Surreal

Surreal padded along, only a slight limp remaining from her shoulder injury. With Zuriels help, the wound had finally closed and was reduced to a scab and downy soft short fur reclaiming the outer edges. She had heard whispers. Epiphron, her dear sister, Epiphron, was a Queen in the East; having taken the lands originally owned by Ludicael. The full details weren’t clear to her, so she had decided to pay Epiphron a visit. After all… Epiphron, and all her other adoptive siblings that had viewed Erani as a mother just as keenly as she herself, would need to know of their mothers passing. Regulus had put up a fuss about her leaving the moderate safety of their base. She had won out in the end; she was going to a family member who was loyal and loving, from her memories of Pip. No danger would ever befall her in her sisters company. She had no reason to think that Epiphron no longer viewed Surreal and her siblings as sisters and brothers. Their family was one of love and loyalty. Despite the fast healing of her injury, by the time she found the borders thick with her sisters scent, Surreals shoulder ached from the use. However, she put the pain aside and lifted her head, jaws parting as she let out a summons for her sister. Memories played across her mind; Epiphron playing with her and and her siblings when they were pups. Epiphrons wedding to Maverick. What had become of the red and appaloosa spotted male? His scent wasn’t among those present here. With a sigh, her haunches sank to the ground as she waited for her big sister to come. It was long past time for a family reunion.

The call that arrested her from near-sleep was startlingly familiar. Epiphron would move slowly at first, head jerking upright as she grew fully conscious. Her eyes would blink, pushing away sleep as she peered outside of her den. It took a long moment for her to realize who was calling her. In fact, she pulled herself to all fours and slipped from the entrance to her den before it hit her. It was Surreal. She hadn't seen Erani, or her children, for so long. Had they even tried to find her? She'd heard that Valhalla had been taken, but the whereabouts of Erani's family had been unknown to everyone she'd spoken to. Slowly, as she grew more alert, her pace would increase into a sort of anxious trot as she closed the distance between she and Surreal. Her gaze was far more unsure than she willed it to be when she finally faced her. Surreal seemed tired, and so much older than she remembered -- she exhaled softly, feeling fatigue suddenly wash over her at the nostalgia that began to flood her. "Surreal?" she would question warily, feeling more hesitant than she ought to. Why was she here? Why hadn't she found her sooner? What had happened to her, their family, to Valhalla and Chrysanthe and Erani? Did she knew that Syrinx was dead? "H-how are you? It's been so long..." her voice faltered, confusion washing over her at the woman's familiar scent. Carefully, she took a few steps forward, daring to close the short distance between them.

Surreal

She had only to wait perhaps one minute before Epiphrons white form with those two brown points came into sight, her sister looking puzzled. Her own face pulled into a smile, her tail beginning to sweep the ground behind her as she watched Pip get closer. It had been such a long time. Pips enquiry of her name teased a grin out of Surreal. ”In the flesh, big sister.” She could see the questions rolling through her sisters eyes. For now, she didn’t answer any of them; they would be asked soon enough, or answered via renditions of the past few years. At her sisters next words, Surreal nodded solemnly. ”It’s been too long. I haven’t seen you since your wedding.” There was no accusation in her voice; she knew how busy life as a leader could be, from helping her mother lead Valhalla as a beta. Epiphron closed the distance, and Surreal rose, leaving her weight off her shoulder, her tail wagging. ”So, how’ve you been? We had Quintus in Valhalla for a while, a ways back, by the way. Any other nephews and nieces I haven’t heard about?” Surreal flashed a grin at the older wolf. ”You have a nephew and two nieces to meet, though one of my daughters is missing…” The grin fell slightly as that worry filtered into her mind. Where was her youngest? Her mismatched blue and gold gaze turned to Epiphrons clear sapphires, gazing at the tattered ear, ranging over the strong frame. Her sister had fared well, it seemed. They had a lot to talk about. Yes indeed. Surreal wasn’t sure when to tell her about their mother… Hadn’t it been just yesterday when her mother had travelled to Seracia to tell Epiphron of Cairos death? Now the duty of divulging the dark news fell to Surreal.

