[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

"No, not Tobie. You are as much of these lands as your sister, Queen Mercury is here. Alexander The Lost Prince of Nardir, and my own Apprentice, I'm so glad your home."

The morning had come uneasy for the golden boy as he awoke from slumber, once more in the shallow cave near the lake where he had first been discovered only the previous night. His rest was uneasy as he dreamt of his meeting with the group of wolves that not only had granted him access to the pack of Nardir, but had so emotionally told him that he was a prince. Was he a prince?

Alex sat at the edge of the cave as the sun rose high over the mountain tops, ears low and mind buzzing. He couldn't remember the finer details of his younger life, but he was certain of a few things:

He knew this land.

He knew the scents and striking features of some of the wolves from last night.

He knew his name was Tobie.

Yet even knowing these things, he couldn't help but pass the name Alexander through his lips with a whisper. He sat there, whispering it over and over again in the hopes that maybe saying it enough times would have him believe it. After a minute he sighed and stood up. Nothing definitive came back to him, only slats of images that still seemed too abstract in his mind- nothing vivid enough for him to feel that sense of security. The boy sighed and looked to the sky.

He thought of the older wolf- the mud brown male who's age hadn't deterred him from jumping to all fours last night and proclaiming that Tobie was in fact the long lost prince of Nardir. Perhaps he knew something the boy didn't? If he knew he was Tobie and the group knew he was Alexander, then there had to have been a missing link.

Alexander gave a low hum as he tried to recall what the older male had said the night previous. It was something about being his....helper? Apprentice? Alex sighed and shook his head; he would need to seek this other out if he planned on getting any real answers from this place. Besides; maybe this Hakan had the missing link answers he was looking for.

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

It had been a rough night for Hakan, but he wasn't complaining. Yesterday was the council where he had found himself coming to terms with his own age and speaking amongst his friends on important topics. The night had been filled with his active mind processing all that had happened. Thankfully the fight between Akutan and Kyra had not happened so he had time to look forward to that, for now his mind was enjoying the idea that Alexander had appeared. The boy, though, seemed to have lost himself and Hakan nearly berated himself for not keeping a better eye on the prince before. But honestly, this old man had enough regrets and grief. It had not truly been his place to keep tabs on everyone, though he had tried.

He had briefly seen his daughter get up early, (for once! She seemed to take this new task seriously) and get excited about something before setting off on her mission to head the continuation of the patrol. She seemed to say something about Arik for some reason before bolting off and Hakan just raised a sleepy eyebrow at her before getting up himself.

Groaning and stretching, smacking his lips and giving his body a shake to rid the rest of the sleep out of his system he padded out of his den and sat at the entrance. He had picked a fairly central location on the first floor of The Castle. He looked up at the ramps and skips to the entrances for the other dens all along the cliffside wall. He loved watching the activity and seeing the others getting ready for the day, keeping tabs on everyone and being generally available for anyone to pick up a conversation with him. He had to admit he liked this set up a lot more than the spread out family units in the early days. He saw Kodiak run off to the lake with Mercury and the old healer couldn't help but smile. It was good to see her have some fun.

Someone he didn't see though was the Prince Returned. He wondered if he had gone back to the place he had been found, or if he was out hunting in the early morning. Hopefully he could touch base with Alexander. He hoped to figure out why he had come to be named Tobie and what his story was. Though perhaps the prince wouldn't want to go over his own history. Maybe he had questions of his own. Hakan wondered how much he had retained of his herbal studies. Perhaps he wouldn't be interested in healing anymore.

Hakan's thoughts circled around as he started to take stock of his supply of herbs. He'd have to get some more wild yam and raspberry leaf for Kyra, fenugreek and yarrow. He made a mental list of how much to harvest and started to head out, maybe he'll head in the direction Alex left last night.

ooc

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen

[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

It didn't take long for Alexander to catch a whiff of the male from last night.

He found himself wandering and subsequently stumbling upon what looked to be a castle towering high over his head. The boy found himself staring at it with a wonderment he didn't know he had, before taking in a sharp breath that held so many different scents, especially those from last night. But it wasn't just the lingering scents that Alexander had used to find the old man he'd been looking for. No, it was more of a luck of the draw type of thing. As Alexander wandered closer to the castle, he couldn't help but find his attention catching on another that was leaving the building at an early hour. The golden male's ears perked as he watched for a moment, his brain registering the coat and the walk before coming to the conculsion that he'd found exactly who he was looking for.

