It had started with a whisper.
A Viera who left the wood was not meant to hear the Green Word. It was unclear if such a thing was meant to be a permanent punishment for leaving behind her duties, or if it was incentive to bring them back into the fold. In years past, a Viera was never allowed to return to the wood after abandoning her sisters; she was exiled. In recent years it had become allowed, and those Viera were no longer in permanent exile. Still, typically none returned. They left for a reason, after all. Eivør was one of those Viera; she left to find herself, to discover what she was missing. Damn did she find it. She had seen so much in her time away from Viras. She had seen magic unlike anything the Viera typically practiced, and learned it as well. She had been introduced to weapons, technology, things she still didn't entirely understand. It was exciting, it was enlightening. However, not all of it was good. She had also been introduced to evils she had never considered, and heartbreak.
Eivør had always intended to return, she just never had a plan on when. Part of it was because of how much she enjoyed being among others not of her kind, but part of it was also for fear of if she went back... would she leave again? It was not worry that she wouldn't be allowed that stopped her, it was fear that she would decide to stay. It was home, after all. Twelve years did not compare to eighty. While she had made a home for herself, Viras was home. She had accepted many things about being away from Viras; it guaranteed she would never birth a child, she would not see her mother, her brother, any of her companions. But in leaving them she gained so much more. She gained knowledge, power, strength, and happiness. Was it always perfect? No. Was it always easy? Also no. But was it worth it? Usually the answer was yes.
And then one night something visited her in her dreams. It was a quiet, distant voice. Barely above a whisper. But she knew this voice. She had heard it before. She would know it anywhere. It was one that had her sitting up in bed and waking in a cold sweat. The ticking of a distant clock and the idle tip tapping of a dodo wandering around were the only sounds around her. No chirping of birds, no rustling of leaves and branches, no distant rivers. Just Eivør's breath, her racing heart, and Fat Son.
She hadn't been able to sleep again that night. It made carrying on with her tasks difficult for the following day; all she could think about was the whisper of her mother's voice. Falling to sleep for the following night had been difficult. It had been stressful, and though the night was fitful she eventually gave in to exhaustion.
She is sick. She needs you.
A second sleepless night had followed that. Her mother was sick? How? What could she do for her? It once again had Eivør waking in the night. She was shaking, she could barely think, or breathe. As if by no conscious volition of her own she began to back; clothes, weapons, food. The necessities. And Fat Son. She at least knew not to abandon him in her packing frenzy. And that was that, she rushed home. The use of aetheryte teleportation made the initial journey so much quicker, as it allowed her to get as close as possible to the borders of the jungle before she was forced to travel by foot.
This was a path she had taken only once before, and it had been in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, her feet carried her as if by instinct. Her body knew where to go. Home. She stopped only to rest, and to care for Fat Son, as the travel has stressed the poor dodo. Otherwise she made no detours, no stops for anything extracurricular. Only what was necessary. The closer she got to Golmore she louder the voice became. She needs you.
And then Eivør found herself at the edge of the forest. There it was. The familiar scent, the sounds, the trees. It was all there again right before her very eyes.
Dare she step foot beyond these trees? Was she even truly welcome to return home? Eivør's heart raced, she could hear it pounding in her ears. Home. She was home. But what awaited her here? She stood there for what felt like an eternity, just staring into the depths of a forest she had always known. A forest that had at one time been her entire world. All she had known. Now it felt... small. It was no smaller than it used to be, and it was still a massive place, but it felt so much smaller than the world she now knew. All that was left was to take that final step forward...
Because her mother needed her.
With a gentle sigh and a shake of her head, Eivør squeezed Fat Son tightly in her arms and began walking again. She stepped easily over logs, stones, and creeks. This forest was her domain, and she had always been and always would be its master. She ducked, she climbed, and she maneuvered her way through the forests of her homeland with ease, as if she had never left. While she did this she could hear everything, all those sounds the missed. The animals, the singing of birds, the distant creeks, waterfalls, rivers, the creaking of the trees moving and swaying, their branches heavy upon their trunks. She could even hear quiet whispers, the soft patter and skitter of humanoid footsteps. Someone was following her. It wasn't threatening, however. It was almost comforting in a way. Most likely it was a wood warder who had seen her enter the forest from the outside, but he did not attack a Viera. He just kept a wary eye, but made no move to stop her from her goal. She clearly knew where she was going. If she didn't stop she could get there by nightfall...
Eivør all but ran through the forest, leaping and climbing and gliding down pathways she had never forgotten. She stopped only when she finally smelled it; Viras. Someone was preparing something delicious. What time of year was it now? They must have been having a party of some kind. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she ventured closer, only to be met with a pair of spears being pointed at her face. "HALT! Stranger, who--" There was then a gasp, and one of the spears was lowered. "Eivør?"
"Wait, what?" The second woman lowered her spear and stepped closer with her partner. One was familiar to Eivør, white-haired Viera with dark skin, golden tattoos, and eyes like honey. The other as well, with her sandy hair and green eyes. Eivør recalled being lost in the eyes of both of these woman on more than one occasion. "No way." Honey gold eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "No way--no..?!" The spear was slung over her back into a strap, and the white-haired woman walked a full circle around Eivør. She had stood still the entire time, hugging Fat Son protectively to her bosom and watching both women with relief and amusement. Svana and Hilde. She remembered these two so well. Were they paired now? Good for them. She must have been quite a sight to the two of them; she had been gone for eleven years now, and while not much had changed physically she was still a changed woman. She even dressed entirely different from the both of them. While both huntresses were garbed in leathers, she still wore a red dress covered in jewelry, and made of something much more delicate than leather.
