Skill: 「 - 」
Fable || Forward dated
Thread Title: Shrek: 「 Merry Men 」

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Auberon had left the remains of the Sanctum on the eastern coast. It was nice, while it lasted. He recalled them all: Aoife, Belial, Ivandri, Lavender, Willo… they were all blessings from his Queen. As he watched most of them vanish, one by one, all the grim could do was treasure the memories of moments shared with them all. Their absence spurred the desire to travel, uprooting himself from where he once thought his entire life would orbit.

The venture west was long, but beautiful. He’d crossed meadows of tall grasses and a forest of trees that were sure to flower heavily in the warmer months— Auberon loved the Row, but the whole of Mythris was a breathtaking sight. Even as his heart ached for his missing companions, he still managed to find some solace in the world around him. At least Willo was still lingering, he doubted he would ever be able to shake her, and for that he was thankful.

During his walking, a faint floral scent tickled his nose. It smelled like fresh spring blossoms, full and ready to feed the bees. What could have imitated such a warm scent in the dead of winter? Curiosity racked his body until Auberon veered his path towards the scent. He needed to know, there was no helping it.

A few minutes passed, each stride increasing the intensity of the aroma. Eventually, he could see something as he crested a gently sloped hill. The grim’s pace slowed to a stop, eyes blinking a few time to make sure he was seeing it correctly. Large pink trees…? They were gorgeous, but how on earth were they not wilted or barren?

Auberon steadily closed in, his body flinching as he felt a subtle warmth radiating from them. It felt like he was basking in the summer sun, so warm and comforting. Beneath the heavily flowered bough was verdant grass and other foliage. A path was nestled between the trees, and it felt too mystical to ignore, so he began to stroll deeper into the tunnel.

Maybe it was all a dream? That would have made the most sense.

SKILL : HUNTER ( 1 / 5 )

The noon sun rode high overhead as Fable parsed the ambient scents around her. She had been hunting for hours, but the cold had bade much of the meadow's residents away in search of warmer locales. If she were being honest, she wished she were one of them - she bore tousled and thick fur, but she was one of the sun's creatures. Sun child that she was, she preferred when snow and ice was kept to a minimum.

Everything felt so sad in winter, and this rotation of the season was particularly trying. She had endured so much loss - already, Fable had visited Gamma's grave to tell her of the trek to the north and the magical tree tunnel she explored with Foxglove before she began her hunt in earnest. The dreamer thought her little star would have enjoyed the flower tunnel and the beautiful scenery it afforded them, too.

Hunting gave her an outlet for the lingering grief that surrounded her, even if it was a task she was lousy at. She would get no better if she did not practice, however, and her children's survival hinged on her ability to provide for them if all other resources were depleted. Fable had to expand her skillset into what was needed from her, for her daughters' lives were her priority first and foremost.

Among the stale tracks of deer and hares, something she had scented before reached her. It was the floral and sugary sweet notes that heralded the appearance of the tree tunnel back at Northfall's border and Fable's head lifted to surveille her surroundings. Past a grouping of skeletal trees robbed of their foliage by winter, she detected the presence of the familiar cherry blossoms.

She wasted no time in bounding in its direction, her springy steps slowing as she drifted underneath the rain of pink petals. Green eyes swept across her surroundings, unable to miss the dark-cloaked shape that followed the trail ahead of her. Fable picked up her pace to catch up to the stranger, her posture softened into one of friendly demeanor.

Have ye been in one o' these before? Fable queried by way of greeting as she fell into step at the man's side.

Skill : 「 - 」

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As far as Auberon was aware, this world lacked the magic aspects that his previous one contained. There were no signs of the fae, no signs of his Queen, no signs of his own abilities manifesting, but… these trees. It felt magical, didn’t it? It was at least not “normal” for what he’d learned of Mythris thus far. The grim allowed himself to be lost in thought, humming faintly as his gaze rested on the blossoms that fluttered down akin to flurrying snow. The voice of another stirred his attention back to reality, freeing him from the tangled knot of questions that filled his head.

Stopping in his tracks, azure-purple eyes found their way to the blush colored wolf. Her tone implied she had experienced such a phenomena before—did that mean they were common here? In this world, I have not seen anything quite like it. I dare say this is my first time, with a soft grin curved to his lips, Auberon side stepped to allow space to empty beside him, a silent invitation as he continued his stroll.

SKILL : SEER ( 2 / 5 )

The stranger created space at his side and Fable settled into it easily, right at home communing with a friend she did not yet know. Her eyes tracked ahead, tracing the blossoming branches overhead; an ear was flexed in Auberon's direction as she considered his words.

I have seen it once before - but not here, Fable revealed. I saw it in Northfall t' th' west, but never s'close t'Avon.

Did it bear significance that she had seen it first in Northfall, where her doubts were uprooted, and then again here, within the borders of Avon's new territory? There was a magnetic and profound tug within her very soul with the thought - unusual, magical things were unfolding, but she was almost cautious, hesitant, to close her hands around the glimmering strands that whispered promise.

Her hand had been cut so often of late.

This tunnel was different from its predecessor - it did not smell of the dizzying nectar nor anything she identified as an artifact of her life before. It was not meant for her.

It calls t'ye, Fable told him, her tone bearing a layer of knowing. She felt in her heart that this vein of magic had been reserved for the dark-robed man at her side, just as the other had been for herself and Fox. Her sight flicked, landing on him as her smile returned. These paths lead ye elsewhere - somewhere your heart summons, I think.

She had thrived within Samhain's embrace and the live thrum of magic that entered her bloodstream the moment she was beneath its crimson canopy. Her family's farm had been home but The Hand's stomping grounds had felt as though they were a part of her from the first time she visited. They were holy, sacred, hallowed; to be among them was to be as close to divinity as she could have come as demi-mortal. Perhaps this path would lead to wherever his own heart was fondest, she thought to herself.

Skill : 「 - 」

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Auberon was politely silent, stilling his tongue when he knew it was his turn to listen. This pink tree phenomena was not the only of its kind, as his newest acquaintance had at least one prior run in with them elsewhere. Briefly—distantly—he wondered just how many areas like this one existed throughout the lands and what their purpose was. Did they even have a purpose?

Names of areas—or maybe they were groups?—were mentioned in passing, but it was more than valuable enough to store in his memory. Northfall, to the west and Avon somewhere nearby.

As the pair walked, it was true the grim had felt a pull towards its end, as if a tether tied to his soul was being reeled in. The woman’s words were met with a flick of his ear that was closest to her, then a momentary, side-eyed glance. It called to him, she claimed. It was going to form a path to somewhere, possibly somewhere that he wished to go.

As they walked, Auberon closed his eyes, a thoughtful hum leaving sealed lips. Where would his heart yearn to go? Home was the answer, but which home? The village, the land of his queen, the forest he came from centuries ago? They were all home and they were all deeply entangled in his heart, he would have been happy with any.

I suppose we shall find out where my heart yearns to be, together, he would not dare chase her off. That is, if you are willing to accompany me? Auberon beamed, his tail swishing a few beats the further along they walked. The end was nigh, and curiosity only pushed him along further.

Pink trees were replaced by whimsical willows of green or red vines, beneath their canopies were hundreds of twinkling lights that heavily resembled a swarm of fireflies. Was he truly within Her realm once more? The high noon sun was replaced with the cotton candy swirls of twilight, orange and purple lined clouds floating along without a care.

The land of the fae, he announced, be it to himself or his unexpected companion if she had chosen to stay. It was the last place he was before being transported into Mythris.