"Ahh! Ahh-Ex-excuse me!" he called from afar; legs springing in to action as he bounded towards the older wolf. His heart was pounding- this wolf seemed to know more about him than he knew about himself. He needed answers, and he desperately hoped this would be the beginning of those answers.

"Hi, uhh, hi. Uhh, we met, we met last night? Hi. I'm Tobie- err, no, Alexander?" came the huffing voice of the boy as he caught up with Hakan, tongue lolling from his mouth for a second before retracting back in to his mouth. "Sorry, I'm, sorry- new to this. Not really sure...uhh.." The boy found himself flustered before the older wolf, his head immediately bowing in respect to the older gentleman. He wasn't exactly sure of protocols in this situation? He'd never been told he was any sort of royalty before, and Alexander was still unsure of how to take the news.

"I'm sorry, I know you have a lot of work to get to. I just, uhm, you seemed so positive and so..uhh...I was wondering if you could help me? Remember? I don't really remember you, or anyone? But the way you all were last night I just, uh, I couldn't help but think if you were right then maybe you'd have answers? About why I can't remember?"

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Hakan had his nose deep in some flowering valerian, gently shifting some dirt away from the rhizomes to check on the growth. Yes those will be in excellent shape when fall comes around.

He heard a voice call out, obviously trying to get someone's attention, and he lifted his head and pricked his ears. And lo'! There was Alexander coming to him! Hakan was nearly thrown into a distant memory, but back then he had a little cream shadow dancing around his paws more often than not.

"I was just thinking of you!" Hakan exclaimed as the prince came bounding closer. The old healer had to restrain himself from giving the boy an affectionate headbutt in greeting, but instead crinkled his eyes tightly at him.

He watched with growing concern as the prince stumbled and stammered and grew flustered. Already Hakans mind was working and observing, this was certainly a less confident version of the Prince, as he would be if he had lost his memories, had a new name, grew lost from his family and exiled from his home.

"I'm sorry, I know you have a lot of work to get to. I just, uhm, you seemed so positive and so..uhh...I was wondering if you could help me? Remember? I don't really remember you, or anyone? But the way you all were last night I just, uh, I couldn't help but think if you were right then maybe you'd have answers? About why I can't remember?"

It ached to see him like this, like a stab to Hakans heart, he could just feel all the years that Alex had lost. Oh if only Hakan could have cloned himself a billion times and been a father to every lost Nardirian. But he was only one, and even in the middle of it all, he himself had gotten lost and separated from his own blood brood.

The elder looked up to the sky for a moment, then squeezed his eyes tich shut to keep the painful tears at bay. With a grief filled sigh he brought his gaze back down to the familiar bright green eyes of his former apprentice, they were filled with so much confusion but also, hope.

"Well for one, I am always open to be interrupted throughout my day. It's part of my job. You are always welcome to come to me, at any point in the day or night." He said gently with a sad smile, "So you see, you are my work, as is every member here." He hoped to at least disway him from worrying about how much work Hakan had "to get to".

"As for your answers?" Hakan continued slowly, hesitantly, "We should start with what you do remember. You've been gone for so long. It's ok if its nothing, but we'll need to start from somewhere." Did he disappear before the Fall? Just after the exile? Was he kidnapped? Did he hit his head? The pack had been so scattered back then, it was hard to keep tabs on everyone and a lot of the time if was weeks before anyone noticed someone had gone missing.

ooc

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen

[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

"We should start with what you do remember. You've been gone for so long. It's ok if its nothing, but we'll need to start from somewhere."

Alexander felt his heart drop as Hakan's voice went from joyous to a more serious tone. It was...harder to explain the longer the golden boy thought about it. His ears and head dropped, unsure of how to proceed with the inquiry.

"I don't know," was the answer that finally pushed through his lips after a long pause of silence, "I used to think, I used to think they were dreams? Except, they're not...vivid dreams. Well, not really anyway." He lifted his head and gave Hakan an apologetic look. It was easy to call the memory counts dreams, or visions, but they were not mere abstract ideas. They were more picturesque than that; it was as if someone took a snapshot in his brain and relayed it over and over until it became clear, and then the boy would awake from his slumber. It left the dreams themselves frustrating, because if there were any hints at all, they were never catalogued within his memory when he awoke.

