[ AW ] Reflections

Elias

He feels as if he has just dredged himself out of a fog, its vapor so thick that it had enveloped him in a substance as sticky and thick as spider's web. And it clung to him still. Threads and clumps of spring's sickness, of a cough that had left him bedridden and without his other half. Thea had been forbidden from seeing him, and he her—at least during the day. At night he could dream of childhood memories. And he could plan for the future, for days when he would be well.

Like today, somewhat.

"He has recovered!" The physician had announced jovially, although there had still been a nervous twinge to his voice. That little tremor had grown when Elias' nose had gone dry and whenever his mother or father drifted by. It was sweet, almost, in the way that the doctor thought he might be punished should any malady claim Elias' life. As if his mother might notice from the haze of her sweet-scented stupor or as if his step-father might care.

Elias' nose wrinkles as he coughs. Allegedly he was no longer in a state of contagion—he could go out and "greet the day", "go for a walk", and endure the myriad of life's woes from outside of his family's manor.

"I look like a ghost," he sighs, glancing down at his reflection.

"speak"

code & art by claerie

H

is travels had been long and wearisome, but he at last had reached the last destination he had pinpointed before he planned to turn back. There were herbs that he needed to get his paws on, ones that just didn't grow in Aberdeen or Perth. His paws had taken him through the Lowlands, a land covered with elegantly weaving streams and rivers. The change of scenery was welcome for the herbalist, as life at home had become... hard. The appearance of the phantom in his dreams made it difficult to reside in his paw-made hut, and his twin had gone off someplace again, leaving Sage to deal with the Prince on his own. Not that the Prince himself was a problem.

The distant sound of waves had drawn him like bees to blossom and he approached the shoreline, his body relaxed and calm, his woven satchel hanging loose around his neck. It wasn't as heavy as he would have hoped by this point in his journey, but his optimism had yet to falter. He still had the journey home after all. A smoky figure appeared at his feet and he jumped back, brought back from his reverie in an instant. His own face stared back at him as he inspected source of his fright. For some, this might be an odd experience. For Sage, it just made him miss seeing the tiny details that made up his twin. His face was wrong, the darker grey reached too far down his snout to be comforting. He blinked his cerulean eyes, allowing himself a moment of darkness before lifting them to inspect the tide pools that dotted the shore before him.

As he wondered if there might be some seaweed in one of these pools, easier to pick than those found deep in the ocean, he noticed a figure reflecting the sun in such a way that it made him feel like he needed to squint. The figure was thin, too thin. Something about his scent was off too. He could smell something sweet, but sharp, but it seemed dull right now, as if the wolf was sick perhaps. His coat seemed impeccable, however. It was the brightest white Sage had ever seen. Brighter even than fresh snow on a winter morning. Carefully, Sage approached, his tail held low, his ears flat against his head. "Hello?" He called out softly, hoping not to startle the figure.

@Elias

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck