She had returned, but would not rejoin her family without a gift. The Polar Sound was well out of the way of home, but she knew that her prize lurked there. With the shaman at her side, she stalked through the entrance to the canyon. A large group of seals had amassed there, and they would be a fantastic treat for her children. Perhaps, if she dared let herself think that way, an apology gift as well. Leaving them was not what she had wanted to do, but it was necessary. "Thank you for coming all this way, I hope you can find as much joy in this place as in the motherland." She said softly, glancing at the shaman. A beautiful woman in her own right, who would teach her daughter well. Perhaps, even, teach the rest of the children. Samael had been so upset about her preferential treatment of Divo. "speech"

if I could take this in a shot right now, I don't think we could work this out It had been a hard journey, but they had made it in record time. In fact, there was perhaps even time to christen the voyage by ending it with the festival of Lelia. It would be a wonderful way to introduce the children to their gods, and to meet with the local wolves. Perhaps she would ask the princess about it, once they reached their destination. The reassuring bounce of her necklace against her chest kept her grounded as they moved. It thudded against her breast with the pounding of her paws, and the rhythm kept her from drifting too far from her body. Her mentor had always told her she got too lost. Even now, she nearly missed what Lirika said. "Thank you for coming all this way, I hope you can find as much joy in this place as in the motherland." It was strange to hear her speaking in the common tongue. It must have been habit, in these lands. To speak English instead of their native language. Perhaps she should take a page from her book, and get used to it. "While it is going to take time to adjust, I welcome the opportunity to see the world that the gods made for us to roam. I hope that this land can become my home, as it has become yours." She replied, low vocals remaining soft and light. There was a gentle smile on her face, and she hoped it would reassure the older woman. If she had not wanted to make this journey, she would not have. "Tell me more about this family of yours, it sounds quite interesting." "speech"

Olya seemed to be fine. There were no reservations, or negative emotions. Her easy grin kept the tightness in her chest from getting any worse. She couldn't wait to get home to her children, and see their smiling faces again. She even missed Samael, despite the way their last conversation had gone. He was always a warm man, and there was no doubt in her mind that Olya would enjoy his presence as well. "Tell me more about this family of yours, it sounds quite interesting." The dame laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. Yes, it was interesting. That was putting it mildly. "Well, Mr. Morningstar, the children's father, has many other children. They had been staying with me, while the children were nursing." She began to explain, navigating her way towards the mouth of the Polar Sound. If she went the wrong way, she would have an even longer trip ahead. After all, going down the cliffs weren't an option. It would take some time to move along the edges of the cliffs until they reached the mouth. How foolish that would be. "They are quite the characters, I must say. I believe two of them are.. in some sort of relationship. Many of them seem to resent their father, for reasons he will not share with me." She began, frowning just a little. It would be rude to ask why he kept it from her. However, curiosity nagged at her. What had happened to him? She knew that his family did not get along, and that his own brother had scarred his face rather horribly. He would bear those marks forever. "My three girls are bright children, if I do say so myself. Darya, my firstborn, is going to be the largest of them, perhaps even as big as her father. She wears the same crown as he does, and it looks like a wolf's face. Beautiful, and it will only grow more so as she ages." Her eldest daughter was going to do great things, she knew that for certain. "I have told you enough about Divo, but Dominika is a special child. Very intuitive, and always asking questions. While she is not as big as her sisters, she makes up for it in the way she thinks. She looks a lot like my father, she has the same eyes, and the same marks on her legs. I hope she will be as loyal and caring as my mother told me he was." While she resented her father, her mother had always told her good things about him. With a child that looked just as he had in life, she hoped those stories were true. She only hoped Dominika didn't lose one of her legs. "speech"

if I could take this in a shot right now, I don't think we could work this out While they walked, the shaman sought to take as many cues from Lirika's movements as she could. Up ahead, the land changed somewhat. That seemed to be the destination. The story of her makeshift family was a strange one. It was rare for large families to mesh, back in the motherland. The notion of two young children being a couple was one that she had not heard of with much frequency. From her understanding, it occurred perhaps once in a generation. Often the two children had to be separated for a lengthy period of time, to avoid negative emotional affects. She would keep her thoughts to herself about that, though. Lirika's expression brightened infinitely when she began to regale her with tales of her own children. It was abundantly clear that she loved those girls, and Olya couldn't wait to meet them. When it came to Darya, she was rather curious about the marks upon her face. How strange, to wear such a mask. Dominika sounded like a child who she would love to meet, one that perhaps was a child of Lelia. After all, a sweet and intuitive child such as that must be blessed in some way. "I believe you mentioned something about their father taking them from the site of their whelping den," She began tentatively, offering up a quizzical look to the taller woman. "how will we find them?" After all, this was a large continent. Nearly as large as the motherland, if one ignored its land bridge to the much larger continent further to the east. "speech"