Skill: Guardian

She did, he thought miserably. Solvi was many things to him, but chief among them, the little wood-sprite was completely unforgettable and touched the lives of everyone she met. There would never be anyone like her again.

He had failed to protect her. The heavy gash along her flank bestowed by Cypress was proof enough; Alder had been too slow, too late.

But before that... he had failed Viscaria the most. If he closed his eyes, her lifeless body came into hard focus, dangling limply from the bastard's jaws as all the while Cypress smiled and smiled. It was his greatest victory, robbing Alder of his grandmother, the first wolf who had ever given him a chance and loved him in spite of the revulsion his coat inspired.

I couldn't protect them, he said gruffly. Any of them. Solvi got hurt because I was too slow, and now she's vanished altogether; I was too late to save my grandmother altogether, and now she lies cold in the ground. Tell me how that's anything but bad luck.

Alder pulled himself out of the emotional mire enough to listen to her tale. The girl had shown kindness, and she deserved at least that much.

It was clear after the first few minutes that Alder was no longer listening simply to be polite. How similar her story was to his own, but it was Amaranth who had deemed him the monster; the parallel was not lost to him.
Viscaria had grown a fondness for Alder as he struggled through adolescence, trying to find his place in the world, and they had spent many an evening together at the edge of her den talking together as they looked out over the vast expanse of Fate's Respite. The time they spent in each other's company had been invaluable to the boy.

'Hold your head up, boy.' Her words were always sharp, but they aimed true. She would not lie to him. ' You may not go by it, but you are an Aktaion, and we do not belittle ourselves in front of others.'

Irreplaceable.

Well, it's a good thing your - Mam - had someone to stand by her through it all. She sounds tough as nails to be a Hunt Master - and whatever an Elksa is, it's very impressive, he offered sincerely. Liss was fiesty and surely meant well, but picturing anyone trying to stand up to Amaranth sent a shiver up his spine; even he couldn't do it, save for that cold night when they had both laid Viscaria to rest. Like a shaken-up soda bottle, Alder had simply... exploded.

We've made our peace, he reassured Liss. It doesn't matter anymore.

Nothing does, he thought blandly.

Alder quirked a brow at her next suggestion. Oh? he chuffed. I dunno, sounds like you think I do smell... pretty mean to say to a stranger, if you ask me... There was a hint of mirth in his expression as he simultaneously tried to appear insulted.

Skill - Storyteller

Liss tilted her head, lip quirking on one side. If it didn't matter like he said, then he wouldn't still be so sad and self-conscious about it, she thought. She felt she had quite a lot to say about that, but she giggled at his banter, first. Oh, maybe a little, but if you're out ranging the wilderness it'd probably be weirder if you didn't smell at least a little bit like deer poop. If you were too clean I might mistake you for a fairy or somethin' A toothy snicker and narrowed brow followed, tail wagging.

Yeah! Mam's real scary. Elksa is like a queen! Makes me a princess. Liss ducked into another play bow, still grinning. She killed a bull elk for her rite as a youngster, got a gnarly scar out of it! They all thought she was crazy, but she knew she could prove 'em wrong. And fought the god of death when he took the form of a bear. She proved her spirit was strong and he gave her his blessing. And! Joined the battle for Vale pregnant, even tho Papa wanted her to stay behind. Nobody got to tell Mam what to do. She was the boss, even of Papa. Another giggle.

C'mon tho, how can you really think you're bad luck? If anyone was bad luck, it was your grandpa, and now he's gone, thanks to you! Sounds bad ass to me. A solemn nod. She was absolutely set upon her self-appointed task of cheering him up, and full of youthful confidence in her ability to do so. Surely the stories that comforted her, would comfort him, too??

My Mam says when people die, if they lived honourably, the sun goddess takes them to Paradise. They get to run free with all their kin forever. If they weren't, they reincarnate as something else, and keep trying over and over until they find their way home forever. The ones in Paradise get to watch us through the stars. So your grandma can't be cold in the ground. She's either something else now, or more probably she's watching you wherever you go and waiting for you to join her up there someday!

Death had never felt entirely real for Liss — not when she could look up at night and see the moon and sky watching her, and a million little lights of ancestors past. Nothing and nobody ever really died, at least not for very long. They just changed.

Skill: Heartbroken

Princess Liss dipped into another playful stance, tail wagging and beaming as bright as a summer day. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay sullen, and it almost irritated him; he'd done a great deal of wallowing in the past few months and Alder was by no means ready to stop. Smiling felt like a slap in the face of her memory, an affront to the light she had taken with her when she'd gone, and even the hint of laughter put his stomach in knots.

It cheapened the loss. It said to the world, 'I am okay; I am moving on,' but he didn't want to be okay. He didn't want to move on.

But...

Solvi would not have wanted that for him. Past the pain, beyond the deep well of grief, Alder knew in his heart that she wouldn't want him to be miserable forever. How she hated to see others suffer - that was why she had been a healer, after all.

She had healed him in ways that were not perceivable to the naked eye.

A princess? he repeated back to her. I didn't realize I was speaking to royalty. Forgive me, Princess Liss of the young Elksa who fought death and lived.

His tone was lighter, now, trying with just a little more fervor than before to pull himself out of the mire. In a way, he felt he had battled death too; albeit this time the entity had used the shape of a wolf.

Your mother sounds like a force of nature. I'm sure you inherited that from her, too, you know.

Alder had been taught that it was the Five who ruled the mortal world, and the religion was fairly straightforward - good and righteous wolves go to be with them in the stars, while those who revel in depravity are sent to the Dark Place. It is described as nothing, forever, but you are not erased; you exist in this silent space with only your own thoughts, condemned in darkness until the end of time, until the gods themselves passed away from this realm.

He sort-of-kind-of believed in the Five - even he had offered up a few tenuous prayers to the All-Mother Houtu - but he'd be lying if Liss' version didn't sound wonderful. Alder liked the thought, and hoped that at least some part of it could be true.

I sure hope she's not watching me. She'll have a lot to say when I get up there, he said, cringing. Viscaria always had a sharp tongue.

His shoulders sagged.

But... thank you. Wherever she is, I hope she's surrounded by the love she always deserved. Maybe Solvi - is -

But that would mean she had died, too, and he couldn't stomach the idea.

Anyway, it means a lot. Even from a stranger, it's... nice to be reminded there's still something in the world worth carrying on for, he said. If you or your pack ever find yourselves wandering westward in the alpines, I reside in the mountains of Northfall. I wouldn't mind if you wanted to say hello.

hello I would die for Alder 🥺

---

Giggling at his address of title, she rolled in the night-dewed grass and came up again sprinkled with flecks of blades and weed-leaves. Well, I suppose I can forgive your insolence, this one time. She replied in tone dripping with faux haughtiness.

She actually did a pretty good job of listening to him, too, though her ears drooped to see his energy fade again, like a sleepy autumn breeze. In return, Liss offered a smile that was a little more muted than her previous exuberance, and the faintest of smiles, I'll be sure to ask around about Solvi! I'm sure between the two of us we can figure it out! It sounded like an awfully fun adventure, and she kept all her energy and focus there instead of dwelling too long (or at all) on what it might mean if none of their searching panned out.

A serious nod, and her eyes brightened again, tail wagging, I'll remember Northfall, too! Sounds cold. And if they're known for being warriors, then maybe some of my kin will find their way there, too! My sister Charlie was a Sentinel. You should come visit the rest of the Druids, too! I bet they'd like to meet you. Just... make sure you're clean, first. She asserted again, grim with the memory of some distant horror, 'Cause of Stardust.