Meaning of Home

“As we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave is stringing us along. Just know you’re not alone… ‘Cause I’m gonna make this place your own…” The mora sang as she walked down the unfamiliar road, enjoying the sound of the tune. Something about music always soothed her nerves, not that she was awfully nervous about possibly meeting a community of mora. Rather, she was anxious to present herself and see if her long years of education would be of any use. What if they were mean, rude brutes who cared nothing for intellectual power? Then again, the stray Inu she had run across told her that he had heard rumors of a society of their kind led by some kind of monarchial ruler. It was by this exact rumor that she had come. But who knew? It may just be some abandoned urban area.

One hour, another half, all fading away to walking along a wet pavement. Sometimes it led Aisling through the woods and in other places, through fields of vibrant grass. The only aspect of the scenery that didn’t change was the dark ash path. How strange it was, that something artificial just bore through the natural haven. After what seemed like an eternal stroll in the wilderness, given that the woman had lost track of time, the road suddenly ended. It was abrupt and strange, finishing at a tree line. Looking around with eyes that rivaled the beauty of the fresh grass, Aisling found a small but well-worn path that she decided to continue down. Her tail swayed gently behind her and her right arm rested on her bulky messenger satchel that held her instruments and certificates of degrees.

Eventually, the thick forest of luxurious, healthy trees thinned out. A small smile crawled its way up the kitsune’s lips when she saw a ville of cottages. With excellent posture, she walked up to and sat down with one leg crossed over the other on a little bench. It was the closest thing she found to the edge of what seemed to be a border. In fact, there was the scent of her kind lingering faintly in the air. Aisling smoothed out her white long-sleeve button-down shirt and then rested one hand on her jeans and the other across her messenger bag protectively as she waited to see if anyone would show up.

The bag swung lazily from her hands as the Queen walked along and down the abandoned black road that led to her lands. The contents of the bag were heavily large fish that she had picked up fresh from the docks. Her walk had been quiet and peaceful so far, though she had her headphones on to block out any noise. The soft melodies of Vadim Kiselev going through her ears as she began to skip along the road and hum to the song. It was one that was actually very sad, but she loved it all the same. Even small keystrokes spoke volumes to the ear, but this wasn’t where her mind was. She was thinking over the events of the day and what she should do. The queen only had a morning shift at one of her jobs and had the day off with the other two. Taking a look around sounded nice, maybe she’d find where Connor made his home and ask him if he wanted to do something. He was, after all, the only other Mora in the the land right now. She could skip along the creek and read at the bridge, which had to be her favorite place in the lands besides her cottage. Nodding once to herself, Willow made her way to her cottage and placed the fish in the freezer before walking out to have a look around.

Walking along the borders, Willow hoped that maybe someone would be there. The grounds she had checked earlier made her content that the lands she chose were as well protected and hidden as she paid for them to be. Hunting other animals was very much illegal in the particular forest because it was a nature reserve. Wildlife and the creatures that came with it were all under her protection as long as they didn’t leave the forest. So far either no one had found her lands, or the humans actually respected the law that was placed upon it. Either way, this made Willow satisfied in knowledge as she walked along a fairly beaten path and back to the road. Her red converse slapped against the pavement as she walked rather carelessly down the side of the road to towards the bench that marked she was nearing the city. Nearly fifty yards away from the bench, she stopped and squinted. Her pupils narrowed slightly to give her better vision and what she saw caused her to smile slightly. Walking a little bit faster, she neared the woman on the bench and cleared her throat as to not scare her. From how she looked right now, Willow knew that she looked nothing like a queen should. Her shoes were beaten up and scuffed, her t-shirt slightly loose with her shorts having torn pockets. She mentally shook her mind from the thoughts and smiled to the woman slightly. “Hello, I’m Willow. What brings you here?”