Dreamscapes

Dan
The wind was gently waving the heavy branches, lifting delicate veils of tiny snowflakes into the air. They danced in big, slow, glittery spirals downwards, kissing his bare skin. Even though the air he exhaled danced as a white cloud along with the snowflakes to the inaudible song of winter he didn’t feel any cold. The warmth of his mount, Ramiel, radiated from beneath. The greying tundra dun fitted perfectly in the background, his coat resembling the colours of the wintery woods. Dan looked back to where they had come from. No tracks disturbed the perfect white. Not even their own. How could that be?

Ramiel walked further, not even hesitating once. They approached a clearing, and there, in the middle of it laid a small, dainty, fragile looking thing. The black haired man dismounted, crouching into the grass. It was a deer. Or rather a fawn. Something inbetween. A milky coat, bright green eyes. Suddenly he heard steps, loud, heavy.

Dan stroked Misneachail’s head absentmindedly, and petted Ramiel as well when the silver male approached him too. “It’s fine boys, just a dream…”

Tana

This wasnt where she was suppose to be, the wooded lands of her 'cousins'. She found her way well here still but her true domains was the open tundra. Turning her head, almost all the way around, she looked in the other direction. She had seen them both coming, crossing the seasons. To step over the borders meant change but there was not anything that told her it would be anything bad. Not even the shadow held real dark to it. The bear was a predator but in this case, no matter how looming it was, it was not hunting. Something had then swiped the man and the tokota from her sight and the fawn and the bear faded away.

Dan

He reminded himself of his words all morning. Just a dream. Nothing special. Only that it felt so real… And that this wasn’t the first time he had that exact dream. It was already the third night the black haired young man woke up with a gasp, covered in sweat, and couldn’t get rid off the images in his head.

His scars started to itch again. Ever since he was out with Tana to hunt polar bears and met his spirit animal in the process they stopped. Not only that, but the beforehand fleshy, ugly scars had healed and faded to silvery marks on his skin. Looking very similar to what seemed to be a print of a talon on his arm, where Tana grabbed him before he completely lost his mind in the vision.

Tana

She was just halfdressed as she heard Dan's voice at her door but called him in anyway. "I don't know for certain, but I can look..." Tana walked towards her storage area as she corrected her tunic over her upper body "I have meant to sort these things out..." The woman began to lift on different lids on the boxes she had created during the summer, both out of wood and woven ones. Some was even lined with prepped skin to be able to hold more fluid things. Aluaq had gone forwards towards Dan's tokotas. Not in aggressive manner. They had the scent of the tribe, and thus in a way 'of the pack' so he knew he didnt have to defend Tana’s ger more than he had to defend the entire tribal grounds towards others in the pack. However he did keep an eye incase they would see fit to start nibbling on his food. Biisa snuck up beside him, she didnt know these males so well. They were males and while her worry was not showing itself in her bluegrey eyes she rather be safe than sorry.

Dan

On her call he entered her ger, waiting a second to let his Tokotas pass the entrance as well. When he turned around Tana was looking through her storage. She seemed to be fresh out of bed, not wearing too much clothes on her body. Dan stared at her for a second, her tiny but strong figure.

Giving himself a mental slap he started to look at the various symbols painted and carved into the gers ceiling and wooden constructs. They were foreign, but very interesting and kept his gaze away from Tana. Even though he already had seen her naked when she was swimming in the lake, this was different. It was her home. He could feel his ears burning.

“Yeah, I guess… I keep dreaming it, it’s weird. It’s not like that call when we went for the hunt, I’m not drawn to just go out and travel as far away north as I can. But I’m feeling restless still. Can’t concentrate.” He sighed, absentmindedly sucking at the cut in his finger.

Tana

Biisa seemingly relaxed at the males friendly greeting, even did a vague tailwag as a response, then she followed Aluaq who had sat down next to Tana. The woman had sat herself down in front of her fireplace. It wasnt the same as an open fire but if one opened the 'door' to the fires 'ger' you could see its dancing flames just as clear. Much of the time she kept this little door open, she liked the sounds of the fire and the spirits, the crackle and pops, soft squeaks and soft rustle as the coal fell together. She gave a gesture to the young man to sit down as well. Her new ger was larger than the first one she had lived in. Perhaps not intended for just one person but perhaps too small for two living there for a longer period. It was good enough for her and she could help with a extra bed in case the tribe would get visitors.

"Why don't you sit here a little? Sit and listen. I get you something to eat. We might need to go out later..."

Dan

Ramiel still stuck close to Dan, even though his tail wagged a polite greeting as well. Which wasn’t exactly easy because while the young man listened to Tana’s words he had started to wander. Up and down he paced, like a caged animal. The ger was big enough for that, his own was smaller. Most of his pack had to sleep outside or was roaming anyway. Only the two or three of the large bearwolves he had working with him or needed for an early leaving were stationary at his ger.

He turned around and walked back into the direction of Tana, the silver male following him close.

“Hmm… you think? That might explain why the fawn-thing never showed any worry.” He fell silent for a few seconds, then looked at Tana in confusion. “I’ve never told you what exactly I’ve dreamt.. How… Why do you know?”

Tana

Her smile was soft, like it just lingered there, not really showing but at the sametime it was. Dan was her friend, a close friend, that was one thing that made the connection between them stronger. Obviously she could not tune in on all of those she cared about. That kind of power she lacked. But the spirits used her. She knew that now. Sedna somehow used her as a tool to help mend the rip between the ones that walked before and the Others. Or those that had become lost in the darkness caused by Greed. Tarqeq, with all his wisdom, had urged her on. She did not know where this path would lead, only - as always - it was up to the spirits.

Dan

So she had experienced the dream as well. Dan was worried and relieved at the same time. It meant he wasn’t just crazy and overreacting, but it made the whole spirits thing once more harsh reality. How could the rest of the world be so blind to something that was so vivid and lively up here in the north? How could humanity have forgotten so many things? In a timespan so short compared to it’s existence, not talking about the existence of the planet itself. Was it the spread of knowledge, the possibility to communicate over hundred of miles in only a heartbeat? Did science exclude the sense for supernatural in men?