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Description

Import link and name (including ID) of Tokota: Sabathiel 5752
Chosen soul animal: Wolf
Prompt (copy pasted from this journal):
1. The wolf will never reveal itself to your tokota if they have not overcome their fear. Demonstrate your tokota’s courage by depicting them facing their greatest fear, and overcoming it to prove their mettle.
Link to HP confirmation: comments.deviantart.com/1/5489…
Previous tasks:
1. You are here
2. Sabathiel's Confidence || Rite of Dominance II
3. Sabathiel's Clarity || Rite of Dominance III

  His heart ached. Drift’s shack slowly shriveled in the distance, the early morning fog making it just a fleeting blurred dot over the slopes of the valley. Sabathiel couldn’t bear to look back anymore, as he knew just across the widening space between his home and his paws were his pack mates and his dear companions, watching his shape disappear. It would be two weeks before he would see them again, and although he has been away from the pack longer than that before it had always been just hunting trips with a small group of his friends. But this time it was just him and Drift, which would be comforting if it wasn’t for the fact that Sabathiel would be left alone in the unknown wilderness miles and miles away from his pack.

  Sabathiel had been preparing for this for months. Ever since he heard the howl in his dreams from the wolf spirit, he had been nervous and anxious about his rites of dominance. The first rite was to show Sabathiel’s courage to the wolf spirit and prove him ready to be a leader by overcoming his greatest fear. It didn’t take long for Sabathiel and Drift to determine that fear, though Sabathiel did avoid the subject for weeks after his vision. There weren’t a lot of things Sabathiel truly feared but… there was one thing that seized his heart and made his body shake.

  “Calm down, Sabby.” A warm hand slid up Sabathiel’s mane and rubbed his ear. The tawny tokota closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. When he exhaled, his warm breath mingled with the cold air and drifted up and mixed in with the morning fog. “We’ll be back in two weeks.” His ear twitched as Drift’s fingers stroked his fur.

  “I miss Ezekiel. And Peliel. And Prancer. And Eae. And-” Sabathiel’s murmur was cut off by a sudden pull on his mane hairs. He whined lowly but swiveled his ears to listen as Drift shushed him softly.

  “I know Sabby. They’ll be fine, Ezekiel and the others are being looked after by Tatrasiel, remember? And the tribe promised to send someone to check on and feed them and the other animals every day. And Eae, well, she has the pack. I’m sure Arael is keeping everyone on their pawpads.” Though he didn’t chuckle, Sabathiel could hear the fond tone in Drift’s voice as he spoke of the others. It made him feel a little more at ease, though the anxiety was still crawling under his flesh.

  They continue the ride in silence. Sabathiel’s pace ranges from walking to trotting to galloping across the taiga with nothing but the howl of the wind and the rustling of the supply pack slung over Drift’s shoulder. Sabathiel is without tack, which is not anything new, but for some reason the feeling of Drift riding on him bareback is more comforting than usual.

  Probably because he knows Drift will leave him soon.

  The fog gives way to snowfall. And as Sabathiel and Drift travel to the deserted part of the island, where only wild tokotas and other wild animals live. The valley is on the maps but it is uncharted and rarely visited. It is the perfect spot of isolation, especially for a social tokota like Sabathiel. The winter weather bites at Sabathiel and Drift. They spend most of the journey moving to avoid hypothermia, only stopping when they see a cave or den to rest in.

  The snow is harsh but durable, especially since Sabathiel and Drift are nearing the valley. They take the path through the forest to avoid the worsening snowstorm as well as hunt for some quick prey. A deer alludes them and they give up after it takes off back the way they came. They shouldn’t waste any more time or risk getting lost.

  Drift, tired of riding, dismounts Sabathiel and shifts into his wolf form. He spends a moment fixing his supplies to his new form then walks alongside Sabathiel. As they continue, the forest tapers off and for a moment they are stunned at the view before them. Laid out underneath a wide blue sky is a sloping snowy field trickling into a valley forest with a twisting river running through it.

    For a blissful moment, Sabathiel forgets the reason they have come to this place and bolts into a sprint, flying across the snow and towards the lush snow dusted forest. By the time Drift catches up with him, he seems to have remembered their purpose in the valley and he looks off somberly towards the trees.

