[ P ] into the past

Sinclair knew he should just forget about it but he couldn't. The rage that had been building inside of him since seeing Lye again would not leave entirely, but today it had quelled enough for him to try to think clearly about what to do next. He couldn't just exist this way, knowing the kind of life his family was living without him. He couldn't stay away... could he? They were his family and he had done this for their wellbeing and yet he felt so betrayed. It was hard to swallow, all of it. So he traveled alone today, wishing to spend some time alone so that he could think. What he truly wanted to do was return to Sindri, but he couldn't bring himself to yet. What would she say about all of it? He had a feeling she'd tell him to forget Lye but how could he? She was the love of his life. After all this time he loved her no less, although he wished he did. He wished he hated her so that he could be done with this part of his life but he didn't, he couldn't. He grumbled as he walked, his paws crunching through the snow with abandon until he noticed a figure in the distance. He looked up, straight ahead, and saw black and white fur. He squinted and blinked as one name came to mind: Faina. "F-Faina? " he said coarsely. It had been years since he'd seen her and his heart leapt at the prospect of seeing a familiar face. But as he drew nearer, he did not recognize the scent nor the true face of who he was seeing. It was not Faina and this fact had him looking rather crestfallen. "Sorry... I-I thought you were someone else," he murmured apologetically.

@Onyxia

She weaved in and out of the trees, the shadows masking her back from the beating sun while the winds kissed her mismatched colored cheeks. She was on a mission, one that would allow her to rest her paws from days of travel and give her a place to rest from a full belly. Thankfully here the food was plentiful, though she could not take down large game the hares and foul were not so hard to track. Within a couple minutes she found a clearing and it seemed vacant enough—she hoped. Orange hues scanned the area briefly and when she found no signs of life she sat upon the earth to rest.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, eyes closing to focus on the sounds of the birds overhead. She got a couple minutes peace at least before the sound of another filtered through her ears, but more so what they said is what demanded her attention.

'Faina?'

Eyes shot open, finding the source of the voice before her. An ebon man with amethyst colored orbs stared back at her. Before she could respond, however, he was quick to cut back in, apologizing for mistaking her for someone else. That someone else being her grandmother, coincidentally.

"How do you know Faina?" She questioned back without an ounce of hesitation. He must've been older to know of her grandmother, but where did they cross paths that Onyxia had never met him herself.

Once he could see her better, he realized she looked quite different from Faina. He had seen her from behind, the dark pelt and the somewhat familiar scent and it had sent him running back to the past. Now that he could truly see her, he realized quickly that this was not Faina nor some strange younger version of her. A sigh slipped from his parted lips and he thought about just leaving her there along with his embarrassment but she had to poset he question of how he knew Faina which in turn made him want to ask the same. So he would, naturally. "She was one of my best friends and beta in my pack for a time," he said. "Who is she to you?" he asked, knowing that possibly she was a relative. If this young woman was not Faina, perhaps she could help him find her and there could be some semblance of his past restored. A sense of comfort washed over him, thinking of seeing the woman he'd known for so long again.

@Onyxia

There wasn't a long time to wait for his answer, though it did not surprise her in the very least. Faina was always a strong soul, one who once ruled a pack and who was also very loyal to those she cared about. "She must've really liked you then," she smiled softly at the thought of her late Grandmother. It was a great loss when she died and that was around the time Onyxia had decided to up and leave on her own. She loved her mother and her siblings of course, but the bond was nothing like the one she shared with the ebon' elder.

"She was my Grandmother," Onyxia replied back to the man. She felt comfortable sharing the information with him considering he knew enough about Faina who would not share anything with someone she did not trust. "She's not with us anymore," she doubted he knew with the way he had mixed them up shortly before meeting. "I'm sorry," she added gently as she had a feeling the news would be a shock. Losing a best friend was hard enough, but not being able to say to goodbye before the passing...well, that was something different entirely. She offered a soft smile to comfort him, but even she could feel the sadness at the thought again though it had been some time.

It was easy to tell this woman was probably a relative of sorts to Faina, but he was curious still. Moreso on the whereabouts of his old friend more than anything else. "I'd like to think so," he responded, though something about the way she talked about Faina in the past tense had him growing worried. The girl told him that she had been her grandmother and then, finally, the other paw dropped. 'She's not with us anymore' was the nice way to put it. In other words, Faina was... dead. Sinclair felt a knot tie in his gut and he closed his eyes. It was like someone had knocked the air out of his lungs and he couldn't quite catch his breath. He had not expected to hear those words in his own lifetime. He'd not wanted to ever hear those words. "I see...," he murmured as he opened his eyes again, drawing another deep breath to try and steady himself. After a few moments, he finally spoke again. "What... happened, if you don't mind me asking." he hoped she would share with him what happened, but if she didn't want to then what could he do? He certainly wouldn't try to force it out of her and part of him didn't even want to know. He could only hope it had been a peaceful passing.

@Onyxia

His next question was one she expected, especially since he deemed himself the friend of her Grandmother. "We would like to call it age," Onyxia admitted though she thought it was much deeper than that, "but I think it was heartbreak." She grew silent for a moment with her eyes fixed upon him, looking to see what his reaction would be to her words before she continued. "She had a mate, a long time ago who she loved his name was Pharos. They ruled the ocean pack, as I'm sure you know, but his life was taken by his brother due to jealousy. Grandma found him and killed him soon after, but not before she found Pharos' rotting body on the beach." Her lips curled into a frown, "it was hard for Grandma to love, but she found it in him." She shrugged her shoulders idly.

"She raised her children alone and built an empire, but sadly it was destroyed and she lost contact with some of her children due to a fierce storm." She cleared her throat, why was she telling him all of this? She was curious if he already knew. Regardless, she continued. "Then she met another who resembled Pharos, dark pelt, golden eyes and all." Her frown turned into a soft smile, "he was strong, he was right for her, she finally found herself to love again." Once more her features would shift into something sadder, "but that didn't work, I forget the reasons why, but they split and a couple months later she died. I heard he moved on, had another family and I think it broke her. She left on the darkest night of the winter, a friend told us she passed under a blanket of snow." She exhaled a long breath, her gaze drifted away from him as she looked at her paws, leaving the rest off in a soft mumble. "That's all I know," she found his eyes once more.

Sinclair listened as the young woman told Faina's tale, speaking of pain and loss, of heartbreak. He could relate to many of these things himself but he would not dump that on a near child he did not know. Those were his burdens to bear, not hers. "I'm... so sorry," he said softly. He wished he had been there and been able to do something but alas the fates had kept them apart. While he'd lost her years ago, he felt like he just lost her all over again hearing this and the pain was becoming too much to bear. His chest ached and he felt like the breath had been stolen from him. He needed to go... "Thank you for telling me..." he said, pausing because he did not know her name and she did not know his. It was probably better that way. She didn't need to get mixed up in his life and he was not interested in hers. He would bring her nothing but misery in the end, just as he did to everyone else he grew to care about. "I must go. Goodbye." he said, dipping his head and turning to leave. He would disappear into the forest without another word if she let him. [ sinclair exits ]

@Onyxia