Days prior, she had celebrated her faith alongside her mate. She had given herself to her Goddess and felt her presence during the harvest moon. That night, she had dreams. They had come to her in bursts of action - some of them depicting characters she didn't know while others she did. There was life, death, happiness and sorrow in her dreams. Some of them depicted entire scenes, while others were short flashes - only glimpses of the future, past, or present. When she had woke the next day, she had deciphered her dreams as she recalled them, her mind falling again and again on a wolf she hadn't thought of for some time.
Lazarus.
The green giant who she had at one time thought to pursue. Just the thought of the duel made her smile as she pictured him fleeing from her. At the time, she had been offended, but now it was a fond memory of him. Lazarus was a wolf who had a hard past. Like her, he'd died and been reborn but not in the same way. He had confessed to her many of his heart aches, and she had been there for him as much as she could be as his leader and friend. She used to sometimes wonder what had happened to him but like the rest of her close friends and family, had refused to scry him. When she dreamed, however, she had no control over what she saw. She couldn't help if her visions focused on Lazarus.
Only, it wasn't exactly Lazarus that she saw. He certainly looked like him in some aspects, and yet he was different. Colored differently, smaller, and wingless. She would never mistake the skull on his face, however. She had never seen another wolf with a marking alike. She saw him with her, sitting in the very place where Tsillah had shared dreams with her. She needed to return to meet him, she realized, and so she had lingered in the area until it was time. She had wound her way back down into the crater once more, returning to the spot that she and Caedwyn had celebrated Tsillah. There she sat and waited, her nose pointed downwards and her eyes closed with her tail curled about her toes proper. It was nearly time.
Malachi was on the run. He was being hunted by the massive beast that killed his father. There was one last ditch effort he could make to elude his hunter. Blood magic for teleportation. His thoughts had been on the one his father spoke of so fondly of.. to the one Lazarus demanded that he find, with his last breath- Enya Fault. He could only pray to the Goddess and hope like hell that it worked.
Malachi was weak when he arrived. Well, when he was dropped a good five feet out of the sky onto the hard ground of a crater. Blood magic was only something he had witnessed his father doing, to actually preform it was exausting! For a few minutes all he did was lay there on the rocky ground, breathing slowly. Waiting for the dizziness to subside. When it finally did he opened his eyes, it took a few moments for them to adjust to the lighting- and even longer for things to come into focus. The teen groaned with discomfort as he moved to sit up. His muscles ached in protest.
There, just feet in front of him sat a lean, red colored wolf. It was the blue scales that grabbed his attention. "Enya..Fault?" The name felt foreign on his tongue. The wolf would slide back down into a laying position, his muscles protesting, as though he had ran the entire way here. Had he not been so tired, the wolf would have been assessing his surroundings. But right now, he couldn't bring himself to do much else besides lay and wait, at the mercy of this stranger- because he was going out on a limb in assuming identity. An even bigger limb in assuming this wolf wouldn't harm him.
A loud thump sounded in the bottom of the crater. Enya remained still without flinching as the sound went off, unstartled because she had been expecting the wolf to drop from the sky. The wolf in her dream sprawled out before her, panting heavily and clearly winded from what he had just endured. Her teal eyes opened and her nose tilted upwards to stare at the creature that laid out on the grounds. There she waited, watched, and observed, wondering how long it would take the wolf to come to his senses.
At last, his consciousness came to and his yellow gaze turned onto Enya. Her own gaze widened. Seeing him in her dreams was one thing. Seeing him here, for real, the way his eyes matched his, the skull embedded in his fur around his face, it was still surprising to her. "Don't wear it out." Enya answered in response to the wolf questioning her name, a smirk on her face. She lifted from her delicate sit to stand and slowly approach the male, her head down and tail up. It was almost a stalk, but not quite. All the while, she smirked as she approached. Her eyes immediately fell to the large - no massive - skull hung down by the male's chest. Those horns. Could it be?
