The sun was setting on the horizon, the sky melting into oranges, pinks, and purples behind the mountain backdrop. Starheart Hollow found many wolves gathering in the center of the meadow- a rather vast land where the Star That Chose to Fall landed. It was a clear day with only a few wispy clouds in the sky, slowly morphing and changing colors with the changing of the time.

Duskbreaker found himself waking from The Dimming, where those of his pack slept before dusk, waking to see the world of stars with wide eyes. His eyes of molten gold and orange opened and his large form pushed its way out of his rather bare den. Outside the den, he stretched his dark legs with great eagerness. He quickly grabbed his Starbone Staff with his maw, and began making his way to where everyone gathered. Yet something was different on this evening.

Duskbreaker looked at his pack up ahead, feeling a loneliness that always seemed to touched his heart. It was not that he was unwelcome. All were welcome here as long as one follows the Starwoven codes. Yet he looked different. Much larger, with a coat more varied than usual. He stuck out, even though there was quite a variety of wolves here. Before he could make it to the group, he feels a heaviness in his limbs. He feels sleepy again, and urge to turn back around. He does so after a moment’s pause, turning to see the sun almost completely set. He drops his staff at his paws as he begins to feel dizzy. His eyes are drawn to the horizon. The moment that dusk broke, and night came, he felt his body fall to the ground with a thud.

He knows not how long the stars were awake before he, too, awoke again. The heaviness he felt slowly lifted off of him. He could only see grass at first. Paws moved under his form and he pushed himself up. He shook his fur out, blinking away the drowsiness as he looked down for his staff. Through desperate eyes, he does not find it amongst the grass. In fact, this grass does not look quite right. Sure, it is grass, but there are different kinds…and this is not the kind he is used too. He tilts his head, and finally looks up. He sees a mountain, but it is not his mountain. Nor do the mountains surround this place. He turns, and sees gaps where mountains should be.

The heart knows when something is wrong. It aches. It screams. He feels a tingle of fear as he looks upwards at the stars, his paws bringing him eagerly forward a few paces. The stars…they are not right. ”There…the Broken Fang remains, fractured, yes — but it still bites into the weave,” he speaks, still seeing the constellation of The Broken Fang, but eyes desperately keep searching. ”But where is she?” he says with broken hope. “Mother’s Eye… the watching star, the quiet witness… She is gone. No thread marks her. No light remembers her shape.” he bows his head, ears falling back as he finds his haunches lowering to the ground, weak. What has happened? It was not his turn yet for The Wandering Rite, at least not according to the elders. But have the stars written their own plans for him?

Astronomer 1/5

Skill: Occultist 1/5

She would have to make it home soon.

These night rituals were not so strange. She gave an offering to the spirits so that her children might live. They would feast upon the life of the rabbit, and not be tempted to drink of her children. That, in her infinite wisdom, was the way to protect them. It was payment for all the necromancy she performed; life to beget life, death to stave off death.

The blood still stains her muzzle as she comes upon the wolf that was not here before. Her ears flick. Her eyes glimmer.

"Threadmarked?"

Her voice is soft, cautious. She licks the blood from her fur.

"Have you been taken, then?"

Soothsayer 1/5

He was consumed with reading the stars. Their stories were altered, or missing completely. There were new stories yet to be told appearing before his eyes as the twilight fell deeper into night. He was completely taken and immersed in figuring out what was happening in the night sky, that he did not pay attention to his surroundings so much. Sure, he noticed that he was no longer in the crater where the star fell, but his mind paid no attention to anything else at the moment.

The air becomes filled with the voice of another. He finds himself startled, his large form of brown, charcoal, and white jolting a bit upwards against his will. It was not a voice from Starheart Hollow. It rang a different tune, from a different place. It was a song yet to be heard, yet to be bound to the sky.

Duskbreaker turned his head around, molten eyes catching the sight of a blood-touched woman. He is certain then, that this is not one of the Starwoven. He had been transported. It was a myth, something only few are chosen for by the stars themselves. He had been Starcasted- the divine summons. As much as disbelief wanted to cling to his heart, he felt an ecstatic joy to be chosen. Such feelings crept their way onto his face through the light in his eyes, and the smile on his face.

He straightens up his form. Chest out. Legs together. Head held mid-way- not high to show disrespect, but not low either. His expression became serious as he cleared his throat. He did not want to mess this up. First impressions of the Starwoven were of upmost importance.

”The Stars read my name as Duskbreaker, child of Starheart Hollow, where the crater remembers fire. If you speak your stars, I will carry them to mine. And in return, I offer stories etched in the bones of the sky,” he said with great gravity, bowing his head slightly. ”By taken, we of the Starwoven would say I have been Starcast here. When the stars whispered your breath, what name did they call you?” he inquired, lifting his head slightly again, ears forward with intent to take in the name of his first encounter.

Skill: Occultist 2/5

This man puts on airs, but Dimitri does not hate him for it. She rather keeps herself steady, even, her gaze neither particularly piercing nor soft. There's no threat on Dimitri's face, and she's not sure she can look intimidating if she even tried.

"The stars do not speak to me," she says with no small amount of reverence in her voice. "If they did, they'd know me as Dimitri. But I am a witch of the earth, and my knowledge is in blood and bone."

She licks some of the blood off her muzzle.

"My brother reads the stars, though. Power of vision is a gift, and I am always honored to meet another of the gifted." She smiles slightly. "Did you just arrive?"

