After completing his evening patrol, Viorel had set to work on the next item on his mental to-do list. Checking the caches to see how full was, and debating on whether or not they were comfortable enough for the winter yet. It was coming quicker than he liked, and with so many children in the pack, not to mention Katna and Walleye who weren’t in top shape, they needed to be prepared. He had been in the process of reburying the storage he had just dug up when the call reached him.

Quickly stamping the dirt firmly back into place under his paws, Viorel hurried towards it. He was relieved to hear from Clover since she and his sister had left to go on their diplomatic trip up the mountain. The weather was only going to get worse, and he had worried they may get caught in mid-autumn storms that could leave them trapped on the stone giant.

A large smile was present on his muzzle as the cream coloured woman came into view, but slowly faded when he saw that she was alone. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions but his sister’s scent was not thick on her coat as it would have been had they recently been together. Coming to a halt he forced the smile back on his muzzle, ”I’m happy to see you back, and thank you again, for making the trip.” Just the thought of going up their sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine, he didn’t love heights.

Her smile didn’t grace her features, and Viorel felt the anxiety creeping in, it wasn’t often that Clover was seen less than positive. Stepping aside in a gesture of welcome he murmured, ”Please, we can talk while we walk back to the den. You must be exhausted, and the children miss you.” Dad was good, but he was busy, and he couldn’t fill the roles of both parents no matter how much he tried.

Viorel was too ashamed to admit that his first thought upon Clover’s question was that Xulia had ditched her and abandoned them again. His siblings had been less than enthusiastic about being here, and he found himself growing closer to his cousin’s on the daily. His stomach churned with guilt when he heard that it had been a storm that separated the women.

Falling step beside her he replied, ”She’s not here. How bad was the storm?” He had not seen hide nor hare of her since she left, where could Xulia have gone? Why had she not sought out the mountain pack, or her home? ”Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt or lost in storm?” The mountain was not the place to get turned around.

Viorel sighed at Clover’s question, and grinned lopsidedly, ”Our children were angels as per usual. Archer and Eros on the other paw….” He trailed off with a shrug, but the movement brought a wince across his features as it jostled his broken ribs. With the way the woman had fallen into step next to him, she could definitely see the clumps of fur missing from his pelt, and the colourful bruising beneath. Damn elk.

The man walked in silence for a few moments after Clover finished speaking, his mind reeling. He just couldn’t keep doing this with his sister anymore, the constant worry. When she was home, when she went scouting and didn’t return. Maybe something happened to her, or maybe she was looking for the smallest excuse to leave.

Touching his nose gently behind Clover’s ear in reassurance, he straightened up with a wince again and broke the silence. ”She will turn up, she always does. I’m glad you’re home safe, and that’s what matters.” Something he was coming to realize was that blood didn’t always mean family.

Quickly trying to change subject so he didn’t have to talk about Xulia anymore he asked, ”How are the mountain wolves?” Hopefully better than the rest of the trip had been.

Viorel rolled his eyes dramatically at her question, ”Even more so than average, if you can believe it.” Hard to imagine for someone who hadn’t been here, but Archer and Eros had been busy while she was away, busy pissing off the wildlife that is. Smiling softly he responded, ”You’re a better mother than I am a father, our kids would be nowhere with only me.” She might have been going for a joke, but his tone was serious, he had known all along she would be a good parent, he was still trying to figure things out.

Nodding a few times at her words he mumbled, ”good good, I’m glad things are going well up there.” His mind was already whirring with thoughts of the next trip up there, maybe something on more official business come the spring. The Estuary had had a ton of political allies back home, and it was certainly something he was interested in with their closest neighbours. That, and having their mountain expertise could be useful knowledge in the future.

He had not wanted to worry her, and considered trying to play dumb until Clover gestured at his side. Frowning he answered honestly, ”Eros thought it would be a good idea to challenge a rutting elk. I took a hoof to the side trying to keep them safe, nobody was seriously hurt-” A lie given he himself had received broken ribs, ”But most of us took a bit of a beating before we were done”. It seemed nobody had had a good time while she was gone.

Viorel rubbed his shoulder back against Clover’s grateful for her compliment. The movement made his side smart but he was careful to keep the wince to himself this time lest he concern her more. He nodded in agreement that nobody had been more hurt, and glanced away quickly so as to not meet her eye after she looked over the bruising on his side. He knew it looked bad, but he wasn’t willing to admit that out loud.

Smiling at her softly, he ushered Clover forward, ”let’s get you to the den, hopefully the kids will let you rest for a few hours.” That was probably the most they could hope for, they would be excited that their mother was home. Side by side they began to track across the backwater, and Viorel was content to have her back safe and sound.