writing_shadows

My first post here! This is set just before last nights Forsaken game in Edinburgh, which has probably confused Ruairiadh even more..

"What am I doing here, little brother?" Ruairiadh sat in the derelict building, watching the Water of Leith flow past. "How did a kid from Lewis end up squatting in a place like this?".

There was no answer - Ruairiadh spoke only to his own reflection in the water, his brother long since dead. He gazed at the image, as always, imagining his brother older, sitting beside him in the reflection. Behind him, the moon rose over the building, casting a silver eye into the water that stared at Ruairiadh.

"Ah, an gealach, she'll never leave me alone. Always watching me, little brother". Ruairiadh tossed a stone into the river, shattering the reflection of the moon with ripples. "Doesn't matter how long and far I run, she's always there. Síocháin na solas ùr, my only solace."

He shifted over on the wall, making a little more space for the brother he imagined beside him. "I wish you were really here, mo bràthair òg, how different would things be if you were?"

Another stone splashed into the water, sending ripples across the moon. "The dreams were unbearable, you know. Seeing that pack, one each of Luna's aspects, you the full moon, me the new. Knowing I could never have that. I know I'm meant to have a pack, but you were meant to be in it. How could I ever accept a pack without you? But now, I'm here, and the dreams are coming true. All of it, apart from you being with me. And in a city, surrounded by bad smells and angry people".

Ruairiadh fell silent as a fox moved quietly through the undergrowth on the far side of the river. He watched, thoughtful, his voice softening. "I suppose.. Foxes can live in cities", he whispered, "why not wolves?"

"But, things are so very complex here. Each wolf is bound to others by pack, by tribe, by friendship, by shared history. They're much more social than the Highland packs, and I don't know how to find a way in. They seem impressed that I can live in the Highlands alone - I'm impressed that they can live here. I'm not what they are."

As if answering a question that no-one asked, Ruairiadh tilts his head to one side, then nods. "Yes, there are good people here. You saw me drinking with Doug, Im sure - I trust him not to play politics when I ask him questions. And Jala, she made me feel safe, for a little while, even though the moon was in the sky."

Another stone splashed into the river. "There's a meeting tonight. If I want to join a pack, I probably need to prove myself to them. Maybe if I can track down those Claimed I saw, and lead a pack to them, that'll show what I can do?"

He stood slowly, pulling the black hood over his head. "Keep this place safe, little brother, I'll tell you how it went when I get back".