(Continued from the Special Occasion thread.)
Anatansya Olekalexein followed the music to some homeless veteran of the Vulshainian Civil War. However, this was no ordinary homeless veteran. The veteran stopped playing and looked up. Her eyes went wide. Anatansya said, “My little Taisyia ?”
“Grandmomma?” The two of them embraced. Taisyia cried.
“So, the results confirm it: she is my granddaugther. By the Den Mother’s blessing, I never thought I would see her again. How is she doing?”
“Well, Your Majesty, your granddaughter is doing much better than before. I’ve prescribed her some antibiotics for that cough of hers, but she should recover. She’s basically fur and bones. Looks like she hasn’t eaten in days.”
Anatansya nodded and thanked the doctor before dismissing her. The Queen Dowager decided to visit her granddaughter. She was taken back by the sight of Taisyia wolfing down food like it was going to disappear any second. “Slow down now, Taisyia . You have plenty of time to regain your strength.”
" I’um hugerea…" (OOC: She’s trying to say ‘I’m hungry’ with a muzzle full of food)
“And don’t talk with your muzzle full of food. Your parents brought you up better.”
Swallowing the food in her muzzle and gulping down some water, she said, “Sorry. I haven’t eaten in almost a week.”
Anatansya pulled up a chair beside her granddaughter and asked, “What happened?”
The question resulted in Taisyia looking down at her almost empty plate. She sniffed. That was the only sound made for several minutes. Then, the emotional floodgates broke open. “The war…that damned freaking stupid war!” She placed her muzzle in her paws, crying, tears falling from her eyes. “People were dying left and right. Some guy I barely knew got his entire lower body blown out from under him. His guts…oh Almighty! God! It was terrible. Then, everyone called us heroes, but did they do anything besides throw us parades and slap trickets to our chests!? Hell no!” She started whimpering in sorrow. “Momma and Papa were killed by the insurgents. And I might have been able to save them. I don’t know how, but I know I could have!” She went back to crying.
Anatansya sighed. “Damn. She’s blaming herself for her parents’ deaths, just like Sam and Cecilia did. Cecilia stopped blaming herself after several months. Sam took a few years. I wonder how long it will take for Taisiya to stop blaming herself.” She embraced her granddaughter, who embraced back. “It’s alright, my little Taisyia. You did everything you could have done during that awful war. Besides, Sam and Cecilia will be so happy to see you again.”
“Are you sure? Maybe they’ve gave up—”
“Nonsense! None of us have ever given up on you and the others. Heck, if the rumors are true, Sam’s been asking other world leaders to help him find the rest of the Rainard Children.”
“I bet they think its nutty than a squirrel!” Taisyia laughed till her sides hurt.
To hear Taisyia’s laughter and to see her smile, was a joy that Anatansya was glad to have seen.
“Let’s see, now…” Rudolf Wielislaw, a plainsclothed CPG agent was picking up some things for his wife back home when he felt someone try to pick his pocket. Spinning around he grabbed the vulpine’s arm. His grip was like a vince. “Ow! I’m sorry! I just need some money for food! That’s all I swear!”
The would-be pick-pocket looked seventeen, but something was familar…
“Oh God! Come on! You’re coming with me!”
“Please! I don’t want to go to jail!”
“Kit, if you’re who I think you are, jail is the last place you’re going.”
Anatansya had just checked on Taisyia when a CPG officer came in with two others in tow. The CPG officer was in plainclothes, but what surprised her was the seventeen year old kit he was dragging with him. “St. Emir’s holy name!”
Her exclamation caught Taisyia’s attention. Her green eyes widened at the sight of the kit. “Oh my God! ERIK!”
She rushed to Erik and embracing him. Tears were streaming from her eyes. Erik was crying as well. “Almighty! Taisyia!?” He embraced her back. The CPGs were having a hard time keeping themselves from crying. The Queen Dowager was crying as well. She finally embraced both her grandchildren.
“So, he’s been living on the streets all this time?”
“Yes Your Majesty. It took us a while, but we managed to track down where he was living: it’s an abandoned warehouse. It’s in an area known for the homeless to take refuge in. The city government has been trying to renovacte the area and turn it into a place with better living conditions for the homeless and needy. They’ve just had problems getting rid of the street gangs that prowl the area, preying on the homeless and anybody who isn’t a copper.”
