At first she had just waited for Mercy to come back to the den when the storm hit, surely he would. The seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into an hour and Aponi gave up on waiting, she would go find him herself. The storm wasn't as bad as the one that had originally separated them but anxiety coursed through the princess' veins as she trudged through the onslaught. Rain began soaking its way into her pelt as the wind flung it against her side, landing not only on her fur but also in her ears and gathering in her eyes until they stung. Pressing her ears against her head to block out the moisture she squinted as she moved across the territory, doing her best to follow her guardian's scent through her soaked nose. His path became clear and she should have guessed, instead of taking cover he was doing a border patrol.

It took a few minutes for Aponi to catch up with the near yearling but when she did she fell in step beside him wordlessly. It didn't take words, or contact or even to make eye contact, just his presence for the anxiety to subside. Her heart slowed from its quickened pace and the edge she had felt melted away. So much had changed since they were pups on the mountain, that stupid dare with @Nova that had sparked their rivalry. Though she would never be able to force the words out to tell him, for the first time in her life Aponi felt....sorry for her actions and for hurting him. Maybe not for hurting her sister, she had given Nova chance after chance to prove herself and each time the dark princess fell short. Mercy however, she had never given him a chance and for that she was sorry. Unable to get the words from her maw instead she gently licked the boy's snout as they walked before looking forward, it was the best she could do.

They walked side by side now, the princess and her guardian and from a distance they would be almost interchangeable. The girl was a mere centimeter taller than the boy and they both bore a silver-grey coat, their eyes shone the same hue of blue in the dark and even their muzzles matched, darker than the rest of their pelts. They looked as if they could be siblings, and in Aponi's mind that is what they had grown to be, Sagacity was like a second mother to her and Mercy had proven himself more than worthy to be a prince. Her eyes remained forwards so the change in the near yearlings posture was lost on her, she didn't realize that he too felt the strange anxiety and tension when they became separated. She had buried the shame of the neediness inside her for now, she had no idea that it would be this that caused her world to explode.

Silver ears flicked upwards at his suggestion and Aponi nodded without a word she changed her course and followed after Mercy as they headed deeper within the territory. Soon they were both settled into a cranny beneath some gnarled roots, the wood creating a canopy above them to block the majority of the wind and the water. The girl's body was still much thinner than before they had been lost and a shiver racked through her as she pressed closer to her friend, not unlike before in the cave. Her blue eyes stared out into the storm as her mind wandered trying to sort through all of the blurry memories, so much had happened and yet she found it hard to keep any of it straight.

Warmth spread through the side that was pressed against Mercy and soon the shivers subsided, but the girl didn't budge from his side. Instead with a content sigh she settled her head upon her paws as she watched the storm outside. Never before had she noticed how sturdy her companion was, how strong and reliable, all desirable traits. In fact now that she reflected on it, all of his traits were desirable, not only was he responsible but he listened to her and never treated her as if she were fragile. He had proven time and time again that he could withstand her anger without qualms and hold his own in their arguments, he truly was her equal. When he spoke her muzzle lifted to look at him her brows furrowed as she thought about his question. It had been a long time since she had thought about the stories that Pa had told her as a little girl as he tried to coax her to sleep.

Suddenly her face lit up and she laughed at the memory, telling Pa she would protect him from the sounds she had heard. It of course had just been the wind, it often sounded weird in these woods but he had concocted some tale. "The Yeth Hound. He lived in these woods and tricked cubs into thinking he was lonely so he could keep them or eat them or something. I think Pa just made it up to keep me from wandering, he was always telling me stories like that." Now though he would have new princes or princesses to tell these stories to and the girl sobered at the thought that once more played through her mind; she was being replaced. Her blue eyes looked as if they were seeing something faraway and the humor instantly rinsed from her expression, she was being replaced.

Sometime since childhood the princess had developed a coping mechanism, whenever she felt anything but pleasure she put up a wall. Her features would remain expressionless, cold, those who didn't know her would assume that this mask was all she was but Mercy did know her. As her thoughts wandered to her mother's swollen belly and what that would mean for her she felt the affectionate nuzzle that landed against her cheek. Aponi froze for a moment, unsure of what to do with the gesture before melting into it, nuzzling back with her cheek against the teens muzzle. His whispers distracted her but still her mask remained as she shook her head, "We're back and we're safe, but I'm not sure this has ever been home." Her blue eyes wandered to look out into the storm, straining to catch sight of the mountains, but they were hidden by the downpour.

That mountain had been what had kept the pair going while they were lost, day in and day out they had been searching for the mountain, it had been her home for the first half of her life. It was where her heart had stayed, at first the woods had been new and exciting but it wasn't long until the silver princess had longed for the stone fortress again. Now the threat of being replaced in her Pa's eyes had pushed that longing to an all time high, she needed back on that mountain. A steely determination entered the blue eyes as she turned to Mercy now, "One day I'm going to return to that mountain and lead my own pack there and nothing will take me away from it.” No winter storm would send her running again, both times she had gave into winter it had almost killed her, she wouldn't do it again.

Mercy had remained silent at her comment about this not being home and Aponi resisted the urge to look up and see his expression. Instead she stared straight into the rain, still squinting in an attempt to see her mountain, because it had been and would be hers again. When the blue eyes locked it was if a jolt went straight down the princesses spine, something she had never felt before and tension filled the cave. This tension was different than the ones they had felt in childhood when Aponi would taunt the boy and he would resist giving her any sign of displeasure; this almost felt, good. His pride only fed her own and the girl's ears stood at full attention, the tiny scar on her right ear clearly visible.

It took a silent moment before Aponi answered his next words, "By my side is where you belong." The seconds ticked by as they remained in their spots, Aponi with her head upon her paws looking out at the rain, Mercy with his head gently resting on her shoulders. She didn't know how long they laid there for before they drifted off to sleep, neither of them moving a muscle as they did. The princess fell into a deep sleep, for once not dreaming about snow storms and starving, but of standing on the mountain top with Mercy by her side. He was healing her, slowly but surely, he was picking up her pieces and putting her back together.

FADE OUT