Remember Every Scar
He'd been walking for so long. The life of a rogue was not something he had liked during the years he'd been away from Alacritis. And even after all that time...he hadn't found his daughter out there. His beloved little girl...he had been on a quest. It was his mission as a father to find her, but the more time passed without so much as a hint of her whereabouts had made him begin to lose hope. He was giving up. The old dog didn't want to abandon her...but he had to acknowledge the fact that she either died long ago, or was living happily somewhere else. He chose to think the latter.
The male had passed through the west a season or two ago to find that Valhalla no longer stood. So in another search, he sought out someone...anyone, who had been there before and might still be around. The Adravendi line to him, was a a sort of guide. No matter how lost one got, they somehow always found each other. Or so he thought and hoped. His path led him to the borders of one of the eastern packs, the faintest traces of a scent both foreign and familiar had pulled him this way. He shook out his shaggy pelt, standing several feet from the border as faintly clouded blue eyes gazed into the other side. This was the end of his journey, wasn't it? This was where he would die, he was sure.
He refused to die a Loner...and his aching bones wouldn't be able to take another long journey. Despite his efforts, he had to settle somewhere eventually. And perhaps, that would be today. The male started his howl, lifting his head as he sung until his head was pointing straight up at the sky. His song was full of a mix of emotions, but the most prominent would be that of mourning as well. He'd lost his beloved Ashtoreth, his little babies...but he needed his family together then. He couldn't have left his little girl. But in the end, he had lost them all. I'm sorry Ashelia...Cador..Vaishya...Ashtoreth...I failed..
The call that reached her ears was hauntingly familiar. It had been years since she'd seen him - six, to be exact. Epiphron had been close to her cousin when Valhalla had first traveled to these lands, but his time spent with his family had seemingly been short. Though so much had changed since then, she recognized his voice. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest; could this be true? Where had he been all these years, and why was he back now? Shaking her head as she stood, feeling temporarily dazed, she would direct herself toward his call..
Her pawsteps were precarious as she made his way to the border. It seemed too good to be true to find another relative alive and (hopefully) well. His call was likely meant for someone like Leo, but she couldn't pass up this chance to reunite with her cousin. Epiphron's pace would quicken as he came into view, a faint dream-like smile touching her lips at the sight of him. He looked so much older, but she knew she did too. Leon had seemed so much older than her back then - but look at him now, she thought quietly, mentally chuckling as she drew closer and lowered her head as she got a good look at him. "Cousin," she'd breathe as she came within earshot, moving forward as though to embrace him, but pausing before doing so."It's been... so long." Her voice was brimming with quiet emotion as she studied his aged face, searching for some sort of solace that he was still the wolf she remembered.
Cousin...His song would end the second he heard that hauntingly familiar voice. His eyes opened as he sought out the voice, blue eyes falling upon the form of someone so familiar, yet a stranger in appearance. How long had it been? Her words registered in his mind, and he was desperately trying to remember the last time he'd seen her. The only memories he could remember, that had been fading over time, were in their younger years. He stood unmoving, quiet as he looked at her. Damn...how much time did pass? He noted her tattered ear, and despite the age they both were, time hasn't yet weathered her looks like it had him.
"Epiphron...it's been so long..."His voice came out in a cracked whisper from being unused for so long. Sure, he'd spoken to loners during his search, but the past year or so, it felt like he had been the only one left on earth. His eyes never left her, afraid that maybe it was his age that was making him demented. But as the moments ticked by, he knew it was real. She was real. With a choked sound, he stepped forward and closed the distance between them. His neck wrapped over hers in a heartfelt embrace, his face pressed into her fur. He couldn't believe it. "It's...been so long..." He would repeat again, eyes closing as he breathed in her scent, memories flooding his mind. The familiarity, the comfort. "I missed you, pip.."
Leon had been someone she'd looked up to when she was younger. He'd given her good advice about adulthood - and then when she'd really needed him, he'd been gone. Why he'd left Valhalla, she didn't know, but she could only guess. Things hadn't been perfect there forever - leadership had changed hands multiple times, there had been feuds with other packs and an irritating amount of inter-pack conflict. Maybe something in particular had made him want to leave. It didn't matter much now - all that mattered was that he was here. He was home.
"I.." she choked back her words as she gazed at him, his own voice painfully familiar, albeit hoarse. She was grateful he moved forward to embrace her, and she would lean into her cousin's touch with ease, letting out a breath of air she hadn't realize she'd been holding. His touch was comforting - a reminder of all the things they had lost over the years. She wondered if Leon had half a clue what all he had missed. Epiphron fell silent as she breathed in his scent for a long moment, before pulling away hesitantly. "I've missed you," she said gently, a touch of sadness gracing her voice, though it was obvious she was glad to see him. "I haven't seen you since I was still a child." She'd been a yearling, maybe close to two years, but she'd still been naive and youthful, nothing at all like she was now.
He breathed in her scent when she leaned into him, grateful for such a comforting touch. He'd been gone so long, no familiar faces and no one to comfort him when he needed it. But here, here he felt his heart break when she said that she missed him. And then he wondered why it was that he'd been gone so long. Why was it that he had become distant from her? He couldn't remember anymore, all that mattered now was that he was back, he was here with his beloved cousin and he would not dissappear again.
He pulled back just a little as he gently nuzzled her cheek, his dull blue eyes brightening for the first time since he'd been gone. "I'm sorry for being gone so long. Forgive me, Epiphron for having been so distant." The same sadness that was in her voice, touched his as well. He would sit then, his aching bones struggling to hold up his weary body after so much traveling. But he knew that maybe, it was time to stop searching. It pained him, but almost three years of fruitless searching for her, well...he began to accept that maybe, she was gone forever.
Sighing, he looked at his paws for a moment as the weight of the world seemed to fall on his shoulders. "Everything is gone, isn't it? Including my family...? I...I went searching for my daughter...and then everything fell apart..." Wait, she knew right? He couldn't remember if she had been there at that time, but just in case..."Ashtoreth and I had finally gotten married. And we had three beautiful children. Vaishya, Cador, and...Ashelia...she's the one that had gone missing...so I went to find her, and now.."
"Most everyone is gone, yes," she said, the sadness in her voice heightening. "This pack here -" she'd gesture to the side gently, before turning back to him. "- it is run by my son Leo." He'd certainly been named with her cousin in mind, and a brief, light smile touched her lips as she spoke. "My daughter Amalia is here as well. You are certainly welcome to stay with us." Epiphron knew Leo would not pass up the opportunity to let a family member stay here. It seemed Leo had lost his own family.. three of his children, that he'd had with Ashtoreth. A soft sigh fell from her lips as she felt some of the tension fall from her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she offered him tentatively. "The rest of my children are gone, as well. I know how it feels.."