“And you just happen to catch him picking your pocket?”
“Yes Ma’am. This was probably his first time doing it, too.”
The Queen Dowager gave Rudolf Wielislaw a puzzled look. “He was sloppy Your Majesty. I was a beat copper before becoming a CPG. I was trained on how to spot pick pockets.”
Nodding, she continued. “Regardless, I hope you don’t plan–”
“Never crossed my mind, Your Majesty.”
“Good. See that it doesn’t ever.”
“Understood.”
She nodded and dismissed him. She had a CPG run out and get some pajamas for Erik and Taisyia. The police had brought Erik’s things to her. She rummaged through them. Erik had a few toys, some books, and some old clothes.
Erik had come in, while brushing his fangs. “Oh hello Erik. I had a CPG bring you and your sister some sleeping clothes.”
Just then, Erik’s stomach rumbled. “But first, let’s get you a nice hot meal.”
Ilivoskro Hospital in Eldura, Vekaiyu
The red-furred dark-haired vulpine vixen woke up. She was in a hospital bed. She was clearly in a panic. “Where am I?” She got out of the bed, yanking a long tube out of her nostrils and tearing IVs off her arm. She couldn’t remember much. She walked out of her room, where she bumped into a doctor talking with a nurse. “Where am I? How did I get here,” she begged as she grabbed the doctor, but then a question caused her to release the doctor as she grabbed and tugged at her ears. She was on the verge of crying. “My God, who am I? I…can’t remember…Who am I? I can’t remember!” She fell to her knees, trembling, repeating the question, as if the answer would simply appear in front of her.
OOC: This is a collab between me and Todd.
A nurse approached the downed woman, displaced and apparently away from her bed. “Hello, are you okay?”
Looking up, she was vainly fighting back the tears. "I can’t remember who I am. I can’t remember anything!
“Calm down a moment.” She put a pen to her mouth as she scanned the rooms with her eyes. “We can’t leave you out here, do you remember what room you came from?”
The vixen pointed at the room she had just come out of without looking. “Please help me. I want to know who I am.”
The nurse nodded as others passed by them. There didn’t appear to be any emergencies this early in the morning but, of course, that could change on a dime. “Let me read your chart,” she replied as she led her back to her room. She grabbed the laminate holder and removed a few papers. “Ah. It appears you’ve had some kind of head trauma.” She looked up at the woman and pointed to her bed. “This happens from time to time. I’m not going to lie and tell you everyone gets their memory back from taking a hit, but many do. What you should do now is get some rest. Sometimes all the mind needs is a little bit of time to reboot.”
The vixen was still tugging on her ears. “I want to remember…Remember…remember…”
She placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t work yourself up. You’ve had a nasty spill from the looks of this chart, and it’s best to rest it off. Head trauma is nothing to play around with.”
“Okay…Maybe I need some rest…I remember something about water…war…a ship…explosions…” She seemed to be in a trace now, just mumbling in another language.
The nurse arched an eyebrow. “Yeah… that’s a little unusual there. I’ll send a doctor over to double-check you, but again, it’s written on your chart that you need rest.”
“I remember a nation…started with a V…But yeah…I need rest…” The vixen suddenly collapsed, peacefully snoring, very loudly.
The nurse paused, then wrote something on her chart. She stood by the patient for a time, then left to attend to other patients in her care.
The vixen woke up suddenly in a cold sweat as if from a nightmare. She was tugging on her ears, again in a panic. “Fire…explosions…” She was trembling.
The vixen pressed the call button several times. She hated not remembering who she was.
The nurse from before entered the room in a few moments. “Is everything okay?”
“I remember something about a civil war. There were people who wanted to overthrow the government. I think…” She stopped breathing heavily before continuing. “I think I was in the military…a naval officer…maybe that’s why I remember a ship…sinking…”
“In Vekaiyu?” She asked. “We recently had a civil war, perhaps you were involved in that?”
“Vekaiyu…I think so…but…arrgh!” She tugged on her ears again. “I remember piloting a gunship…I remember Ravers…Rivers…Davers…Dang it! I–ow!” She grabbed her head as a really bad migrane started. On her head was a nasty head injury. And the vixen was starting to scratch it in a panicked state.
