoke.

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Turning to double-check her friend was doing alright and was on her tail, her warm lavender eyes were met with those of gold full of terror. The vibrations in her stomach seized at once and it sunk into a pit instead, as she realized her companion was definitely not okay. She pivoted and faced them just as the serpent spoke their worries aloud. She moved forward to press her muzzle into the side of their plush cheek, with the softest of whines muffled into their fur.

Pulling back, she sat down in front of them, eyes never straying from her dear friends.
‘I really couldn’t say. I’ve never believed in Gods or Fates, but maybe this is what others speak of?’, recalling previous conversations had with strangers regarding these… beliefs, always inwardly cringing at the notion of a larger being watching over them, but who looked the fool now?
‘Do you believe… it was a god? I don’t think, whatever it was, that it was here to harm us, it almost looked happy and playful’, the recent recording in her mind replayed with the glowing colors of the giant wolf prancing along the plains at speed, almost as though it believed it had full rein over the expanse lands, all to itself, with no one watching it. Aurora asserted herself more with this thought, convincing herself too that it wasn’t here to bring destruction to their lives. Completely oblivious, of course, that her friend had hidden away for the whole show though, in panic and fear.

Her head tilted skywards, giving the heavens a last once over, before smiling toward the other.
‘They’re definitely gone now, whomever they were’.

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 Their companion returned to them, giving affection that the other leaned into with closed eyes. When Aurora stepped back, they seemed a bit comforted as they looked back into those eyes of lavender. "Yesss, it is what we think. The Fates showing themselves to the beings below..." The snake said softly, almost as if they were just gentle musings... except some fear still remained in both gilded gazes.

 Aurora didn't seem to think it was for a bad reason so it comforted them a little... "A harbinger of good times or bad? That is the question." The snake would fall silent as the wolf's gaze would lift to the heavens above. They were obscured by trees but they could see slivers of the night sky full of stars, still now that the divine being had gone. An owl hooted and The Whisperer's gaze would shift to it briefly before looking back at their companion. "But... if They were... playful. Perhapsss it is a good sign for the future." they would try to take solice in that. That if they were being punished their punishment would have been swift and terrible.

 The wolf would inhale deeply and rise to their paws. "Perhaps, we should take comfort in this..." And then the Body would give a soft, tentative smile as they moved closer to Aurora. Their stomach would rumble and they remembered the reason they'd initially come here. To take part in nighttime hunting, a ritual that was well-versed for all of them.

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+1 discovery

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Like the unfurling of a timid pangolin, she watched her friend slowly but surely allow themselves to roll out from behind their fear and uncertainty. Reciprocating Auroras tender care, before cascading their thoughts onto her. She smiled, as their curiosity eventually outdid their terror, not interrupting them until they rose and installed confidence in themselves.
‘You’ve often spoken to me of fates. Maybe I’m more inclined to believe in them now’, a glow of interest flickered within lavender orbs, ‘I like to believe this was a good sign’, a Hermes of another world, delivering goodness and peace.
 
She nuzzled into the cool coils of the snakes' lengthy body, wrapped around dotingly onto its host before she turned and began to slowly walk away from the ends of the forest, heading back into its depths and leading them onto another path toward their habitual prey. The pretty flowers of moonlit lilacs illuminating their path wherever they went. 

‘The fates you believe in, do they come in shapes or forms like the one just now?’, she looked to her side, assuming her friend was walking alongside her now, zoning in onto their initial task once again.

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 Ah yes, they knew well of their friend's hesitation to believe in such spiritual things as Fates and gods. Now though, with such undeniable proof... how could they not?

 The pair took solace in their friend's words. A good sign, yes. They would hold onto that theory for dear life as they too would begin walking with their friend. Like a dark shadow, they would fall in line with their lovely friend's pace. Keeping up with their long, graceful strides with practiced ease. They were nowhere near as elegant as the lovely swan but they felt no jealousy and knew where their own talents lay.

 As they walked, Aurora would herald them with a question. The wolf would glance to the side, the snake's gaze would keep forward as their tongue flickered out to taste the moon-kissed air. "In some tales, yesss... They can assume any form that They wish to grant knowledge or prophecies to their earthly children." A whispering on the breeze, the feeling one felt in their chest when making a decision, or a ghostly wolf in a dream... "Though... we have never heard of such overt signsss where we came from. At least, none from wolvesss not in tales of old... Perhaps this is the way of this world..." Leading them with a gentle paw in the open and not from shadows. "The Fates do not lead from the shadows here but show Their faces to all that would look." It was not an altogether uncomforting thought. Although it was a little terrifying.