"I guess, uhm, hmm," he began again as he reclined to his rear, watching the older male before looking down at the ground, "the best way to describe it is as if I'm seeing pieces of places in my head as I sleep. Well, that's how it started anyway. My pack, err, my fellow dogs, err," he paused again, head snapping to look up at Hakan. Were dogs despised here? Was he treading on dangerous territory? The boy didn't know, and a sudden fear rose in his chest. "What I mean is, I have...vague memories as a pup, but most of my younger days are with a pack of dogs. They're, they were, I guess, my family. They took care of me. I remember being with them. But, there are shadows in that...I can see places if I try hard enough, and since I've been here I catch glimpses of places I think I know, but I also can't be sure that I do know them."

He felt that sinking feeling again as the boy began to ramble off indefinitely about the issue at hand.

"About two months ago I started having these dreams of places that I can only assume is here; Nardir. At first, my pack mates didn't believe me until I took them to a spot. Then they became more frequent. I only found this place because I kept dreaming of a cave near a pond- and it just happened to exist in the real world."

Alexander rose once more to his feet and gave Hakan a look of determination. As he continued to recall his story and strange mishaps of finding Nardir, the boy also found himself becoming enraged with himself for not being able to be competent enough to understand what was happening.


"I don't know if I am who you believe I am, sir," he began, this time his voice stronger and full of a desire to understand, "But I want to. I want to believe, and I want to remember what happened. What is happening. I don't know if, if maybe finishing this training, or starting over will do anything, but I need to...I need to understand.

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Hakan nodded his head absently and watched the blades of grass slowly sway as he listened intently to Alexander, looking up when appropriate.

Hakan's brow furrowed as he explained what he believed to be was his childhood, not at the pack of dogs but at the time frame. How old had the lad been when he took him on as an apprentice? Hakan had to wrack his brain about the early days with Alex but he couldn't place exactly when or what. Usually Hakan liked to take on an apprentice when they were quite young, but he could only remember four pups at the time of the exile. He had taken Alana a few times when she was very young but he remembered Alex coming when he was a bit older but he couldn't place exactly when. He was tapping his paw to his chin looking serious trying to remember his own foggy memories. Usually they were so clear and he could remember things exactly as if they had only happened yesterday. But all he could really remember was... The garden, Alex had found the garden... Had he been in training already or was that his first lesson?

Hakan paused his own thinking as Alex went on about how the dreams started two months ago. He raised his brow curiously as it lined up with when things started to fall apart, the earthquake, the tendrils, Mercury's return, then taking refuge at Inaria...

Hakan felt the mood shift, a new determination was filling the boy as he stood and declared.

"I don't know if I am who you believe I am, sir," He started, Hakans face grew surprised, "But I want to. I want to believe, and I want to remember what happened. What is happening. I don't know if, if maybe finishing this training, or starting over will do anything, but I need to...I need to understand."

Hakan grew pensive again, absently nodding and shifting his gaze back to the grass, thinking thinking thinking, chewing on his lip and knitting his brows together.
"Hmm..." He tried to say something but his words weren't ready yet.

He glanced back to the castle, raking his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment.
"I may..." He started, turning back to Alexander, pausing, and looking him over again. His markings and colors where that of the boy, the age was about right, the eyes, the facial structure, yes, this was absolutely the son of Shenandoah. This was Prince Alexander of Nardir standing before him... But memories could be a fickle thing. The brain a mysterious organ.

"Hmm..." he said again, thinking maybe he had a good reply now.
"I may have done you a disservice when you appeared to us yesterday. I may have been so caught up in my surprise and joy to see you that I didn't think of the ramifications of calling you out like that." Hakan shifted his feet and took a steadying breath.

"Memories can be incredibly complicated, but I think this goes beyond something I can help with." Dreams weren't his forte, being called with this type of religiosity and strange supernatural timely pull was alien to him, he had a strange thought though.

"I know you as you were born. The son of Queen Shenandoah. Your sisters Alana and Mercury. I know you as the Prince Alexander, gentle and eager to learn. Your gentleness and eagerness have certainly not changed, but you, my boy, have." He said meeting the emerald green eyes of the prince with his own mismatched, a gaze with eyes in green and soft warm brown.