"And you are the one I saw in my dreams, yet I did not ever hear a name muttered. I only saw that you were running, and that you would end up here, and that I would meet you to guide you on your way. The tunnels here leading from top to bottom of the crater are confusing." Her head lifted to be held proudly as she came up towards the male, looking down at him before she extended a paw out, offering her help towards him. "I didn't see how this ended. Do you care to show me?"
There wasn't a time the teen could recall ever witnessing a joke, outside of sarcastic remarks from father. So when told not to wear it out, Malachi would blink, laying there, puzzled by her words. His yellow-green gaze fixed on Enya as she gracefully crept forward in a half-hearted prowl. The viper, as Lazarus had once called her; now he understood why. She was the striking embodiment of strength, pride, and grace.
Malachi let his gaze follow hers, down to the giant skull fastened around his chest. Yes, it was him; he wanted to say, but his lips hadn't the strength to utter the truth. "And you are the one I saw in my dreams" Her first sentence had his full attention, she saw him in her dreams? Malachi tried to hide the shock on his face. For he too had dreams, visions...that seem to foreshadow what was to come.. The younger wolf forced his body to sit upright once again, "The Goddess was looking out for me it seems." His voice was a tired but humbled, matter-of-fact pitch. "My name is Malachi Leviathan." At first Malachi tried to walk up the crater without assistance- his father didn't raise a weakling! However, when his strength betrayed him he accepted her offer to assist him on the way out.
Her request made Malachi pause. His paws felt suddenly rooted to the earth. "We were caught by surprise." Malachi felt as though he swallowed a mouthful of thorns, as visions of the incident flicker behind his eyes. His illusion magic began to work with his clairvoyance, his high emotional state causing the magic to throw hazy, mirage like visions around them both; The giant hyena seemed to materialize out of the darkness itself when it sprang onto Lazarus. Luckily Lazarus was able to roll over and kick the assailant off. The pair seemed evenly matched, until Malachi tried to help; in fear for Lazarus after Balthazar bit into the left side of his dads face, ripping a large chunk off. The vision skips, jumping over various moments where Balthazar had lunged at Malachi, attempting to come after Malachi for interfering. Lazarus was quick enough to shove his son put of harms way, but in doing so it put him in an inconvenient spot. The bat-like hyena decapitated him with a swift swing of his bladed tail."He told me what I needed to do. Telepathically..before..the end. I ran for awhile... but.. before I left..really left..I had to go back for him.." Malachi let his eyes drop to the skull on his chest. "It was my fault..I got in the way.." his fur bristled on end, lips drawn into a snarl of disgust. "I should have been stronger." Or perhaps, smarter. He thinks.
As the young wolf mentioned a Goddess, Enya wondered if he meant Tsillah, the faith whom both she and Lazarus had embraced at one point. "Malachi Leviathan" Enya repeated in a calm tone, testing the name on her tongue, lingering on the surname. Even as he tried to stand, to leave the crater, she remained calm and poised as she observed, her mind wondering away as she waited for him to realize that he could not change the vision that she had seen. Her teal eyes looked at the skull once more hanging to cover the male's chest. She wanted to ask him, to find out if her suspicion was correct or not, and yet she could not. Her will left her when she tried to part her muzzle and ask of the skull's origin.
Surprise surprise, she didn't need to ask Malachi of her suspicions. When she prompted him to show her how her vision ended, he instead showed her the parts before what she had seen. She had expected an explanation, but what she received was far greater and more impressive. Enya watched as the illusions swirled around them, creating a scene that showed Lazarus, Malachi and a massive hyena in the middle of a fight. Did she recognize that hyena from her times in Casfura? Enya watched curiously, her posture changing from calm to anxious. She saw the hyena latch onto Lazarus' face, saw Malachi leap in for the save. She watched as the fight continued, as the hyena changed his pursuit from Lazarus to the young boy. She saw Lazarus lunge forward and winced, her mouth falling open as she saw his head come clean off.
There was certainly no recovering from that sort of injury.
Grief filled the previously poised Enya as her eyes went from the illusion back to the skull once more. There was no doubt within her anymore. The skull absolutely must have belonged to her beloved friend. Her heart clenched, and she turned to Malachi with a soft expression, warm where before she had been cold as steel towards this stranger. Now was not the time to grieve for her friend. Now she had to be strong. She had to stand tall, and she had to pay tribute to her friend.
