The trip across the mountains hadn't been easy. Although she had felt strong enough at home, a few days of travel had proved to wear her out more than expected, maybe it hadn't been the best idea to do this so soon after her recovery. But she wasn't about to give up and turn home without having found her friend, at least not until she absolutely had to! Despite the passed time since Iopah, Koda and Silentium had left, it was easy enough to guess the first leg of their journey; they would have made sure to put proper distance between themselves and their now enemies in Secret Woodlands, and Aideen felt confident that they would have chosen to cross the mountains. The trouble came once they'd successfully scaled the pass. It had taken longer than expected to reach the top, and once there, the petite healer had to give up on her bravery and ask that they take a day to recuperate.

Once she was well rested, and they began their descend, the doubt began to nag though; where would they go once they reached the east valley?! She had hoped that they would have come across some hint, but so far there had been no sign of the three wolves. Iopah was pregnant though, even if she hadn't been so far along when they left, she would be weighed down - both by the pups in her womb and by the growing urge to settle somewhere so she could properly den and nest before birthing. Though Aideen had never been pregnant herself, she had been well educated in her field, and knew about these instincts and how powerful they would be; They can't have gone far!

And indeed, it turned out she had not needed to worry! As soon as she and Miccah made it low enough for the cliffs to fade into grassy hills, the first faint whiff's of familiar scent hit them. Aideen glanced over at the dark man beside her, copper eyes glowing with excitement and tail wagging wildly behind her. Her traveling partner had not never masked his aversion to the very point of this trip, but throughout it, he had offered advice and helped her when she needed, and the rust pelted lass enjoyed his company immensely, relishing the chance of spending so much time alone with him.

She continued forwards swiftly, the slight ache in her hind leg forgotten as she chased down the growing scent of her former pack mates; Koda's markers were the freshest, but the distinct, bitter scent of the pregnant shewolf still hung in the leaves, and the healer knew they had to be close. And sure enough, after another while of trekking, they came upon a clearing in the trees, where the strong scent of many wolves marked the land heavily; while a clear border was not marked, it was evident that this was the land they had laid claim on. In the distance, the loud splash of falling water could be heard, another asset for the new family.  Aideen's eyes widened slightly along with her nostrils; So many of them! Others had joined Iopah's group, enough to form a pack of their own, and the medic smelled another pregnant female.

Body tinkling with nervousness and curiosity, Aideen sat down, lowering her head to finally release the precious burden that she had carried all the way across the mountain, a large bundle of herbs lain down carefully on the forest floor. She licked her teeth to try and clear her mouth of the strong tastes, glancing one last time at the silent knight by her side, offering a nervous smile, then she raised her head and howled, a long, clear note, full of her excitement and glee. With the roar of the waterfall as background, she called joyously for her friend to come meet her, for she had missed her so.

Word count: 654

The trip had been long and tiresome, not to mention uncomfortable. The dark guardian only truly felt content in the thickets he guarded and called home. The man had had no desire to venture out from the Woodlands, but duty called, and he heeded. He pushed past his troubled thoughts, and focused on the task at hand. Miccah had held doubts that Aideen was fully recovered to do what really could be a long journey that neither were truly prepared for. Aideen was still weak, and Miccah was not a man of spectacular endurance. Through their travel, he not only kept watch on their unfamiliar surroundings, but at the lady at his side. He was focused on any stumble or sign of exhaustion. No matter how much he abhorred the very mission of this trip, Miccah's duty was as her escort and he would let no danger come to her. Even if the danger was Aideen herself. He would not watch her drive herself to the brink of death because of excitement to see a friend in her eyes, but a traitor in his.

Making sure they were well fed and well rested, the gaurdian pushed past his own slight exhaustion so their saftey was accounted for too. He would not let danger come to the woman he loved, even if he had to lose a little sleep because of it. Love. It was a dangerous emotion. He had loved one woman, and she had ended shattering his heart. He loved Aideen...and she was clearly torn between her loyalty and her friendship. What would she choose?

The man forcefully steered away from his thoughts, for they were getting close to Iopah and Koda's lands. By the scent of it..they had formed a pack. He was disgusted by their actions, for they had betrayed the one woman who didn't deserve anymore betrayal. Seeing Aideen's obvious happiness though, brought a small smile to his muzzle and warmth to his heart. But the warmth within him quickly evaporated as they grew even closer to   pack lands and as Aideen's joyous call rang through the air, Miccah stood by her side. His countenance betrayed nothing of his inner emotions, but he stood tall and foreboding beside the petite woman, assessing their surroundings with a cold gaze. He was not happy, but Aideen needed this. So he stood, as her dedicated sentinel, and waited for Iopah and Koda's arrival. In her eyes, they deserved forgiveness, but in his, they deserved to rot in the very pits of hell.

She was acutely aware of Miccah's tenseness by her side, but it could not dampen her own excitement. The flame-pelted healer was almost bouncing on the spot as she waited, every second seeming to stretch endlessly, the small, everyday sounds of the forest all the reached her attentively pricked ears. Then another noise resounded through the trees, low and distant, but distinctly canine, and the voice was familiar; It's her! Copper eyes sparkling, the small woman smiled up at her companion, needing to share her exhilaration, even though she knew he wouldn't return it.

