His actions during the siege had raised tension between Tornach and his mother. It was palatable, even if she was trying to avoid it by avoiding him. It didn't much bother him - she had been sick much of his childhood and his father and sister busy caring for her and Regulus so it wasn't as though he had not spent a great deal of time without company. It wouldn't have bothered him anyway; she was entitled to her beliefs so he wasn't upset that she was angry, but he didn't feel guilty either for what he'd done. He had done what was right and what he had needed to do. But he did need to get away for a little while, to let his mother cool down enough to be rational about it. Maybe now that Hellstrom was gone and they had the plains back she wouldn't be so angry and obsessed over them anymore, and they could go back to the way things had been. For now, though, he would make his way to a pack he'd never been to before, but that he knew his cousin Leo led. His aunt Epiphron was here and though they'd only met the once that was where he found himself drawn. He was interested to find that they inhabited a land not entirely unlike the estuary his family had fled to, except with less avian life and more trees. It wasn't entirely unpleasant here, and he wondered why his mother hadn't just brought them here when they'd lost their home. The serious gray-toned yearling seated himself before the border and tipped his muzzle up to let out a quiet, questioning howl seeking his aunt's presence. Walk, "Talk" Think

Epiphron hadn't expected to hear her nephew call. Truthfully, she didn't know him hardly at all - she'd met him once when he was a boy. Even his voice was largely unfamiliar, and it took her a long moment to recognize it as it rang across through the Mangrove trees.  She had begun to move in the direction of the call, though her pace increased when she realized it was family that awaited her. His scent reached her quickly, and she wondered why Surreal was not with him. Had something happened to them? The last she knew, they'd been driven out of Vericona Plains by the bastard that had hurt Arian.

Feeling a bit of worry well up in her stomach, despite the fact that his call had given no indication that anything was wrong, she would find her way to him quickly. He was no longer a child - that was the first thing she noticed as he came into view. A smile would paint her features as she loped forward, wondering if it would be strange if she embraced him... but she did it anyway, her head wrapping around his neck before she pulled away. "Tornach," she addressed him, warmth in her eyes as she looked him over. "What brings you here?"

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It was not long before his aunt appeared, looking precisely as he had remembered her. She moved to embrace him, and Tornach returned her hug solemnly. Though he did not know her well, she was family, and family meant everything to him. Her question gave him pause as he considered a tactful way of avoiding sounding disrespectful of his mother, or call her actions into question at all. "Aunt Epiphron. It is a pleasure to meet you again. There was a siege against the pack that took our home; it was successful. I thought now that my family was safe again I would take the time to meet the rest of the family." He blinked guilelessly at her, then tucked his chin against his throat to regard her with a sudden concern. "Is that all right? Do you mind me visiting?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Family was everything. It always had been paramount to her. It mattered not that Tórnach was not a blood nephew; Surreal had been more of a sister to her than one of her own blood sisters. She knew quite deeply that family ran much deeper than simple blood relations.

She noted that her nephew seemed far less joyous than she would've expected. Not that she knew his character terribly well; she had only met him once, though hopefully this visit would give her some enlightenment as to his personality now that he wasn't a mere pup. He spoke of the siege against the pack that had happen their home, and she sighed softly in relief. Though the plains were nostalgic for her, the memories were as painful as they were enjoyable, and she had no desire to return there to live. An infrequent visit was enough for her.

"I'm glad," she said truthfully, accompanied by a small nod. "And you are in these lands any time. You don't need to ask." Epiphron's smile was genuine, and she gazed at him with warmth in her blue gaze. She was not in charge of who was allowed here, but she knew family was equally as important to Leo - and she knew he would not be upset if family visited unannounced. "Come," she'd invite him, more of an offer rather than a demand, gesturing further toward the territory's center with her muzzle. "Let me show you around."

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