    “We’re here.” Drift breaks the silence with a careful icebreaker. Sabathiel looks at him with his large baby blue eyes before turning his gaze to the snow under his paws. The tracks he made stare back at him. “Come on, Sabathiel.” The skinwalker starts with a stronger voice. “It’s only a week. You only have to make it through one week.”

    Sabathiel is surprised when his head is lifted by the hand urging his chin up. He didn’t know when Drift had shifted form or approached him, but that query slipped from his mind. Drift’s golden eyes pierced his light blue ones, and the look on his face was hard, with a furrowed brow and tight jaw. Sabathiel didn’t have to blink twice to recognize the face as Drift’s pained face. He was trying to mask his own anxiety and worries over the rite…

    Tears welled up in Sabathiel’s eyes and he couldn’t help but whine and press his nose into the palm of Drift’s hand. “I don’t want to be alone.” He choked, his throat threatening to close as he blinked and the tears slid down his fur.

    “Sabathiel…” Drift looked so aggrieved as he gathered Sabathiel’s furry cheeks in his hand and pressed his forehead to the Tokota’s snout. “The wolf spirit is watching.” He breathed in to keep his emotions at bay. “You will be alone but… not truly.” Drift closed his eyes tight as he heard his tokota sob and felt the rise and shudder of his body. “It’s only a week. I will come back, Sabathiel. I promise.”

    They stood together for a while, with Drift whispering his promise and Sabathiel brokenly repeating his sorrowful confession. Although Sabathiel had prepared for this moment, and received so much support and love from his pack and even tokotas and handlers from other packs, he was still terrified of this.

    What if Drift never came back? What if no one came for him? What if this was Drift abandoning him…

    As night came upon the valley, Drift and Sabathiel took shelter in a nearby cave. It was small but spacious enough for the two to huddle together, and for Drift to light a fire. Once again in his wolf body, Drift lays up against Sabathiel and presses his nose to the tokota’s side. He knows Sabathiel will be okay, and that he will overcome this fear but still, he reaches his inner voice to whatever gods or spirits whom lend an ear to pray for Sabathiel’s courage to come to him.

    Sabathiel shifts, breaking Drift from his thoughts. Looking to his tokota, Drift sees those baby blue eyes peering at him. The fire crackles and casts its light on Sabathiel’s face, making the shadows jump and dance. He seems somewhat calm, despite his breakdown earlier. Drift nuzzles Sabathiel’s side before lifting his head to say something to him.

    “I’ll miss you.” Sabathiel beats him to it with a quiet voice. Despite being a massive 190 cm tokota, at this moment he looks incredibly small. Drifts heart stings a bit as he moves his gaze to the fire. It sways and smolders, offering nothing to help him in the situation.

    Golden eyes turn back to blue ones as Drift thinks of a response. “When I found you in that snow covered wagon I had no idea what you were or how big you’d grow…” Drift’s ears splayed back and he felt a shiver from a gust of wind that blew into the cave. But he kept his face turned towards Sabathiel as his speech went on. I didn’t know where you would take me or who I would meet because of you.” The corner of his lips moved up and his tail lightly thudded against Sabathiel.

    Drift always seemed more expressive in his wolf form, Sabathiel thought. More honest.

    “That moment when I first saw you I knew you needed someone to scoop you up and care for you.” Drift paused when Sabathiel regarded Drift with tearful eyes. The wolf looked back at him before thumping his tail against him in a playful manor. Sabathiel smiled for a moment and his eyes crinkled, letting a few teardrops spill out. “Sabathiel, you changed me. You didn’t even try or realize but every day I spent raising you, I was also moving away from the dark path I had been taking and towards one scary and unknown to me.” He broke eye contact to press his nose to Sabathiel’s side again, hiding his expression from view.

    “But I am so glad that happened.” Drift took in a breath and slowly let it go. He could hear Sabathiel’s heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his breathing. “You’re not that small, shivering puppy covered in snow anymore Sabathiel. You’re not alone.” Drift felt Sabathiel’s breath hitch. “You don’t need to be taken care of and although I’ll always be there for you it won’t be because you need me, Sabathiel.” Drift smiled into his tokota’s fur. “It’s because I need you.”

    The fire crackled and cast shadows on the walls of the cave as Drift and Sabathiel fell into slumber. Though Sabathiel had felt restless, the wear of their journey exhausted him and he fell asleep almost instantly and deeply after he and Drift talked. Drift slept only for a few hours before he awoke, knowing it was time. In the early light of a waning moon, slowly descending so that dawn may spread its pastel colors over the shadow laden earth, Drift gathered his things and slipped away. As the wolf passed through the mouth of the cave, he looked back to catch a fleeting glance of Sabathiel before he would leave him for a whole week.

