Spectral Woods so you run on gasoline

@Serach @Aponi @Ice Though I don't mind if anyone else hops in.

Each quick step brought a higher dose of elation. Finally, she was on the last leg of her journey. Even if she was running on fumes, the image of her mother's face gave her newfound energy. Would she proud that she had ventured on her own and made it back in one whole piece? How many siblings would she have? Would there be one...two? Were they already running around? Did they look Serach more or Aponi? What changes had occurred in her absence? Did they have new members? Enemies? It was the one thing that tugged at her the most. She liked to believe her entire world hadn't been turned upside down.... Like a hundred other times she still worried her taste of wanderlust might have cost her. But what?

She brought the layout of the land to the forefront of her mind. Almost, she thought. Just a little further south..

Her long limbs began to burn from the rapid action, but they had endured a lot more in her time away.  She would not stop, not even as the blue mist swirled around her in welcome. She sought the scent of Serach and Aponi if only to put her worst fear to rest. As long as the Bend was still there she felt she could handle whatever things she had missed. It was almost to the familiar boundary she tossed her nose to the air, singing with a joyous voice her final arrival. Then slowly winded her gait down, letting herself walk, though her wild tail could not still itself. She was home.

Most of her children knew nothing but the blue-tinted mist of the Vale, the newest litter was just getting freedom to wander through pack lands and until a few months ago Lila had always been here as well. Aponi thought of her middle daughter often, but she knew that allowing her to satisfy her wanderlust was what was healthiest for both the yearling and their mother-daughter bond. However, when the familiar voice of the Aquila sung through the trees the silver royalty was on her paws in an instant, speeding towards the source of the sound as fast as she could.

When the dark form became visible through the mist Aponi hardly slowed, instead pushing easily past the borders so that she could pull the yearling into a close embrace. Lila had not been gone that long but seeing her here back safely was such a relief. She looked thinner certainly, taller probably but overall no worse for the wear, happier even maybe. Burying her muzzle into the fur at her daughter\s neck Aponi sighed, "Oh Lila, I'm so glad that you\re home." She was sure that Serach and the others would feel the same. Even if they weren't so exuberant in displaying it.

He had been drifting along the borders, happy to keep them safe, and his mind from wandering where it shouldn't. They were a small pack still—too small his mind whispered as he padded along the border. Him and Serach, Aponi, Nalda, and Arnaq.. and the kids. Three kids, five adults. The odds weren't in their favor, really, but it wasn't that bad. Ice spent most of his time hunting or patrolling.

Jessie and Kisla had been on his mind a lot. His paws itched to take him north, to stop by both of them.. but it wasn't time yet. Not quite. The cubs needed to be a little older, the Bend a little... safer. They needed a number boost, and they needed it badly, or else Ice would never be able to take the weeks it needed to head up to Wild Rye Fields and Hearthwood River.

A victorious howl cut through the blue air, spearing through the fog and into his heart. Lila? He stopped, head snapping around, ears playing. She was home? He hadn't realized how much he'd grown to care for her, and how much he'd missed her, until she was back; she was a thoughtful creature, wise beyond her years, always eager.

He set off at a brisk trot, finding the young girl just as her mother swept her into a loving embrace. He barked happily at them, tail swaying above his back.

let the stars above shine in your soul

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Lila was not disappointed in the least. It took little time for her mother to find her. In turn the young wolf crushed herself against her familiar form, soaking in her mother's scent, and that she assumed of her young siblings. Of course Serach's own remained heavily entwined, easing her mind. Whatever loneliness she had felt melted away, and a sense of calm settled in her chest. A form of relief she hadn't known she'd exactly needed.

"Yes," she murmured. Home. The single word did summarize how much the blue misted wood meant to her. But, since she was her mother's daughter her  eyes began to search her mother's, looking for anything amiss. Lila did not see anything to make her pause. Her tail swayed behind her. She was grateful nothing had happened to her or the Bend. Least nothing catastrophic. "Tell me, how many siblings do I have now?" There was a bright smile, as she was eager to meet them, and hoped it showed.

It was a familiar bark that drew her attention away, and unto the pale wolf. The guardian of the Bend. She let out a playful woof, and trotted over to greet him with a nose to his chin. Other than Aponi and Serach, Ice was the wolf she felt closest to, and she was glad he had taken the time to come see her. She had missed him too. "You ready to have a pupil to train?" She still had her heart set on becoming a guardian.

(This post was last modified: Aug 14, 2017, 03:15 PM by Lila.)

With her snout still buried deep into Lila's fur she came to find that underneath the scent of trees, rivers, wilderness she still smelled like Lila. Despite being gone for months on her own she was still Aponi's daughter in the end. But, this also meant that their embrace could not last long before they both stepped back to observe each other, and the silver queen smirked when she saw the familiar expression mirrored on the yearlings. The mother saw so much of herself in the teen, undiluted by any interference of a father while she had been raised. Would her current litter be more like her, or Serach? Or perhaps they would fall somewhere in between, a true mix.

The smile grew as Lila asked about her younger siblings, bemused at the thought of how the younger children would react to having their older sister return. Mabel was the wild card, would she enjoy having someone older and cooler to play with or would she resent having to further share her mother's attention? "Two more sisters, and a brother| The idea still seemed strange to her, even after a few months to adjust. Aponi found herself often chastising them with girls - and Corsair with the boy's name added in as an afterthought. 

Ice's familiar form lumbered into the queen's peripheral vision and she turned to shoot him a smile as well. Lila was home.