The wait after that was, if possible, even more tedious, and Aideen's ears twitched at every small rustling in the underbrush, hoping that they would be the indication of an approacher. Yet, when the contours of a figure finally became visible, moving slowly towards them, the slender fae was stunned, wagging tail and excited face frozen as her eyes locked on the cream pelted woman. Iopah moved awkwardly, lagging the grace that had been her trademark in the Thicket; But that's understandable, considering... Her pregnancy was obvious, normally lean, fit body swollen to what looked like double its usual size, making her appear to wobble more than walk. And she was glowing!

Aideen wanted to run to her, but held herself back, suddenly worried about what was to come; she had been so caught up in her own needs, so focused on her own wish to see Iopah again, that she had never stopped to wonder how the former huntress might react. There was no turning back now however, and with a voice ringing with both her excitement and anxiety, the smaller lass called out; "Iopah!" It was all the greeting she could give until the pregnant lady closed the distance between them, but Iopah too seemed anxious to speak, calling to them while she was still laboriously making her way towards them. Her words made little sense, but the healer didn't care, hearing her voice was enough.

When the two finally met, their reunion was exuberant, Iopah putting her snout against Aideen's shoulder, and the slight girl wasting no time in returning the embrace, tail once again starting to wag behind her; "It's so good to see you again!" Her voice was low and thick with emotion, it was impossible to describe how much she had missed her friend, but now here they were, together again.

They loosened from each other, and the expecting mother turned her golden eyes to Miccah, offering a  greeting that filled Aideen's chest with warmth. She too turned her eye to her dark knight, looking at him with all the adoration she felt clear on her face. Despite the ebony man's aversion, his fiery companion couldn't help but smile; The three of us, together again! Iopah, Miccah and herself had braved many storms of the Woodlands together. Along with Nina, they had been the ones to stand through the ups and downs of the thicket, keeping the pack together and alive, even when all others deserted them. But now that was over, the light-pelted woman had left Secret Woodlands, to start a family of her own; And she deserves it! Aideen's smile widened as she turned her copper gaze back to her friend, a bright beam of joy lighting up her face as she studied the other. "Look at you!" She announced happily, voice strong and clear, filled with delight on her friends behalf; "Congratulations!" She didn't care in this moment, that Miccah stood beside her, that Koda had betrayed the Woodlands by mating with Iopah and taking her and Silentium with him away from the Thicket; all that mattered was that this was her friend, and she was happy!

Word count: 620

 The man was patient as they waited for Iopah and Koda's arrival. His ears pricked attentively as steps were heard, making their way to them, and his gaze briefly flickered to Aideen's. Seeing her so happy, her eyes shining at the thought of once again seeing her friend, made his heart clench in agony. What would he do if she decided to stay with Iopah? She was a vital part of the Woodlands, a vital part of him. Iopah's voice broke through his thoughts, and the man wiped his face of any emotion that might've showed as he turned to look at the obviously pregnant woman. When he was around Aideen, it seemed she was always the sole woman that easily slipped through his once impenetrable walls. Miccah's blue gaze flicked over Iopah's form. His form tensed even more, but he forced himself to relax, to not show his anger. How could she bear to be so content, knowing that the Woodlands had crumbled? It shouldn't matter to him, for the Woodlands would rise again, and stronger than ever before. His anger was not even truly to Iopah really, but to the traitorous bastard she now called a mate.

He nodded at Iopah in a silent greeting, dismissing her words. Though his hatred was more for Koda, Iopah had played a hand in Nina's fall as  well, so he would leave the warm and kind words to Aideen. Watching them reunite, seeing the woman he cared for so exuberant once again, made his gaze soften for just a moment. Though he hated their current circumstance, this had made true warmth appear in Aideen's gaze, an emotion he hadn't seen in a while. He was right, she had needed this. He could only hope that this was enough. Seeing the clear adoration in her gaze made him want to take her away from all of this, to be alone once again so that he could let down his guard and just rejoice in her presence. But for now, that was impossible. So, the dark guardian once again raised his walls and his neutral facade was his only visible emotion as his bright blue gaze roamed over the strange lands, making sure that nothing would come to damage Aideen's precious reunion.

 The man was not really paying attention to the conversation between the two women, for he was more focused on keeping an attentive gaze on the strange lands that surrounded them. Still, every other moment his gaze would flicker over to Aideen and quickly roam over her form. If he even noticed one fidget of discomfort or flicker of pain in her fiery gaze, Iopah would have few moments to explain herself. Yes, these were her lands and she deserved a minuscule amount of respect for it, but he would have no issue driving their pack to the ground and her little family with it if she disrespected Aideen. For disrespecting Aideen, she disrespected him, and therefore the Woodlands, Nina, and everything they stood for. The guardian would not stand for it. As his focus moved away from the conversation, it was brought back as he felt a warmth spread gently within him. His gaze lowered to find Aideen staring at him questioningly and his gaze flickered between the two women. They had been talking about Danica, he remembered. Aideen probably didn't know how much information to tell or withhold.

His nuetral, blue gaze focused on Iopah, and it took every ounce of his willpower to keep his neutral facade in check and not growl at her in anger. How dare she ask for information about the pack she had so easily betrayed? His emotions were always easy to hide, for it was second nature now to never show his true feelings, but Iopah was testing the thin thread that was holding him together. His gaze betraying nothing like usual, he spoke in his low baritone. ”Danica is fine." It was clear that that was all the information Iopah would receive. She deserved nothing more. Dismissing the conversation, his deep blue gaze focused on his surroundings. The man was not comfortable so close to the wolves that had betrayed them, and he needed to leave for it felt like he was suffocating in Iopah's traitorous presence. Her happiness sickened him. The only thing keeping him here was Aideen, and how much he knew she needed this.