    The dying embers of the fire seemed to leap to life for a split second, and Drift thought he saw the bright burning shape of a wolf before it disappeared. He closed his eyes and hung his head as he trudged through the snow and faded into the treeline.

    When Sabathiel awoke, he was alone. The fire was out and the smoke rising from the ashes blocked out Drift’s scent. A panicked feeling swelled in his stomach and he moved to the mouth of the cave to look for Drift’s tracks instinctively. A harsh, cold wind bit his fur and he stepped back. A snowstorm was swirling outside the cave, casting a white film over everything outside. He couldn’t see a thing.

      His heart seized in his chest and he stumbled back, almost stepping on the smoldering ashes of the dead fire. The only light that illuminated the inside of the cave was the dull white from the torrent of snow battering the cave.

    He couldn’t even leave the cave to explore the valley or distract himself with a hunt. That realization shocked the tokota and sent a tremor up his spine. He closed his eyes tight and lowered his head, pressing his nose to the ground as though to find a scent, any scent, that told him there was someone else there.

    But he smelled nothing but the ash from the fire.

    Sabathiel was alone.

    The tawny dun tokota retreated to the back of the cave where he had been sleeping and curled up in the darkness. He didn’t know when he started crying but his body racks with his grief. For the first day, Sabathiel sobs in the shadows and watches with tear filled eyes as the snow furiously flurries outside.

---

Sabathiel and Drift are precious. Sabathiel's biggest fear is being alone or abandoned. So he and Drift traveled to the wilderness where Drift left Sabathiel to be by himself for a week. It was painful for both of them but ultimately, Sabathiel overcame his fear whether he wanted to or not. The story of what happened during the week he was by himself will come out in the future...

HP Count
Fullbody colored shaded - 3 HP
Complex bg - 2 HP
Handler - 2 HP
Show - 1 HP
Non com - 1 HP
2023 words - 10 HP

Total HP: 19 HP

Description

Import link and name (including ID) of Tokota: Sabathiel 5752
Chosen soul animal: Wolf
Prompt (copy pasted from this journal):
1. The wolf will never reveal itself to your tokota if they have not overcome their fear. Demonstrate your tokota’s courage by depicting them facing their greatest fear, and overcoming it to prove their mettle.
Link to HP confirmation: comments.deviantart.com/1/5489…
Previous tasks:
1. You are here
2. Sabathiel's Confidence || Rite of Dominance II
3. Sabathiel's Clarity || Rite of Dominance III

  His heart ached. Drift’s shack slowly shriveled in the distance, the early morning fog making it just a fleeting blurred dot over the slopes of the valley. Sabathiel couldn’t bear to look back anymore, as he knew just across the widening space between his home and his paws were his pack mates and his dear companions, watching his shape disappear. It would be two weeks before he would see them again, and although he has been away from the pack longer than that before it had always been just hunting trips with a small group of his friends. But this time it was just him and Drift, which would be comforting if it wasn’t for the fact that Sabathiel would be left alone in the unknown wilderness miles and miles away from his pack.

  Sabathiel had been preparing for this for months. Ever since he heard the howl in his dreams from the wolf spirit, he had been nervous and anxious about his rites of dominance. The first rite was to show Sabathiel’s courage to the wolf spirit and prove him ready to be a leader by overcoming his greatest fear. It didn’t take long for Sabathiel and Drift to determine that fear, though Sabathiel did avoid the subject for weeks after his vision. There weren’t a lot of things Sabathiel truly feared but… there was one thing that seized his heart and made his body shake.

  “Calm down, Sabby.” A warm hand slid up Sabathiel’s mane and rubbed his ear. The tawny tokota closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. When he exhaled, his warm breath mingled with the cold air and drifted up and mixed in with the morning fog. “We’ll be back in two weeks.” His ear twitched as Drift’s fingers stroked his fur.

  “I miss Ezekiel. And Peliel. And Prancer. And Eae. And-” Sabathiel’s murmur was cut off by a sudden pull on his mane hairs. He whined lowly but swiveled his ears to listen as Drift shushed him softly.

