She still couldn't believe that she had convinced Nolan to let her make this trip and she had an even harder time believing that she had made it here with just the slightest ware to show for it. The couple of days leading up to this had felt good. She had been able to wander around Valhalla's territory easily and for the briefest moment she was able to believe she was on the mend. Of course she understood that could not be the case, but she was grateful that she had stabilized for at least a moment. She tried to insist that she could make the trip on her own, but her son refused. At the very least spring was proving to be mild and welcoming to travel. It made the trip up to the northern portion of Boreas slightly easier and more pleasant and she was happy to find that the cold wasn't quite as harsh as she had imagined it would be. There was a nervous fluttering of butterflies she hadn't fully expected as they got closer to where Casso had said the pack was located. She had no way of knowing if Acere even wanted to see her after how everything had ended and with all the time that had passed, but her own curiosity had planted itself in her mind and wouldn't leave her alone. When they reached the border of the pine forest she came to a stop and settled down onto her haunches. For a moment she sat quietly and she could feel Nolan's presence hovering at her side expectantly. She knew he was waiting for her to make some sort of call or move so she finally lifted her muzzle and let out a hopeful howl. Now that he had delivered his mother to the place she wished to go, Nolan pressed his nose to her cheek before stepping away to settle several feet away - far enough away that he wouldn't be listening in on their conversation, but close enough that he would be near by if she needed him. "Talk" Think

It hadn't been long since Casso had returned to join the family again. He couldn't stop thinking about the message that he had passed on from Baine, and he had been strongly considering going to visit her. The message that Casso gave him wouldn't leave his mind, and he had made up his mind to go see her. Only...while he was preparing a few things for the trip, the voice that had haunted his thoughts suddenly sounded in the air and for a moment, he thought maybe it was a figment of his imagination since he'd been thinking about her more often than usual the last couple of days. Baine? The howl slowly died off while the surprise held him, and then he managed to shake it off after he realized it really was her voice. The alabaster king wagged his tail - something that didn't happen often these days - as he set off to meet her at the borders. Honestly, he was surprised that she had made the trip up to see him considering what Casso had mentioned about her being ill. He hoped she hadn't pushed herself too hard or made things worse by coming up to see him. He hadn't expected to see her so soon if he was honest. If at all. For a long time, he regretted taking her to Ruina. Thought that maybe he was a terrible person for taking her somewhere that turned out to be so...evil. And had he known things were going to turn out the way they did with his brother, he would have never convinced her to go. But it was out of loyalty and love for his brother at the time that he had even considered going to support him in the first place. It didn't take long for the alabaster king to reach the borders. For her to come into view. She still looked as beautiful as she did the first night they met all that time ago in the desert. He felt some heat rising to his cheeks at the thought as he suddenly felt foolish. Even with Heloise, he couldn't exactly remember a time where he felt like this out of nowhere. While yes, he did love Heloise at one point - and part of him still did considering she was the mother of his first litter - she had broken his heart when she left him and his children without any warning. Baine though...he didn't have a reason to be mad or upset with her for leaving. Whatever reasons she had to do so, he understood. Ruina was a terrible place, and if that was the reason she left with Zuriel, he understood completely. He approached her, a smile on his face and a friendly, sparkling look in his eyes. "Baine, it's good to see you again after all this time..."

Baine fidgeted nervously while she waited for Acere to arrive. She quickly shook out her fur a bit and tried to smooth it down a bit, letting her necklace settle neatly back in the center of her chest. At least in her eyes time and age hadn't been very kind to her, but she knew she was probably being overly critical of herself and a bit self conscious. When she made a quick glance toward her son over her shoulder she saw him eyeing her anxious pruning with a smirk and she shot him a quick glare before she turned her pale pink gaze back to the trees ahead of her. A smile tugged at her lips all the same though with an excitement that she couldn't quite explain. Soon enough the figure that she remembered oh so well came into view and almost immediately a blush came to her cheeks and her tail began to wag gently behind her. It reminded her of the night they met and how instantly captivated she had been by him. He had seemed mysterious and strong with his demeanor and scars. Of course she had loved Thorben very much and had been happy to raise Nolan with him, but she had never quite forgotten Acere. She had thought that something would have changed with all the time that had passed, but it seemed like that wasn't the case. Her smile matched his and she knew there would be no hiding the flush in her cheeks that was surely showing through her pale fur. "Acere..." she replied, almost at a complete loss for words with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "It's good to see you too... It's been so long." She had tried to think of what she would say to him all the way here, but now none of it felt quite right. "Sorry for just showing up out of the blue... I just... After Casso said you were here I couldn't get the idea of coming to see you out of my head." If she was being honest she wasn't even sure what she was hoping to accomplish by coming here, but she was already glad that she had. "Talk" Think

