Ghostly frame would mingle among the intricate lines of trees. They all seemed to be the same kind, and although undergrowth had taken hold betwixt them they were the predominant features of the orchard. Tail hung limply behind him, he had no reason to assert himself or feel proud. He was nothing, and would continue to be so for as many days as he lived. Of this fact he was positively sure. Hips swayed behind him, accompanied by the loose skin that hung from his stomach. He was a lean creature, never having grown into the skin he had been given. His paws were large, though, a testament to his height and certainly not his heft. Eyes of coral swept among the shadows the canopy created, seeking out something fit to eat on this unusually warm day in Spring.

She would begin her journey in the southern lands, making her way first to whatever packs she found there before moving on to the rest. It seemed most logical to work her way back up to Amenti from the furthest point. Perhaps by the time she reached home, the dreadful pack lord would be rid of his throne and she would return to a land ruled by Olympus as she most desired.



Poe flew far overhead as his mistress walked beneath the treetops, out of her senses' reach entirely but she knew he was there. He was always there - watching, waiting. The place was odd. The scents never changed, remaining ever sweet and fruity until one familiar caught her attention. The woman would stop suddenly as the smell of a ghost reached her and wrapped itself around her, taking a moment to find its source and setting off again immediately. As she closed in on the tall boy, the one she thought she lost, a small smile formed on her lips.



Apollo.






talk, think

and quoth the raven, "nevermore"

He would pivot, his ghostly frame appearing ethereal with the movement of his coat and slack skin. He was perhaps even more thin than normal, mostly because the gods that had cursed him had seen it fit to make his days of hunting unfruitful. Even now not a bird or hare was seen close enough to capture. Perhaps this would be the beginning of his end, and he would finally lay his body to rest upon the sacred earth. But then the gods would give him something in his favor, his mother's scent drifting toward him. For a moment he believed it to be imagination, something that the gods put in his mind to distract him - or perhaps even plague him. But then as he continued pivoting, making a full right angle, spheres of pink would note her very being. Oh stop taunting me! Mercy! But there would be no mercy. She hovered there, nearing him with a smile. "Mother," he would chide almost robotically, wishing - hoping she was really there. He wasn't certain he could continue on if she turned out to be a figment of his imagination.

Without a single pause in her step she would walk to meet him head on, reveling in the sound of her name coming from his mouth. Her lost son, returned to her. The gods were certainly smiling today. Natalya would stop just short enough so that she could touch her nose to his, to assure herself that the boy was real. She released a long sigh at the moment of contact. My son, you made it. She would never admit her fears to the boy, her worries that he had left her in this world. Apollo did not know the worth he truly had, but she would spend his whole life trying to show him. What were mothers for?






talk, think

and quoth the raven, "nevermore"

Her nose would come into contact with his, sending a shiver down his spine. He had forgotten what it was like to touch someone - it had been several months. He was a year and a half now, yet he felt so very old at heart. 'My son, you made it.' "I found you," there was shock and awe in his voice, because it was not often that he received good fortune. It seemed the gods hadn't totally given up on him, and had seen it fit for him to be brought back to his mother's side. Were the rest of the family here? Would they want him to join them once more? Would he oblige them? Life certainly had been easier without the constant reminder of how very different he was, but at the same time he was considerably lonely and could truthfully not deny them if asked. He would bring his bodice forth, laying the crook of his neck over the curve in her own. "I missed you," he would breathe into her fur. There truly was no place like home, and even if this orchard wasn't his birthplace - it was the very place he had found her.

Every day he strayed from his wife, hunger and a deep longing taking him over. He would hunt while away, not for food, no he was searching for his lost sons. He knew Nat missed them deeply and he was worried for them. They were old enough to look after themselves surely but that would not stop him from worrying and looking, he was their father after all. Often times he would return to Nat with a rabbit or bird if he could catch one, his way of apologizing for not finding either of them, though he never said that was what it was.
As he approached the orchard now, a rabbit dangled limply from russet jaws. He could see his lovely wife before him and? was that? He picked up his pace; yes there was no mistaking his son. He stood in brilliant contrast with his mother. He trotted quickly up to the pair, dropping the rabbit upon the ground and brushing up against his wife to smile at his son. He struggled to find words and failed, simply gently nudging his son with his nose and pulling back again to grin at him.






talk, think

As she lightly nuzzled her son when he pressed toward her, she felt her husband come beside her. We missed you too, she would utter quietly, feeling completely content to have them both at her side. Helios had remained close to her as she explored, never straying too far, and she was glad that he was there to enjoy this moment with her. They deserved to find their son alive and well together. After a moment's embrace, she would step back and gesture to the food Helios had dropped nearby. You look starved, Apollo. Eat, and then we will talk. Her words were a stern command. They always were with her children, but it took nothing from her love for them. They were her world, and soon she would have them both at her side, her family finally whole again.






talk, think

and quoth the raven, "nevermore"

They had missed him. It was a small victory in a lifetime of losses - he would take every one he could get. He felt a nudge on his flank and would lift his head from its place atop his mother's neck, twisting his coral eyes around to note the other wolf - his father. Father, he would utter fondly. He hadn't realized until now how much he'd missed them. The scent of the kill would drift to him as his mother commanded him to eat. He would not disobey her direct order, though a momentary look of protest would emanate from his eyes. As you wish, he chided, moving slothfully toward the kill and devouring it with his eyes before his fangs. It had been a while since he'd eaten. Jowls stained with crimson, he would draw a pink tongue across them before turning his attention to his parents once more. Where are the rest of our family?






talk, think

The thick perfume of fruit-bearing flowers hung about the air in a haze. Spring was moving swiftly into summer and Hermes had finally made his way into Alacritis. While a quick and athletic wolf, the going had been slow. Hermes mind was as restless as ever and it took to wandering through the scents and curiosities of the lands, dragging his body with it. There was a certain freedom to being on his own that Hermes enjoyed but when it came right down to it all that really mattered to him was that he find his family. After all he was still young and there was still much to learn.

