the good old days

khepri tiamat.

Where had the time gone?

It seemed like the days, weeks, months, years... they all flew by faster than he realized. He was in the 'prime' of his life, or so they called it, and already he felt aged beyond his years. He felt like he'd lived a lifetime of pain and although he had, he really hadn't. He still had so much more time and yet... so little.

He lifted his muzzle, gazing about the forest and remembering the days he and his sister used to play here. It was their secret place, they'd called it.

It no longer held that haunting aura, and for that he was glad. The day he'd run into Sif here had been horrifying and it had taken him ages to return but eventually he was able to. He wasn't here looking for herbs, no, not this time. He was just here to torment himself.

Wistfully, he looked around before settling upon a large tree and resting beside it's base. The birds chattered and the bugs buzzed, but other than that, it was quiet.

"The good old days..." he scoffed quietly. They had been good, but they had also been bad. He sighed and wondered just when he'd have some truly good days. He hadn't seen Sif in what seemed like ages and that was probably the sensible thing for her to do. His heart ached at the fact that she probably found him detestible and had chosen to stay away from him for good. It wasn't like they'd gone out of their ways to find one another all those other times, well except one. His cheeks warmed slightly and he sighed, looking off into the woods and letting the memories take him. The only ghosts here now were the ones from days long past.

table by hale. image from unsplash.

“You look distracted." Nassar approached her brother slowly, her paws silent as she crossed the paths that she had learned far too well as a child. She had no right to lay claim to this shard of the highlands—especially given how she had grown to hate the wilds and its people—and yet some part of her was still infatuated with it. As foolish as it all was, the Highlanders sold an intoxicating dream. Uninhibited freedom. No tethers of status. No Tiamat manse or her mother's iron grip upon a matriarchy whose crown weighed more than it was worth. Here, she was no soldier or, dare she say it, a mother. Her children did not know of this little corner of the groves, nor would she dare to tell them. Some secrets were innocuous enough for even a mother to keep. After all, this was where she had stole away days to play with her brother, soft and sweet as he was. “Did you meet someone?" Her head canted curiously as she stepped out from underneath a low hanging prine branch, ears twitching as the nettles ran furrows through her fur.

ART➤Amphi STOCK ➤ Dawnthieves

@Khepri

khepri tiamat.

"You look distracted."

The voice came out of nowhere, and sounded like it was from a dream. Or... really, a memory.

He turned his head to see Nassar slipping from the trees and he felt a clenching in his chest that he couldn't even begin to describe. Emotion welled up so quickly, clawing at his throat and causing tears to well in his eyes before drawing blissful smile to his face. He blinked rapidly, sniffed a little and then shook his head with a laugh. "No..." he lied.

A pause.

"Well, maybe. But probably not." he added, shrugging. He knew he should just forget about Sif, it was what was good for them both. A part of him lamented that he hadn't gotten to see her in a while, to tell her the things he'd been feeling, but he supposed that was good. She was better off without him.

He cleared his throat and drew a breath. "What about you?" he asked. He knew nothing beyond what happened to Kohl all those years ago. He had spoken to Nassar somewhat between then and now, but he suddenly realized that this last stint had been the longest. "I'm sorry... it's been a while." he said. It wasn't like he didn't want to see her, she and Lia were the only ones he wanted to see. But they were both busy and he had become a hermit, more or less... so it was hard to actually break out of the shell he'd built and try to do anything, really.

table by hale. image from unsplash.