Erani had lost their home to a stranger, to someone who sought nothing more then vengeance and cared not whether she was ruining lives. Valhalla had been his home for as long as he could remember, it had been in the paws of his family for a long time, and now no more. As soon as he could, he had returned to his den and scooped up his children and his wife, saying nothing as he moved them from the new tyrants grasp. He would not remain a second longer should the new leader decide to keep them against their will, no. Leon would give no chance and risk nothing with his new family, and so they had left Valhallan lands. The children protesting slightly, but seemingly more intrigued in seeing the world. He knew Ashtoreth was worried, possibly afraid even. But he would wait to speak until they got somewhere safe, and would instead walk in silence with family in tow. Ashelia would be carried in his mouth, for her small body seemed to be having trouble in keeping up with them. His heart fell heavy with each step further from the plains, but it had to be done. Perhaps another time he would return alone and see who the new leader was, but his loyalty lied with the Adravendi's, and them alone. They were family, after all. And he knew that someday they would rise up again, and it was then that Leon would stand behind or at the shoulder of Syrinx or whomever was bold enough to retrieve the rightful Adravendi crown.

After what seemed like miles, he would lead them among trees that were filled with birdsong. Spring had turned everything green again, thus flowers were blooming and butterflies and bees going about their business. Blue eyes gazed about, nostrils taking in the many new scents as he made sure there was no danger lurking here. Once he felt it was safe, he put Ashelia down at his feet, the young girl sitting there as she waited for her mother to join them. Turning to Ashtoreth, he would nuzzle her gently. "We'll stay here for now."

Walk | Talk | Think

She had kept the children close during the challenge, fearful of the pack's history with wars and fights, and dreaded the worst. Erani might have been their Alpha, fit enough in mind and body to rule and lead them during peace time, but she was past her prime. She was large but not as a fighter was large, and she could only assume the one who intended to take their pack had trained and prepared appropriately for the task. How would the tender-hearted, elderly healer cope against an adversary mostly likely younger, most likely faster, than she had been in some time? All it had taken was Leon's silent return and she had known the answer.

Her grey and white paws stepped carefully through the marshy terrain, watching and listening closely to Cador and Vaishya as they followed. It was not entirely hospitable ground, and she was ready to pick either up if any suggestion of a struggle was given. So far the going had been slow but good; she just did not know how far her mate intended to lead them.

Birdsong called out and greeted them, as well as the occasional rustle of wings on tree limbs. There were worse places, Ash thought, that they could have ended up, and with the bitter desert their neighbor for the longest time she counted them lucky to be here instead. Leon was a few strides ahead but as she caught up she saw that he had set Ashelia down. A part of her worried the girl would try pouncing on either of her other siblings and could not see it going well after the walk they had endured. She stopped only when she was at Leon's side and nuzzled him back as he said they would stay here. Ash nodded, knowing the decision to be the best under the circumstances, but now that the headlong run from potential danger was over the severity of their loss hit her stronger than she would have liked.

Clenching her eyes shut, Ashtoreth pressed her face firmly into the fur of Leon's neck, her ears tucked and her body folding itself against his side. Their home was gone. The safe and practical future she had hoped to give her children was gone. They were alone, on their own, and it terrified her. "What are we going to do?" she whispered, her voice wobbling with tears that she wished would go away. She had her pups to think about; she needed to be strong for them. But for the first time since their birth she did not feel as if she was strong enough.

Homeless. It was a term that Vaishya was not familiar with, one that she still did not realize described her now under the circumstances though it did. Nothing had really been said except for maybe that they needed to go, to get up and out of their den and follow Momma and Da through the little bit of the Plains they had been given the go ahead to explore and even beyond the boundary. Somewhere along the way Ashelia had needed to be picked up, the going long and tiring, but the small, deep grey girl was fighting it. Her paws might have ached but the soft soil here seemed to know, making her footfalls gentle and easy. Just a little further, she continued to tell herself, certain eventually it would be true.

Stopping came a little sooner than expected, and with her eyes still as wide as they had been through the whole journey she stopped a little apart from her siblings and parents to survey the location. She had to admit, it seemed pretty. Trees and large shrubs sang with the calls of birds within, a surprisingly welcoming tune. The marshy puddles that she could see did not entirely look appealing, but maybe they were fed from something cleaner. Vaishya turned in place, finally glancing toward both parents, and stopped. Something was wrong. She had sensed it along their journey, adding to her own nervous tendency of curving her body in a gentle arc, head and tail low with her wide gaze constantly on the move. But now that they were here - wherever here was - everything seemed to bubble up and leak out in earnest.

She went back to looking around, her brown ears tucking a little more securely to her head and her tail swishing uncertainly about her hind legs. What was this noisy place? When would they go back home?

They had done a lot of walking lately. Cador was definitely starting to get tired, but like Vaishya, he was determined to keep soldiering on. Even if Ashe was getting carried, Cador knew that for as long as Vaishya was walking, he too would walk, putting one paw right in front of the other. He plodded doggedly on at his gray sister's side, shoulder occasionally brushing hers as they moved along. One paw in front of the other, he recited in his head, and at last he was able to stop.

The brown pup breathed the softest of sighs as his father proclaimed that they would stop here. He would sit still for only a moment, however, until his mother pressed her face into father's fur. Whatever she said was lost, however, as Cador's wandering purple gaze took in his sister's form. Gently, Cador moved to press his muzzle against her cheek. "You okay?" The pup murmured, head tilting slightly as he gazed at Vaishya. She seemed nervous, and it was his self-proclaimed duty to protect her from everything that made her nervous. Nothing could hurt them here! Not with Cador and Leon to stand between their family and anything dangerous.

"Speech"
'thoughts'