“Look, don’t scratch that or I’ll sedate you!” she warned. “Do you want to get better? You need to calm down. We’ve irrigated that wound and we don’t want it to get infected. You’re scheduled to have it re-bandaged soon, so if you care about your health you need to calm down and let us do our work!”
“Sorry…sorry…I want to remember…” She stopped scratching and laid back down, staring at the wall. “Where am I? What year is it?” She seemed to calm down some.
“You’re in the Ilivoskro Hospital in Eldura, and the year is 2011.”
“Eldura? 2011? I remember…can I see a calendar or something, please?”
“Yes, there’s one on the wall to your left there.” She pointed to the calendar to the left, which displayed the days as well as interesting Vekaiyun landscape reflecting the seasons.
The vixen turned and looked at the calendar. Her eyes widened. “I was born on July 24, 1980. How can I remember that, and yet, I can’t remember who I am or how I got here?” The vixen looked at the nurse, hoping for an answer.
The nurse gave a slight shrug. “I guess it just means your memory is coming back,” she answered.
“That’s good I guess. I wonder if there’s a record of how I got here?”
“There is. According to your papers, you were admitted a week ago nearby Eldura after an apparent fall.”
“I remember a fall…into water…it was…salty…like sea water…”
“Ah. You must have been transferred then. Probably from a coastal city, perhaps near Nilisa.”
“Nilisa?”
“Yes. It’s the provincial capital of Kunnat. Everyone knows about that city now. It was the last stand for the Maxists.”
“Maxists?”
The nurse shook her head. “Symapthisers to the old regime in Vekaiyu.”
“How were the Maxists defeated in Nilisa?”
“I think it was a joint venture between Vekaiyun armies and Vulshain armies. I don’t really know, I’m not a military person.”
“Vulshain? I…think…I’m from Vulshain…where is Vulshain?”
“Um… it’s northwest of here, across the Gulf of Itur.”
The vixen nodded. “I remember something else…I remember my father was a Vayan Catholic and my mother was a…Celiam Methodist…but…it’s like my memory is a jumbled up jigsaw puzzle. And…who are you by the way?”
The nurse began writing on her chart. “Ileena Suvavki.”
“I see…Illeena Suvavki…that’s a beautiful name…”
The nurse set her chart back in its laminate holder. “Thanks. But you should probably get some rest. I have other patients to attend to too.”
“Okay. Thank you…” Suddenly, the vixen’s stomach growled very loudly. “Um…”
The nurse sighed. “Yes?”
“I think I’m hungry…”
“There will be someone around a bit later to administer you your meal.”
“Thank you…” She then asked. “Could you turn on the TV for me, please?”
“Certainly.” She picked up the remote, switched on the tv, then set the remote next to her on the desk.
“Thank you.” The channel the TV was on was something about Vekaiyu at the Sixth Winter Olympics. It then went to talking about other news such as what was going on in Iruk and Nilisa.
The nurse, deciding nothing else was needed, proceeded to leave the room and inform someone to bring her a meal some time closer to a scheduled eating time.
The vixen watched the news report as the nurse left. She then twirled a lock of her hair in her hand. “My hair is too long…I need a haircut,” she said in Russian.
On his bed in the Archduchess’ Palace in Kitumang, Erik was busy playing around on his laptop, when his instant messanger popped up. Somebody named Arctic WolfGal9-0210 wanted to talk to him. Erik’s IM name was Royal FoxyMan13.
(OOC: Blue is Arctic WolfGal9-0210, and Red is Erik)
“Hello. I noticed your IM was opened. Want to talk?”
“Sure.”
“So, um…do you like sports?”
“Yep. I like swimming, fencing, gymnastics, and rollerblading. I’m thinking of doing some pole vaulting.”
"That’s cool. I like skiing, skating, swimming, and gymnastics. "
The two of them IMed each other for awhile.
Ilivoskro Hospital in Eldura, Vekaiyu
The red furred and dark brown hair vixen had found a notepad and a pencil, and was now busy writing down several things in order to remember.
“Let’s see, my name is…Anna…Still need to remember my last name. I’m from Vulshain. I studied painting, and love to draw and paint, which would explain why I did these drawings of the sea. I must…no…I know that I love the ocean. I served in the Navy. And huh…What’s this around my neck?”