His molten eyes keep steady on Dimitri, taking note of her stance. They are warned of being careful, as many packs are extremely territorial and will not be welcoming. The Wandering Rite was not always an easy task. Finding friendly faces can be a challenge, and one must be ready to run if a pack decides to turn on you. Dimitri does not seem to show any threatening body language, though also not particularly welcoming either.

A bit of a frown touches his maw when she says the stars do not speak to her, but he can hardly contain his excitement when she mentions that she is a witch. He has to be careful not to have any preconceived notions - witches from one area may differ vastly from another. The stories he had heard may not apply to this location.

”They know all, even if you do not read them, Dimitri, witch of the earth,” he states, eyes flickering to the blood on her muzzle that she licks off. He is hardly phased by it- we all gotta eat. He is however, still somewhat stiff, and perhaps a bit fidgety. His eyes glimmer with that excitement that he is still trying to contain in his stocky body.

”The Starwoven believe all can read the stars, it is a thing one can learn. Your brother, what name do they howl for him?” he asks, determined to remember every detail he comes across, feeling the burden of weaving these new stories within his own mind.

”Well, Dimitri the witch, this one believes this one has been Starcast to this very spot by the sky. This one was gathering for the night, when the dimming took me once again. This one awoke without the staff, and with stars of a different sky. This one did not choose to awake in this spot, so apologies for the intrusion,” he said, bowing his head down almost to the ground. ”This is a common thing for this area or no?” he asks, her question of his arrival sparking interest, since he certainly did not walk here.

Skill: Occultism 3/5

Dimitri drops her eyes briefly as he bows. Sure, she's the protector of this realm, but Duskbreaker does not seem to be hurting anyone. And his stiffness and awkwardness is noted. Let it be her quiet apology; she is tasked with guarding these lands, but he does not require her anger.

"Amaris," she says. "Amaris Callosum. That is my brother." She can only hope that he's alive. The situation back home is... dire, to say the least. "Regardless, you stand in Mythris, specifically the lands of the kingdom of Avon. It's common for people to awaken here. The land is ancient, and built upon magic that we can only guess at. And I take no offense to your presence here, as you give me no reason to need to."

The smile she gives is awkward, perhaps a sign that she's more shy than angry.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you need to, provided you cause no harm to any animal that can speak. We have other laws, but they're... common-sense. Don't hurt children, don't hurt family. That sort of thing. I wouldn't mind hearing more of your stars. If they speak to me even with half the volume of the spirits, I would listen."

His attention was stuck to her, and he hung on to every word that she said. His visage was serious, but naturally had a hint of softness and eagerness to it. It was apparent he found this to be very of utmost importance.

”Amaris Callosum” he repeats softly under his breath. He listens and keeps his body still, the world quiet on this coming night. He nods every now and then, letting Dimitri know that he is listening to what she says. The male takes in that this land is called Mythris, and he resides now in the kingdom of Avon. His eyes widen a bit with their molten glow, a bit surprised to hear that others often awaken here.

”Mythis, and Kingdom of Avon. This one thanks you for allowing Duskbreaker upon your sacred land and home,” he says with a slight bow of his head. He nods fervently as Dimitri explains the laws here, and he almost seemed to mumble them on repeat to ensure he understood it. He frowned a bit though at the mention of the stars, his eyes flickering back upwards to them.

”These stars tell different stories, although similar. It will take me time to decipher the meaning of what this land has to say. What of this Avon, though? Does your land use a leader system, a collective system, or is it something else?” he asks curiously, knowing from the stories that there are many ways a land can be organized, and he did not want to assume anything.

Skill: Orator 4/5

Dimitri hesitates for a moment at the mention of Avon. Though she knows the lands, she is not sure she's comfortable calling herself its leader yet. "We are... a family of sorts. A Kingdom, yes, but only in name. Our Matriarch is meant to rule the lands, with input from the rest of us, as we're more meant to be kin than subjects."

Though the truth doesn't stay hidden long; it'd be easy enough to tell from the words alone that the Matriarch is not doing as she should. "But our Matriarch has left recently, called away by spirits beyond. I couldn't tell you why or where. In her absence, my partner and I have taken up a protector role. Our job is to mediate, and to ensure our laws remain in-tact, and that all within our borders are safe. But I plan on listening to the collective." She is no queen. "My position is more organizational than authoritarian."

She offers a wry smile, ears flicking back. "We can only hope our Matriarch returns. If she doesn't... We will plan, and select a new Matriarch."

The large male listened with unbreaking intensity. Perhaps, it would be too much intensity, as his eyes and ears did not waiver for a moment. Dimitri was his entire world in that moment, doing as he was trained to do from birth. ”Oh, this is much interesting,” he comments, mentally taking notes.

However, it appears there is inner turmoil in the group with the Matriarch of the group leaving. He finds a bit of a frown crossing onto his maw naturally. It did not seem like a thing they were wanting to occur, and the other members of the pack had to take up the slack. He was interested in the concept of being called away by the spirits, but perhaps that was for another time.

”Your sky feels heavy from spirit’s call. No burden intended… but this one asks, with open breath — may this one join your Kingdom? This one will work my share in times hard. If you welcome this one, will listen, learn, and share what the stars carry,” he asks rather bluntly, bowing his head down again with a slight kneel to his thick muscled legs. It felt that he was moving fast, but he felt it was his duty to try. Perhaps having another body amongst them can help ease the transition the pack is experiencing.