Dead Empress Backwater this sunset town

This takes place after Nash brings news about Isla and Sephrina.
Eros and @Seri have returned home with new friend @Sage, and Eros has run past the borders rather than howl and wait. Open to anyone from DEB with special mention to @Viorel, @Clover and @Archer.

His heart beat ever faster the closer they got to home. It was a moment where his life could either be restored to normalcy, or drastically altered forever and Eros knew it. Even with his friends at his side, he was riddled with anxiety. Unusually quiet and demure in presence he could only hope for the best until finally those familiar trees began to crop up, bared to the bones by winter. His pace picked up, and his nose set to work, searching for markers. He didn't scent his mother, but Vayko's cologne was quickly recognized.

All at once, he was bolting. Past the markers, into the territory and directly toward the heart of the pack. If his uncle was back, Vanadis had to be as well. He didn't even think to take the breath to howl, or consider how his bustling through the iced-over brush might be taken by those who had no reason to know the duo were returning today, or notice whether or not his friends were still with him. All he was focused on was finding and holding his mom.

"Mom! Mooom!"

(This post was last modified: Feb 22, 2023, 05:20 AM by Eros.)

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri recalled the first time he had stood at these borders seeking shelter… looking to spend time with his best friend, terrified out of his mind because of the drought and his own abandonment by his mother. He still wondered what his mother was up to… but he couldn’t let his mind wander to it too much. Viorel had been kind in taking him in the first time, unpolished, and the pack had been kind enough to teach him what it meant to live in one.

And then tragedy kept striking from all side… it was something he dwelled on, wondering if he had brought it. His eyes widened when he saw Eros bolt across the border. "Sage, come on. We best go after him." Seri let out a howl for Viorel and for everyone else as well… following after his friend, and apologizing for it in his song in the hopes he wouldn’t get yelled at too much for it. “Eros! We have to wait at the border! You know how your dad feels about the rules!” He called after him as he bolted through the familiar territory.

some fairy tales are more than true

The steady pace of the group was picking up, the sound of her heartbeat drowning everything else out. Emerald eyes peered up to the trees as they began to change. Even barren they were beautiful. The border's scent smacked her hard, the girl jolting back to the present moment. Eros was darting off without them. Sage stopped at the border, repeatedly bouncing left then right on her front paws. Her tongue flicked out a few times, ears pinned back, a heavy weight in her belly.

"Sage, come on. We best go after him."

Her ears were suddenly upright, eyes wide, an expression of being taken back. "We could get in trouble," she spoke a little louder than usual, her voice shaky. She paced back and forth for a moment, reluctant to break the rules. Seri didn't wait for her to make up her mind, taking off after and calling out to Eros. At first, she merely watched him begin to disappear. If I don't follow, and I'm found out here alone...without them, will I be mistaken for a threat? She sighed at the thought, shook her pelt in attempt to relieve her nerves, then trailed after the two.

Once she caught up Sage followed closely behind Seri, all the while watching in every which direction like a startled fawn. "We're going to get in trouble, especially me..." Her voice lowered as she spoke, the last two words whispered to her companion. This might have been something they could do and get away with, but she was new. Not to mention she honestly just felt cruddy about breaking a rule.

Dead Empress Backwater

Someone is going to have to actually come get Viorel if they want him. Feel free to skip him unless someone approaches him.

He had just been beginning to recover from the fact that his wife had not returned when his world had come to a sickening halt. Sephrina dead, Isla missing. He had thought that they would be safe up on the mountain, everything had gone so well last year. He wasn’t ready for this. And her body was not even home with them here where it should be, laid to rest with Katna and Walrus and Inger. Instead it was up on the mountain that had taken her from him.

The leader had become unresponsive, awake but not really conscious. Everything felt like a long warped dream. He knew other members of the pack had been coming to speak with him, but Viorel couldn’t tell you what they had said, and he couldn’t bring himself to answer. He just laid where he was, beneath the shadow of a broken empress tree, broken himself in so many places.

Viorel could hear Eros calling, but knew that boy was as long gone as all the others. Just another ghost. He didn’t move.

(This post was last modified: Feb 26, 2023, 06:18 PM by Viorel.)

Archer Valle

Just as everything seemed to be going right, seemed to be settling down from the year of chaos and pain, the world felled another crushing blow upon the Backwater. Archer's own experience with the exchange had been so wonderful; he'd met Kateri, a friend who had come to live with them, a friend he felt almost as close to as he did his beloved littermate. How could his sisters' have gone so wrong?

He should have gone with them, maybe convinced Kat to visit her own family so he could keep an eye on his sisters. Protect them. Now it was too late and all of the should-haves in the world wouldn't change the fact that he would never see Sephrina again. He would never get to teach her to fish, to navigate the Backwater when there was water. Never...

It was too much.

Eros's call fell on numb ears and it took a moment for Archer to realize what it was. That at last his most favored sibling had returned to them - but he was calling for their mother, as if he thought she was already here.

As if she hadn't returned with them.

Still, Eros's voice managed to slice through the grief enough to have Archer hurtling through the forest, following the sound of pounding paws until he came upon the familiar form and tackled him. "Where have you been?" he said, whapping a paw over his brother's head as he had done when they were children. "I missed you."

And then the weight of the grief came crashing back down and Archer sat back and began to sob. "Everything's gone so wrong!"