In the confusion when she had woke up earlier, she hadn’t noticed a pendant around her neck. It was a locket. She opened it.
Anna saw a vulpine couple holding a baby female kit. “That looks like…me.”
Erik drank the water from the water fountain as his girlfriend, Coline Konstancja, one of Vulshain’s 2011 VI Winter Olympics athletes, sat on a beach, her tongue hanging out. “Can’t believe it’s already spring,” she said. Erik looked at his Lobo girlfriend. The two of them had been rollerblading since 11, and now it was almost one o’clock.
“Yeah, and I’m not looking forward to more papers and tests,” he said as he sat down next to her. There was a strong difference in height as she was much taller than him, as well as a year older than him.
“I’m still trying to decide on where to go to college,” Coline added. Erik remembered that she had already graduated from high school before attending the Winter Olympics. “I got letters from a lot of the major universities here, and even a few from other nations, like Azulcena, Free Pacific States’ Shiro Academy, and even Vekaiyu’s Eldura University.”
Erik looked at her. He had never expected to be dating a Lobo, much less an Olympic athlete. She had white lightning bolt-like streaks on her black fur. She had sandy red hair and amber eyes as well as a golden tail tip. She wore a blue tube top and gray shorts.
“Hey,” she said.
“Huh?”
“I asked you a question.”
“Sorry, I was…daydreaming.”
She was about to say something, but she instead repeated her question, “You mentioned that you were planning to attend the 2011 Summer Olympics. Still planning on going?”
“Yeah. I had hoped to attend a good college afterwards or even a military academy. I visited a recruiter from the Confederate Strategic Rocket Forces. Said that he thought I had what it takes to join the CSRF. I just have to keep my grades up.”
“Are you?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but trig is kicking my tail. I’m already at a C-.”
“Need a tutor? I know my way around trig.”
“That would be good. I need very high grades.”
“It must be tough, being the King’s brother and everything,” she said.
“Yeah.” He watched as a human couple walked by. “I never even knew that I was of royal blood until later.”
“Must have been hard, living on your own, especially…” She rubbed the back of her neck, trying not to finish the sentence. She knew that topic was an emotional minefield.
He sighed. “Yeah. It was. I lost a couple of fangs from gang punks. I had to get implants and new fangs put in a few weeks ago. Hurt like hell.”
She twirled a lock of hair in her hand. “Spring break is in two weeks for you, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I was thinking of going to Keoparu–”
“Oh no. I told you that I’m not going there.”
“Oh come on! It’s not like we’re committing a crime if we go.”
“I told you: I’m a Vayan Catholic. We don’t go to such…places.”
Snorting she said, “Look. A bunch of Vayan Catholics go to clothing-optional or naturist beaches, and a lot of Vayan Catholic women wear bikinis.”
Sighing, he answered, “I’ll think about it.”
“You better.”
Both of their stomaches growled. They looked at each other’s stomaches, blushing a bit before laughing. “Want to grab a bit to eat,” he asked.
“Sure. There’s a burger stand nearby. Come on.”
“Wonderful. More fast food,” Erik thought. He liked more Vekaiyun-styled foods. He would rather eat boiled liver loaded with spices or an apple over greasy and fattening foods like chili dog or hamburger. Still, he guessed that he would have to deal with it.
He followed behind his girlfriend, smiling.
Erik and Coline both sat on Erik’s bed inside the Archduchess’ Palace. “Okay, let’s go over Chapter Fourteen,” Coline said as she opened up Erik’s trigonometry textbook. She began to quiz Erik on Fourier series, the geometry of numbers, isoperimetric problems, recurrence of random walks, quadratic reciprocity, the central limit theorem, Heisenberg’s inequality, and diffusion. Erik was doing an okay job, especially since Coline was showing him some tricks and shortcuts.
“Thanks for the help, Coline.”
“No problem, honey bear,” Coline said with a giggle.
“Don’t call me that.”
Coline groaned before sighing. “Alright. Anyhow, I think that’s enough studying for the time being. You want to play Prince of Power Combat Fighters 4*?”
“I guess, so.”
After a while, both of them were bored. Coline flopped down on Erik’s bed. Her T-shirt was now up, exposing her bare chest (OOC: No her breasts are not exposed!). Erik was having a hard time keeping from looking at her.
