Admittedly, it was not the reunion that he wanted… he would have preferred his first time seeing her after so long be a warm embrace, close as they discussed what had happened in their time apart… and instead, there he was showing up, the wounds having been reopened again by the sheer movement and constant twitching of his nose. They had struggled to heal because of the habit that he had picked up… and so, he navigated the familiar territory towards where he knew her den would be, the sweet and tangy scent of herbs hanging over the air.

It smelled distinctly of her, a sight and scent he had longed for since his departure… and so he found himself approaching, hoping that she was indeed inside, offering a soft bark in greeting which just caused another wince. He hated it, that the beast had managed to get him in such an unfortunate area.

“Clover?” He asked softly, a gentle tenderness to his voice as he took a seat at the mouth of the den. He looked different; what if he was too different? What if she was too different? It had been months since he had last seen her. Gods, what if she had moved on? What if she had found someone else to treat her right? Surely Viorel would have told him that, even in his anger with him about Vana’s disappearance.

“Figures I’d come back needing medical attention, right?”

He could feel the warmth from her almost immediately, despite the shock on her face from it as well. He adored her, and that was little secret, even now… he heard her sob, pushing through the pain to run his maw tenderly across her neck, resting his head along her shoulder as his muzzle curved around the back of her head, breathing in the comforting scent of the herbs against her pelt… the earthy scents that helped make her her. It was her words that called to him, pricks of tears in his eyes as he tried to blink them away, taking a few more moments of silence before he spoke.

“I know… much longer than intended… but I never stopped trying to get back here, to you.” He had come back for more than just her, but there was little doubt in anyone’s mind that she had been the driving reason behind it all… He shifted in order to gently put his head lightly against her shoulder, one of the wounds along his maw having reopened as he winced lightly.

“I am sorry it took so long… there was a storm, I lost Vana and I had to try and find her… for Vi…” Clearly, based on his tone and his wording, he had failed in that endeavor… based on the fact that Vana had not returned with him nor had her scent remained on his pelt from travelling together. “I’ve missed you so much, darling… not a night went by where I wasn’t think of you or this moment.” There was a genuine tenderness to his voice that seldom ever got to experience… only her.

He found relief in her touch, the gentle nature of it that was a stark contrast to most of the contact in his life… “I am glad to be back.” He admitted once more, his throat vibrating softly against her maw before he pulled back, a light wince from the contact once more. There were early signs of infection along his maw near his lip but apart from that, he wasn’t in too bad of shape and that allowed them these moments to simply enjoy their reunion.

She shifted to look at him, her eyes brimming just as his were. He saw the frown and he prepared for another scolding, perhaps some yelling like that which had come from Viorel when they had been reunited at the borders. "I don’t think Vi quite saw it that way… he had some choice words for me when I arrived back at the border.” He admitted with a frown on his features. It would no doubt weigh on him and fester as well. It was a burning failure in the pit of his stomach.

He was admittedly glad to hear that she had missed him as well; they had never quite properly defined what they were, at least not in any formal capacity, and he had worried that his time away would change how she felt about him for the worse. “I’m not leaving any time soon… I’m here to stay.” Besides, in a time like this, there was no doubt that Vi would need him. He was a single father to many children, most of whom were in this pack, and he needed someone to lean on… Vayko hadn’t always been the best at that, but he now felt like it was his personal responsibility. "How have things been while I was gone? Vi told me there was a drought... a summer-long one."

Vayko had been taken aback by his cousin’s rage, but he didn’t find himself surprised… the straw had to break the camel’s back at some point, and even his cousins had limits as to how calm he could remain given everything that had happened… Vayko tried not to take it personally, and liked to think that Vi was lashing out generally and he just happened to be the one present for it… but there was truly no way for him to know.

“I’m not sure he will… not this time. I did lose his wife.” He pointed out with a frown on his features. It was something that he wasn’t sure if his cousin would be able to fully forgive, even if it wasn’t really Vayko’s fault to begin with. Even if his cousin remained by his side for the rest of his life, he was happy to be back, near his family, near Clover…

He also felt like he should have been there… like he could have helped with the drought. Truthfully, his absence had probably been better as it was one less wolf to use the water that had been there in the end. She spoke of what else he had been told: Inger’s murder, Eros and Seri leaving to look for them. “I hope they turn back… perhaps even catch my scent and return.” He stated with a soft hum.

She invited him inside and he moved forward. “Yes please… near my mouth has been stinging lately.” He admitted with a soft frown on his features so she was aware that it was bothering him more than he had intended for it to. He would take a seat, breathing in and out for a moment. Breathing in the scents of home, and taking a moment to truly embrace the fact that he was back in the Backwater.

Vayko hoped to avoid another pack-wide epidemic. He had been behaving himself, the hardships he had faced on his own and with Vana both maturing and hardening him in a way. The boy he had been had been killed on his venture, and out of it emerged someone grown, and someone who could handle the responsibilities and weight that were necessary to carry as an adult. She spoke of knowing that he had done everything he could to find her, but a frown found his muzzle as she said that.

Had he truly done everything that he could if he, in the end, had not found her. He could still be out there looking for her rather than having given up and returning home to them. “I didn’t find her, therefore I did not do everything I could have done.” He would point out, a softness to his tone still. He wanted to see her point, but it was hard when it was something that had been weighing down on him for so long.

He watched with nothing short of amazement on his features as she worked. It always amazed him, the precision that was required to heal a patient such as he. Eros and Seri both had even gone out in search for them. Perhaps the two boys in their youth would manage to succeed where Vayko himself had failed… quite miserably too if he did say so himself. His nose twitched at the odor that was associated with the poultice that she had made, but he would sit still as she explained.

She was diligent even in her explanations, causing him to nod. “I’ll avoid licking it off, I promise.” He felt like it was something that needed to be said out loud, if only for some verification that he understood before she began to actual application of it onto his maw. His ears would twitch, the muscles in his face tensing as the stinging sensation hit, but he would remain as still as possible in order for her to get her work done.