Despite all the time that passed and as old as the two of them were now, she still looked as beautiful as that night in the desert. She was a sweet and innocent creature last he remembered, but also someone with a good head on her shoulders if he remembered right. Back then he had been enthralled with the way the moon lit her up. And even now despite the lack of moonlight, she still looked as stunning and as vibrant as he remembered. Perhaps it was the nostalgia of seeing her again or the fact that his mind only remembered her that way, but whatever the case, he couldn't help but still feel enthralled by her. Even with all the time that passed since they last saw one another, it was almost as if they were picking up where they left off. Sort of. He was sure they had both been through a lot since they'd last seen one another. Him with his new scars, duties, and the children he was raising alone...hell, he had to admit to himself too that he was glad to have at least found some form of love. However fleeting it was. And while he didn't know all what she'd been up to, he hoped she had managed to find some happiness and love during her ventures, too. That's all he had hoped for her since she had gone her own way after Ruina's fall. Of course, now that they were in each others presence again, he didn't miss the flush in her cheeks and he knew he had the same thing going on his own face. He only hoped it didn't show, though he'd deny any potential blushing she was doing and use the excuse that it was simply her albinism showing. "Acere..." He grinned when she said his name. The old, tired alpha as of late suddenly feeling years younger in her presence. How long had it been since he felt like a giddy teenager? With Heloise it had been different...that had been something unexpected. It wasn't like the sudden spark of interest and heat on his face like he felt the first time he met Baine. No...this one was different. At least, that's what he always thought considering at one point or another she always crossed his mind. And now here she was again. "Sorry for just showing up out of the blue... I just... After Casso said you were here I couldn't get the idea of coming to see you out of my head." He chuckled as he struggled to stop smiling, but the harder he tried, the bigger his smile got until he started feeling embarrassed and felt like he had to look at the ground for a moment. For the first time in a long time, he felt like a silly little pup. "It's quite alright," He looked at her again, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart and mind. "Honestly, I was in the middle of packing up a few things in preparation to go visit you. I got your message from my nephew, so I felt like a visit was in order." But alas, she had beat him to it. A bit of movement caught the corner of his eye and he couldn't help but glance up and past her, spotting the wolf that sat some distance away and seemingly watching her like a hawk. With amusement and a slight nod of his head towards the boy he asked, "Is that your bodyguard?"

Baine felt like years had just been stripped away from her body. If the flutter in her stomach and the pounding of her heart had anything to say about it then she might as well be a young kid again. She grinned and giggled softly at the smile he couldn't quite contain that eventually made his gaze fall to the ground for a moment. She had to resist the urge to lift his chin so she could keep looking at that warm smile. In the time they had spent together in Ruina she couldn't remember a time when he had seemed this happy. Runia had been a difficult and dark place for them all, but she hadn't fully understood that at the time. Back then she had been determined to make it work since it felt impossible to go back to Valhalla after disappearing without a word. She had wanted to be with him and Zuriel and make the most of it, but in the end it had all crumbled around them. Her pale gaze widened in surprise when he mentioned that he had actually been preparing for a visit himself, but that she had beaten him to the punch. It made her smile return in earnest and her ears folded back with a shy giddiness that was simply impossible to contain. "Is that so?" she asked with another quiet laugh, her own gaze falling to the ground this time as a fresh flush passed over her face. She had been so concerned that he hadn't held that same interest that she had over all these years, but those worries had clearly been unfounded. The events in their lives had pulled them apart, but somehow that spark seemed to have survived those trials and tribulations. She wished that fate had brought them back together sooner, but at least time hadn't run out before she finally got up the courage to seek him out. When Acere asked about her body guard she glanced up at him again before looking over her shoulder to where Nolan was watching them intently. She chuckled and gave a small shake of her head as she looked back to Ace with a fond smile. "I'm sure he thinks he is. That's Nolan... He's my son," she replied. She had no idea if Casso had told him about Nolan or not, but either way she felt like she owed him some sort of explanation. "I had a mate for a little while - a man that I met in the band of wolves we stayed with after we ran from Ruina. He was a bit older than I was and passed away before Nolan turned one." There was a touch of sadness to her tone, but it was clear that it was something she had already mourned and accepted. "Nolan is my only child and he's very protective, as I'm sure you can tell," she added, another smile pulling at her lips. "What about you?" she asked, suddenly a little afraid to know the answer. "Are you... with anyone?" It was a silly hope for a wolf that had a limited number of days left in this world and had a commitment to a pack on the other end of Boreas, but... it was one that her heart wanted to have all the same. "Talk" Think