"It is good to change, to grow, to better oneself over time, but that growth is generally determined by lessons of the past. I think this is beyond just the past though. I can help somewhat... I can certainly teach you again, it may spark your memories, but I..." He hated to suggest this without consulting them, and it was strange to refer Alex to someone younger and less experienced, but somehow this felt right for some reason,
"I think you need to seek out Arik... for your dreams... And definitely talk to Mercury and Kastra. I'm sure they are eager to speak to you. Perhaps even talk to them first, before... Before looking for Arik." Hakan shifted his eyes back and forth as if lost for a moment but was bobbing his head as if he was agreeing to his own statement.

ooc

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen

[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

"I may have done you a disservice when you appeared to us yesterday. I may have been so caught up in my surprise and joy to see you that I didn't think of the ramifications of calling you out like that.[...]Memories can be incredibly complicated, but I think this goes beyond something I can help with.[...]I know you as you were born. The son of Queen Shenandoah. Your sisters Alana and Mercury. I know you as the Prince Alexander, gentle and eager to learn. Your gentleness and eagerness have certainly not changed, but you, my boy, have.[...] It is good to change, to grow, to better oneself over time, but that growth is generally determined by lessons of the past. I think this is beyond just the past though. I can help somewhat... I can certainly teach you again, it may spark your memories, but I...I think you need to seek out Arik... for your dreams... And definitely talk to Mercury and Kastra. I'm sure they are eager to speak to you. Perhaps even talk to them first, before... Before looking for Arik."


Alexander sat there and listened intently to what the old healer had to say. The feeling of hope in his chest had diminished almost fully as the older male rambled on with his thoughts on the matter, and the general feeling of regret that the two of them shared. But the golden prince simply nodded as Hakan finished; a small sliver of hope clinging to his chest. He would search for these individuals, whoever they were, and do exactly as the healer suggested. Still, something felt uneasy with him, and Alexander couldn't help but feel a need to bring it out in the open.

"My...apologies in advance, but sir, what if you're wrong?" The question came out almost instantly and the boy felt a pang in his chest as soon as he'd said it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hakan; but the boy worried deeply perhaps this was simply a facade that he'd pulled off. What if, the Real Alexander, was dead somewhere and he just happened to look similar?

"I mean, I mean I think...I know I believe you," he said in a quick recoil of his last sentence, inhaling deeply as he shifted from one leg to the next, "because there are things that are similar in my mind to things I see here. I don't know...I don't know Mercury? But I know that smell," he said, voice a little more frantic as he continued to dig himself in deeper, "but I guess I worry that, what if I'm just another child? Err, was another child, from the pack, and have been mistaken for this Prince." He winced a bit, hoping that he had not fully crushed the hopes and soul of this older gentleman that he had come to talk to; this old wolf who put so much stock in him already, even though they'd just met. Alexander felt a pit in his stomach growing and he could feel that confidence that he'd only moments ago had drain from his entire body. He took a moment to inhale, closing his eyes as he settled himself.

"Yes," he finally said, shaking his head and exhaling with the word, "I think I will take your advice though, and speak to these other wolves...Perhaps they can help me along with your help-I would like to become your apprentice...Again." Emerald eyes looked to Hakan; worried and full of terror but he held fast to the crumbling ground his emotional level sat upon.

"I hope...that I am who you and the pack believe I am," he said with a tinge of doubt in his mind, "but even if I am not, I hope that under your guidance I can be even half of who this Alexander was."

The golden boy offered the older man a smile and a gentle wag of his tail.

"Can you, can you help me find these other wolves? I don't actually...know who they are, or what they look like. And also," he mused as the train of conscious thought began to pour from his mouth once more, "when can I begin my training with you?"

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Hakan wasn't surprised when the prince turned around and asked him if he was wrong. Hakan just leaned back and watched him go on with a warm and knowing smile. The way elders do when questioning youngsters ask their young questions. Hakan knows, he just knows. He knows the man before him is indeed Alexander, there wasn't another child in the pack, he knows because he never forgets a birth he attended. He knows because he loves every child as if they were his own. He doesn't make those mistakes. He makes lots of mistakes, but not those ones.

He smiled when the golden boy finally ran out of breath.
"You'll do just fine. You met Queen Mercury on your first day here. Black with gold and cream markings, she wears a human collar used for pulling sleighs. Kastra, her nephew, is the Crown Prince. Don't let your nose misguide you about Kastra, he is a prince. He is mostly cream with a cinnamon jacket marking. Regretfully I missed his birth, but I didn't miss yours." He said, hopefully that last remark would have some weight to it.