Deciphering the scents of his family through the must of the orchard, Hermes continued on his way, ruby eyes gleaming through the greenery. As the scent grew stronger, Hermes pace grew faster. Powerful muscles rippled beneath sleek fur as the boy propelled himself around thickets and overgrown trees. A flash of pale fur stood out like a beacon. Apollo! Next to him like the goddess of night herself, his mother stood cloaked in her pelt of knitted shadows. And his father too! What a merry day this was!

"Mother! Father! Apollo!" He barked as he raced into the presence of the group, skittering to a halt just before running into his tall and gangly brother. His tongue lolled from his mouth as he panted, his black-tipped tail wagging lightly back and forth. "At last! How have you all been?"

He would watch as the pale boy moved to the rabbit and ate. He settled himself upon his haunches. He didn?t grasp his son?s lack of self-worth, in his mind he was baffled by how Apollo was unable to realize how lucky and loved he truly was, but neither did Helios push it upon him. He didn?t know how to handle it so generally didn?t try to, which probably didn?t help matters much. His son lifted his head to ask a question and as in answer Helios caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at the approaching figure.

The joy at finding one of his sons was only trumped by the appearance of his second son, dappled greys and blacks sliding forth from the orchard. He had always been amazed when he laid eyes on his sons, pride and a father?s love was all he felt when he looked at them, but it had not stopped his from wondering how his own two boys had turned out so radically different from typical Olympus?. Still at the sight of Hermes approaching from the trees he rose to his paws.
A massive grin split across his features as his other son raced towards them calling out for them. Usually stoic the reunion of his family made his hard exterior melt away. He strode towards his sons and gave each of them a quick lick across their ears before stepping back next to Natalya, as was his place. ?Well Hermes is here now.? He answered Apollo with a chuckle. ?As for the rest of the family? You mother found them first and has been spending time with them.? He turned his gaze to Hermes now, near identical ruby eyes turned to look at each other, but once more he fought to find the words to express his happiness. Natalya was so much better at it than he was. ?Better now that both of you are here.? It was slightly awkward coming from him, but true nonetheless.

talk, think

Her boys could be no more the opposite. Apollo was miserable and Natalya never could quite figure out why. While she knew that his albinism seemed a curse, she saw it as a sign from the gods like her lack of color. They were meant for great things, meant to overcome their difficulties, but Apollo seemed to think his difference a curse. His brother, on the other hand, was always cheerful. Hermes looked very little like the rest of Olympus, from what she was told, but he still carried himself enthusiastically.



It seemed as though the latter boy had read her mind from afar. As she was listening intently to Apollo eating, making sure that he did not let himself go hungry again, another sound grabbed her attention. Her ears perked and her head turned toward the son had been so close to asking about, the son she had still feared for only moments ago. Hermes was here and her family was whole again.



Stepping forward, Natalya greeted Hermes with a quick lick on the cheek and nuzzled her face into the fur at the side of his neck. Hermes... All of my boys here, I couldn't be happier. She pulled away and moved back beside Helios. The rest of the family is well, and we are looking to take a pack in the north... We will be moving once we have it, of course.






talk, think

and quoth the raven, "nevermore"

His stomach lurched from the sudden intake of sustenance, almost as if food was foreign to his gut. His lip quirked idly as he ignored the momentary pain, admiring his brother strolling onto the scene. Hermes, he murmured in greeting while watching his mother and father greet their other son - his brother. Hermes was far more energetic - as demonstrated by his haphazard entrance - and boisterous than Apollo had ever been, but the white one wouldn't dream of looking down on him for it. When Helios and Natalya had spoken their piece, Apollo would chime in once more. I've been better. He noted nothing specific, for truly he wouldn't bore them with his life. A pack of our own? Coral eyes widened with interest, wondering where his place would be in this pack. He knew his family and their inherent strength and prowess - he also knew his own weaknesses and how very many of them there were. Would there even be a place for him among the olympians he had once known?






talk, think

Hermes was glad to find his family safe and he wondered why he'd left them in the first place? well he was always a bit restless but the life of a loner was rough. Honestly he didn't know how wolves managed to live as rogues. He was convinced they had to be mad. While the months of travel had been exhilarating he was sick of living off of rats, rodents and the scraps of other's kills. He was above that. Glancing at Apollo, Hermes frowned a bit. It was clear his brother had had an even rougher time making it as a loner.


Ebony ears perked forward at the sound of a pack. "A pack? You've found someone suitable?" If they had Natalya's approval the pack had to be a strong one indeed. His mother would never settle for less than she felt her family deserved. "That's excellent! What is it like, mother?"


talk, think

ooc;; sorry for skipping the lolaf :x

As much as the ebony woman desired to ask for details of her sons' travels, to know every single step they took, she knew it best to keep her worries to herself. What mattered was only that they were here now, by her side. She would be loathe to lose touch with them again.



She nodded once in response to their questions. It is called Amenti, a pack that Virgil found. The members are strong individuals, but as a pack they are the weakest I have seen in these lands. The leader is absentee and has left his subjects far too long. Soon they will crumble, and we will rise from their ashes. By the end of her speech, a smile formed on her maw. The whole Olympus family will reign supreme over the pack that we create, as we were meant to.






talk, think

and quoth the raven, "nevermore"