Sex: Male'I know. I'm here.' It was like it was still hard to believe, even as she embraced him back, and yet it still felt deeply right. Mom had come home, where she belonged. So, why was something wrong with Dad? If he had been calling Eros to see his mother, why had he sounded anything other than ecstatic? The young wolf lifted his head to look at Viorel now, brows knitting with confusion and concern both. 'I guess that settles it. Welcome home Vanadis.' What had there been to settle? Viorel was just leaving now, yet again, with a posture that told Eros clearly he did not wish to be followed. It was a gut reaction to turn back to his mom and ask 'what's wrong with Dad?', but he stopped himself before the words made it out of his throat. His father hadn't reacted to anything the same since they lost Seph. He would have to give him his space, and... probably never end up talking to him about it, like everything else that hurt in some way. Eros was coming close to accepting that this would always be a facet to their relationship, even if it still ate at him. "Are you in pain?" he asked her quietly instead. The scarring looked old, healed, but still it was so much that he felt he needed to ask. He wanted to wait, but a second question chased after, almost as though against his will. "Where were you? What happened?" |
It was clear that Viorel did not intend on sticking around. Perhaps it would have made her heart ache had Eros not been there to consume her thoughts. Time. Vi just needed time. She'd had so much of it, yet he'd been allowed none. Vanadis would give him space, allow him to come to her if he ever chose to, and if not, then she could not fault her former mate for it.
Her ears flattened at Eros' question. "No. Not anymore." Not outwardly, at least. Her wounds had healed, and the scars were no longer fresh. She stepped forward to place a kiss to his ear.
"I was attacked." She'd spare her son even more of the details and leave it at that. There was no sense in making him worry any more than he already had. "But I made it home, to the Loch." Where she'd spent a great deal of time in the den, being tended to. Far, far too much time. "They fixed me up as best they could."
Eros figured she'd probably already given all of these answers to his father, and felt bad about immediately pestering her about it. It wasn't like Viorel was any more likely to want to talk about it, though. They were just a few, he wouldn't press too much, but now he could finally know whether his resentment had been substantiated or not. His ears twitched at mention of the Loch. He'd gone there, he'd gone everywhere he'd known his mother (and himself, even!) to have relations. Morganna's coast, the overgrown remnants of what had once been the Estuary, his great-aunt's shipwreck, the empire of Torbine, and of course, Lichenstone Loch. Had his timing just been wrong? How could it have been? He wanted to ask, but didn't, not yet. While the thought crept around in his brain, he did his best to ignore it; there was a possibility Vana herself had requested her newer family not be told. That, or they had taken it upon themselves to lie to him, to his face about his own mother. To give himself time to begin processing that tidbit, he motioned with his head for her to follow him inward. Where she could be reunited with the rest of the pack, as well. After a few strides, he spoke up again, choosing to stick to that main point of contention. "Was it the same thing that gave @Vayko his scars?" |
Her paws did not move until Eros motioned for them to do so. She'd been allowed to stay, but it would take time for this place to feel like home again, for it to feel comfortable. Much had changed in her absence, and she had a feeling that not everyone would be as welcoming as her son had been.
Eros seemed to dance around the question, asking without asking, and that much Vanadis could allow. "If you're talking about his shoulder, then yes." And if there were more scars.. then maybe the loners had found him again too. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. No. They.. they were gone. They'd probably moved on, given up on their search.
She made an attempt at changing the subject, allowing a small smile to form on her lips as she bumped her shoulder to his. "You've been promoted?" She couldn't help but wonder when it had happened, couldn't help but wish she'd been there to witness it.
