The vast plain stretched out before them, spotted with rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes, leading down to a stony beach where the river met the sea. It was a breathtaking sight, one that filled her with a sense of awe and wonder. Not that it wasn’t particularly beautiful- it was a quite lovely place. But most importantly, it was home. Taking a glance around, she could practically see for miles from this lookout point. Mid-autumn cast a golden glow over the landscape, the sun shining brightly in the clear sky. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of saltwater and the promise of a cool breeze. Taking a deep breath, the familiar scent of home mingled with the salty air, filling her with a sense of peace and contentment. They were home.

It had been almost a year since she and Malico had left, embarking on a journey that took them far from the familiar shores of our island home. In their time away, she had completed her healer training- as completed as it could be. One of the things she learned was a healer would never be done training. But her stays with the allied packs Valta and Hallows had given her the opportunity to learn new skills- all the while encountering unique individuals along the way. A wry grin was brought to her expression as she couldn’t help but think of the interesting old woman, Iolaire. And then of course … Caedes.

Now, standing on the edge of this vast plain, she could practically smell the beaches of Alias Island, the thought of home filling her with anticipation. She couldn’t help but be anxious about what the future held, but at the same time, was relieved to be back after the long and sometimes challenging journey. She turned to Malico, her brother and constant companion- her protector- and offered him a gentle grin. "We're almost there," she said softly, her voice filled with muted excitement and relief. "Can you believe it?" She asked, but perhaps more for herself than her brother. As they began to make our way down to the beach, the familiar sights and sounds of home welcoming us back with open arms. As Alias Island came into view in the distance, she was glad that her Raven had gone ahead to announce their return.

"Mariah Mendacium"

All of the uncertainty and unrest as of late had her thinking about her wayward siblings. Malico, Mariah, Fia... She did hope that they were all okay and keeping themselves safe. At the very least she had seen Mariah not all that long ago and had a hint of an idea of where she was heading and doing, but Fia was certainly a mystery. She had considered sending out her ravens to try and find them to at least get an update, but she both didn't want to send her companions on a mission that she couldn't even give them a start of a direction for nor did she want to be overbearing. They were adults and could make their own choices of when–or if–they returned.

Luckily, her worries were alleviated when Mariah's raven found her to alert her to her youngest siblings' return, letting her breathe a sigh of relief. As soon as she made sure her pups were occupied with Saracyn she made her way toward the island's edge to meet them there. She had just made it to the bridge that connected their island to the mainland when the red and purple hued figures of their siblings came into view. She smiled happily and hurried across to greet them, quickly pulling them into a quick hug. "I'm so glad you're home. Things have been tense lately and I was starting to get worried. Come on, let's get you both settled and then we can talk. I'm sure you're tired."

"Avacyn Medacium"

Mariah instinctively returned the embrace, her shoulders sagging slightly as the stress of their journey seemed to melt away. She looked up and met Avacyn's eyes, noting the tiredness etched into her sister's face. For a moment, Mariah was taken aback. She'd been so focused on her own feelings of relief and anticipation, she hadn't considered how much time had passed. Of course, she had seen Avacyn not so long ago- but being home, the recognition truly began to sink in just how much things could have changed back home in their absence.

"We missed you too," she replied sincerely, giving her sister's hand a firm squeeze before releasing it. She glanced over at Malico, offering him an acknowledging nod as she and Avacyn veered off on their own. There was lots to talk about, and she would catch her brother up on in later. With Avacyn leading the way, Mariah trailed behind her, taking in the familiar and comforting scenery of Alias Island.

As they made their way in silence, Mariah found herself growing increasingly aware of the weight of things. Once they were alone, Mariah cleared her voice to speak once again. “Is everything okay, Avacyn?” She asked lightly, wondering what had happened even in the time since she last saw her sister at the Valta pack challenge.