  “I know Sabby. They’ll be fine, Ezekiel and the others are being looked after by Tatrasiel, remember? And the tribe promised to send someone to check on and feed them and the other animals every day. And Eae, well, she has the pack. I’m sure Arael is keeping everyone on their pawpads.” Though he didn’t chuckle, Sabathiel could hear the fond tone in Drift’s voice as he spoke of the others. It made him feel a little more at ease, though the anxiety was still crawling under his flesh.

  They continue the ride in silence. Sabathiel’s pace ranges from walking to trotting to galloping across the taiga with nothing but the howl of the wind and the rustling of the supply pack slung over Drift’s shoulder. Sabathiel is without tack, which is not anything new, but for some reason the feeling of Drift riding on him bareback is more comforting than usual.

  Probably because he knows Drift will leave him soon.

  The fog gives way to snowfall. And as Sabathiel and Drift travel to the deserted part of the island, where only wild tokotas and other wild animals live. The valley is on the maps but it is uncharted and rarely visited. It is the perfect spot of isolation, especially for a social tokota like Sabathiel. The winter weather bites at Sabathiel and Drift. They spend most of the journey moving to avoid hypothermia, only stopping when they see a cave or den to rest in.

  The snow is harsh but durable, especially since Sabathiel and Drift are nearing the valley. They take the path through the forest to avoid the worsening snowstorm as well as hunt for some quick prey. A deer alludes them and they give up after it takes off back the way they came. They shouldn’t waste any more time or risk getting lost.

  Drift, tired of riding, dismounts Sabathiel and shifts into his wolf form. He spends a moment fixing his supplies to his new form then walks alongside Sabathiel. As they continue, the forest tapers off and for a moment they are stunned at the view before them. Laid out underneath a wide blue sky is a sloping snowy field trickling into a valley forest with a twisting river running through it.

    For a blissful moment, Sabathiel forgets the reason they have come to this place and bolts into a sprint, flying across the snow and towards the lush snow dusted forest. By the time Drift catches up with him, he seems to have remembered their purpose in the valley and he looks off somberly towards the trees.

    “We’re here.” Drift breaks the silence with a careful icebreaker. Sabathiel looks at him with his large baby blue eyes before turning his gaze to the snow under his paws. The tracks he made stare back at him. “Come on, Sabathiel.” The skinwalker starts with a stronger voice. “It’s only a week. You only have to make it through one week.”

    Sabathiel is surprised when his head is lifted by the hand urging his chin up. He didn’t know when Drift had shifted form or approached him, but that query slipped from his mind. Drift’s golden eyes pierced his light blue ones, and the look on his face was hard, with a furrowed brow and tight jaw. Sabathiel didn’t have to blink twice to recognize the face as Drift’s pained face. He was trying to mask his own anxiety and worries over the rite…

    Tears welled up in Sabathiel’s eyes and he couldn’t help but whine and press his nose into the palm of Drift’s hand. “I don’t want to be alone.” He choked, his throat threatening to close as he blinked and the tears slid down his fur.

    “Sabathiel…” Drift looked so aggrieved as he gathered Sabathiel’s furry cheeks in his hand and pressed his forehead to the Tokota’s snout. “The wolf spirit is watching.” He breathed in to keep his emotions at bay. “You will be alone but… not truly.” Drift closed his eyes tight as he heard his tokota sob and felt the rise and shudder of his body. “It’s only a week. I will come back, Sabathiel. I promise.”

    They stood together for a while, with Drift whispering his promise and Sabathiel brokenly repeating his sorrowful confession. Although Sabathiel had prepared for this moment, and received so much support and love from his pack and even tokotas and handlers from other packs, he was still terrified of this.

    What if Drift never came back? What if no one came for him? What if this was Drift abandoning him…

    As night came upon the valley, Drift and Sabathiel took shelter in a nearby cave. It was small but spacious enough for the two to huddle together, and for Drift to light a fire. Once again in his wolf body, Drift lays up against Sabathiel and presses his nose to the tokota’s side. He knows Sabathiel will be okay, and that he will overcome this fear but still, he reaches his inner voice to whatever gods or spirits whom lend an ear to pray for Sabathiel’s courage to come to him.

    Sabathiel shifts, breaking Drift from his thoughts. Looking to his tokota, Drift sees those baby blue eyes peering at him. The fire crackles and casts its light on Sabathiel’s face, making the shadows jump and dance. He seems somewhat calm, despite his breakdown earlier. Drift nuzzles Sabathiel’s side before lifting his head to say something to him.