"It has been.. a very long time," Eivør finally cut in, her voice quiet for the pair inspecting her.
"A ver--are you serious?!" Svanna gaped. "You abandon us for how long and come back all 'it's been a long time?!' That's your greeting?!" Claw-tipped fingers sank into fluffy white hair, clutching her head as if trying to contain herself. Meanwhile, Hilde's arms had wrapped around her midsection to laugh at Svanna. Eivør merely grinned and shrugged.
"Are you surprised, Hilde? That is very her. But.. Eivør. You have returned! This is wonderful, yes? And... you have brought dinner?" Green eyes landed upon the rotund creature in Eivør's arms, and Fat Son honked. "What--"
Eivør gasped, laughed, and squeezed the dodo with a wide smile. "Oh! Haha. Oh. No, no. He is not for dinner. This is.. this is my pet. I could not leave him behind, so... ah.. Hilde. Svanna. I. Mm. It's. This is awkward. I know you.. I know you will want to catch up? And perhaps have many questions.. but--"
With a gentle smile of understanding Hilde cut in, "you are here for Salma." Svanna immediately sobered and lowered her hands away from her head. While Hilde smiled, Svanna frowned. Eivør's ears slowly lowered to lay flat against her hair. "It's fine. We understand. Come, she still lives in the same home she did when you left.. we'll walk you there." Hilde finally turned, holding an arm out toward Eivør in invitation. Mismatched eyes widened a moment as she looked first to Hilde, then Svanna, and then finally to the village behind them. Viras. Her bottom lip quivered a moment, and Eivør had to cough and clear her throat as she took a shaky breath in and then began to walk closer into the village.
It was exactly as she remembered. Nothing had changed. And in the best way. Eivør's gaze wandered as she walked between Svanna and Hilde, following them to humor them. She still knew where to go. While many women were busy with their own suppers or various preparations, there were a few who met eyes with Eivør. Each one had a similar reaction; shock, relief, joy, and confusion. The closer they got to her mother's home, however, the less often she was met with confusion.
"How did you know of Salma's condition, Eivør?" Svanna asked as they approached the home. An abode covered in flowers, with a garden to rival Gridania surrounding it. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon her childhood home. The home she grew up in. Her mother's home.
"I--I.. I dreamed of it. I. I heard it. I heard her." Her voice cracked a moment, but Eivør was quick to clear her throat. "Thank you for escorting me. Is there anyone in there with her now?"
"Yes, a healer from the next village over. It.. Eivør. It does not--"
Svanna frowned. "...Right.." White ears lowered a bit, and Svanna approached the door to open it without bothering to knock. "Salma looks as ill as she is, Eivør. Are you prepared?"
"... Yes," she lied. Eivør then slipped past Svanna to let herself into the home. She stopped just past the threshold to look around. Everything was still mostly the same. Some redecorating here and there, but it was still her mother's home. It smelled of flowers, of nature, but also.. herbs. Healing herbs. Natural remedies. Medicines. Eivør frowned. This was why Salma needed her, she had learned healing outside of Viras' capabilities. Without a word she continued through the home, her arrival announced only by the clicking of heels and the jingling of jewelry. Even Fat Son dared not make a sound. She stopped only when she reached the threshold of her mother's bedroom, where she stood in the open doorway and gazed down upon the women gathered in the room. Two women were to the side, perhaps praying to the Green Word. She vaguely recognized them. These were friends of her mother's. One woman was completely alien to her; this must have been the visiting healer.
And then there sat Salma... she was gaunt, she even looked malnourished. Eivør could hear her breathing struggle, as if each breath took everything within her to take. Her normally beautifully dark skin was somehow pale, and even her hair had gained more grays. If Eivør didn't know any better she would think her mother to be an ancient; a Viera thousands of years old, old as the oldest tree in Golmore. But that was not the case at all. Salma was barely two hundred.. she still had so much life left to live.
Finally Eivør's quiet voice broke the silence."... M.. mother.. I--" Her breath caught in her throat, and tears filled her eyes and fell down her face. There were quiet gasps in the room as the healer and Salma's companions looked up from what they were doing. There stood Eivør, the daughter who had abandoned them to learn silly star magic. After eleven years. She had returned. "I.."
"Is that.. Eivør?" Croaked a familiar, but sickly voice. Eivør choked back a sob. "My... shining star..?" Fat Son was set down on the floor as Eivør stepped closer, nudging gently past the visiting healer to kneel down beside Salma's bedside and take a thin, shaking hand reaching out toward her. She took it in both hands and held it tightly at first, then more gently when she thought better of it. Eivør's own hands trembled as she brought a hand that was all but skin and bones to her lips. "Eivør, my love. You returned.. let me make you some tea--"
"No, mother.. no. It's. It's fine. I." Another kiss to her hand, and then it was brought to her forehead. "I heard your call. I'm here. I'm here. I'll fix you. I promise. I'll make you better." This was followed by another choked back sob. Svanna and Hilde in the doorway exchanged looks before quietly stepping in to usher the other women out. Let them have their reunion, especially since Svanna was sure it would not last.
There was a tired smile on Salma's face, but joy was still seen in dulled eyes. "Oh, my little star. Do not cry. If the Green Word brought you here, it must know you can help, yes?" With one hand held captive, the other reached across to pet dark hair of a weeping child. "I feel... better. Better already. Just seeing my Eivør. My darling girl. My little star."
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