The nostalgia hit her suddenly and painfully. For so long, all she'd had was her children, whose presence was not at all painful to her. And yet Surreal's was startlingly so. Epiphron was reminded of her adoptive mother, of both of her parents, long dead; of her sister, wherever she might be. Briefly she even saw a vision of her brother dying before her very eyes. Her breath quivered as she inhaled, taking in the woman's scent gladly. She had been hardly more than a child when she had seen her last, but now? She was a woman in all regards. Her chest tightened, though she felt her own tail beginning to wag behind her in pleasure, despite the pain that flooded her soul. She would take a few step closer in response, a gentle smile teasing her lips. "I can't believe how quickly time goes by," Epiphron would admit softly. Since she had seen Surreal, she had done so much... and she had lost just as much. She could only imagine how much had happened with her. She would listen intently as she spoke of Quintus. He'd been in Valhalla? A bit of hope filled her heart, though she knew that Valhalla had been overthrown some time ago. "I've been.. okay," she answered after a moment of thought. It seemed an easier answer to start with than what had really happened with her. Though to be honest, the last few seasons had been looking up for her. "I've had a litter of children since Quintus's," she admitted, a hint of fondness touching her light tones. "And all of them, besides Quintus and one of my youngest daughters, Isolde, have returned to Fiori with me." She was grateful for this, and her small grin showed her pleasure. "My other oldest are here, Amalia and Cassius, as well as a girl Arian I adopted. My youngest are here too -- Leo and Caeto, though Isolde isn't around." A touch of sadness crept into her voice at the thought of her two children that were not with them, though she was grateful that she was surrounded by so much family once again. It was a surprise to hear that Surreal had been gifted with children herself. The gentle smile on her lips widened at the news. "Congratulations," she said with a wide wag of her tail, a soft laugh leaving her parted jaws. "How old are they?" There was so much to catch up on, and it seemed a decent enough place to begin... and a likely one of the more pleasant subjects they would talk about.

Surreal

Surreal smiled gently at the quivering breath she heard from Epiphron as her sister began wagging. The joy at seeing her sister mended a bit of the emptiness she’d been hiding since so many of her siblings had departed, some never to return. ”Time flies, indeed.” She smiled as Epiphron began a run-over of the children she’d had. So many nieces and nephews. ”I’ve met Arian.” And remembering what Arian had said about Epiphrons fall out with Azalea, Surreal omitted mentioning the fiery auburn headed Adravendi. Here was not the place, nor was it the time, to open old wounds. While she felt that it could have been handled better, especially away from the eyes of Isardis Armada, she could understand how Pip had seen Azaleas actions as a betrayal. ”I’ll have to meet the rest of your kids, too.” And vice versa. Her head lifted a bit in motherly pride under her sisters congratulations. ”They will be yearlings this fall. Their names are Regulus, Zuriel, and Faite. Their father… I couldn’t have asked for a better mate… He’s been through a rough patch, though. When his sister was abducted by Arcanum, he got a wild, brotherly hair to go to her mates challenge to get her back. He ended up being taken, even as Sibelle was freed. I have to say… I did lose my temper with him when he finally was freed and came back. Only then, I didn’t know… They blinded him, Pip… But when he got back, he could still see.” Her ears fell against her skull. A heavy sigh rushed from her lungs as she thought about what he had lost. He’d lost his confidence, his sight, and so much strength. But he would gain it all back. She wouldn’t allow him to wallow in self pity. She just wished he would be able to see their future children. And their childrens children. ”Those bastards are holed up on Valhallan lands.” The rumbling growl that mingled with her words started from deep in her breast, rising to flash around momentarily bared canines. Lands she had grown up on and patrolled every day. Lands where Valhallan dead were buried. Where the Great Cairo rested. The den she had been born in, and where her mother had cared for so many sick wolves during the plague.