The words from Malachi cut Enya, but she held the lump in her chest at bay and reclaimed her expression. "It is not your fault, Malachi." she said firmly. "He had a choice, and he made the choice that he desired. Trust me, and trust the friendship that I had with Lazarus through our histories when I tell you this: he would gladly repeat the situation and be proud of the same outcome, should the opportunity somehow rise again." Suddenly leaving the crater didn't seem like such an important task. Suddenly, she wanted to sit here, to talk with the boy, to help him learn the pains of the world. "He is under Tsillah's guidance now. From there, she will judge him, and I promise you that her judgment will be just. If you know her teachings, you know that I speak the truth." She gave Malachi a pointed look, trying to decipher whether or not he understood. "Even the strongest must eventually bend to Tsillah's judgement. Death claims us all. It is unavoidable and it is the natural way of the world. You can be strong, but fate is always stronger. Nothing you do can change that. Do you understand?" She looked from Malachi up to the sky above as it stretched out above the tall walls of the deep crater. "Be strong now for him. Honor his memories and cherish his ideals. That is what you can do now."
He couldn't stop from wincing at the shocked expression that came to Enya's features. He felt a tug in his chest, a deep ache of sorrow. But the young male instead, looked away, nose pointed down with his eyes closed tightly and jaw clenched. Doing his best to force the feelings down. He had to be strong now.
Malachi felt his vision blur and his head swirl with a dizzying buzz as the effects of his magic had died away, taking yet another toll on his body. Using magic was not anything new for Malachi. He had been born with it. But never has he been able to conjure anything the way he had earlier.
With just one soft expression, Malachi found himself wanting to fold, wanting to lean into this complete stranger and cry out his sorrows on her shoulder. "It is not your fault, Malachi." His lips twitched to disagree, but something in her tone kept Malachi from saying anything. He only nodded along as she continued, sharply inhaling to keep the tears from welling in his eyes. She was right. "Tsillah has always been good to us." He knew her ruling would be fair, she always had been- sometimes even more so. And he could cling to the comfort in knowing that Lazarus would be with Tsillah now. Free from pain or sorrow. Happy, and content once more. "Yes, I understand.." Although he wasn’t quite sure he believed it- even if he understood it.
Yes, honoring him. Malachi echos her words in his thoughts. He had yet to do that. In fact Malachi has been so busy running for the past two weeks, that he had little time to grieve the loss of his father, whom the teen had only had in his life a short time. "How did you know my father?" it came out like vomit; sudden and uncontrollable. He fixed his yellow-green gaze to Enya, curiously waiting.
Malachi found himself suddenly curious about the wolf who had risked everything to give Malachi a second chance in life. Lazarus had never been much of an open book about his past lives. Except to tell him how Malachi had been brought into the world- and how Lazarus had to go through extreme conditions to reach him. Though every now and then his father would give him bits and pieces about the time spent in the jungle.
To Enya's relief, her impromptu words of advice seemed to be both appreciated and heeded. Whether or not they were the proper words and what the situation called for, she didn't know. She wasn't good at this sort of stuff. She wasn't good at guiding others emotionally really at all. She was good with ideas, and she was good with throwing her weight around, and maybe she could argue that she was better at leading than before, but she wasn't good at talking. She'd never go that far to think herself skilled in the ways of divine interpretation either. Honestly, she had said the words for Malachi as much as she had said them for herself. Lazarus was gone likely forever. Sure, there was a chance that his spirit remained to be reborn again, but there was a part of Enya that hoped that he would finally cease in his suffering. He'd had such a hard life from what she had known. He'd had a life harder than hers, for sure. 'I will help him' she told Lazarus with her mind, though of course there was no chance he could ever hear her. 'I'll give him a life better than what you had. He'll be safe, here, in the Kingdom, like you would have been.' Final fleeting thoughts towards the green giant she had called one of her closest friends.