"Mariah Mendacium"

She never wanted to show the weight of what she was contending with spread to her younger siblings or the rest of the pack if she could help it, but as she walked with Mariah toward the central part of the island it became obvious that her sister was picking up on at least some of that. She could feel Mariah's attention on her and eventually her sister asked if everything was okay. Her initial reaction was to assure her that everything was fine and that it was nothing she should be concerned about, but Avacyn also knew that at some point she was going to have to share the information she had with the rest of the pack and it wouldn't do her any favors to try and cover things up. She sighed softly as they reached the sitting area near the edge of the lake and she took a seat so they could at least be comfortable and Mariah could get off of her paws while they talked.

"It's a combination of things, but I recently attended a meeting in The Hallows and their alpha warned all of the alphas attending about a dangerous wolf that usurped a pack from someone I considered a friend. This pack he created from this hostile take over has moved into the lands next door to our own. The Syndicate they call themselves." She frowned and gave a little shake of her head. "I hope that it's something we won't have to worry about, that it won't actually come to war, but with so many pups running around the pack right now it's hard not to be overly concerned–especially when they're quite literally at our doorstep. Between that and just trying to learn how to be a parent... it's been a lot," she admitted, giving another sigh and giving Mariah a tired smile.

"Avacyn Medacium"

Mariah’s mind raced as she processed her sister’s words. The Syndicate, she thought, the name ringing painfully familiar in her ears. She remembered Caedes’ warning, that he was preparing for battle. The show of force necessary for his family to take over another pack. He had promised her that he would be careful. That he would be safe. Clearly they had been successful. But at what cost? Her heart ached for Avacyn, empathizing with her fears and worries for Elysium. Yet, she couldn’t shake off the dissonance that gnawed at her - the idea of Caedes’ family being declared enemies was something she couldn’t wrap her head around. What did that mean for them? The thought of losing him rattled her more than she thought possible.

As Avacyn spoke about the possibility of war with this new pack, Mariah could feel her fear deepening- verging on panic. War meant chaos and bloodshed- worse of all … it meant a divide. It meant separation. No no no. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. "Avacyn..." She started softly, her words trailing off into silence as she collected her thoughts. "The Syndicate..." She hesitated, swallowing hard as she forced herself to meet her sister's gaze. "I know of them." She finally admitted, her heart pounding in her chest. "While I was away," she paused, struggling to find the right words, "I met someone... from that pack- but of course when I met him, they were still a band." She tried to explain, her voice a mere whisper. The echo of uncertainty in her tone was unmistakable.

"His name is Caedes," she added quickly, not daring to meet her sister's gaze as she continued. "He told me about his family’s intentions to take over another pack, he only said they were preparing for a display of force, a battle if the pack declined their offer." She hesitated then, trying to sort out emotion and what she wanted to say in a way that she would be taken seriously. “But it didn’t matter to me, Ava. I didn’t care … I didn't care because I love him.” She confessed, trying to swallow the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Mariah Mendacium"

Avacyn could tell from the way Mariah's expression shifted that there was something eating at her as she listened to this explanation of what had been weighing on her recently, but she never could have expected what the reason behind that distress was. Avacyn's slightly forced smile faded as her younger sister admitted that she knew of The Syndicate because of someone she had met from that group while they were still a band. Immediately she was concerned because of what Artorias had described the wolves to be, but she held her tongue, waiting and listening as Mariah continued to explain. At the very least the man's name–Caedes–didn't match the name of the seemingly bloodthirsty brute that led The Syndicate. Avacyn still had her doubts that every wolf in The Syndicate was as terrible as their leader, which she had said as much during the alphas meeting, and she held on to that doubt while she processed this news that her little sister shared.

As Mariah fell silent there was a long moment of silence as Avacyn took this in and processed everything. Nothing could ever be a clean and easy situation for them, could it? "Mariah... All I can ever hope for any of us is to find someone we love to spend our lives with so I want to be happy for you, but..." She hesitated, letting out a slow sigh as she rubbed a paw over her face. "Did you know that it wasn't simply a show of force that they did to take that pack? Do you understand that they kidnapped Beauregard's son and threatened his life in exchange for his pack? If it had been an honest fight I could have overlooked it because that is a risk every alpha takes when they hold this kind of power. It's the same kind of challenge our mother faced when she created Elysium. But to threaten the life of a child to get your way..."

