Welcome to Gaia! ::

Talisia glanced over at the village, the early spring breeze barely cutting through the chill that winter left lingering over the northern Zenan landscape. Her raptrix was next to her, the beast gently nudging her as if reassuring her that it was alright to come back to this place that once served as a prison for her childhood where her mother had controlled every aspect of her life before. “There used to be a great manor right there where the blacksmith is now.” She mused quietly, a hand reaching to pat Silva’s neck as she relied upon the raptrix to keep her steady. “It’s so strange to see such a different view from up here….despite it being a couple of decades since I last came here.” She had last seen this spot when fleeing for her life, Talisia refusing to return to it even when she came back to Zena and took over the old summer manor for her animal sanctuary back towards the southern border. Zyphire and the others had come here to check out the area in her stead, Talisia more than willing to give Zyphire the deed so that he could reuse the scorched grounds for the construction of the Ild’vann village that now thrived in the area just north of the capital city. Instead of the isolated manor that was surrounded by stone paths and lesser buildings for entertainment and servants, the place was now spread out with fields for grazing roati and various cottages that had been built over previously empty areas and burned buildings. No more did a luxurious manor stand in the middle with its grand west and east wings of multiple floors, but instead the area had been turned into a town square with a forge and little market of sorts for villagers to trade with one another and traveling merchants as they passed through towards Zidel. The forest had been slightly cleared to house more of the Ild’vann, the hunters adapting to the gentler climates found here that gave them a fresh start after leaving the harsher areas beyond the northern mountains where prey had become scarce and the winters colder. Despite the initial anxiety that had tightened her stomach when they climbed the familiar path through the forest to the cliff overlooking the area, the sight of the village made her shoulders relax. It was no longer the same place, that was a blessing indeed.

[Talisia 1]

Ziya had spent the last couple of days packing and preparing everything. Normally he would just fly over on Støv by himself, but the fact that his Fa was also returning and Talisia wanted to see the village kept him still as he simply waited on their arrival instead. Well, still in the sense that he wasn’t already flying over the mountains towards the Sauti border where the sanctuary was because in reality he had been constantly on the move for the last few days to make certain everything was in place for his absence. His chores were taken care of, any important pieces were tucked away in their hiding spots and his work at the stables had been passed down to a younger boy in the Ild’vann who could help the stablemaster out while Ziya studied under his older cousin. At the end of the day he had a couple of bags to take with him, supplies and what not that he didn’t want to take from Talisia, but more than that he had noticed someone else had added their belongings to his own in the pile where the bags waited in the main room. “Revna…are you sure you wanna tag along? It’ll be for a whole season.” He warned, glancing back at his younger sibling who was a bit harder to get along with due to her sharp tongue and preference for solitude.

[Ziya 1]

“You’re not wrong.” Talisia let out a soft sigh as she forced a smile towards Zyphire, thinking about all the positives from the changes up here. “I am glad that the Ild’vann are doing well here.” She had heard the stories about their struggles, about the attempted massacre of the entire village and had been more than happy to help them by getting rid of the empty land here. It was fitting that her mother’s ploys to harm and take advantage of others had turned her precious estate into a sanctuary for those she looked down upon instead. So much had changed since she was a teen, Talisia realized. Truly, her life was a completely different existence from the terrified girl who had run into those woods for her life all those years ago.

And now it was her chance to teach the next generation. Talisia’s expression brightened as she noticed Revna tagging along with Ziya. “It seems I’ll have to prepare another room.” She raised a hand as she greeted the pair. “It’s nice to see you both. I hope you’ve been well, especially since you haven’t had to deal with your Far in a season.” She didn’t know the full language used by the Ild’vann but a few words had stuck with her over the years thanks to the family’s visits and Zyphire’s help.