Not all of them, then. Eros wanted to ask more, but knew he was walking a delicate line. He wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box, but he understood that you didn't sustain that much harm without immense psychological damage as well. He didn't even want to begin trying to imagine what she had gone through, whether all at once or spread out over time. Vayko had been there though, that much was confirmed, and he'd either flat out abandoned her to it or it had found her again after he'd lost her. Vana's changing of topics helped brighten him and his thoughts a touch, providing a distraction. Perhaps it was misdirected, for him to want someone to pay for what had happened to his mom. Maybe he should have only been grateful that she was alive and returned. Why did Vayko always get let off so easy, though? He'd never been reliable, always had a reason to leave Viorel alone in leadership, only around when it got him on Clover's good side... he wasn't even raising his children right, letting them cuss and fight and wander. Yet he sat so cushily, minimal expectations and not so much as a scolding from any of the other adults, somehow wormed further and further into Ma's heart. He heard his cousin-uncle's howl then, calling specifically for Eros' father. He froze in place, head turning toward the source while his hackles prickled. What on earth was that about? He had half a mind to excuse himself and seek the two out then and there, it was his right as an alpha after all, wasn't it? He'd figure it out after, though. Catching up with his mother was still more important. Of course, had he known what Vayko was about to announce, Eros would have left even Vana's side. Instead, he shook it off and continued walking. "Yeah," a sheepish smile, for his transition to leadership had not been under the best of circumstances, and certainly was not a credit to him excepting that he had gotten himself so high-up in the ranks to begin with. "There was a bad storm, and Ma got really hurt. I was next in line. I had challenged up. I'd earned my role, too!" He grew happier as he talked, able to lean into the joy of sharing the things he'd never thought he'd get to tell her. "The combat-medic thing I'd wanted to do, I laid out allll my training and experience, and they gave it to me." Eros' tail wagged at the memory. It had taken a lot of work, and had been his goal since he was a young pup, to both fight and heal to protect the pack. Of course, maybe there were good things that his mom wanted to share as well. "Was it good being with your family again, despite everything else?" His voice was a touch softer, he'd understand if she didn't want to talk about any of it at all. |
Vana's ears twitched at the call, but her paws didn't still until she felt Eros' absence at her side. She turned, following his gaze to the tree line, to where Vayko's voice had been. The call itself had been strange, perhaps even sorrowful, and so it surprised her when her son continued his stride. Maybe he was just as unwilling to leave her side as she was his now that they'd been reunited. Or perhaps it was something else that stirred him away from the call. Much had happened, so she'd refrain from making assumptions for now.
The woman couldn't help but smile as her son spoke. Of course he would have earned it, both his current position and the title of combat medic. "I wish I'd been there to see it," All of it. Every last moment. "but I'm so incredibly proud of you, Eros."
Her ears faltered at his question. "It was.. nice to see them, yes." Some more than others and some not at all. "But my family was here." Those at the Loch, they'd always be family, but the family she'd made, the family she'd created.. it was different. "I missed you all so much."
Eros' tail returned to wagging in great sweeps behind him, pleased with so much about the interaction. Still, it remained bittersweet. Because that was all the good he had to share, and his thoughts tumbled after those who could not share in Mom's return. "I've missed you too," he spoke quietly but earnestly, big enough not to show it but thankful of the distinction she'd made. Her parents, her siblings, the extended relatives, they were of course her family too. Eros knew he was lucky, that if he did decide to start a family he would not have to leave the family he had now behind to do so. It was still nice to hear though. He lapsed into a moment of silent thought, not wanting to taint the moment but also unable to think of much else except all that Vanadis had missed, so little of it good. Ultimately, he decided to concede the decision to her. "Is there... anything else you'd like to know right now?" |
Vanadis mulled his question over, taking a moment to contemplate exactly what she wanted to know. There were so many things, but she was remiss to drain this moment of whatever joy she could foster. She had missed her son terribly and did not want to spoil her return on their losses. "I have a thousand questions, but I'll save them, I think." her tail slowed but did not stop it's metronome. "What about you, did you have any other questions for me?" He would not doubt have some, and she had every intention of being forthcoming with her son.
Save them. Eros was certainly at peace with that option. The conversations might not be easier down the road, but it didn't mean they didn't still deserve a chance to ease into them. His mother especially. She turned the question back onto him, and there was a brief pause as he considered. Eros couldn't help but keep thinking of all the places he'd gone, the Loch itself of course but also places like the nearby coast where Morganna lead and even Torbine itself, places that were connected. He should have gotten the message, somewhere along that immense tour. "... anything I can do to help you settle in?" he looked to her with a bright smile, full of doting warmth. That was what mattered. Mom finally being at home. |
Vana understood his pause and noted the way that he danced over her question with one of his own. His smile and warmth were deliberate, but she understood that too, for she'd done the same. What had the question been, she wondered, that Eros had not wanted to ask? Though she would worry over it, the woman chose to let it go. Right now everyone needed time to settle in, herself included. Perhaps he'd find the courage to ask it later on, once her presence did not feel so fleeting and new, once he'd learned to trust her a little more.
Vanadis simply shook her head, beaming a smile right back at him. "Just walk with me a little longer." Whether they spoke or not, the woman did not care. She just wanted to bask in his presence a little while longer.