Malachi suddenly spoke up, asking her a question she should have expected to receive. It was funny, really, looking over and seeing Lazarus in the boy. It made her feel like he knew him, despite knowing such a fact was the furthest from the truth. Her mind turned towards her history. It felt so long ago now, the time she had spent in Vrolga with Lazarus. When did it even start? "I met him in Vrolga." Enya bega, approaching the boy with a kind look on her face. He was larger than her, but it didn't phase her. Most everyone was larger than her. Instead of trying to climb up the side of the crater, Enya instead made her way towards a cave, taking both her and Malachi into the shadows. Her paws felt the shift from soil to rock beneath her and a cool dampness took up inside the cavern system. Within, mosses grew in the crevices where light could penetrate. In the darker areas, some of the algae glowed a feint green to help illuminate. Enya walked slowly, letting Malachi take his time to both learn the tunnel system and continue to recover his strength. "We both joined the pack around the same time together. We learned of Tsillah and her place in our life. We proved our bonds and strengths through trials and ceremonies together. We were always there for one another. Always. Lazarus didn't let many know what he was going through. He preferred everyone to view him as stone cold. He let me know, though." She lingered at the sad memories, then pressed onwards, "I knew he had other relationships, but I didn't know he had children. He never told me, but it has been a long time since I've seen him. Ever since I died, I lost track of him. What do you know of him?"
The red woman lingered in what seemed to be deep thought. She came closer, her features softened; kindness reflected in her vivid blue eyes. She was smaller than him- something that was honestly a first for him- because well...everyone he had ever been around, which was mostly Lazarus, were bigger than him. It felt strange looking down on someone else instead of up.
Enya began to approach the cave system at the bottom of the crater. One that until now, Malachi had not even noticed. His dual colored eyes flickered back to the steep walls that encased the crater. It would be much easier going through it rather than up it, relief washed over him as he moved to follow the red lady.
The ground shifted from soft, damp soil to a solid and cool rocky surface. The cave carried an earthy and slightly damp scent, reminiscent of the forest floor after a rain. It mingled with hints of moss and vegetation, and a subtle mineral undertone from the rocky walls. The air inside felt much cooler than the air from outside. Malachi also caught a touch of the natural, organic aroma of the glowing mosses and fungi, giving it a unique, almost ethereal fragrance. In the dimly lit space markings that had once been invisible were now tangible to the eye; faintly glowing, golden skeleton markings from his head to his toe.
"Wow, this place is amazing!" He couldn't stop from commenting about the caves appearance. The tunnels before them looked to twist and turn like a labyrinth. Softly glowing green moss and algae vegetation of other soft colors provided ambiance inside the otherwise dark tunnels.
It sure looked complicated to navigate, so Malachi decided he would stick close to Enya, like a shadow.
As she spoke her voice carried, amplified by the walls around them. Everything she spoke of definitely sounded like Lazarus. When she finished recounting her take Malachi spoke, "I imagine that was an amazing experience- the ceremonies and such." He had only been told of them. "He told me once, about a ceremony where everyone was racing through the jungle- navigating slippery rocks, waterfalls and walls," a smile touches his lips. "He didn't win that day, but he learned a few things..and recounted how enjoyable it was to be with his brother and sisters..." he had always referred to members of the pack that way. "he told me he fought you in a cage match once...said you were one of the best brawlers he'd had the honor of dancing with.." Malachi had honestly found the way his dad described battle as odd. "but didn't want to say much more. Seemed to upset him honestly. It was the only time I really saw much emotion from him." Malachi was watching Enya's face curiously now.
She asked another question. Malachi's ears pulled closer to his head for a moment, his heart shuttering. "My mother Lux- she was..his first love...if..if he hadn't of changed the course of time..to save me..she would have eaten me fresh out of the womb..like the others. " he blinked. Not sure why he had omitted such information to her. "I know he was very loyal to our Goddess. I know that he believed in strength and determination. That he longed to return home to the jungle..but never could. In the short time I had with him, he never shared too much about himself. Was just always determined to make me strong and smart."