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

It wasn't surprising that Archer was the first to greet him. Eros didn't mind the enthusiastic hello, tussling with his brother in turn. They had both gained muscle mass in the time apart, but now he better knew how to use his strength. The young Valle didn't get to start a full-blown wrestling match, though. Archer smelled nothing like mom, and there was something broken in his eyes, and then all at once he was crying.

His friends certainly would not be able to get his attention now. Eros' heart had never dropped so fast, plunging into the acid of his stomach and weighing him down like a boulder. He sat.

"What do you mean? Tell me what happened."

(This post was last modified: May 11, 2023, 04:58 PM by Eros.)

Consider everyone ICly accepted as of this post, will officially add characters to the pack roster once this thread is completed and archived <3

Everything seemed to have gone horribly wrong in such a short time, and Clover had found herself merely sitting in her infirmary as a way to just take some time to resettle herself. Viorel was... not doing very well, and she couldn't blame him, but that left her to pick up the slack in his wake.

The numerous calls broke her out of her thoughts, and she wasted no time in heeding them. Only somewhat out of breath when she arrived, Clover took a moment to survey the scene. Eros and Seri had returned, which would have been a moment of happiness, but it seemed Archer had already revealed the tragic events that transpired while the pair were gone. The addition of a third wolf, unknown but appearing on the younger side, had Clover pausing. They were all well into the Backwater, and yet given the situation, as well as the clear unease apparent in the girl's body, she couldn't bring herself to lay down the law. A firm reminder of the rules could be given out later, for now she was just glad the two were home safe.

Archer seemed well past the verge of tears with the others confused, and she took a moment to gently press her shoulder against Archers', before giving a glance at Eros, Seri, and the girl. She felt it was best to be brutally honest and get it out of the way, rather than try and smooth it over. "There was an accident on the mountain with the exchange... Sephrina was killed by a bear and Isla ran away. The Cove wolves are still trying to find her."

Her gaze settled on both Seri and the girl, and she offered as warm a smile as she could in that moment. "This isn't the best of times but please, make yourselves at home for the time being until things get settled." She could do the official welcoming spiel at a later point in time, but for now she just wanted them to know they were welcome to stay without any repercussions. Clover then looked at the two brothers. "Come, let's head back to the pack den. I think your father is somewhere around there... it might be best to go see him."

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri heard Sage’s concern, offering a comforting nuzzle to her side. “No you won’t… I’ll make sure you don’t. I told you to follow… me and Eros can handle whatever anger there might be for crossing the border.” He offered to her if only to calm her down. Archer was the first to greet them, a smile on his face as his tail wagged… that was, until he saw Archer go and abuse his brother. He would blink, uncertain as to what he was looking at. Eros seemed just as confused.

It wasn’t until Clover had arrived that it all started to come together. Sephrina was killed, and Isla ran away… the Cove wolves were searching for her. He felt his heart break, tears pricking his eyes as his jaw laxed and found agape. “Clover…” He trailed, trying to find the words. “How is Mr. Vi holding up?” He had to ask, asking as he instinctively made his way over to Eros in order to comfort him.

Learning his little sister had died? That another was missing? And all after they had failed to find his mom and uncle?

“Are Vana and Vayko back? I smelt him at the border. When did they return?” He asked, hoping for at least a sliver of good news during all of this time.

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage welcomed the affection, nodding her head and smiling. She trusted her new friends and they'd been kind to her. Still, the yearling felt uncertainty. Nervous butterflies floated around freely in her gut. She followed behind him, staying close to his flank and off to the side just enough she wasn't hovering in his personal space. They were greeted by someone, who quickly went from embracing Eros to wailing out. The girl tentatively took a step back unsure of how to proceed. She looked over to Seri for reassurance, emerald eyes ever expressive.

A woman arrived and she bowed her head respectfully. A frown crept upon her lips at the news, and a heavy sinking filling weighed her down. Her legs felt too stiff to walk. This was not a time to join a pack, they were grieving. She felt bad but selfishly was worried she'd be rejected. The latter was quickly dismissed as the white wolf welcomed them. Sage's face remained sad, her gaze moving to Eros and Archer. She whined softly. To lose not one but two family members....how dreadful. She wanted to go and comfort the pair but didn't think it was appropriate. One did not know her and the other just barely.

Sage hung back, ears perking at Seri's question. A spark of hope. Maybe their missing family had returned?"She speaks" She walks She thinks

(This post was last modified: Apr 27, 2023, 03:40 PM by Sage.)

Dead Empress Backwater

wrapping this up so that everyone can get added. <3

Thankfully, Ma was quick to arrive, but it was only her presence that comforted him. Her words broke his heart. He tried to absorb it, blinking back at her as though she might shout 'psych!' or maybe he'd just wake up somewhere out in the wilds with his friends and find out this had been an anxiety dream, they weren't even here yet-

She began to address Seri and Sage, pulling Eros from his thoughts and drawing his gaze to them, specifically his best friend. Hearing the other teen address the situation gave him a little bit of grounding, but also by making it all real. This was happening. This was his homecoming.

Are Vana and Vayko back?

As though shell shocked, Eros latched back onto that singular remaining hope and lurched forward, toward the heart of the pack's territory once more.

"Mom?!"