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Her gait decreased as her mind collected all that her friend proffered, sharing their wisdom and knowledge of tales they were once told too. She never believed in those sorts, but the remarkable sight she witnessed, bore its very own story this night. What her friend informed her on made sense, dare she say.

‘Perhaps this is the way of this world’, she parroted, completely unaware that they walked a realm where most woke into, — if not in the most eccentric of ways.
 
Aurora soaked it all up like a sponge, listening so intently to her dear friend. There was much to learn on this subject. One she never explored before.
 
‘Was it here to gift a prophecy unto another then? What if it already visited a follower, and we saw it leaving?’, she had stopped by now, turning to her friend, with mild panic clouding her pretty features. It dawned on her they might never actually know.

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 Yes, their friend seemed to be understanding now, to be taking it all in. A realm of the divine, a realm of dreams, a realm where nothing was off-limits for the gods above. It all made sense to her. Perhaps they'd all been transported to this place for a reason. Perhaps their leaving of The Pack and waking from death into this world, was all purposeful. It sent a shiver down both of their spines to think about.

 Everything here was designed by The Fates. Here they might have a more powerful hold on the denizens of this place. This was The Fates' playground.

 And now, to them, this whole place was to be known as Fate. For what else could it be?

 They would stop then, just as their friend did. "Perhaps... their isss no way for us to tell... For they were simply mere mortals, not beings from the beyond. There was a pause as the snake and wolf would speak their language amongst themselves and then would come to a quick consensus of sharing their thoughts. "This land of no name that we have arrived into... We would like to call it Fate. Mayhapsss, it would please Them." Perhaps that was why they appeared. Who knew? Who could tell? What she could tell was that their friend was worried and for that, they would return the favor of comfort by pressing their flank into their lovely coat.

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She was pensive, it was all much to take in, but at the same time, a current of electricity sparked her interest and curiosity to every nether on her body. She decided she would now, from this very moment on, become a devotee to the divine. Prayers would be made, summons, and rituals, to keep them happy.

She nodded as her friend named their new world, ‘I think that would please them very much so’, her warm smile adorned her lips. ‘Fate’, this was to be the name of the land they both graced.
The worry subsided when she felt the stroke of her friend, and the balletic fae continued their journey, deep in thought.

Her eyes traced the trees that all stood as faithful sentinels guarding their precious territory, the charming woodlands. Catching the dormant butterflies she grew so fond of here, clustered in a blanket of comfort, and a thought stemmed from this.
‘What of the woodlands here? Our beautiful home? We should name it too. Perhaps in homage to the beautiful blue butterflies here’.

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Their friend gave approval for the name and The Whisperer would wag their tail. Pleased that they were pleased.

They would walk further in their serene woodland. Butterflies a constant companion to their enlightened journey.

Aurora would speak again. Another name? They would look around at the moonlit woodland with its enchanting purple blooms carpeting the ground. Yes. This place did need a name... "We should... Sssomething peaceful and calming." But they could not think of one fitting, even as they stood pondering nothing that was perfect quite came to mind.

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+1 discovery

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She pressed on as they chatted, knowing they were closing in on where they’d frequently come to find their nightly meals. A channel of burrows interweaving within each other, a rabbits colony with their very own underground system. Aurora and The Whisperer teaming up and working in harmony to snatch one or two lurking too close to the eye of the rabbits' home.
 
She hummed as she processed a few names. Something blue, something peaceful and calming.
 
‘Blue paradise?’, even she creased her nose and shook her head as it came out, that didn’t sound right. ‘Azure haven?’, she wasn’t’ sure about that either. She looked to her friend, and what their reaction was to these and perhaps if they had their own suggestions.

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The scent of prey hit the wolf's nose and the snake's tongue as it flickered out. This was their spot to hunt and already they were starting to salivate at the thought of catching food. The rabbit hunting had become such a nightly ritual that they dreamed of it at night and awaited eagerly for it to come.

But first, the name.

The Body would shake their head gently. No. That didn't sound quite right. The snake would peer down into the Body's eyes. A gentle hissing escaping their lips. The Body would hiss back and then the snake would meet Aurora's eyes.

"Sssaphire Nest?" Was that good? Or wait... No... Now that it was out and spoken in the Common Tongue, it didn't quite sound as nice.
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Aurora giggled playfully, what a night it had been thus far. The events that took place at the beginning of their nightly routine was definitely not so much at the front of the queue of her thoughts right now, as her friend and she searched for the right name for their home.
 
She listened to their proposal. It definitely had more about it than her very own plain-jane names. Beginning to get more excited as it sounded so close to being right.
 