(This post was last modified: Aug 04, 2017, 02:26 PM by Aponi.)

There were some wolves that never would step out of the blue fog and return home—so for every one that still could, Ice was grateful. As long as they lived, they still could come home, defeating the odds as he had, and making it to the place they never should've left in the first place. He knew there were days when he wished to see Corinna's emerald eyes gleam in the sunlight, when he thought he saw her mottled body in the shadows, but they were just memories and echoes. Dreams. Sometimes, he found himself thinking there was something he had to tell Triell, or even Marsh, before it hit him that they weren't there anymore.

It was unfamiliar. It was disconcerting.

But Aponi was there as well, grounding him. It truly was Lila who had come home, and it warmed his heart to see how she greeted him. His tail wagged a little faster, and he gave the bridge of her muzzle a quick lick. At her words, his eyes widened a little. He hadn't known she was looking to be a Guardian, but then again, there were a lot of things you couldn't foresee. Like, Aiyana leaving.

This wasn't Aiyana. This was a young black wolf, but she wasn't Bennet either. She was just Lila. He smiled, glancing at her mother, but she didn't seem disapproving. "Of course," he responded.

let the stars above shine in your soul

Her eyes widened in surprise. Three! Now she actually had a brother too! She had figured she might have a couple sisters. Instantly she was trying to imagine what a mixture between her mother and Serach would be. Her thoughts continuously running away with all the things she wanted to show them, and teach them. Making up for the time lost. Though she tried not to feel guilty about it. It wasn't like they had arrived ready to play, and she had squelched her wanderlust to be here now. Instead of wondering and wishing she had taken her chance. No matter what she would be there for them. It was a silent promise she wanted to keep.

Delight was evident in her dark facade, as she had caught the Guardian off guard by her query. She did not know what she may have been expected to be. Suddenly, she wondered if the Bend had had any female guardians at all. For now she tucked the question away to perhaps ask Serach at a later date.

Why she had left not sure what she wanted to be. It was during her travels she entertained the idea of a scout, but the more miles she went the more certain she became it wouldn't be for her. She rather be home, protecting it and the ones she held dear. Instead of miles away, uncertain how things were in her absence. No doubt it may have been the easier role, but maybe that's what made it less appealing. She wanted the work. She wanted to know if she had what it takes. With his answer her tail whipped back and fourth behind her, and she brushed her nose under his chin once more. She believed he'd only hesitated because of Aponi, and did not think more of the issue. With that settled she was ready to see everyone else.

She brushed herself along her mother's side,then halted so they were side by side. "What else have a missed?" She questioned, ready to begin the walk back.

One more post each!

Aponi had absolutely no problem with Lila becoming a guardian, in fact she was proud that her daughter had ambition for any role at all. Being a guardian is an honourable desire, to keep your family and your pack safe from whatever may come. With Ice as a teacher Lila should be more than fine. Smiling towards the large white male who had taken it upon himself to keep their borders well protected the mother felt an odd stirring of affection. Not anything inappropriate of course, the silver queen was just not used to feeling so attached to so many wolves. Her children obviously, but @Serach and @Nalda and @Ice it was foreign and uncomfortable territory for her.

Maybe something had shifted when she had left the mountain for the blue misted woods, or maybe it was the pale man she called her mate. The reason behind it truly didn't matter, but perhaps the silver queen was leaving behind the cold butch she once had been for a slightly less chilly version of herself.

Pressing her flank gently against her daughter's as they began to walk back towards the main den. Aponi lifted her muzzle to the sky to announce that Lila had returned to join them, something that surely wouldn't be missed within the small pack. But, something to be celebrated openly none the less. Their small family had just grown by one more, and the yearling would be more wiser for her time spent away from them. Perhaps her wandering feet will have cooled slightly, her wanderlust stated for the time being. But, with Aquila blood there would only be so much time before that desire came back. The mother happily filled in the dark child on the quiet comings and goings of the pack that had occurred since she had been gone, mostly revolving around the trip that had been causing havoc since their arrival.

Aponi's approval radiated from her eyes, and coupled with Lila's reaction, he felt warmth spread through him. It was like contentment, slow and sluggish and ember-warm, joining his blood and taking the edge off the ache in his joints. His smile was small but genuine, a baring of teeth in one dark corner of his mouth, and as he stood there, he realized how much growing old had changed him—gone was the hot-headed, tongue-flapping youth who had bit first, asked later. Gone was the judgmental protector who felt like someone shoved a hot poker into his brain each time something he couldn't properly explain happened.

There were bits and pieces of it left. His instincts to keep them safe were as strong as ever, and he remained suspicious by nature, but it was tempered, somehow. All of it. He didn't talk quite so much, and he had learned some of the social games and patterns, but.. he still had his moments, like with that Eirian Asurn. Nasty fellow, that, but Ice hadn't heard anything of him lately, and hoped he'd fed himself to the crows. It saved him the trouble of having to do it.

Lila went back to her mother, who announced the yearling's return; Ice felt his grin widen a little. "What else have a missed?" The two began to head towards the den, and Ice trailed after, a white shadow. When Aponi didn't respond immediately, Ice filled in with a, "You know, the usual. Lena left to go home, though," and urged his large frame into a wolf-trot to catch up. Once there, he aimed a nip towards Lila's haunch, challenged her with a "Race ya!" and tore off in a rather impressive gallop towards the main den, his bushy tail high and waving.

let the stars above shine in your soul