Another heavy sigh escaped her as she shook her head, looking at the ground for a moment. As much as she didn't like any of it she also understood the lengths someone would go through to follow their heart. Who was she to judge when she broke off a valuable alliance, two arranged marriages, and put herself in a position where she would never be able to birth her own children just to be able to keep Saracyn as her soul mate? The last thing she wanted to do was drive Mariah away because she felt like she had to pick the man she loved or her family. Avacyn was afraid of what Mariah might pick if she was put to that kind of choice. There was another beat of silence before she finally brought her gaze back to Mariah's again, examining her younger sister's expression. Mariah was a smart girl–far smarter than most, if she was being honest.

"I told Artorias at his meeting that I hesitated to judge every Syndicate wolf based on what their leader chose to do and I meant that. I trust your judgement. If this is the man you love then I have to believe that he's treating you well and that he has more morals than his alpha." She had known when she became Matriarch that she'd face impossible decisions and have to make hard choices, but perhaps she had underestimated just how often she was going to be faced with them. "I have no intentions on initiating any sort of violence toward The Syndicate and I will do my best to mediate where I can, but I'll need your help. I want to meet Caedes. I've only heard about The Syndicate and their wolves as if they're some story told to children to warn them away from going somewhere... I can't go against our alliance with The Hallows so I'm not saying that we can make friends with The Syndicate as a whole, but I do want to know what kind of man Caedes is and try to find some kind of agreement to make this work for the two of you."

"Avacyn Medacium"

Mariah went still for several moments as she was given more vivid details of what the situation had been. Her body tensed as she began to process the information. She hadn't known that- no, she had not. Caedes had said they were preparing for a display of force. It left her with the impression that they were preparing to fight with the mindset of trying to bluff their purpose to avoid a fight. Oh. But wasn’t that exactly what they did? She hadn’t known they had taken a hostage. It wasn’t the threat of impending war that settled the Norad leader’s mind, but the threat against the hostage- the child. That was the display of force. Caedes hadn’t lied to her, he just didn’t provide the entire picture … of course, she didn’t ask either. She accepted it. She accepted him. And she knew that he wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer- at least not without good reason. What was a good reason to be a cold-blooded murderer? Was there one? Could it be for family? Would Caedes murder for family? Would her family murder for their own?

She finally cleared her throat to speak once again. “I did not know that.” She answered lowly. Looking toward the ground for a split second before she pressed for more information. What else did Avacyn know that she did not? “Was the child harmed?” She asked, wanting to know how true to their word Syndicate had been. Had they let it go at their display of force?

Mariah's eyes flicked back to Avacyn as she spoke, her sister's words making too much sense. She could see the strain in Avacyn's face, the weight of responsibility and of a future filled with uncertainty pressing down on her. This was not something Mariah had ever anticipated; her personal life becoming so entangled with the pack's greater affairs- not to this extent. Of course, there was always going to be the struggle of maintaining separate lives and sharing what time they could. But of course, now there was a more political complication of the matter. Yet here she was, her heart tied to a man from a pack seemingly feared by others. "I appreciate your understanding," Mariah murmured softly. Her gaze fell on the ground as she contemplated Avacyn's proposition. She could reassure her sister of Caedes’ character. She could grovel, and try and set the tone in advance. But she wanted her family to respect him- it was unnecessary for her to dote on the man. Her feelings would go unsaid for now- it would be up to Caedes. She felt a strange mix of apprehension and relief. “It seems like he’s never too far away,” A near-silent, but ill-timed breathless chuckle escaped her nose in observance of her darkened humor before fading immediately. “I would be happy to introduce him to you- whenever you're ready.” Mariah finished, offering her sister a tightened half-smirk. Even having just gotten home, she was fully prepared to turn right back around and go find that shadow of hers. Wherever he was lingering.

"Mariah Mendacium"