It was strange for him to feel like this all over again. He never did forget the feeling of it when he had first met Baine. And it was far different than when he had been with Heloise. With Baine it was almost instant. With Heloise, it had taken time for the feelings to even emerge...neither had lasted long, what with both of them disappearing. But here she was again, and in no time at all, those feelings had resurfaced without any effort other than her presence. It was...surreal for him. As old as he was he didn't think he'd get another chance, and yet, here was the possibility. "I'm sure he thinks he is. That's Nolan... He's my son," So she had found someone too? Of course...who was he to get his hopes up like that? She was too much of a beautiful person to not have found someone. "I had a mate for a little while - a man that I met in the band of wolves we stayed with after we ran from Ruina. He was a bit older than I was and passed away before Nolan turned one." He lifted his head to look at her as she spoke, noting the sadness he heard in her voice. So she had someone, and he passed away. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's...not easy...losing someone you loved." He really meant that. Then the wave of sadness hit him when he thought of Elias...but alas, it wasn't his time to grieve right now. He had done that long ago already. "Nolan is my only child and he's very protective, as I'm sure you can tell," He chuckled for a moment as he nodded, "Yes, I can tell." He looked past her to Nolan, offering a smile to the youth before addressing him, "It's nice to meet you, Nolan!" He called to him, offering a wink as well. "What about you? Are you... with anyone?" He returned his attention to her, the pale king trying his best to hide the hurt that came with the question. "I did, but...not anymore..." He sighed as he struggled to contain the emotions. "She uh...Heloise, we..." He sat down and curled his tail around his feet as he took a deep breath. "I had met someone. She joined the pack last year, she was...significantly younger than me. She was a member of the pack and at some point...we developed feelings for each other. Trust. It led to us having pups, five of them. But...shortly after they were born, she left. I don't know why but...I've been telling the kids she returned to her homeland to help with a situation there. I...don't know if they believe me, but I didn't want to tell them their mother abandoned them." He cleared his throat as he tried to forget the pain that her abandonment brought. "I haven't seen her since. So..." Man, how pathetic did that all sound?

Báine easily caught the saddened, pained expression that came with him beginning to tell her about his mate and her disappearance. She frowned as sorrow and sympathy crossed her expression as she listened. She could understand and sympathize with loosing a mate, but there was the added layer of not knowing where she went or what happened to her that made her feel for the scarred man in front of her. At least she had known what had happened to Thorben and had been able to be there with him when he passed... She couldn't imagine living with that mystery and wondering if something had happened to her or if she had actually just left on her own accord. Plus, having five children to raise on his own... She thought she had her paws full with one. "I'm so sorry that you went through all of that..." she replied softly after a moment. She really did mean that, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a very selfish sense of relief. Since his mate had left and it sounded like Acere didn't believe that she would return it meant that perhaps these feelings that had so quickly resurfaced weren't completely for nothing. She wasn't sure how to bring the possibility up after listening to the heartache that he had gone though, but she wanted to. She wanted the chance to pick up where they left off so badly even though she knew it was nearly impossible. She still had to remind herself that even though it was something she wanted, there was so many hurdles she would have to go through to get there... and there was the fact that their time together would still be so limited. When she spoke again it was hesitantly, but she still felt like she needed to tell him what was sitting on her heart. She'd never live with herself if she didn't at least try. It would be one thing if she told him the truth and he decided it wasn't worth it, but if she never even told him... "Acere, I... I still have feelings for you," she was tentative with her words, peeking up at him nervously as she looked for his reactions. "I always have. Being around you... It feels like I never left." A little smile pulled on to her lips at that, but it quickly faded as the ever present, nagging thought in the back of her mind reared its ugly head again. "But, I... Acere, I'm..." She sighed heavily, her eyes slipping away from his as she looked at the ground between them. "I'm dying." There, she said it out loud. It was somehow a fact that she had mentally accepted with herself quite awhile ago and had no problem discussing with Nolan or her family, but somehow as she looked at the man that she had longed after for so long she had a hard time telling him the truth. It was admitting that she was broken goods and that what time they might have together would be incredibly limited. "I've been sick for a very long time now and it doesn't seem to be getting better. I have good days like today, but there are days when I can barely stand." Her voice was soft and regretful and it pained her to tell him about what she was going through. "Zuriel and Daelos both tried their best, but... I don't know how much longer I have. It could be months, it could be a year." She sighed and lifted her eyes back to his, her expression grim and yet somehow still slightly hopeful. "I... I don't want to put you another loss. But... I'd... If you wanted to..." She was at a complete loss for words. She wanted to ask him if he might want to give their relationship another try, but she just couldn't find the words. Her pale ears folded back against her head and she waited to see if he might be able gather what she was trying to say. "Talk" Think