[Social - Leona & Eoduun] Secret of the Wolves

He sighed. It was strange. He had spent a while in solitude, save for the time he was summoned for the expedition-like trip to an island with the rest of the Guild. He met a number of new members that he hadn't seen before and it made him feel ashamed, as he did hold the Ace title. But he just couldn't help himself. Eoduun couldn't help but to think about Eero and stare at the reversed pyramid for days upon days, secretly hoping that he would emerge, at long last. He wanted to know the past. As much as he dreaded the truth, he needed to know. Eero needed to know, too. That was why he was more courageous than Eoduun. The mage grunted as he sat up on his floor mattress that served as his bed. He used to use the regular bed, but something just kept dragging him down to the floor and in the end he succumbed to the call. Soho was out as per usual, keeping an eye on the Guild in his stead. It made Eoduun feel that much worse, knowing that he left a chunk of work to his companion. /"I need to get my head out of the damn gutter."/ Eoduun thought to himself as he stood up and stretched his back. A walk was in order.

That was the usual course of action whenever he needed to think. Though Eoduun was starting to think that he was thinking too much. The boy did his usual routine and shortly after he emerged from the bathroom. His feet took him to his rather empty closet to pick out something to put on. It was starting to get even colder than usual, which meant that he would have to take a scarf and gloves with him, aswell. /"Not to mention that I should most definitely try to get some more damn clothes."/ He thought to himself sourly, as he took out his favourite and only black jacket. However, as he was putting on his clothes, an idea came to his mind. What if... he didn't have to go on a lonely walk?

Eoduun was reminded that he hadn't interacted much with Leona as of late. Or rather, not at all. He was hoping that she wasn't too angry at him, but he couldn't really help the circumstances. As soon as he threw on a t-shirt, Eoduun rummaged through his desk for a pencil and a piece of paper. Once those two pieces were acquired, he would quickly write down a message.

Meet me on the main path in the mountains. I will be waiting near a boulder along the path. Call for Soho if you need help. I want to show you something.

The note was short and to the point. The handwriting was a spitting image of Eero's, except that Eoduun's handwriting was not as neat as Eero's. The idea that came to his mind was to show the Shrine that he had been shown not too long ago to Leona. He had discovered it thanks to the Spirit wolves that kept them and the mountains safe. It only felt right that he would show it to the Guildmaster. Though he also secretly wanted to see Leona again. She was the only one who knew, after all. The mage swiftly put on his jacket and grabbed the note with the artifact and left his room.

Eoduun reckoned that Leona would be holed up in her office. It made him wonder if she ever stopped to take a breather. /"Not that I should be the one to talk."/ He scoffed at himself and made his way towards the office. This time, he thankfully knew where it was. Eoduun would stop in front of the door. He had the note in his hand, so he wasn't just going to hand it to her, awkwardly. The boy would place the note on the floor in front of the door, hoping that Leona would look down. With a sigh he would give a knock on the door and swiftly and quietly disappear, before his presence would be known and make his way to the spot he had written to meet at. It wasn't terribly far, but far enough from the Guild so that the protective field did not reach quite as far. With his hands in his pockets, Eoduun would gingerly sit down upon the rock he had sat down upon not too long ago, waiting.

Eoduun sat down and squirmed a little bit, trying to find the most comfortable angle. He had no idea how long he was going to be waiting, so he could at least make it a bit easier on his behind. His ears were ready to pick up any sounds of approaching feet. It was one of the few times that Eoduun was thankful for the better senses he had received after the reawakening to the poison power. The mage took out the reverse pyramid out of his jacket's pocket and held it in his hand. The motion had a bit of a deja vu feel to it. Eoduun wondered once more if Eero would find anything that hinted at their past. At least a glimpse of the place they came from, if nothing else. Eoduun didn't want to ask for too much, just that tiny bit. Anything to give them an idea. Anything. The mage's eyes just gazed over the artifact, lost in thought.

Soho, on the other hand, was nowhere near Eoduun. The bird was confident that he could leave the mage to wait on his own. Instead, the blue feathered companion flew back, along the path through the mountains. He would spot Leona, making her way towards the meeting place. The bird would not make his presence obvious. Instead, Soho decided to just fly from tree to tree, keeping an eye on Eoduun's friend. He would keep watch until she reached the meeting point at the rock. If she needed help, she only needed to call out for him.

Eoduun didn't mind the biting cold. Eero wasn't a big fan of too low or too high temperatures, but the mage reckoned that he was getting used to the temperature of the snowy mountains that have become his home. Silver Wolf was his home, but... What his home home? Where was it and would he ever visit it again? Was he more scared of finding his old home or facing Eitur? Those questions plagued Eoduun's mind after Eero went on to find the truth. To uncover the memories that were locked away, because of him. But could he really blame himself, though? He was Eero, that has simply changed over time. Now, however, they were separated. Were they still the same person? The hand with which he was holding onto the reversed pyramid clutched the artifact harder, his knuckles turning white.

Soho, on the other hand, was keeping an eye out for Leona. Which turned out to be a good thing, as it didn't take long for her to call for his help. The blue bird would fly towards the Silver Wolf Guildmaster and land in front of her, to let her know that he was there. With a little screech he would then take off again, but fly low to the ground. Soho would stop every so often and wait for Leona to catch up to him before taking off. He would repeat the process until the bird and Eoduun's friend didn't reach the mage in question, who would be still gazing upon the chained artifact, not realising that they were there.