Though Epiphron hadn't necessarily been running from her past, she had escaped most of it -- except for her children, most of whom who she had sought out on purpose. The dissolution of Valhalla, her sister's maiming, the death of her brother, the betrayal of her husband; she'd tried so hard to forget all of these things, for it felt like everyone had gone, and suddenly it all came back to her with raging force. Through the pain, though, she managed to smile. Surreal's presence was a glimmer of hope, a beacon of light in the darkest of rooms, and her tail would continue to wag behind her as she spoke. Surreal stated she'd met Arian. That was likely before she'd been held as a prisoner and mistreated; so much had changed even since then. She drank in Surreal's words, putting the names of her children to memory so as to not forget them. "Yearlings already," she'd muse, sounding a bit surprised. Was Surreal not just a child herself so recently? And yet her children would be a year old soon. The mention of her mate, being taken by Arcanum, was a strange thing too. And not just that, but they'd taken claim of her former home, the very place where her father was buried still. "I've only heard bad things about Arcanum," she'd comment with a slight wrinkle of her nose. "I've allowed my two best fighters to travel with a pack called Ebony to fight them. I believe they intend to destroy the pack, if at all possible." Epiphron knew little more than that, but it seems their track record of abhorrent deeds was only growing longer, and knowing that they had mistreated Surreal's mate only further solidified her decision to allow them to accompany Ebony in battle. It seemed Surreal had gone through quite a bit. "If all goes well, they will pay for their crimes," she stated with confidence, moving forward finally to embrace Surreal by wrapping her head around the other woman's neck. A breath of relief, in her adoptive sister's familiar scent as they embraced, would escape her mouth, though she couldn't help but pull away a moment later. "Where is Erani?" she'd ask, a burning question she couldn't withhold -- why was she not here, now?

Surreal

As Epiphron commented on her childrens age, Surreal nodded with a smile. Regulus is almost nearly my height, and he’s not done growing yet. He’s also a shocking color; he’s bright red, like fresh blood or a red poppy. He has Mothers eyes, as well…” Her tail curled about her haunches, ears drooping slightly at the thought of their late mother. She had found Epiphron; now she would have to seek out the rest of her siblings, adoptive and blood. Epiphron spoke of Arcanum, and Surreal felt her own nose wrinkle in response. “They had better.” She rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly. “If this shoulder weren’t still healing, I would follow them to see the fight, and help deal some damage.” Epiphron at last stepped forward to embrace Surreal, and the silver and black timber tightened the embrace, her tail sweeping the ground. The question that came next, however, stilled it. This was the moment she’d been dreading, but knew she couldn’t avoid. “Epiphron... Our mother is dead…” And the dam broke. Her wall holding in the grief crumbled, her tears falling as she sagged against Pip. She’d been holding the grief at bay while she and Regulus had been lost, focused on getting back to their family alive. She had needed to be strong for Falk and Zuriel. This was the first time she had let go and truly grieved for her mother. And now it came out in a flood.

Her ears perked at the mention of Surreal's son -- a huge, fiery red boy. Another smile painted her warm features, her tail twitching interestedly behind her. Her own children resembled herself and Maverick quite well, with so many of them bearing his appaloosa markings and her own white fur mixed with his russet; the very thought made her stomach turn a bit uncomfortably. "Perhaps you can bring them here to visit someday," she offered tentatively. The way she spoke, it sounded as though she only knew where Regulus was, but she wasn't quite ready to ask yet. Almost as soon as the question had left her mouth about Erani's whereabouts, she'd known the answer -- Erani was dead. If she was alive, even if she was unwell, would she not be here at Surreal's side? Would she even think to pass up a reunion with her? The realization was so unlike when she'd been delivered news of her father's death, and so much different than when she'd seen Syrinx be killed. An aching, hollow void seemed to settle in her chest and she stared, feeling tears well in her own eyes as Surreal moved against her. "How?" she stuttered after a moment, for once wishing her voice would betray the immense sadness she suddenly felt, but instead her voice was vacant and hollow, void of much emotion -- instead, she felt a slight rage begin to burn inside her, mingled with the immense sadness that overwhelmed her, wondering what had happened to her and hoping desperately that nobody had been responsible for her fate.

