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Delcouri sat on his favorite hill, overlooking a wide valley that offered a clear view of the brillian sunset. Though he stared straight as the horizon, he barely saw the warm reds and oranges that tinted the sky. Instead his mind was turned inward, as it usually was when he visited this place at this time. For this was a favorite place of himself and his mate, Azel, and he was lost in memory. He remembered the red light glinting off her gold jewlery and tinting her blue fur purple. He remembered her eyes sparking as they talked and laughed, and wished he could see her again. But she had to go away a long time ago, and he did not think he would ever see her again. Del sighed sadly and continued to gaze sightlessly at the setting sun.

It took Del a moment to register the sound of footsteaps approaching from behind him. He was a bit surprised; while the hill was hardly secret, it was not often that another Namir visited it. He turned his head to see who was approaching.

Del's eyes grew wide with wonder when he saw the Namir before him. Could this really be true? Or was his memory and some trick of the light fooling him. He hastily rubbed his eye with one paw and looked again. No, she was still there. The sunlight glinted off her jewlery and tinted her fur the same way he remembered. Now that she was closer, he caught a whiff of her familiar scent, one he thought he'd never smell again.

Still half-afraid this was some cruel mirage she slowly stood up and took a few steps closer to the Namir. His voice shaking with shock and wonder, he spoke softly to her. "Azel? Is that really you?"

Del nuzzled his mate, speechless with joy. His own tears of happiness slid down his cheeks, and he didn't try to stop them. He wrapped his tail around her, drawing her closer. He never wanted to let her go again.

When Del could speak again, he said softly, "I've missed you, too, Azel. I've thought of you every day. Every time I sit on this hill, every time I see a sunrise...Every time I see out children, and our children's children, and their children...we have such a big family now! There's so much to catch up on." He fell silent once more, for now content to simply be with his beloved.

Del chuckled, and shifted so he could look into his mate's eyes. "You could be named Mud now for all I care, I'm just happy to have you with me again. And Selene is a beautiful name." He nuzzled her again.

"Shimrai and Kouyuki are still with me, and they're doing well. Kouyuki's still a bachelor, but Shimrai's the one who started our large family. She had four children, two of which started their own families. All told, we're great-great-grandparents now! I haven't seen Arabelle since she left with you, though." He paused, reminded of one last bit of sadness. "I never got to see her finish growing. I don't suppose she's gone to the same home as you?" he asked, hopefully. He didn't particularly expect it, but since there was a chance he ashed anyway.

(OOC: I've got a family tree in my journal, if you want to look: http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=8385095 )

(OOC: I made a new family tree of my own now, though it's not an image map. It's in my journal now instead of Riri's. I'll try to find links and names and post them all below the image.)

Del wistfully gazed out at the sunset with Selene and sighed contentedly. "Indeed it does. Though I haven't felt young in a while, not since people started calling me an elder and a grandpa. And kit have a way of making you feel younger and older at the same time," he said, chuckling. After a pause he said, "If you like, I could have Niklau look for Shimrai and Kouyuki, or any of our other kin," he said, gesturing up towards a nearby tree.

Perched on a limb of that tree was a pale blue Ryu, Del's familiar and constant companion since before he had a family. Hearing his name spoken, Niklau tilted his head quizically and crooned, "Kruu?"

(OOC: This is up to you; do you want me to bring in any other members of their family that I own? If so, let me know who, or how many. smile )

(OOC: Niklau's color is also sky blue, so I'll also put him in italics for this RP, just to keep things from getting confusing.)


Del chuckled at her first comment. "Yeah, much more than a grandpa. It certainly took some getting used to." He stared into the distance with her when she paused, then nodded eagerly after she spoke again. "Nik's good at finding Namrah; he can track them down." He looked up at the tree again and called, "Come on down, Nik!"

The loyal familiar hopped down from his branch and glided towards Del, landing neatly on the Namir's back. He rustled his wings slightly but didn't fold them, knowing he would soon be departing.

"Nik, find Shimrai and Kouyuki and bring them here," Del told his Ryu. "And if you see any other member of our family, lead them here, too. OK?"

Nik chirped once and bobbed his head, then spread his wings and leaped into the air. After circling briefly, he decided where to look first and flew off purposefully.

Del watched Nik leave, the wind of the Ryu's wings ruffling his fur. "I expect it won't take long. So until then, we wait," he told Selene, snuggling against her.

Del also looked at the rapidly darkening sky, considering the question. "Hmm...Well, this is a nice place to wait, we have a good view of the sky, and Nik knows where we are. I don't mind staying here, unless you have anyplace else in mind."

Nik sped through the forest, heading for an area that Shimrai was likely to be. In moments a quiet stream came into view, the last rays of sunlight tinting the water's surface gold. On the bank of the stream stood a black-spotted blue Namir who was bending over to drink from the stream. With a happy chirp, he swooped down to her.

Shimrai was thinking about going to sleep when she heard a chirp and a flap of wings approaching. She looked up to see her Dad's familiar circling above her head. When he saw he had her attention, he flew a short distance away and hovered, looking back at her.

"What's up, Nik? Does Dad want me?" She asked the Ryu. at his nod, she stood up and trotted after him. "OK, lead the way." He continued on, flying at a pace that was swift, but not difficult for her to keep up with. As they walked, she wondered curiously what it was that her father had summoned her for.

(OOC: Want to make this a family RP and allow other people who own Namrah from their extended family to join in?)

Del nodded, looking up at the sky with her. "Yes, we're lucky to have so many kin." After a moment of gazing at the stars, he said, "Have you ever tried to make pictures in the stars by connecting them, like constellations?"

Shimrai followed Nik through the forest, eventually coming to a hill she knew her dad was fond of. And sure enough, she could see him sitting on the crest of the hill...but there was someone sitting with him. She walked towards the pair, curious. In the dimming light it took her a few moments to recognize the other Namir, but she she did she stared in surprise. She jogged forward a few steps so she was in hearing distance before saying, "Mom? Is that you?"

Niklau chirred to himself happily before speeding off to find another Namir to join the reunion.