Eoduun's mind and vision were still captivated by the reversed pyramid. Was it given to him or did he find it on his own? Were there all of his memories, or just some of them? Too many questions with absolutely no answers. Those he hoped to get from Eero, upon his return. His mind was so occupied that he didn't notice his Guild Master approaching.

Her voice startled Eoduun, making him jump a little in surprise. His eyes would dart upwards. Leona was there, standing nearby, along with Soho, who was sitting in the trees nearby. The mage would smile and stand up as he put away the artifact into his jacket's pocket. His hand was freezing. "Hey Leona. It has been a while. Hopefully it never happens again." It was strange how much more at ease he suddenly felt. "Missed ya." He would add with a sheepish smile. It was true, though. Leona was one of the two friends he had, so it felt natural to him. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he actually missed somebody, other than his other half that was currently away.

Eoduun would nervously clear his throat. "So about the thing that I wanted to show you.. It's a bit more further up the mountain." He would nod towards the path leading deeper into the forest. "Let's get going. The weather can change at any moment." He would say and start walking up the path. His pace was slower, seeing as Leona had just gotten to the point where he already was and he didn't want to exhaust her too much if it wasn't neccessary.

He wanted to say that his time away wasn't exactly by his choice, that it just sort of happened, but he stayed quiet about it. Eoduun was pleasantly warmed when Leona said that she missed him aswell. Those were many of the words that he had not expected anyone say to him. She then agreed to his plan and caught up with him. The mage slow down the pace a little bit more and offer Leona his arm, out of courtesy. "The snow will only get more in the way up the path. Let me help you out." He would say with a little smile.

Soho was flying from branch to branch, tree to tree along the path, keeping an eye on the two mages. Eoduun thought that it would be a good idea to share a bit of the backstory as to how he even managed to find the place that he intended to show. "This place is a tad bit off the beaten path." He would begin as he kept his eyes on the ground ahead of him. "Every time I have a hard time or I feel down or just about anything, I come out to the mountains. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of the biting cold." He would continue. "And yet, I haven't found this place on my own." Eoduun would admit. "I was having a particularly hard time keeping my thoughts in check that day. I.. needed to get out, for a while. And I ended up on that rock, you saw earlier." His voice was tinged with a bit of sadness. "I've been worrying about Eero a lot, but I was glad I found the rock. Something else found me, aswell." The canopy of trees was getting even more thicker and the snow coverage was getting a bit thinner because of it. It was still a hefty amount of snow, however. "The spirit wolves appeared in front of me and the leader of the pack essentially forced me to follow him." He would giggle softly at the memory. "They led me to the place that I wish to show you." Eoduun would end his rather long ramble, hoping that Leona hadn't falled asleep during his musings.

Eoduun chuckled. "It's quite a bit off the beaten path." He would say as he made sure that they were still going the right way. Leona asked him as to what was the 'something interesting' that he was trying to show her. "You will see soon enough, you have my word." The mage would chuckle again, as the snowy forest turned into a snowy forest clearing. Its size was surprisingly large and devoid of trees. However, the trees that surrounded the clearing were growing in even thicker layers than in the forest the two mages just came out of. "This way." Eoduun would gently nudge the Silver Wolf Guildmaster and turn left. The freezing air was becoming uncomforably crisp in his lungs, though.

There was a secluded area hidden away, behind the trees in that direction. Branches of the trees were hanging low, almost preventing passage. Eoduun would lift the branches aside and make space for Leona to walk through. "Here we are." He would say with a smile and motion for Leona to go on. "After you." If she walked through, she would enter a small enclave that was home to a small shrine. The shrine would have obvious signs of wear, marking its old age and lack of care. It consisted of a stand and a bit of a taller construction above it that supported a roof. From the bottom of the makeshift roof hung several faded ribbons with wolf-like emblems tied to thier ends. On either sides of the shrine would be statuettes of wolves. On the shrine stand itself would be a small rusted bell with a stick with a felt end next to it. Eoduun would follow after Leona.

Leona accepted Eoduun's invitation, in a sense, and he was glad. The Guildmaster slipped past the branches and Eoduun followed her. She seemed to take in the immediate surroundings - the shrine in a state of disrepair. Leona noted that she didn't see anything like it before. "I haven't seen anything quite like this before either. Except for in books." He would reply and brush away some of the snow that was on one of the wolf statuettes. "The alpha of the spirit wolves told me that the shrine is for the wolves of the mountains that protect it." The mage would recall the meeting with the wolves again. "Don't quote me on that, though." He would quickly add. "I don't speak wolf-ish. I just kind of guessed as to what he had in mind." It was quite a feat to achieve, though. Eoduun wanted to believe that it made him better at guessing people's thoughts, but it most likely a solid stretch.

"Before, I wanted to see if I could give this place a bit of a touch up..." The mage would begin as he gently ran his hand along the bottoms of the wolf emblems that hung on the faded ribbons. The emblems quietly clicked when they touched one another. "But I don't know if it would be right to do something like that." Eoduun would share his worries. "Then again... It just looks so sad." He would mumble under his breath in the stillness of the mountains. Was it perhaps the wolf's intention? Eoduun didn't know. It made him wonder if Eero would ever come up here to see the shrine for himself, later on, regardless of its state.