‘Oh I like that! Nest.. nest.. What about Nestle?’, she looked about, it did seem they way. A woodland nestled on the outskirts of a vast plain. ‘Sapphire nestle?’. She tried to think of other blues, that would do their winged friends justice.

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Oh, Aurora's giddiness was quite contagious. The Body began to wag their tail, eyes alighting with joy. They were so close to the perfect name. They could feel it.

The Body's mouth would open after Aurora would say"nestle", as if they were trying to supply something else without the Soul's vocals. It has been so long since they'd spoken... Nothing came out but they continued to mouth something. A word. Another gem.

Over and over they would excitedly mouth the word, but only the faintest of rasps like a horse bark would escape their maw. "Lapis." The Soul looked almost intrigued and quite proud that for the first time since the death of their mate and pups that their bonded had grown happy and excited enough to attempt a word.
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The playfulness between two sisters carried on, bouncing back and forth like an invisible ping pong match, except had a ping pong ball actually been present, they would be chasing it around like the innocence of young pups.
 
Nothing came back in suggestion, and it wasn’t until an unfamiliar whisper came next to her, did Aurora glance to her side, and she stopped in her tracks. Mouth agape in surprise, in awe. She never really asked why her wolf counterpart never spoke, she just assumed they couldn’t.
 
Her head bobbed in encouragement, waiting silently, with wide eyes. She didn’t want to spoil the moment if it was this one that they chose to speak. Aurora wouldn’t push them either if they chose not to though. She waited, with her tail wagging from side to side, her excitement evidently uncontained

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The hoarseness of their bark would grow less and less with repeated use but the word just wouldn't come all the way out. The Body would whine and then look up at the Soul. They knew what was needing to be said but they simply shook their serpentine head.

They could coil down to rest themselves on top of the Body's muzzle, eyes locked onto their bonded's. "Go on... We can ssspeak." For they knew the Body could say what was needed to be said.

They are there for encouragement and the wolf would draw from it. Practically dancing on their paws they would warm up their voice and open their mouth. Close it. Then open again... Then they would edge closer to Aurora so that they could whisper into their ear.

"...Lapis." In their hoarse from disuse but also soft and very feminine voice.

They'd done it. They'd said something! Their eyes were almost in shock but the smile showed they were quite pleased.
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She watched and waited. Waited and watched. Patient, as she always was. They were trying, but Aurora wouldn’t know this wasn’t the first time that they’d ever spoken.
 
The familiar voice came through of the snake, encouraging their own body to speak as they did.
And when the wolf neared her, Auroras' tail was frantic and energetic, she leaned into them so that the faintest of a beautiful voice could be heard.
 
Albeit scratchy, she heard it. It came in one simple word. Auroras eyes were full to the brim with pride. She gasped as they spoke. It was perfect and it had been chosen in such a special way.
 
‘You spoke!’, she burst with her pent-up excitement. Without a thought, her tongue lapped at the other cheek in soft affection, of praise and well dones'. In a manner akin to a pup. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
 
She moved back, beaming. ‘Lapis Nestle’. That was their home. This was their home.
 
The fae was still in shock, she searched her friends' golden eyes. ‘I didn’t know you could speak!’

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 The excitement that Aurora had for them, and the pride. It made the earthen-toned wolf feel so complete and happy. In shy embarrassment they would try to tuck their head into their fur and scales like a turtle trying to hide in their shell. Still, that smile didn't go away and if they weren't so dark complexioned, they might have blushed.

[indnet]Lapis Nestle. This was it! The snake would hiss delightedly and the wolf was brought out of their shy shell once more to dance around on their dark golden paws. They weren't elegant or graceful but they made up for that with sheer enthusiasm. They would meet their friend's gaze when they spoke and their dancing paws would still. A single nod would answer the question and the snake would elaborate, "The Body can speak... their voice only fell sssilent after the tragedy." The Body's head would dip down, happiness stifled after the memory was brought back. Their faces, their cries, the exile. It all flashed before their eyes before they shook their head and gave a small smile again. "But you have brought happinesss back to us." They would never be able to repay their friend's kindness.

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Her heart pounded with all the excitement and joy that surrounded the duo in this moment. She was still in disbelief, and buzzing from hearing her mute friends voice finally.
She half expected them to continue, to elaborate, but they didn’t. The hiss of the serpent shared their reasons, and Auroras’ heart sunk in sorrow at this.
 
A tragedy. Did the past with her pack have something to do with this? But as the reassuring smiles came her way, she dismissed it. Not wanting to break the celebrations of such a milestone.
 
‘This warms my heart, The Whisperer’, a moment passed where she recalled their first meeting, so timid and fragile.
 
‘I hope our journey together will continue to blossom your happiness’, and she too smiled back at them.

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