His tail was wagging and he was blushing. Sighing, he got on the bed with her. “You know…It’s getting kind of late,” he said. She looked at her watch and her eyes went wide.
“Oh Den Mother! You’re right. Thanks.” She gathered her things and left. Erik sighed.
“Great Erik. Great. You could have done that better.”
She came back. “I almost forgot.” She kissed him on the lips. “Goodbye. See you later. And good luck on your trig exam.”
Erik was blushing and wagging his tail. “Thanks and goodbye.”
Erik sighed after she had left. “Wow…what a kiss.”
OOC: Prince of Power Combat Fighters 4 is a parody combination of Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Mortal Kombat rolled into one. Yeah.
Erik’s room was a mess, with clothes scattered all over the floor. This was odd as Erik was usually very neat and tidy. What was stranger was that there were clothes and undergarments worn by women mixed with his clothes as well. On his desk was a trigonometry exam with an ‘A’ on it.
On Erik’s bed were Erik and Coline. Both of them were laying together. Erik was asleep, his head resting on Coline’s shoulder, while her arm was wrapped around him. She was running her hand through his dark brown hair.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “Erik, you awake?” It was the Queen Dowager.
Erik woke up. “Oh snap, it’s grandma. Quick hide,” he whispered. Coline tried to find a place to hide, but only succeed in falling off on the other side of the bed. Erik answered the door, sticking his head out.
“Oh good afternoon Grandma?”
“Good afternoon. May I come in?”
“Um…Well, I’m not dressed.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I see. Well, it was nothing important. Enjoy the rest of the day.”
Erik was about to close the door, when the Queen Dowager said, “Oh and Erik. Clean up your room. And tell your girlfriend, Coline to help you as well, since her clothes are on the floor as well.” She smiled as she walked away, leaving Erik and Coline looking both stunned, shocked, surprised, and greatly embarrassed.
“I can’t believe your grandmother knew what we were doing,” Coline said as she and Erik had gone out for ice cream in the park.
“Well, she’s not stupid.”
“Yeah well…Anyhow, I heard your brother and sister are coming back to pick you up to travel with them to a bunch of other nations.”
“Yeah.”
Both of them were depressed about this, although Coline was the one who was most depressed. Erik on the other hand, while upset about not being able to spend time with Coline and having to keep up with his studies while on this trip, was actually excited as he had always wanted to see the world, especially Vekaiyu, the birth nation of his father.
“I can always email you and IM as well.”
“Yeah that’s true.” They ate their ice cream while enjoying the sunset.
OOC: I work in a bookstore. You start becoming romantic at heart being surrounded by such romance writers as Leigh Knight, Nora Roberts, and Debbie McDonald. :lol:
Queen Dowager Anatansya Olekalexein was not happy, which was putting it mildly. “You. Did. What?”
This was the second time she asked this question. The person she was asking was Chief Prime Minister Adalberto Spencer. They were in her office in the Archduchess’ Palace in Kitumang. “But…”
“No but’s Chief Prime Minsiter. The fact that you gave my grandchildren titles of nobility without checking with me, the Queen Dowager, is something that is inexcusable. To make this…action even worse, is that you made them noble of the Velra Province! How in the Den Mother’s name can Velra be a Marquessate, a Dukedom, a Barony, a Viscountcy, and an Earldom at the same time? You even went and legalized it!”
“Well, we have to restore the monarchy–”
“The monarchy has been restored, more or less, but still, the fact of the matter is that it is usually the monarch who grants them their titles and holdings, not simple-minded politicians.”
“Simple—”
“Shut up.” Spencer quickly stopped before finishing his sentence. “Now.” She folded her hands while resting her muzzle on them. “We can’t do anything about what you just did. However, I will have to salvage this mess you have created. There should be some vacanies in some territories.”
“What do you want me—”
“I want you to do nothing. It’s time this old she-wolf starts flexing her muscles. My bite has a little more vigor in it still, and my bark has some strength left in it. Now get out.” Spencer quickly bowed and left.
Anatansya sighed after he left. She leaned back in her chair while picking up and looking at picture of her daughter Vikki.
“I really wished you had told them about their royal bloodline.”
