Gokotta
Gökotta (Swedish): To wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds sing.
The sun hadn’t even come up yet. It wasn’t as though he could sleep, anyway. He’d left Keyleth in bed, having stayed with her, savoring her warmth against his deathly cold body. She’d been clinging so tightly to him that he...hadn’t been sure that he would be able to get away without waking her. It was lucky for him he’d learned a trick of how to get her off of him...even if that trick involved annoying her a teensy bit.
But she’d come to expect a little annoyance when dealing with him. Most did. It was part of his charm, really.
Regardless...tomorrow was the day. They’d come to the Feywilds to be able to get some rest before they took on Vecna. Before the battle where...everything would end. For him, at the very least. He was confident in the ability of his family to get through this trial. He was confident that they would not be the ones to fall in the coming battle. His confidence was well-placed. They had always come out on top.
So, as he moved away from the camp that had been made for them all by Artagan...the soft light of the morning sun was what guided him. He felt a heaviness in his chest. A weight that he had carried with him ever since the Raven Queen had transformed him into her Revenant. A weight that took the form of two black raven wing markings spreading across his chest. Fingers came up, sliding across the marks that he had memorized through the black tunic that he wore.
“Brother...? What are you doing awake? It’s not even morning yet...”
The familiar voice of his sister caused his heart to leap up into his throat. He turned, looking upon his sister. His beautiful twin. Her hair tangled and going every which way...her eyes heavy with the desire to go back to sleep...and the slightest tint of concern on her features. He couldn’t help but allow the smallest of smiles to drift over his lips.
He would miss her dearly.
“Couldn’t sleep. Just thought I’d come and...hear the birds sing one last time.” He said softly, smiling at her sadly. Vex’s eyebrows furrowed with frustration. She still hadn’t accepted the fact that...if they were to beat Vecna...he would not be joining in their celebrations. He would not be able to live to see what the world would be like thereafter. He would be with the Matron of Ravens.
“Shut up about that already...” She whispered sleepily though the frustration was obvious in her voice. Yawning as she watched her brother sit down upon a large stump, her heavy footfalls moved to join him, cheek pressing against his shoulder firmly as she loosely wrapped her arms around him. “I’m going to join you.” She murmured softly.
The weight of her form mere seconds after that was an indicator that...she was already falling back asleep. He let a helpless smile drift across his lips and tears stung his eyes. His fingers smoothed through her hair slowly, expertly getting the tangles out of her mane of hair without waking the girl. Her arms were tight around him as though she didn’t want to let him go...and he knew she didn’t. A few tears idly streamed down his cheeks...and his fingers began to weave her hair into a braid one one side.
By the time he was done, the morning sun had started to show in the horizon...the sound of exotic birds chirped within the air. He looked down at his sister, pressing her cheek into his shoulder as a bit of saliva soaked his shirt. Vax gave a soft shake of his head, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her forehead before closing his eyes. More tears stung his eyes and his arms snaked around her tightly.
“I love you, stubby...I will miss you the most.”