Surreal

The question filtered through the fog of tears. Surreal struggled to pull herself together, straightening, blinking against the tears that still wanted to fall. ”She was old, Pip… If only she had been able to wait just a while longer… She could have been buried in her true home… But she went peacefully.” The words were spoken in a wavering voice, like a leaf on water threatening to ripple the surface. Each segment was spoken with immense care, as though if she loosened that care even a millimeter, all control would be lost. She swallowed hard, trying to fight it all back under the lid. ”She was never quite the same after that red bitch took Valhalla. Even though Regulus, Zuriel and Faite helped some, she wasn’t as sure of herself afterwards.” Despite how hard Erani had tried to hide it, Surreal had known her mother better than anyone else left, and had known the guilt that hung in her mothers heart. Guilt that she hadn’t been able to ward off the danger that had scattered a happy pack, some of whom had children who’d needed stability in their early lives. “She told me to find you, Chrys, and anyone else of the family I could. To tell you all that she loved you all, and would see you in your dreams someday.” Had Erani hammered the Old Tongue into Pip, Chrysanthe, Syrinx and Eos’ heads as thoroughly as she had with Surreal and her siblings? Surreal faced her adoptive sister. ”She said to say this.” Surreal paused, before speaking the words. "Níl mé imithe go deo. Féach taobh istigh le do hearts. Má grá agat dom an oiread agus is grá agam ort, gheobhaidh tú dom ansin. Ná déan dearmad ar do aisling, leanaí. Éist, agus cuimhneamh orthu. Ná chailleann dóchas, a shealbhú ar do spriocanna. Ní bheidh an teaghlach titim, is cuma cad é thrown ag dúinn. Ní bheidh muid theipeann. Is breá liom tú go léir." Her eyes searched Pips, before she asked ”Do you need a translation, or was.. was she as diligent about teaching you the Old Tongue as she was with us?” Her control slipped before she wrenched it back, the stammer in her words choked back.

The rage inside her chest slowly subdued as the full reality of Surreal's words hit her. Erani was dead. Gone. She'd never gotten the chance to say goodbye -- hell, she hadn't even seen her for nearly three years. At least she had been there for Syrinx when he'd died, even if she hadn't exactly said goodbye. A sigh left her lips, bordering on a sob, but she struggled to compose herself. Epiphron was grateful she had passed peacefully but that still wasn't enough to soothe her suddenly tumultuous mind. She didn't know much of what had happened to Valhalla. It'd been taken.. she'd not only lost most of her children, but her pack too, and it seemed she had never recovered. "I haven't seen Chrysanthe in so long," she admitted quietly. "And Syrinx was killed." If Surreal knew of his demise, she wasn't sure, but the admittance came warily and her voice was once again wrought with pain. She'd left them with a message. Curious, her ears would perk as she listened. Epiphron had learned some of Erani's language long ago, but not nearly as much as she would've liked. How could she have, given how her life had gone? As a girl she had lost her mother, had been forced to flee her home along with the rest of her family.. her childhood had felt surprising brief. Not long after becoming a yearling, she'd been enraptured with the possibility of being a Queen, not at all focused on learning native tongues. Now, though, she wished she had cared more. "I.. I don't understand most of it," the pale woman would admit with some hesitation. Something about love? The rest was lost on her, despite her struggle to recall the words she'd been taught.

Surreal Adravendi

That Chrysanthe hadn’t been seen was something Surreal had expected, deep down in her gut. And Arian had told her both about Syrinx’s death, and about the falling out between Epiphron and Azalea. ”I already knew about Syrinx. Arian told me when we met in the Willows.” Their mothers message to those Erani had loved so well had been given, but as Surreal looked into Pips eyes, she could see the struggle to translate the Old Tongue. As Epiphron spoke hesitantly, Surreal nodded, then translated for her sister. ”I'm not gone forever. Look inside your hearts. If you love me as much as I love you, you will find me there. Never forget your dreams, children. Listen, and remember. Do not lose hope, hold on your goals. The family will not fall, whatever is thrown at us. We will not fail. I love you all.” Her eyes closed against the wave of sadness that wanted to burst free as she spoke, and as the last word left her lips, she clenched her jaws, willing her emotions to settle. ”I still don’t really know what she meant by us seeing her in our dreams…” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It seemed all she had left of her family, besides her children, was Surreal. Where had Collision gone, she wondered? And Chrysanthe.. and even Preston, who she hadn't seen since she was a child. A sigh left her lips at the thought of all she had lost. "I see," she breathed softly at the realization that Surreal had already known about Syrinx. And she'd met with Arian, meaning she'd probably also known about the fight she'd had with Azalea. And though the thought hurt her, she still didn't regret it one bit. She listened as Surreal spoke the words in a language she could understand. Surreal's voice reminded her so much of Erani's, and the words were startling similar to what Erani herself would've said if she were here. She felt herself shudder at the words. Epiphron's own eyes would close briefly, feeling another pang of sadness tug at her heart. So many of them were gone.. and she'd never expected to learn that Erani had passed, too. "I don't know either.." her voice would trail off, a slow shrug shifting her shoulders. A soft sigh would escape her throat. "I have to ask.. what are your plans now?"