“You know why I didn’t.” Anatansya turned and looked at the spirit of her daughter. The scars and wounds she had received from the beatings by the insurgents that day were gone.
“Yes, I know. But, now, they are aware of their royal heritage,” the Queen Dowager said.
Vikki floated over to her mother. The daughter looked and glared at her mother while mother glared back. “I wanted them to live a normal life, free of the pressures that they might become the next monarch.”
“Which Sam did become.” Vikki wanted to say something but she was at a lose of what to say. “How long did you think you could keep it from them?” Vikki didn’t say anything, she simply stared. “I’ll tell you: not for long. Eventually, the government would have come and told them, and they did.”
“I would…”
Vikki stopped herself. “Do you know how awful I felt lying to my own grandchildren about who I was. I had to disguise myself to keep them from finding out, and do you know why I did it?”
Vikki turned her head and said, “Because I asked you to.”
“Yes, but I would have done it even if you haven’t asked me to.” Vikki looked at her, surprised written on her muzzle. “I love those kits, just like you and Kirin did.” Someone coughed. “This is between me and Vikki, Kirin, now get out.” Someone mumbled and then silence. The Queen Dowager continued. “I love you and them. That’s why I let you join the Confederate Resistance, because I knew that you wanted to help take back our nation from Rivers. I wanted to go out there and fight alongside my people, but I couldn’t. I knew that if I was captured or died, then the people would lose hope, and hope was the one thing that was keeping that bastard, Merrill Rivers, awake, trembling in his bed at night.”
“I didn’t know.”
"You did, but you were always hardheaded. I guess you get that from me and your father. And your kits inherited it, too, I’m afraid. " She smiled. “Oh, how I miss you so much, Vikki.” Tears began to well up in her eyes. She reached up and tried to stroke her daughter’s face, but her hand went through. Vikki reached up and tried to hold her mother’s hand. “I missed you too. Dad says hi by the way.”
The Queen Dowager smiled, tears falling from her eyes. “Tell that rascal of a husband of mine that I love him too. Tell him to please be patient. I’ll see him again.” Vikki nodded and faded away. Anatansya went the tears from her eyes and went to work, with a smile on her face.
Kieounava, Velra Province
Natalka was glad to be home, to be able to see her hometown of Kieounava again. Still, a part of her was afraid of seeing what had happened. She ran her hand against the names of those who had been killed by the insurgents during the Civil War. She recognized many of her friends, her neighbors, and their families among the Remembered 246. She whispered softly the names of each of them as she read them. She was standing in front of the Kieounava Memorial Wall. She had seen the statue of Reverend Tanner Franklin. He had given her a ride home when her car broke down and her cellphones battery was dead. She saw the name of Kesiela Ivalsemeria, her familys next door neighbor who would always bring flowers and presents to the Rainard Children on their birthdays. She would always forget where she put her car keys, but Kesiela never forget when the Rainard Childrens birthdays were. Even when she was sick, she never missed any of their birthdays.
Her best friend, Savva Gerfried, was among the 246. She and Savva had their first kiss together. She had tripped and fell on him, which resulted in them kissing. She smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. She saw two more of her best friends, Gala Luzia and Agata Lies, as well. Tears began to run down her face. These 246 were people who had been her friends, classmates, rivals, and neighbors. Their lives had meaning, purpose. But to the insurgents, on August 2, 2004, they were nothing but targets of flesh and blood, to be used as they saw fit. Natalka closed her eyes. Im sorry I should have been here for all of you. She opened her eyes Her ears sunk downward as she saw the names her hand rested: Kirin Rainard and Vikki Olekalexein Rainard. Her parents.
Natalkas head hung low as she said a prayer to each of the Remembered 246. She placed the white lilies at the front of the memorial, along with some pansies, Kesielas favorite flower. She walked to the house the Rainard family had lived in for many years. She saw the statue of her parents nearby
Behind the house, Natalka saw her parents graves. She saw the swing her father had put up. She saw the dogwood tree her mother had planted. It was in full bloom. Natalka sank to her knees in front of her parents graves. Momma Daddie Im home. She cried as her tears fell onto the ground. The spirits of her parents rested their hands on her shoulders, tears flowing from their eyes, so happy to see their daughter home again. She wiped the tears from her eyes. I wish you two were still here, along with everyone else who She couldnt finish the sentence, it was too painful to finish it. I I never stopped thinking about you and everyone else. I prayed that I would come home and see you both again but not like this I wanted to embrace you both and pull on Daddies ears like I used to do when I was a little kit. To know that you, the two people who were my world to me, were in reach. But now youre so far away from me once again She sang a song her father had taught her. It was a traditional Vekaiyun song about love, loss, pain, and hope. It had a sad melody to it.
