So much had happened, so very much was starting in her life. She had admitted her love to Athena, and they had started to plan a secret wedding for them. And her husband agreed to it, and even did the ceremony! But she was nervous, she knew that her mother had issues with the Armada family. This was different though, she loved her! Surly she would understand about this though, she had been in love with her for a long time now. But her mother... she had yet to see her for a long time. Would that be something that she should lead the conversation with? Probably not, she would like to at least have a pleasant conversation with her. If she could find her, that is. She had no idea where she was, but Leo had said that she had ran into her in the Eastern parts of Alacrita. So she started with that, having told Athena that she needed to find her mother. It had been far too long, she didn't even have a clue that her tail was now a little stub. It had taken a long time for her to get used to it, and she almost felt embarrassed to find her mom in this state.

Amalia hadn't seen Pip for a very long time, not since she had first found her way to her goddess Athena. There was so much that they needed to talk about, and so much that she needed to get back on track with. She had no idea where her family had vanished to, and she wanted to get back into contact with them. She was nothing without her family to support her, and she had missed that contact and comfort for far too long. Taking in a deep breath, the small girl paused at a large mangrove, the chill in the air making her cream and russet fur fluff up. Hopefully her mother was around, she needed to find her. So she tipped back her head and let out a long howl, letting her song reach out across the lands. She called for her mother, praying that she would hear her.

It had been far too long since she had seen Amalia Jayne. Nearly a year had passed, as days had turned into painstakingly long seasons. Had it really been so long since she had seen her eldest children? Epiphron had given all of them the freedom to go wherever they pleased, but where Amalia, Quintus, and Cassius had ended up -- she hadn't the faintest clue. Her own journey had led her to Ebony, but quickly she had realized that such a life hadn't been suited for her. Since then she had wandered, distracted by her own failures and regrets, her anger growing with each passing day. She longed terrible to reunite with all of her children; to find her sister and to learn where her adoptive mother and that side of her family had gone.


Her posture was stiff as she moved quickly through the mangrove, little more than a flash of ivory fur through the foliage. Despite the fact that she was in the eastern lands, the air was chilled with the promise of winter's impending arrival. Still her gait held an unshakable air of regality to it, head held high above slender shoulders, her tail curled sharply above her back. The sun had begun to fall in the afternoon sky, casting long shadows down against the mangrove trees. A pack had lived here once, and she knew that the eastern lands were riddled with wolves of Destruction ancestry. Her paws moved gracefully and quietly, having grown adept at remaining unheard in her many months alone. Life of a rogue was far more difficult than that of a Queen and still she was growing accustomed to solitude, something she'd never had much of for the first few years of her life.

The woman's determined thoughts would be broken by the sharp, distinct sound of her daughter's call. It took no more than a split second for her to internalize the sound and know exactly who the sweet voice belonged to. She instantly felt a sharp pang in her chest, a feeling of longing that spread and made her feel both nostalgic and painfully regretful at the same time. For so long she had wondered if Amalia was even alive, and to realize she was so near was startling at best. A soft sigh would escape her throat as her jaw unhinged, surprise painting itself on her pale features as she sought to close the distance between them, turning sharply toward her oldest daughter's call.


Though she was not far, she found her pace slowly slightly as her daughter's scent reached her nose. She hardly knew where to begin with how much had happened. Her left ear flicked gently, now tattered and hardly resembling an ear at all. It was a constant reminder that she had failed in keeping her family together, and that blood was not always thicker than water.


As she approached, peeking around the side of an ancient mangrove tree, she felt her heart drop in her chest. Amalia looked significantly older than she remembered, though she knew that her own appearance had changed. A huff of air left her throat as she watched her, closing the distance between them timidly, as though Amalia might disappear if she got too close. It felt so much like a dream, seeing her after so many seasons had passed, and it would not have surprised her if she'd vanished into thin air now. Perhaps this was just a dream that her tired mind had conjured up -- but she couldn't be sure.


"Amalia..." she started, gentle voiced laced with disbelief. "My daughter..." Epiphron would move more quickly now, moving to slip her muzzle around Amalia's back, pulling her head tight into a firm embrace. She was here, in the flesh, and she whined as she nuzzled into the thick fur of her daughter's neck. "I pray my eyes do not deceive me." The rapid hammering of her heart in her chest continued, creating a dull pounding in her head, overwhelmed by the reunion that she had often thought would never happen. Warily she would pull away, reluctant to stop the embrace she had craved for so many months. "Are you okay? Where have you been?"