Enya agreed with Malachi as he commented on the cave system. She had always found bioluminescence fascinating and had spent much of her time in Vrolga within the mushroom forest for that very reason. She knew it was conceited to think, but she couldn't help but appreciate the way her scales glowed in their dim lighting. It was almost as if they absorbed the glow and in turn glowed their selves. It helped, of course, that Enya was a vain wolf and kept her scales meticulously clean. She also noticed that the algae wasn't the only things glowing in the system. She glanced back at Malachi as he and told her about the stories Lazarus had shared with him. She remembered the agility ceremony quite well, in fact. She also remembered the match and at the mention of it, she grinned with a knowing twinkle in her eye.
"Ah yes, it was quite the dance alright. Too bad he ran away before the song was finished." At the time, Enya had no idea why the brute had suddenly up and ran from her. Later in life, however, she felt that she had figured it out. Before more was mentioned or asked, the topic was shifted to that of the boy's mother - Lazarus' first love as she was described. Enya was curious of her, who she might be, what she might look like, at least until he admitted to her that Lazarus had saved him from being eaten by his own mother. Her grin from before vanished only to be replaced with a look of absolute disgust. She paused in her tracks and looked back at Malachi. "I'm sorry, you said before she would do what?" She couldn't imagine!
When she had birthed her own children, she had learned what it meant to truly feel love for something. She felt the immediate need to protect her children at all costs and had even turned against her own pack to protect their lives. She couldn't even begin to imagine feeling the desire to eat them. What kind of sick creature would even think to do such a thing to their own children?! Better yet, how could Lazarus find a way to love such a creature as her? Maybe there was more to the story. Maybe there was some outside source or reason. Malachi had mentioned that there had been a change in the course of time (whatever that meant) so there must be more.
She suddenly realized that she had just rounded on the boy who had just gone through metaphorical hell. She had just been so caught off guard. "I didn't mean to round on you. I just. As a mother myself..." she cut off. Was she really a mother? Technically, yes, but it had been so long since she'd seen her children. "I couldn't imagine." She wanted to stop talking about it, but found it hard to do. She wanted to know more. "I think your father has done a pretty good job of making you strong, and you seem smart enough." She tried to deviate the topic against her own desires. "Why don't you help us out here in the Kingdom? I'm the Queen of it, you know. So, you've kinda got an in with me." She winked at Malachi, then continued, "We could always use more guards to keep an eye on the kingdom. There's a lot of land to keep safe."
The passage through the honeycomb tunnels was beautiful. It felt like stepping into some kind of lost world from before. Enya's scales seemed to collect what little light was available, and then reflect the same light, scattering it around the walls and floor in a dazzling little speckles. It was very faint, but if one focused they could see it. "Lazarus ran away from anything he felt too much..affection for," Malachi retorted, annoyance flavoring his words. Because no matter how much he had shown Lazarus soft, loving emotions, it never seemed to be reciprocated. At least, not that he ever truly noticed. Perhaps the only time he witnessed the gravity of his father's feelings were in his final moments.
Enya's words made Malachi tilt his head. His double colored eyes of green and yellow regarded her disgust and shock curiously. Emotion always made Malachi curious as he never fully understood it. Probably because he had yet to really express much emotion.
Malachi stumbled over his steps, backing up and sitting down when he realized Enya had paused. "We were..sins..a bad omen, born from abomination. According to their standards. " his tone was very matter-of-fact and otherwise bland.
He waited patiently, watching as she seemed to process or ponder over the information. When Enya continued walking down the path, Malachi would follow. "You have children too? How many?" perhaps they were closer to his age?
Enya spoke up again, drawing Malachi from his thoughts. He nodded in agreement to her comment. Lazarus did at the very least, make him stronger. She spoke of being a Queen, and Malachi having her favor. He gave a small grin. "the odds seem to be in my favor then..I would be a fool to turn down such a kind offer." He paused after a moment, "So..What kind of kingdom is it, that you rule? Does it know Tsillah?" he was curious.
"Any role you think would be suitable for me, I can only try my best to uphold." He had never had any formal experience with packs or kingdoms for that matter.
