It was funny how time often fled within a blink of an eye, yet dragged at the most darkest of hours. For Fenru Tainn, his coming of age was both anticipated and dreaded. At about this time last year - so many, many months ago - the youth had nearly drowned when the River uncharacteristically swelled and claimed the only home he had known. Now, a year later, here, the young Tainn stood amidst the wreckage that had once been the place of his birth. His amber eyes scanned the broken branches and stared at the depression in the riverbank where the entrance to the den had once been; though darkness did well in cloaking the area, it was no match for his lupine eyes and every detail before him was easily picked out in the gloom.

His heart sank, merely wondering if Kisla had ever come here to grieve for the past, to be alone with her thoughts, to wonder about Rihael... His nose twitched and his nostrils flared, whatever information could be perceived went acknowledged then became forgotten in an instant. He found that he no longer cared - about Indru or Rihael or Torrel or Rissa - his lost family had been mourned (however poorly) and, with their passing, Fenru realized that the empty shell he had become over the past year had to be addressed. Where there should have been joy, a certain sadness filled his heart; where there should have been tranquility, an unquenchable fire raged; where there was once a love so brilliant, ashes and embers smoldered and sparked.

He took a feeble step forward to where he used to rest on the warm summer nights, waiting for his mother to return. A sniff signaled that he had cast the simple memory away. All these long months, during the year of his adolescence, he had done nothing but remember. He remembered what it was like to nearly starve to death while Indru had abandoned him the first time, and he remembered what it was like to feel whole when Indru and his uncles and aunts returned to Swift River. He remembered what happiness felt like, how crippling fear could be, and how deep his devotion to his family surged. Fenru Tainn, the thinker of his litter and the most reserved of his siblings, had, at last, come to a breaking point. If he was to be a man in his own right, then keeping his memories and cherishing what little life threw at him would not do...

He walked around the small site, eyed the boulders one last time and discarded the memories tied to the forgotten den. After taking a couple of deep breaths to affirm that he was ready for what he was about to propose, he let loose the song he had been singing since the day of his arrival to Relic Lore: a request for his mother, @Corinna.

Gone Tomorrow

The cycle never seemed to stop going; of course, that was a definition of a cycle, wasn't it? Spring was beginning to come again, and though the snow was still firm underfoot, the sun had begun to share a few more minutes with the inhabitants of Relic Lore. Corinna had bid the sun goodbye with a solemn nod as it had slipped beyond the trees, to return again in several hours. And with the sun's falling, she had risen from her resting spot. More of a nocturnal creature, the River leader had settled herself away beneath a pine tree to catch up on rest. It had been a light slumber, but it was sleep.

Lowering the front half of her body down into a low bow, a sly smile crossed the female's lips as she felt the stretch in her back and leg muscles. Rising back up to her full posture she kicked out her left hind leg, duplicating the comfortable feeling of the stretch. Following suit with her right hind leg, she returned to a standing position, peering around at her surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place, which was always welcome news. Tensions were always high around this time of year, and Corinna had noticed herself growing increasingly aggressive towards her fellow pack mates. It seemed that the message had been made clear and her subordinates had given their matriarch plenty of room to rest on her own without disturbance.

With a huff, Corinna set off at a slow run, passing quietly between the trees. Darting in and out, she navigated more by scent than sight. There was not a trail within Swift River's territory that she was not intimately familiar with, and that familiarity allowed her to pick up on the abnormalities with relative ease. Rounding one tree in particular, she caught the scent of her remaining son, @Fenru. Without thinking, her tail wagged behind her, as it always did when she thought of her children. Having lost half of them, her remaining three were even more treasured, if that was even possible. As it was, his mother was already on her way after him when Fenru called, the sound of his voice increasing Corinna's speed.

After only a few minutes on the trail, Cori noticed the direction in which she was headed. Towards the old den, where Fenru, Kisla, and Rihael had been born. That place held more memories for her than anywhere else within the territory, both good and bad. It had been a long time since she had ventured back there, precisely for those reasons. This was where she had lain in wait, desperately hoping for Indru's return so she could eat and therefor feed her newly born cubs and it was also the place where mother nature had almost drowned Corinna's entire first litter.

The trees thinned out slightly the closer she got to the old den site, and with each step Fenru's scent grew gradually stronger. With a low wolf, his mother announced her presence, emerging from the trees and searching for him. Picking him out against the pale snow, she adjusted her path, making a beeline straight for him, the smile growing on her face as she approached. Tail wagging as she drew up level with him, she licked his cheek affectionately as she always did when seeing her son. "Fen," she cooed, taking a step back to give him his room and so she could watch him.