The smell of her mother came at her timidly first, and then assaulted her nose with its sweet scent. The dame turned slowly, the breath rushing out of her lungs in one smooth motion. Mother. Her sweet, dearest mother. Cyan eyes greedily roamed across her form, taking in her tattered ear and her appearance that was much the same. Baffled by the sudden showing, she wasn't quite sure what to do. Pip came at her as if she was a ghost, an apparition in her mind. For how long had the poor woman been seeing her children? For how long had the memories haunted her? For Amalia, they were constantly in her mind, visions of her parents and siblings dancing across her vision at every waking moment. And here she was. The girl took her own small steps towards her, heart pounding in her chest. "Mother..." She whispered, voice soft as they met each other. She wrapped her own head around her, eyes squeezing shut as she blocked out the tears. "I'm here, its me. And you, you're here too." She let out a soft breath of relief, the bitter sting of tears tainting her eyes. Her mother would pull away, but she would deny the space that the woman tried to put between them. She pushed herself further still, head wound tight against her mothers pale neck. Red face pressed into her fur, sniffling as the tears she tried so hard to fight back fell. Her nose dug into Epiphron's scruff, her front right foreleg picking up as she wrapped it around her neck. She did not let her go for a long while, silence spreading after a question was directed at her. She would answer it later, right now she just wanted to feel her mother pressed against her, to hear her heart pound with her own. It had been so long since she had seen her, and she had a fear that if she let go, Pip would melt away once again. But she knew that they needed to talk, so taking in a deep breath she let the older woman go. She did not allow much space between them though, resting her rump on the earth directly in front of the dame. A small smile spread across her lips, eyes damp with the unshod tears. "Its been too long Mother, let's not make a habit of it, kay?" She whispered warmly. Blinking fiercely she remembered the question that had been asked, sucking in a deep breath. "Well I have joined a pack up in the North. It was once called Glacium, then Bevroren, and now Reguim. Athena Armada once ran it, but now her half-sister Roman does." The girl had been gone, and did not know of her mothers dislike for Armada's. She left out the part of her being in love with Athena, she was still unsure of sharing it with the world. She didn't know how Epiphron would react, and would save that for a less beloved reunion. "And yourself? How has everything been for you?" Gazing at her mother's ear, she let out a soft sigh before her eyes roamed down to her own missing tail. "It would seem that we have both left little parts of us behind." Her vocals were teasing, smile growing on her lips.

 

Despite the chill that hung heavy on the autumn air, an unmistakable warmth spread through her chest immediately upon seeing Amalia. She had been such a small, sweet girl -- and while that hadn't exactly changed, she was very much a woman now, though still small in stature and as delicate as ever. Her breath would catch in her throat as the daughter of his first litter moved forward, amazed at her presence despite having actively been seeking her out. Though she had reunited with her other children after searching for them, finding Amalia so soon after seemed too good to be true.

"Daughter..." she would repeat somewhat breathlessly. The embrace was welcome and she felt herself relax at her daughter's touch. There was a familiarness to her touch but a strangeness there too, for she hadn't seen her daughter in so long. She was still the same Amalia but Epiphron could recall how much she herself had changed in her youth, and she had no doubt Amalia had transformed as well.

As they broke their embrace -- slowly and somewhat unwillingly -- she studied her daughter quietly. "I agree," Epiphron would agree readily, nodding her head. She would mirror her daughter's motions, leaning back to recline to her haunches as she watched with unabashed interest. She had joined a pack up north she said, formerly known as Glaciem. Ruled by an Armada. Her expression, though guarded, faltered slightly. Nose would wrinkle slightly, subtly, ears flicking somewhat uncomfortably atop her head. There was so much Amalia didn't know, and she didn't know where to begin... if she ought to tell her at all. An uncomfortable tightness gripped at her chest, a painful wave of nostalgia flooding her being and bringing sudden tears to her eyes. They would not fall, but the pain she felt was written plainly across her features. "I see," she would manage to say.

"I have been okay," she told her with a slight shrug of her shoulders. It was a bit of an understatement. "I am just glad to see you alive and well..." Despite her missing tail, which she noticed quickly and nearly whimpered at the sight of, her daughter truly looked well. Amalia had been so frail and sickly, for so much of her childhood that it was a relief to see her like this. Head would tilt to the side as she gazed at her, eyes brimming with a level of emotion that she rarely displayed, even to her children. "Do they treat you well?" she would inquire suddenly, sharply, though she felt she already knew the answer despite her own hatred for the Armadas. What mattered most was that her daughter was doing well. "Please tell me they do."

