[ AW ] Cruel Summer

I

n the blazing heat of daytime, each step felt taxing, as if she was walking through mud rather than cobblestone streets. This place had once been an exciting, spectacular locale, one that the adolescent girl had dreamed of visiting. But it was far from magical or marvelous now, as the drought had forced so many of the islands’ residents to the Mainlands. Willow had watched in horror as her family’s garden suffered the consequences of the unusual heat, and now… Now she was far away from home, having followed her mothers here to assist those in need. She tried not to stare at the sick wolves gathered there, staring at the ground before her paws as she followed her family.


”I’ve only been here once before,” she stated aloud, for her own purpose more than the others’. ”But there was snow on the ground then. It’s kind of hard to remember what that was like, now that it feels like…” Her chin raised so that she was forced to look at the surrounding scenery: more wolves, more agony, more despair. ”Like this.” She kept on talking, as if the cadence of her voice would keep her calm and focused; her heart beat like a hammer within her chest. ”I wonder if the king’s garden has been left to die.” She glanced up at an elderly wolf who stared blankly at the ancient castle where the royal family resided; this old brute was speaking gibberish, so clearly unwell that Willow wondered if he would soon perish from the heat. "Like the rest of us."


Willow stopped suddenly in her tracks. So distracted by her own thoughts, she had not realized that she was now walking alone, absent not one, but both of her mothers. ”Wha– Mum?” Recognition swiftly transformed into panic as sage green eyes sought familiarity, but found nothing but strange faces and smells. And the sounds… the sounds of suffering were all around, the delirious voices of others in the throes of dehydration and heat stroke. ”Mama? Mum? Where are you!? Where did–”


In her distraction, Willow failed to see the twisting root in her path, which promptly sent the youth face-first into the dry ground. Her face was dusty, chin quivering as she sat up in the dirt. The world kept moving on around her, too concerned with itself to notice the fallen youth.



@Vedette

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Vedette had been traipsing through each of the relief sites. She had little medic training, so she could not help the wounded, but she could help dig dens or offer support in dragging logs around to help build temporary shelters. She had not stopped since the messenger bird reached her in the Highlands. Once she had been informed of the disasters happening in the Lowlands; she was off. Escorting groups of wolves from the Lowlands to Redwood and Castle Stuart; wherever there was room. Though her paws had not touched the beaches down further South. She rarely went to Sussex. It was a stain on Rionnach's map, one that was hard to clean.

Vedette found herself around Castle Stuart. It was bittersweet for her. She visited a lot with her grandmother when she was a kid. This wasn't before Bianca lost her mind; for as long as Vedette had been alive, she seemed to have a few screws loose. So they'd spend ten minutes longer than any normal interaction would take, as her grandmother took too long to look over things and try to haggle with the vendors. Vedette always remembering staring up at the tall towers, where nobles would lean over and laugh. Whether it was at the common folk or just enjoyment of the day, the young girl never knew and understood that she would never know.

Walking along the paths, the closer she got to the Castle, the better the paths were smoothed over. Refugees from all over Rionnach gathered, slowly waltzing through the market, as if some of them had never seen such a thing. She wasn't surprised. In fact, she thought many Highlanders did not know of the marketplace. They were stuck within their own world where fae existed. Vedette was a part of the Lowlanders that had expanded from their Highlander roots. She heard Bianca mention the fae, and there were a few brief mentions of the mother she never met, believing in them as well. But, herself? She'd seen firsthand that there was no magic in the air. From disasters that occurred over Rionnach and from the ones that affected her very family. The Imperial Army woman stayed in her own little mind until she almost stumbled over something in the road. Her ears twisted and her sunburst orange eyes fixate on a heap of a child in the road. Vedette's eyebrows raised, looking from side to side vastly before she rounded up towards the front of the child. "Now, now. Chin up." She states, a light gaelic accent tainting her voice. She's standing guard in front of teen and grunting whenever someone dared to be ignorant enough to fumble their way. "No need to cry. What's happened?" She can only assume the child is lost; whereas there are no parents to be found. But, whatever it is, Vedette can at least offer her help to the child before she continues on. After all, she was searching for those to help. She could not rest knowing what was going on outside of her home.


@Willow

F

or a moment or two, Willow remained where she had fallen, dazed and confused in the endless heat. Then, a voice spoke to her, and she saw her mother Kylar’s paws before her. Or, at least, she thought so. ”Mum, I–” Her eyes lifted, slowly, to find a stranger’s face. Her mouth fell open in surprise, and she stumbled backward unconsciously. ”Oh! You’re not…” The words trickled into silence.


How… How did this unknown wolf look so much like her? The two wolves were decorated in the same hues of tan, ivory, with traces of black. Even their muzzles were similarly darkened. They were far from identical, but it was enough for Willow to take notice. Her eyebrows raised questioningly, her confusion obvious on her youthful features.


If pups don’t really grow from a garden, like plants… and Mum and Mama are not really that…


Sage green eyes narrowed with intrigue as she examined the large she-wolf’s face. The other appeared young, not old, or at least, not old enough to be the adolescent’s mother. Still, Willow could not help herself from asking, as she collected herself from the ground and into a sitting position: ”Are you – are you my family?”



@Vedette

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Vedette stood steadfast in front of the girl, amidst a busier path, but the Guardsman held a natural air around her when she was on duty - 'Watch out.' The demeanour of an alligator, muscle underneath the ripples of her fur, and a sullen face that rarely seemed to form to any other emotion. When truly, she never meant to appear intimidating; but never had the social exercise as a child to really determine what postures and emotions meant what. Her orange gaze stays alert; without moving her central point of view from the teen, she can also glance out of her peripherals to keep tabs on what was going on around them. One of the basic keys in the Army was always being aware and alert, on your toes in case of emergency. Vedette felt the prickle of her duty in her fur. It was something she couldn't get rid of. Like a thorn stuck in her paw, it was always there and made itself aware.

The lost and somewhat banged up teenager manages to pull some words together - clearly mistaking Vedette for her mother. At the accusation, she does not stumble or jump at the chance to correct her, but merely titled her head. Quickly, she seemed to realize but not completely pull her mind from the fact that Vedette looked familiar. That's only what the Guardsman could think anyway, with the way Willow's eyes seemed widened, taking in every inch of the color of her fur. She'd never really had someone study her this close. Then, out of the blue, instead of an answer to Vedette's question, the strange teen has one of her own.

'Are you - are you my family?' The young girl asks.

It was highly unlikely. Renato, her father, did not have siblings. Bianca, her grandmother, had stated so herself. 'Just your father. And look how he turned out... Could you imagine more than one...' Her voice trailed off in the back of Vedette's mind. She'd learned pretty young not to ask questions. She'd either get one of her grandmother's crazy rattling off or a swat to her nose. And her mother, Isabella, well. No one talked about her. Sometimes, there would be one off night where Bianca mentioned Isabella, but shut up instantly when Renato walked in the door. So maybe it wasn't highly unlikely her mother had siblings. But now? There was no one to ask. "No." Vedette simply put it. She had no family. None living or that were associated with her. "But I am here to help you. What's your name?" She can't feel sorry for herself. There's someone that needs help right in front of her, and with the best of her abilities, she'd try to return the girl to her actual family.


@Willow