As he spoke of Maksim and the decline in his health, XIX could tell that the blue-eyed china genuinely cared about the Cut Rock leader. The alabaster male was excited to bring Ana back to their home; he could not help but wonder how Maksim (and Bastet) would react to her return. Since entering his life, Anastasia had only grown more protective over him as the time they spent together increased. She had rescued him from isolation – despite him being a complete reluctant mess at the time – and integrated him into the feral world. If it had not been for her, he would not have survived the wilderness beyond the fence that barricaded his family. Because of this connection, they were both skeptic of the wolves that the other encountered. Their relationship was effortless, and the bond they shared was one to be envied. And now that they were reunited… it made his heart swell and his head spin.

“I won’t lose you again, Ana,” he responded in a low voice before pressing a soft lick to her forehead. The warm smile that had found its way onto his dark lips refused to budge as he embraced her closer. Since returning from the mountain over a year ago XIX had always regretted not looking harder for his blue-eyed companion. Of course, he knew that if he had remained in the blizzard any longer he would not have survived, but the regret had always remained present. Lachesis was curious as to how Ana had survived the storm and where she had been in the past year, but that could wait. He did not want to bombard her with questions – he needed to bring her home first. “It’s time for you to come home.” With that, he allowed his long legs to unfold from beneath him as he nudged Ana to do the same. “Cut Rock needs you; I need you.” His smile only increased as he took several steps back, his tail wagging slowly behind him to encourage her. It was time for Anastasia’s return.

It was still so bizarre to have Anastasia here, in the flesh. She was not longer a memory; she had finally come home. XIX desperately wanted to hear all about her adventures after the mountain – where she had gone, what she had seen – but he needed to get her home home first. She had been travelling for too long, he knew she must be desperate to rest her tired paws.  His healer instincts were also kicking in – he needed she check her vitals and give her herbs that would restore her strength.

His attention was stolen as she spoke once more, expressing  her worries about returning to Cut Rock. A faint smile appeared onto his maw as his olive gaze fell to her once more:   “You introduced me to pack life and the world outside of the Reserve, I will do everything to help your transition back into Cut Rock.” She deserved it; she deserved the world. Ana had done so much for him when they had first met, and he would forever be in debt to her for all that she had sacrificed in order to prepare him for pack life. He had been a nervous wreck when they had first met; his words stuttered and hesitated on the tip of his tongue when he spoke, and his body quivered uncontrollably. He did not know how socialize with others, and frequently experienced meetings that had gone sour due to his inexperience with ‘feral’ wolves. The blue-eyed china doll beside him had fixed all of that – she had an incredible amount of patience when it came to teaching XIX pack law and how to interact with others. Now, it would be his turn. He was far more composed than he once was, and would offer Anastasia the same patience that she had given him.

It did not take long for them to reach pack territory; he welcomed the familiar scents with a sigh of relief as he glanced over at his companion. The brief walk reminded him of the days they had spent travelling together – he missed those days the most. They had experienced so much together… he was forever grateful that the mountain had returned his dove to him. He bumped her shoulder gently with his own as he pressed a soft lick to her cheek. “You’re home,” he breathed, his excitement evident in the smile as they continued forward. Everything was falling into place; the large hole that had made itself a home inside Lachesis’ heart had been filled.