She had been gazing at her mothers features, so she did not miss the slight stutter upon them as she mentioned the Armada's. Amalia's ears pulled as far forward as they could, her head tilting slightly to the left. Was there something about that family that her dearest mother didn't like? She wouldn't know, having been gone away from her family for so long. She did owe a lot to the Armada's, even more to Athena. She had taken her in when she was so sickly and weak, keeping her there until she was well enough to go off on her own to look for her family. But why would Pip not like them? Did they do something to her? Perhaps that is the reason why her ear was tattered beyond repair, basically not there at all. A sot sigh whistled out between her lips, a brow lifting as she tried to put her paw on the reason. It simply could not be done though, so she dropped it. She was withholding her own information after all...

"I see."

That was all that left her mothers lips, making the girl whine softly. Had she did something to hurt her mother? The pain was easy to see, and she wanted to reach forward and erase it from her. Amalia had no idea why her mother was so pained... Finally she did stretch forward, nuzzling her head under Pip's chin, placing a soft kiss on her chest. She didn't want there to be pain and sadness at this reunion, for there to be lost feelings and misplaced thoughts. Perhaps she should keep the fact that she was married to one tucked away... She didn't like hiding anything from this woman, but she was unsure of how she would take it after reacting to strongly to just their last name. It made her inwardly flinch, but maybe that information was better saved for another place and time.

When her mother said that she was okay, Amalia pulled back again. She had no reason to believe that she wasn't telling her anything, keeping facts away from her daughter just as she was to her. Blinking softly, she offered a small smile. As her mother eyed her tail, she looked back at it herself, thumping the little nub on the ground. Turning back her smile grew, while she did miss her tail she thought it was rather cute. "It's like a little bunny tail," she said with a laugh, wishing to take that pain away from her dame. But when her mother spoke next, all happy features drained from her face. There was hostility in her voice, anger. "They treat me very well mother," came her soft voice, her own blue eyes brimming with unshod tears. "What did they do to you? They are good wolves Mom, they really are," she said. Although she was quite stunned with the fact that they fell in love with their own siblings, she shook it off. There was nothing wrong with that, love was love. "I wouldn't remain there if they weren't fair to me. I have taken up studying herbs, and I care for the little ones," a smile grew on her face, thinking of her lovers own little pups. She loved them as her own, even more fiercely after their father vanished. But she said nothing else about it, studying her mothers face as she waited for her answer. They did nothing harmful that she had seen, but must have wronged Epiphron to make her react like this.

Pain was evident in her sapphire stare as she studied her daughter, noting just how much she had changed since she had seen her last. There was no denying that she, too, had changed, but Amalia was a woman now -- so different from the child she remembered seeing last. The silence would linger as memories of her sweet child came back to her, flooding her senses and rendering her temporarily stunned. Only when Amalia let out a whine did she snap back to reality, ears flattening against her skull at her daughter's obvious distress. Her body would relax as Amalia once again leaned forward to embrace her, nuzzling gently under her chin, and she would pull the girl into a tighter embrace. She had longed for her daughter's presence so long and her touch was comforting, despite everything.

And yet Amalia could not help but ask, having recognized her  mother's obvious dislike of the family at the mere mention of their surname. A sigh would escape her lips as she pulled away slightly. It wasn't a topic that she had wanted to broach, and yet it seemed unavoidable now despite her intentions. There was so much Amalia didn't know -- that she would never understand, no matter how much Epiphron tried to explain to her, for she had been taken in by an Armada and would forever look upon her savior fondly. Slowly she would recline to her haunches, casting her gaze away for a moment and staring into the distance.

"The Armadas stole everything from me -- almost everything." Maverick had stolen her heart, and he had broken it in turn; he had shattered nearly two years of trust they had build together, and she didn't know if he could ever fix things -- if he dared return. "They waged war on our family in Valhalla when you disappeared," she explained. How long had she been with the Armadas in the North, she wondered? She couldn't imagine Amalia staying with those wolves if she had known... "They took wolves captive. They raped my niece, and forced her to bear their children." Her eyes watered, pain obvious in her gaze. Rarely did she show such weakness to anyone, but her children were an exception. "Their king killed my brother -- your uncle." How much did Amalia know, if anything? Epiphron felt her lip quivering slightly. "And their queen blinded your aunt Chrysanthe." What else they had done, she could not recall, for suddenly her vision was hazy with emotion that she contained for so long.

"I am sorry, Amalia," she would say finally, inhaling sharply as though to not cry. They had taken Syrinx's life from him, and for that she would never forgive them. Her only blood brother, how much she had loved him despite all his sins. "If they ever hurt you, I swear to you I will not rest until they pay," she would warn her sharply. Epiphron was not a woman of violence, and would not ever be. But there was no denying she would fight tooth and claw to defend and to avenge her children if there were ever so much as harmed. "But if you are happy there..." she would say finally, watching Amalia carefully. "Then I can only wish you the best." It would pain her, but there was nothing else she could do but to honor her daughter's wishes.