I'm not giving up...
I'm just giving in.
Soon after his encounter with Enya, Eon had begun to explore the realm. He felt he had been brought here for some reason… Though he couldn’t figure out why for the life of him. Had fate wanted him to meet with Enya? To join her pack…?
It may have seemed strange that two wolves were attempting to claim an entire continent by themselves, but who was he to question it? Honestly - he wished he had the confidence to attempt something like that… but he did not. Not even close. He was hesitant to ever lead anything ever again after the last time when nearly his entire pack ended up frozen in stone. It perhaps wasn’t really his fault, despite what his mother might have said - but as the last one in charge of Athadia before its demise ate at him. He just wished he could have done more… but since then much had been revealed to him. Perhaps in the worst way possible, but at least now he knew who he was, well, he supposed he was still figuring that out too, but at least he knew who he wasn’t. He never belonged in the pack to begin with. Why his adoptive mother had ever attempted to raise him as her own was a mystery he would never know the answer to.
But Athadia was in the past now - Ahead of him was the future. His azure gaze fixated on the horizon. A sigh escaped him, attempting to let all the weight of the past go with an outward breath. A flicker appeared on the horizon, outstretched wings soaring in his direction. The bird flew right up to him, dropping a scroll by his paws. Eon would cock his head in confusion, looking over the bird who stared back at him blankly for a moment before taking to the skies once more. Being the curious creature he was, Eon would open it without a second thought reading the words in his head. A meeting… at the flowery plains? Why? He began to wonder, though he supposed he could just go and find out.
He had never been to the flowery plains before, but on wings that could fly at top speeds, he supposed it wouldn’t be too hard to find. He was soon able to scout out the exact location before the meeting, so he could return when it was time, and when that time came, he was there. The other wolves around him seemed to look up at one particular wolf perched atop a boulder - everyone went silent when he spoke, so it was safe to assume, this was the other leader. His scent was strangely familiar like he’d lingered around Athadia before - but he did not remember the face, and he did not believe they had ever formally met. Suddenly, the puzzle pieces were starting to piece together. It would make sense he was from Kalonia if he knew Enya well enough to lead beside her. It seemed it would be harder than he thought to escape his past after all…
He listened intently as he spoke, once the silence hit another wolf spoke up. Eon was not surprised by the response. It did seem a bit odd they were attempting to claim the entire continent. He had the same thoughts earlier. Wouldn’t there be some sort of pushback from the wolves who lived here? With some strangers moving in and attempting to claim it all for themselves? There was definitely something fishy about it… but perhaps there just weren’t enough wolves here to push back… or maybe they just didn’t care. The next wolf to speak mentioned they were a nurse, and immediately offered their services to the pack. His ear twitched. Something in him told him, if he didn’t speak now he might not be able to. He had to put his lingering doubts aside if he was going to join this pack. Whatever this pack had to offer, it was clearly better than a fate left alone. But… what skills could he offer? He began to think back to the bird who had given him the scroll. There had to have been an easier way to do things… and just maybe, he was the key to that.
The small canid would attempt to make himself seen by moving forward slightly. It was quite possible he hadn’t been noticed til now due to his placement in the back of the crowd - but now he made himself known. “I don’t believe we have met before sir, but I am an acquaintance of Enyas’’ he’d start out by saying, hoping his familiarity with the other alpha would spark some interest. “My name is Eon, I received your scroll by bird, I am a skilled flier myself, and I am willing to deliver messages across the land, if that is something that would be of use” he’d speak, getting a bit nervous now - he could feel eyes upon him. He had craved being the center of attention in the past, but now, for some reason, it felt different. It felt like he couldn’t think....
“I am willing to help out in other ways as well, I can even take up a leadership position too, if that is something that needs to be filled.” Regret instantly washed over him… though he did his best to hide it. Why would he say that? Something was coming bumbling to the surface, but why now? Not after the fool he had made of himself in front of Enya - looking more like some sort of beached whale than someone who could lead a kingdom.
As much as he feared being in a leadership position, he couldn’t help that subconsciously it was something he also craved. He wanted to be useful, and he wanted to be important. It was just that lingering fear… his mother… Fuck that. His mother was gone now. Nothing she said should matter. Nothing she said did matter. What happened was not his fault - and it was almost as if getting those words out gave him some sort of boost. The confidence he once had, the confidence he had lost - it was back, it was his, and no one was going to steal it from him. Not Athadia, not his mother… no one. He’d look back up at the alpha, a gleam in his eyes. He did not know if he had seen his hesitation. But the hesitation that was there a minute ago was gone now. Or at least, it had been buried deep down.
NOTES