    “I’ll miss you.” Sabathiel beats him to it with a quiet voice. Despite being a massive 190 cm tokota, at this moment he looks incredibly small. Drifts heart stings a bit as he moves his gaze to the fire. It sways and smolders, offering nothing to help him in the situation.

    Golden eyes turn back to blue ones as Drift thinks of a response. “When I found you in that snow covered wagon I had no idea what you were or how big you’d grow…” Drift’s ears splayed back and he felt a shiver from a gust of wind that blew into the cave. But he kept his face turned towards Sabathiel as his speech went on. I didn’t know where you would take me or who I would meet because of you.” The corner of his lips moved up and his tail lightly thudded against Sabathiel.

    Drift always seemed more expressive in his wolf form, Sabathiel thought. More honest.

    “That moment when I first saw you I knew you needed someone to scoop you up and care for you.” Drift paused when Sabathiel regarded Drift with tearful eyes. The wolf looked back at him before thumping his tail against him in a playful manor. Sabathiel smiled for a moment and his eyes crinkled, letting a few teardrops spill out. “Sabathiel, you changed me. You didn’t even try or realize but every day I spent raising you, I was also moving away from the dark path I had been taking and towards one scary and unknown to me.” He broke eye contact to press his nose to Sabathiel’s side again, hiding his expression from view.

    “But I am so glad that happened.” Drift took in a breath and slowly let it go. He could hear Sabathiel’s heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his breathing. “You’re not that small, shivering puppy covered in snow anymore Sabathiel. You’re not alone.” Drift felt Sabathiel’s breath hitch. “You don’t need to be taken care of and although I’ll always be there for you it won’t be because you need me, Sabathiel.” Drift smiled into his tokota’s fur. “It’s because I need you.”

    The fire crackled and cast shadows on the walls of the cave as Drift and Sabathiel fell into slumber. Though Sabathiel had felt restless, the wear of their journey exhausted him and he fell asleep almost instantly and deeply after he and Drift talked. Drift slept only for a few hours before he awoke, knowing it was time. In the early light of a waning moon, slowly descending so that dawn may spread its pastel colors over the shadow laden earth, Drift gathered his things and slipped away. As the wolf passed through the mouth of the cave, he looked back to catch a fleeting glance of Sabathiel before he would leave him for a whole week.

    The dying embers of the fire seemed to leap to life for a split second, and Drift thought he saw the bright burning shape of a wolf before it disappeared. He closed his eyes and hung his head as he trudged through the snow and faded into the treeline.

    When Sabathiel awoke, he was alone. The fire was out and the smoke rising from the ashes blocked out Drift’s scent. A panicked feeling swelled in his stomach and he moved to the mouth of the cave to look for Drift’s tracks instinctively. A harsh, cold wind bit his fur and he stepped back. A snowstorm was swirling outside the cave, casting a white film over everything outside. He couldn’t see a thing.

      His heart seized in his chest and he stumbled back, almost stepping on the smoldering ashes of the dead fire. The only light that illuminated the inside of the cave was the dull white from the torrent of snow battering the cave.

    He couldn’t even leave the cave to explore the valley or distract himself with a hunt. That realization shocked the tokota and sent a tremor up his spine. He closed his eyes tight and lowered his head, pressing his nose to the ground as though to find a scent, any scent, that told him there was someone else there.

    But he smelled nothing but the ash from the fire.

    Sabathiel was alone.

    The tawny dun tokota retreated to the back of the cave where he had been sleeping and curled up in the darkness. He didn’t know when he started crying but his body racks with his grief. For the first day, Sabathiel sobs in the shadows and watches with tear filled eyes as the snow furiously flurries outside.

---

Sabathiel and Drift are precious. Sabathiel's biggest fear is being alone or abandoned. So he and Drift traveled to the wilderness where Drift left Sabathiel to be by himself for a week. It was painful for both of them but ultimately, Sabathiel overcame his fear whether he wanted to or not. The story of what happened during the week he was by himself will come out in the future...

HP Count
Fullbody colored shaded - 3 HP
Complex bg - 2 HP
Handler - 2 HP
Show - 1 HP
Non com - 1 HP
2023 words - 10 HP

Total HP: 19 HP