[ COMPLETED ]

When the ubeli had first departed, it had been quite a silent occasion. He had simply awoken one night, feeling an odd tugging sensation deep within his chest before stepping outside and vanishing. For months there had been no sight nor scent of Stellanti, though the only difference it had on the land related mostly to Zenali. As the darkness finally faded and the thin mage found himself standing before a structure he'd never seen before, he blinked in muted confusion. It was very complicated, decorated heavily with freshly growing grass popping up from the thinning layer of snow surrounding the area and the glimmering surfaces of gemstones adorning the stone walls. Shiloh, came his first thought, silently stepping forwards and reaching magical tendrils out to feel at the building. Digging through the history attached, Stella quite easily found the memories of Shiloh crafting the thing, as well as many other familiar faces surrounding him whilst he did so. How long exactly had he been gone?

Peeling himself away from the outward display of earthen prowess, his dull nails clicked softly against the polished flooring, multiple eyes adjusting to the dim lighting provided solely by the frosty stars and moon above. Within the center of the entire arena was a glossy fountain, producing faint rippling and splashing noises as the icy water danced through the intricate design. Stella placed his paws more carefully now as he slinked towards the item, the sound of his clicking claws fading as he maximized one of his few physical strengths. Carefully he leaned towards the basin, tipping forwards awkwardly due to his height and dipping his thin muzzle into the cool water. His tongue was awkward and serpent like, making it useless for lapping up the liquid. Instead he simply sipped at the waters, nostrils prickling uncomfortably as they became submerged.

Once he had finished drinking, he stepped away from the fountain and instead chose to pace towards one of the main hall pillars, studying the object through cold, empty eyes as his breath puffed out in dull, wispy clouds. Perhaps he should venture back to the zoo now that he'd returned, hadn't Ahti and Enfys had young before his departure? He had been less than interested, but perhaps at this age they were open to intelligent conversation and he could be entertained by their presence enough to remain. Ah yes, and the parents themselves would be..."nice" to meet again. It had in fact been a while. He and the finned alpha had always had quite peaceful interludes of silence together whilst working, and Enfys had been cordial. Atarah was an acquaintance, and...was that all? What a small gathering of wolves, almost sad in a way.

He'd lived long enough to see generations raise and fall, magnificent oaks crawling up towards the sky before crumpling weakly in what could almost be described in the blink of his third eye. Perhaps if he were younger and less experienced, he would taste the bitterness slithering up from his throat and up onto his tongue.

While loneliness was the only thing she had really attached herself to, sometimes it was nice to have company.

This was not one of those times.

The ubelin female, too dark for most her kind, had been strolling through the night, followed by the faint sound of flapping wings every now and then - she had never been able to shake the white bird of her namesake, so she had given up on chasing it away. It would land, follow her with it's gaze, and continue by flying overhead and waiting for her not too far off. Sometimes it would leave, hunt or scavenge presumably, and then return.

Now it had nested itself somewhere not too far away from the fountain, just like she had. It was dark enough to hide most of herself simply through her darker fur, but now another wolf had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. In what was now almost a reflex, she'd turned the area around her into an even darker shade, creating a deeper shadow than had been there before, in hopes of avoiding detection by the newcomer.

It was an even thinner-looking wolf than she, though quite high in stature, as if stretched thin, upwards. He also had an... intriguing... drinking method, on which she did not wish to elaborate further. Instead, she focused on the familiarity of his form. It was the first memory she really had, after all - since her memories from before the portal were all faded to near nothing, and he was the first thing she'd seen then. Or someone similar. She wasn't sure how many ubeli were as high but thin-looking as he.

Perhaps he hadn't utilized his powers to the fullest potential, or perhaps he just hadn't paid close enough attention, but as he shut his eyes and wilted under the moonlight, the feeling of another spirit emerged in his range. Slowly he turned towards the familiar being, the third eye on his forehead cracking open whilst his others remained glued shut. It cut through the shadows the other wolf cloaked herself in, settling in on her with ease before he turned away again. "Raven." Stella stated blankly, digging through past memories and allowing the female's name to rise to the top of the swirling, foul cauldron.

Still, her presence didn't do much to effect him, he could see her even with his back turned and eyes closed, feel her movements and intentions as if they were his own. He had no fear nor interest for her, stepping further away from the fountain and curling his long, catlike tail around the pillar his flank hugged. The swirling dots along his cheeks and rump glowed softly in the shadows, trailing down his paws before being sucked back into the darkness by the sea of ebony fur surround it.

Slowly his nostrils brushed against stone, past memories swirling through his brain of construction and friendly interactions taking place under the great, sparkling gemstone above. He could even feel recent Zanali wolves here, and judging by how he didn't know much about how long he'd been gone it was almost comforting to know that the pack still existed. Perhaps he had some sort of obligation to return and at least state his return before leaving again--if he did chose to do so.

As if her thoughts had attracted his attention, the skinny male suddenly looked at her - looked, though with his third eye, the non-seeing one now that she remembered. He dug out her name, so no doubt had he recognized her some other way than visually. She nodded to him as he mentioned her. This was indeed the one she had met so long ago, and though it took a while, she responded similarly. "Stellanti."