When she was finished, she kissed her parents gravestones. She placed white roses on their graves before leaving. She didnt say goodbye. She refused to say goodbye. She said stopping and turning to look at her parents’ graves, Ill see you again. I said goodbye to you once and that was my last goodbye. When I see you again, it will be hello. She walked back to her car to head back home.
Queen Dowager Anatansya Olekalexein smiled as she looked at Sam’s Mother’s Day gift. She had already received gifts from her other grandchildren. It was a pink rose carved from pink quartz crystal. “Sam, it’s lovely.” She gave her grandson a kiss on the cheek.
“Happy Mother’s Day, grandma,” he replied.
“Now, Sam,” she said, placing the crystal rose back in its box, “aren’t you forgetting something?”
Sam thought for a bit. “I don’t think so,” he answered. She smiled.
“Are you sure?”
"I dont recall having any meetings or speeches to make. He had cleared his schedule so he could spend the day with his grandmother. Her smile puzzled him.
Follow me, she said, still smiling. He followed her into another room. The lights were off. Why are the
SURPRISE! The lights suddenly came on as Sams siblings and several of their old friends yelled out. Happy birthday Sam!
The surprise caused Sam to laugh. He had been so busy with running Vulshain and getting his grandmother a Mothers Day present that he forgotten that today was also his birthday. He smiled when he that his family and friends had even gotten him a caek. As they sang happy birthday to him, he made his wish. His wish was the same as always: that he would be reunited with all of his siblings. Only one remained: Anna. One day, his prayers would be answered, and the Rainard Children would be together again. So far, his family was slowly becoming whole. For right now, he would enjoy this day with a smile as he blew out the candles. Someone wanted to take a picture of him and his siblings together. They all smiled as a friend from their hometown took the picture.
Ilivoskro Hospital in Eldura, Vekaiyu
Anna was watching TV when she saw someone. He was vulpine in his late 20s, and wearing a brown military uniform. She stared at him. “S…Sam…Samuil…” Then she screamed. “AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!” Her scream could be heard throughout the entire hospital. Then, there was nothing.
She lay on the bed as she slowly began to go into shock.
A nurse who was doing her rounds on the floor where the outburst was heard moved quickly to the room to attend to whatever the problem was. “Hello?” she asked. She shrugged. Being an experienced nurse, she didn’t wait for an answer and simply attended to the patient.
“Ah, apparently she has gone into shock,” she replied after feeling her arm and noticing it was clamy. She quickly rolled the patient over on her left side with her right arm over her left, then did the opposite to her legs in order to hasten blood flow. She then grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair and placed it on the bed. “Funny, it’s not really that cold in here, but not too warm either.”
Anna slowly came out of shock. “Ow…My head…Where am I?” She tried to rise up, but laid back down as she hissed in pain as her head pounded.
“Feels like I got hit by everything including the kitchen sink. Hssss…What happened?”
“You’re at Ilivoskro Hospital in Eldura, Vekaiyu,” the nurse replied. She grabbed her chart and flicked through the sheets of paper in it. “Seems you’re being kept for amnesia, which is unusual to a degree. Usually they ship people like that off to mental institutions.” She shrugged. “But going into shock tends to keep that away I guess. Can I get you anything?”
“Amnesia? Ow…I must have regained my memory when I saw my brother on the TV. And the sudden remembering must have put me in shock.” When the nurse asked if she needed anything, Anna said, “Yes. Please bring me a phone book. I need to call the Vulshainian Embassy. I need to call my brother Samuil Rainard.”
She laid a hand on her. “Wait a minute. I don’t know what you had before all of this, but for someone who is close to being placed in a mental institution, we’ll need a bit more proof before allowing calls to foreign embassies.”
Anna hissed in pain as she tried to think. “Well, what do you need then?”