"Arik..." Hakan paused and looked to the northern woods, it overlooked a large island in the lake in front of the castle, "You will probably find him somewhere there. He's mostly black with a sky blue dorsal stripe and moon marks on his sides. He's not too fond of crowds, but he's usually easy to find if your looking for him. I didn't miss the day of his birth either." He said, giving Alex the side eye.

"We can start now. Let me tell you about this valerian root and I'll tell you why I'm only checking on it. Then you can help me harvest some burdock and skullcap." Hakan said nodding at the basket he had brought along. And if the golden prince was listening, Hakan proceeded to talk about how to recognize the valerian and what it was good for, nerves and sleeplessnesss, sometimes pain relief. He told him that it wasn't ready for harvest yet, they had to wait until the stalks where dry, just before fall, then they could harvest the root, but it was good to find it now for easy identification so they could find it later when it was harder to tell the difference between dry headless stalks and tall grasses. Then he nodded for his apprentice to pick up the basket and follow him to where he hoped to find some burdock and skullcap. Talking constantly and teaching him as they went.  

ooc

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen

[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

"We can start now. Let me tell you about this valerian root and I'll tell you why I'm only checking on it. Then you can help me harvest some burdock and skullcap."

The boy listened intently as he grabbed the basket in his mouth and followed his...teacher. Well, there wasn't any other word for it, so teacher or instructor would have to do. He nodded as he walked on, listening to how the root wasn't ready to harvest but that it was good to identify it now and how identifying early could help them later on.

"Buff, ow wud yew treet sumone whiff id," he began, talking with a basket in his mouth. Alexander blinked as his ears recoiled down atop his head, realizing the silly thing he'd just done and gave a soft snort before setting it down to ask once more; this time with clarity.

"But how would you treat someone with it?" came the voice again as he asked Hakan once more, "Would they eat it raw or would it have to be crushed? And how many roots would suffice for one wolf?" The questions now were going to be endless as he picked up the basket and walked a little faster to catch up with his teacher. He wasn't entirely sure if being a healer was what he wanted to do, but he couldn't deny that he wasn't a tad bit curious with how these plants worked and what it meant for each one.

As they walked, the boy noticed some small plants a few yards away and he couldn't help but veer in their direction. He paused, setting the basket down once more and lowering his nose to the lavender plant. Ears perked as the smell wafted in to his nose; a sudden calmness flooding through his body.

"Is this for anxiety?" he asked, calling out to Hakan. Alexander looked back to the lavender plant, eyes narrowing a bit as he gave it another sniff. It was potent, but he wasn't entirely sure what it's purpose was for. Back when he was with the dogs, they rarely used medicinal herbs to treat things- they were more aloof and rowdy like that. With injury came respect, and the lack fo treatment never bode well for them, but Alex was lucky in that regard, having never been truly injured while in their company.

"Can you get medicinal properties from things besides flowers?" The boy looked back to the older brown male once more- they were getting off track, but he was already beginning to grow curious. Was he like this when he was a puppy?

"Err, rather, the valerian you showed me. You said it was for pain relief. If this is meant to soothe, or calm, is it a possible mixture of both that could be used as, say, a sedative? Or would the valerian do the job by itself?"

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Hakan smiled as his apprentice asked just the right kind of questions.
"Once the root is harvested we clean it as much as possible and hang it up to dry in my drying space. As the smaller parts start to dry and get crumbly we'll collect the small bits and store them and start cutting up and laying out the larger chunks to dry. It can be eaten just fine fresh but it needs to be dried to be stored. So it'll last until we can harvest more. Once all that good growing energy falls to its roots in the autumn, it's at its most potent. You can give someone either a steeped tea with a few small bits in it, or if I can find a way to get some alcohol I can make a strong tincture and you can add just a tiny bit of that to someone's water. Doesn't need much at all." Hakan shrugged as he led the way to the skullcap.

"Is this for anxiety?"
He pricked his ears and swung his head around as he heard Alex's voice from a place he wasn't expecting him.

"Yes... actually! That's Lavender." Hakan responded and came closer to see what he was inspecting. Then Alex asked a wonderful question about combining the herbs.  

