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[Seed Trial] A Snake, A Dragon, and A Fox


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A Snake, A Dragon, and A Fox

 

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Art by Kajenna

 

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♫♫♫

Briala Atmorice. Or was it Serene? Lorenthus, perhaps? The girl had so many names in the past, she couldn’t remember them all anymore. She started as an Atmorice, then became a Serene. She left Sirame and married a Lorenthus. Yes, that was correct.

 

Her mother, Sonna, had gotten her to smoke many different herbs. Getting to where she was now was difficult, and remembering things was much harder. She was in a clearing, in the middle of the woods. Many words were said, but she couldn’t quite remember them. She knew she had to get home — to the Vuln’miruel seed hall. She knew Pip the fennec fox was here with her. Pip was elderly now, his cream-colored fur now graying. He’d been with her since Arcas, before she was even attuned. She’d never actually spoken with him, despite having learned Beastspeak long ago. She couldn’t do so now, she couldn’t focus.

 

Briala stumbled toward her companion, but he began to run. His small legs carried him out of the wide clearing, much faster than the tall woman could move in her inebriated state. She kept him in her sights, her hand reaching out to stop herself from running straight into a tree — but the tree was now a person. Brown hair, tanned skin. Arms filled with tattoos. Her father? Theris.

“You left your family, vuln’ii. What makes you think this one will want you? I didn’t.” His voice caused her to jump away — but Pip didn’t stop. He lept over a fallen log, looking back at Briala a moment to see if she was coming. She locked eyes with the small fox, fighting back the growing panic.

 

“You are not my father. You did not raise me, you left me. Briala ran past the man — who had faded back into the muted browns and greens of moss on a tree trunk. An illusion, but she couldn’t have known that. As she started again, Pip turned to bound off in a seemingly random direction. The redwood forest was becoming thicker the farther they ran from the clearing. In the trunks of trees, Briala saw the faces of those who had passed away or abandoned her. Katia Atmorice, Chrom’ilvya Atmorice, Awaiti Sirame, Diomedes, Erin Atmorice, Rithon, and... Her own.

 

Her own face caught her eye amongst all the others she tried to forget. Sister Forget-Me-Not. Had she abandoned herself? No, no she hadn’t... She had tried to forget aspects of herself as she grew. She tried to forget her mother, Katia, as she had tried to forget her father. It was not her mother’s fault for dying, but it was her own fault for her friends turning their backs on her.

 

“Forget-Me-Not. A totem befitting a woman so easily forgotten. When was the last time I sent you a letter?” Rithon’s voice echoed around the forest. No, her ears. Was he real? Yes, yes he had to be. He had to be real.

 

“N-no… You said you’d take care of me, you did. You do. Her pleas rang out as she continued after the fox. But, he had left her long ago. She hadn’t seen him since before she had taken the Sirame name. Did he still love her? Doubt. So much doubt. Where was Chrom, anyway? And Dio?

 

The faces followed her in every tree she passed. They whispered to her, telling her to stop. To give up. She couldn’t give up, right? She had to go on, she had to prove she was worthy.

 

With a shout, she ran straight into a tree trunk.

“My love,” Ciliren. She had found her. “What are you doing out here?”

 

Briala went to wrap her arms around Ciliren — only to be met with the rough tree bark. Cili’s laugh resonated, bouncing off the trunks around her as the other voices had. Ciliren had left her now too. She was gone. Was she ever there?

She pushed herself away from the tree trunk, starting after Pip once again. She could only see the tip of his tail disappearing into a thicket, but he was there.

“You never leave the house anymore, Bri. I want us to get out more” Ciliren’s voice followed her. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this.

 

“No... No, I want us t-to do more too! I promise!” She called out to the voice, fighting back the urge to turn around and search for her wife. “We can when I’m done. Please, love.”

 

“You always say we’ll do it later, Bri… We never do. You’re a liar.

 

Tears formed in the woman’s eyes as she forced herself on. Her legs hurt. Her feet were bare, scratched. Blood was leaking. Was it real blood? Run. Chase Pip. Keep running. Prove yourself. Are you weak? You must be weak. What would Awaiti say if she could see you now? Poor little fox. The voices became louder. Shrieks. She had to cover her ears. Why were they louder? What did she do? Why did she deserve this?

Her foot caught on a rock, sending her toppling forward. She had landed with her face in the dirt, hard. A bit of blood seeped from her nostril, but she had bled enough from her scratches she didn’t notice. With a soft groan, Briala lifted her head to see… The gates of Elvenesse. She had made it, and the seed hall was not far now. Pip squeaked as he bound into the city. Briala pushed herself to her feet and began to stumble after him again. Faces passed her, but she didn’t recognize them. She had her goal set in mind and little could halt her.

 

Finally, Briala stopped. She was at the Seed Hall. Sonna Vuln’miruel, her Haelun, was waiting for her. She had done it. She wasn’t weak, nor was she forgotten. She had proved herself to her mother.

 

The snake had become a dragon. Now that dragon was a fox. Briala Vuln’miruel gained her ilmyumier from the same woman who had given her the previous name she had held.

 

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Briala Lorenthus Vuln’Miruel ((Art by Weulemon))

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Ellesul would frown as her mother ran up to the seed hall, drugged out of her mind.

 

"Why's she allowed t'do the Funky Flowers, but I'm no'? This isn' fair!" 

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The Fox snickered at her granddaughter's words, ceasing the braiding she was doing as came to a stand. She gazed at her daughter and vulpine companion with a golden gaze, her smile wide as she murmured a quick thanks to the elderly Pip. The druid bent down to offer him a treat, then walking over to her child and wrapping her up in her arms. "My beautiful, brave snow fox...You have done well, and I am so proud of you.." The Mother of Foxes whispered before giving the tired girl a gentle squeeze. "Come my darlings, let's give you your marking.." She cooed to both Briala and Ellesul, ushering them both inside as her own foxes emerged to greet the successful Pip.

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