[Talisia 2]

Ziya let out a laugh. “Maybe we are and maybe we aren’t.” He shifted his belongings so that he could reach out and pat his far’s shoulder. “I suppose we missed you a bit, especially the cooking.” He teased lightly before looking towards Talisia and offering her a hug. “It’s been a while, Tally. Thank you for helping out again, I’m eager to learn what I can.” Though she was technically their older cousin, it was more like having an aunt since neither of their parents had siblings. Still, Talisia preferred her nickname to being called aunt and so they all just called her Tally. Ziya had always looked up to the older hybrid and deciding to become a beast tamer had only made him more connected with her as he sought to learn whatever he could about helping to heal and train animals from her. There was so much more to raising animals, especially mounts that the hunters relied upon with all of their calls and hunting techniques, than just acting like they could breed them and move on. So it was perfect that he went to the animal sanctuary where various animals got brought in for treatment and rehabilitation. He already knew the various hunting skilsl that the Ild’vann taught their animals thanks to working with the stablemaster, but it was time to learn more about helping the animals themselves. “I hope it’s okay if Revna tags along. She wanted some fresh air and kind of jumped into things with me.”

[Ziya 2]

“That’s fine by me.” Talisia could only laugh at the family’s interaction, the hybrid returning Ziya’s hug before approaching Revna so that she could look over her. She knew better than to simply hug the girl, the prickly nature of Revna keeping her from hugs even as a youngling, but she did at least want to be closer as they spoke. “We’ll eat something and put everything together. Ziya has Støv, do you need a mount?” She looked between the others, Zyphire and his son both having a chiavi lazily flying overhead as they spoke together. She had flown on Silva as Zyphire took his chiavi as usual back towards the Ild’vann. It was simply too much to travel by foot, the family always relying upon their mounts for quicker travel between the two places. Though even flying meant they would be spending several hours traveling despite avoiding the mountain paths that would take anyone else at least two or three days by caravan to pass through. “If not you can ride Silva with me, but we may need to rearrange supplies.”

[Talisia 3]

“A meal sounds good to me.” Ziya managed after his father finally released him. Despite all of his teasing, the young hybrid had to rub his arm from how tight of a squeeze his father had. It was hard to imagine the man who often ran around pleasing their mother and spent his afternoons in an apron working up sweets or dinner in the kitchen was actually a trained fighter. Apparently a dangerous and deadly one at that, as much as Ziya couldn’t imagine it. The movements though…even as Zyphire went towards Revna there was a subtle grace and silence to his steps that did remind Ziya of any predator. Fitting, I suppose. Like those sermal in Sauti that looked so cute from a distance but could rip you to shreds within seconds if they wanted. “I can help unload supplies if Revna wants to help Tally with the other preparations.”

[Ziya 3]

“Alright then.” Talisia gave Revna a quick hug and could only smile as she watched the girl walk quickly away. It was a small victory, but one none-the-less and she would gladly accept it. “We have a plan and should act quickly. How fast can you make curry?” She asked Zyphire, walking along the path with Silva following her. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t even be asking such a question, you’ve proven that you can whip up anything within minutes.” Still, she felt more confident talking instead of simply looking at the trees as they walked towards the village. Despite everything there was an unwanted familiarity to the landscape that still sent shivers down her spine, Talisia opting to not stay the night even as she dared to brave the area finally after so many years away. It would have been easier on everyone had she opted to stay the night, giving them ample time to leave in the morning instead of rushing before late afternoon, but she preferred the idea of camping elsewhere or rushing home instead of staying here for fear of night terrors. Even after all these years she still sometimes had the occasional nightmare, the past haunting her dreams and forcing her to find a book or some distraction or to rely upon Eresin for support when she felt overwhelmed by the memories.

[Talisia 4]

“Of course.” Ziya looked towards his far with a grin. “We’ll have everything unpacked and set up within the blink of an eye.” It would of course take longer, but reality did nothing to dissuade his confidence that reflected his father’s attitude. If anything it made him more determined to walk faster as they took the path that circled the outside of the village and went a bit further, the townsquare disappearing as they made their way past a field of roati. Eventually the fields turned into smaller gardens and a stone path went towards the little two-story cottage that his family had claimed for themselves. It was the one surviving piece from the huge fire that had destroyed the rest decades ago and they had worked diligently to update it and expand the rooms since his own siblings had taken up so much space over the years.

[Ziya 4]