"Yes! Though some herbs work better together as opposed to others. A combination of Lavender and chamomile is best for only needing a calming effect, Valerian and Skullcap work best together to help someone get a better nights sleep, or at a lower dose, calm someone with chronic anxiety. Sometimes though someone doesn't respond well to valerian, or will respond opposite to it and it will give them more anxiety. In that case I would give them a combination of Passion flower and lemon balm. Those two act more on calming the body, while Valerian and Skullcap work more on the mind." Hakan said, quite proud that Alex had retained at least some information in his memories, even if they weren't readily available yet.

"As for your question on only using flowers, there's some plants you can use the entirety of it, or some plants you can only use certain parts. Its why learning about specific plants comes first and foremost in training."

ooc I try to be pretty general about IC herbal lessons and have a lot of "lessons" off screen. Because a lot of players won't have my level of information and I still have gaps. (and my books are still packed) The amount of info can be pretty overwhelming and exhausting to teach IC.

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen

[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

Alexander nodded and walked along, basket in mouth as Hakan further explained why certain flowers were able to mesh and create new medications while others couldn't. It was a strange feeling, but as they continued on and the lectures continued on, Alex couldn't help but feel some string pull in his heart; it was as if he were tucking in to an old shoe once more. In fact, it would have almost felt like normal had the boy not been constantly asking questions along the way.

Yet as they continued, Alex found himself stopping once more. This area was a new area that he did not know, but something in him said that he absolutely knew it. The boy set the basket down once more as his nose shot quickly in to the sky so he could take in a deep breath. The air itself was crisp but there was something lingering on it that let a spark fly in his brain.

"Uhh," he began, cutting off Hakan in whatever sentence he was in about whatever flower or root he had been talking about, and began to wander. His nose twitched as it followed the scent that hung on the air; it was subtle but distinct.

"What is that smell?" he asked in a half distracted tone as he walked further and further away from his mentor. If Hakan had replied, Alexander wasn't listening. His mind was racing with small pictures of a place he didn't know but if there was a smell that could have filtered over a photographic frame- that was it. His pace quickened now as he walked faster and faster; the smell wafting in stronger in certain breezes before tapering out once more. It was frustrating, but the golden prince kept himself on track as he weaved in and out of field and forest.

"You smell that, right? What kind of... what is that?"

He wasn't even sure if Hakan was following him at this point; he was trotting now through under brush and thick trees, his nose lowering from the sky to the ground in the hopes that it would better serve him there. Even the earth here smelled strangely of familiarity and the boys heartbeat quickened in his chest. There was an adrenaline rush pumping through him, as if he were a child opening a gift on Christmas morning with the knowledge of what was already inside.

Finally, he stopped.


What beheld Alexander's gaze as his nose hit a patch of flowers would have made any one stand in awe. The golden male looked up to what felt like an endless sea of beauty, and he couldn't help but fall to his rear as he sat down; ears perked and eyes wide. What was this place? The golden boy turned to look back and see if Hakan was following. Maybe he knew this place.

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Charley]

H a k a n,

"And though we lose our stake, Heaven is where we make it
Even in the smallest places, Can a garden grow"

actions - “speech” - thoughts

As Hakan was guiding Alexander on how best to pick the Skullcap they had found and the finer points of cultivating the herb, Alex interrupted him and started to wander off. Hakan pricked his ears and followed the boys gaze wondering if he had found something or if something else was interrupting them.

The elder began to get slightly alarmed as the boy asked what that smell was and Hakan tried to sniff it out wondering if he had caught scent of a fire. No, no fire smell. But Hakan didn't want to admit that his sense of smell had started to deteriorate in the last could of years. Something he had once prided himself on its sensitivity. Silently he watched Alex start to follow his nose, and Hakan slowly followed after him, wondering if instead something had broke through the boys memory.

As he followed along he began to feel a prickling sensation at the back of his head, like something he was forgetting but feeling very excited about. Could he... Could the prince be remembering the garden?

And then the boy stopped, and Hakan came up to his side awestruck at the growth and abundance before them.
"You found it! My dear boy you found it again! The Garden! Vaidya's Garden! Look! All the lavender and rosemary the pack could want! And here! Gourds! Poppies! Carrots! You found this back when I first took you under my wing. And look! You've found it again! And its grown so much since we've been gone!" Hakan was wagging his tail and skipping to each plant and chattering on about this one and that one. Like a kid on christmas morning.

"I can't wait for us to tell Queen Mercury!" He said exuberantly.

ooc

Photo © Erik Stine / coding © vixxie's codes / lyrics © Garden by Noah Gundersen