He paid her no immediate heed however, instead turning to their surroundings as if it was something interesting. In a way, it probably was, and as she watched him with the occasional blink, she started to realize that his coming into existence just now, might not have been his own doing. "You've been away," she concluded. It wasn't as if she'd looked for him earlier, just that, since he also lived in the city, she expected to meet him every now and then. So to her this hadn't been much of a surprise, but now she wondered where he'd been.

Perhaps it seemed as if he paid more attention to the structure but to be honest, everything here was about on the same level of mild interest to him--although it still wasn't much. Stella had never thought he'd seen the other ubeli again, and frankly had little interest in what had happened to her after departing years ago. Still, he internally offered a half-hearted congratulations to Raven for not wandering off and dying in her first few months or so. Judging by the shadows surrounding her, she'd even gained more powerful levels of magic in her time here.

Her voice met his large, batlike ears again as he paused a turned back towards her, other eyes cracking open and glowing softly in the gloom as he responded. "Yes, I have." It wasn't much, but it was still a response, and that was about all he was willing to release on that certain topic. "I assume perhaps a year, judging by this." He then added on, muzzle tilting up to the far roof above. Had it been spring when he'd left? It was certainly spring now at least, so yes, he assumed it was a year. A whole year of being lost to a void with no memory of what happened within that new dimension--oh well.

The ubelin female followed the male's gaze to her surroundings, then the sky. She didn't quite understand his phrase however, since she shared none of his magical skills, and did not think building this would have taken a year.

Instead, she turned back to him and blinked, her shadowy area lightening now that she paid less to no heed to the magic - obviously he saw through the darkness with something other than his eyes, and maintaining it would only cost her needless energy. A year, then, she mused. A year in which he'd been away, probably been given up on by his pack or family, and all while she had been here, still very much the same. She sighed a bit at the idea. What ever was the point of life?

But had he not said that he'd had a pack in the city? "Should you, er, check up with someone?" she asked. Not that she wanted him to leave per say, but she did just as well alone as when in company. At least Stellanti's company wasn't bothering her much, so if she were to look for a friend, perhaps he might do. But she couldn't afford friends, not really. At least that's what she'd always been told. No use crying about it. Yet perhaps reminding him was some kind of useful.

At last the other ubeli released the shadows surrounding her, making it marginally easier to see the area. He blinked coldly, eyes settling into the now ever so slightly brighter environment before turning back to Raven and her hesitant wording. "Soon, a day more without them will not cause much strife." After all, he'd been gone for a year, it wasn't as if in the final day he was gone he'd lose his chance to see Zanali again. Besides, what if he decided against staying? Perhaps he should venture out towards the shining woods to meet Heddonne again. My, when was the last time they had spoke? Much longer than he'd spent separated from the likes of Zanali.

"Have you recently?" Stellanti then inquired, settling his gaze onto Raven with his usual, eerie calmness. He supposed it was the polite thing to do at least, though if he really wanted to know he could attempt to use his magic against her. Quietly he raised a dainty paw and placed it upon the column he stood beside, scanning the thing for any spiritual communication before marking his own against the stone. Nothing much, just a bit of a sedative aura to aid with the calm demeanor of the cold, silent night.

Raven stared at her now-companion, making the tiniest shrugging motion when he finally said it could wait another day. He was right about that, she supposed. Being gone so long as a year or a year and a day was about equally long. He decided on adding a question however, to which she shook her head, then tilted it at him. "More recent than you, I suppose." Not exactly recently no, she didn't often feel like she should, and encountering a bunch of giant woolly pups from the North hadn't much changed that - but it had been shorter than a whole year.

Besides, she had the bird. She looked at it and it squawked at her, but refused to move otherwise. Again a hardly noticeable shrugging motion was made, and she looked to what the male was doing. He seemed to be making a connection with the stone, having placed his paw on the surface. She stared for a moment; nothing in this world had interested her more than any magic. Yet he seemed pre-occupied, so she decided not to word any questions.

Stellanti lazily turned back towards the other ubeli as she responded in her own monotone voice--to anyone watching from an outside view might even assume that they were related in some way. Dark fur, gangly, and eerily deadpan. It was almost comforting to know that there were more wolves than psychopath children eaters or perpetually ear-gratingly joyous youth. This was his version of normal, and it almost made him pleased. Not many things made him pleased anymore, and if something did, he certainly wouldn't honor it with a smile or such. Leave that to the aforementioned screeching pup-adults. Without much effort, he felt Raven's curiosity in his magic, and his eyes met her own as he gently dropped his paw again.

"I can feel your interest, would you like more information?" Spiritual magic was one of the very few topics that the ubeli was nearly keen to address--and by keen, he meant sentences longer than four clipped words and not as much deadpan judging. His long, catlike tail curled behind him, winding slowly around a hind leg before slithering back to slowly wave across the stone floor beneath. His eyes then flicked to the ivory bird accompanying Raven, blinking at the creature before turning back to the one that he could properly communicate with.

Surprise made her lift her head, but she quickly stowed the feeling away. If he could feel her emotions, she wondered if he could feel all of them all the time. It must be hard not to react on that when around others - a thought that honestly made him more respectful to her. She nodded without overthinking - for once.

"So... you feel emotions." she said. It seemed pretty obvious, so it wasn't a question. "What about the rock?"