Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zayana found herself in the same hidden grove that her mothers had discovered ages ago. She left her daughter back in Zinris to train, and took the last few days to travel in self reflection. It was an emotional journey if there ever was one, for a multitude of reasons. And it was something she needed to do, having disappeared from Zinris so suddenly chasing after her feeling mother. The lack of farewell to the Great Mother was something that Zayana was trying to ignore. But being home, being here, it was something she would need to face before she continued on with her journey.

The first leg of her journey was the hardest, the memories at night haunting. All she could think of as she moved further away from Zinirs was if it was right to leave again. She knew she had a family, knew she had a purpose, but the guilt was haunting when it refused to be ignored. There was a guilt that she left her sisterhood, left them in a state where they had no idea. There also was the guilt of finding out her mother and cohort had stolen a seed, as if Elzira wasn't worthy of blooming more children and they had to start once again.

Then, there was the small guilt that she too was indulging in this reset with her own daughter, though she had no regrets for her daughter's bloom and was proud of the girl. She was thankful of the beauty that Nayyara brought to her life, from the creativity in approaching situations to the desire to explore the world with an open mind. Her daughter was thirsty to understand and appreciate the world she was blessed with, and Zayana was able to live through that thirst by joining her on this trip. It was Nayyara who pushed her to step in and come back to her home, to not hide from her insecurities.

After a night of pondering this, Zayana awoke with a drive to go back to the hidden grove, and when she finally arrived she simply stood atop that cliff and looked in the shimmering water with wonder. It wasn't as big as she remembered, nor the drop so steep. And yet, it was beautiful. She could almost hear the sounds of her sister as they chased through the land, the laughter and the mock-battles they took while their mothers enjoyed the peace. This area was their own, a place where their background didn't matter, but instead it was just a location for their family to be a family. There was hunting, roasting meat and rushing away from the surprise rainfall. There was stories of their own tree growing strong, to the past where her mothers grew up in Chibale.

Zayana felt somber at the thought of those stories, more like fairy tales. She never expected a chance to see The Great Mother that bloomed all sisters and gave life to the other trees. It was a folk tale, a lore, something she dreamed about at night but when she woke up she was prepared for the reality. That she was an Elaria, and Elaria were at war.

Or they were at war. Now it was...confusing.

Zayana was happy that there was peace, something she wasn't certain on as she took that ship across the sea. This peace meant she had the opportunity to travel with her daughter, to not fear a raid or others to attack their new tree. Peace meant that they were safe, and could just live again.

Never had she thought she'd be at a place of simple existence.

After a day of lingering, she said farewell to the small piece of her past, not fooling herself to think she'd come back again. Her life was on Kiros, with her mothers, her sister, her daughter, and her family. It was where she could build her own future, be herself and get to know the Kahikinans that lived near her. It was where she could retire (possibly with a lover) and let the next generation shape their future. It was safe. It was happy. It was home.

The trip back was swift, maybe because she had a weight off of her shoulders. Maybe because she was anxious to see her daughter and keep moving. She had said her farewells, all but to Elzira. She'd save that goodbye for last...so she wouldn't hurt too much as she walked away from her once home. For now, she simply wanted to see her daughter again and tell stories of the memories she treasured, of this home and their own.