There had been something nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Maybe it was the itch to go out and explore again, it had been a long time since she'd gone to do that. Especially since she'd stayed within the safety of Fiori mostly. But her fears of what she might come across on the outside was dwindling. After all, she couldn't stay scared forever could she? Valefor was old enough, so that alone proved how much time had passed...yet it felt like the scars still remained. Maybe she would never forget. Maybe, it would always stick with her. She didn't have anyone to help her forget either...her family was...well, she didn't know. She barely remembered them now. Her mother and father though, would always remain burned in her memories.

The tiny woman made her way up the cliffs, the moon shining down and illuminating the world around her. She didn't think she'd ever been here before, but so far it was pretty with the way the moon and stars lit up the world around her and giving everything a silvery glow. With her tongue hanging out, she bounced her way towards the top. The smell of many wonderful things reaching her, and even the somewhat distant smell of the ocean somewhere.

His time was drawing closer, yet his heart would still beat for her. He'd been within the borders of Fiori for about a year now, always watching from afar. He'd come across her at the meetings, and always watched over her. He'd yet to approach her directly, fear always coursing through him that she might hate him for the past. He had tried so hard to find her, and when he did, he feared that she would think he never went to look for her. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for her then, to be the lost little girl for so long. Alone and afraid, unaware of the many dangers of the world. He had felt like a failed father, like he failed her and the others. But what could he do? He had searched for as long as he could. For almost five years he looked, but eventually time would not be kind. He had the chance to meet a woman during his search, and for some time he had given up wandering the lands to stay with her. But even then, he was always keeping an ear to the ground and eye to the sky for any word of his missing daughter. Through the grapevine, he heard that his wife had given up waiting on his return...and ended up starting another family with someone else of Valhalla. It was then he knew that he had failed them all. But he was not angry with Ashtoreth. He wouldn't have wanted for her to put her life on hold. After a while longer, he too had started another family with his beloved Rinoa. Three beautiful children a result of their devoted love. And then...when she died saving their son, Leon had lost himself in his grief. He had left that season, his children remaining in the pack and the place they called home.

And now, here he was. Blue eyes watching his little girl bounce through the dry autumn grasses. The same season in which the little girl before him was born. And while he knew she was not the little ball of fluff he remembered, she would always be his little girl regardless. He followed her, usually from a distance to make sure that she would be safe. And he was content to a certain degree, knowing that she was at least alive and well. He knew she had a child, one that she seemed to always avoid. It confused him, but he didn't know the story behind that either. As it was, he watched over them both. And would continue to do so until his last breath.

As they neared the top of the cliffs, the scents of flowers mingling with the dry grasses and the ocean gave him a sense of calm. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the rumbling of storm clouds. He watched her when she stopped among the flowers, her fur blowing gently with the warm breeze. The air was dry, yet somewhat...humid. The night sky an array of dark and light blues and indigos. He settled on his belly, hidden away from her. His senses focused on her, his beloved little girl.

She was unaware of her follower. The girl watching the sky that spread out across the ocean. She could feel the warmth and humidity in the air, ears flicking to catch the faint sounds of approaching thunder. Not only that, but her nose twitched with the detection of rain somewhere on the horizon. It was serene...calm...she could sit here forever just thinking. But what about? She had so many things. She was growing older, her usual playful self seemingly diminishing over time. Much more so since the night she had conceived Valefor. Valefor... She had named it. And afterwards, hadn't said a single word to the boy since they came to Fiori. Her mind constantly fought with itself, part of it wanting to blame the boy, branding him as a reminder of that night. The other part of her mind knew it wasn't his fault...he was innocent. She blew out a puff of air, frowning as she thought more about things like her place in the world...her past...her memories...

She'd been sitting there for the better part of an hour, at last the first signs of rainfall came down upon the earth. Her pelt grew damp as it began with a light drizzle, thunder sounding around her but the lightning remained unseen. She was content to sit here for a while longer, but she knew that she ought to head back to her den soon, or at least find somewhere to hole up until the rain stopped else she catch a cold. Yawning, she let out a sneeze that otherwise threatened to consume her. She wasn't ready to leave quite yet though...

And through all her thoughts and the rain that fell, she failed to detect a presence that was sneaking towards her. With her back turned towards the creature, she had no idea what was coming. Ears flicked off the rain that accumulated, eyes remained focuses ahead. And as if on cue, a flash of light in the sky followed by a thunderous roar would start it all. Ashelia's head whipped around, eyes widening as her breath and heart stopped. She was frozen, and even if she could move she knew she wouldn't be able to move fast enough.

Leaping right for her, was a mountain lion. The creature was hungry, starving even and desperate for anything it could get its claws on. Before she knew it, her eyes shut out the world around her. Time seemed to stop, and she couldn't even feel the rain nor hear the roars of thunder and the lion intermixed anymore...the girl waited for death to come, along with all the pain it brought.

Except...it never came. Almost as soon as it happened, she heard a vicious growl and the thudding of bodies on the ground. Her eyes opened to find that the lion was no longer coming at her, but facing off with another wolf. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, the girl confused when she heard the man call out her name. Telling her to run. Pulling herself together as much as she could, she barely managed to fumble out of reach just as the wolf and the lion wrestled and rolled right on the spot she had been just moments before. She watched in horror at the scene before her, blood mixing with the rain.

The old male watched his daughter, head on his paws. He loved how she watched the world around them, always the most curious one out of his kids. The storm that had been further out drew closer, he could feel it on his skin and he could smell the rain getting closer. It seemed a long while had passed, and hour at most.

Soon enough, the rain would come to greet them. Falling from the heavens, a place he wasn't sure existed but if it did, it would be where he ended up soon enough. As the light rain touched his coat, he shivered, bones beginning to ache as it soaked his skin. Everything seemed calm...even with the sound of thunder around them. Ears twitched, the male keeping aware of his surroundings. What he did fail to detect, however, was the approaching enemy that had spotted his daughter. It came from a direction where the wind was blowing it's scent away from them.

Even then, he felt something was wrong...something felt...off. But what? Slowly, he looked around to see if there was anything that might be making him feel this way, but with his partial blindness, he was having difficulties. It wasn't until he heard an unfamiliar sound, the faintest of growls that he figured it out. He relied on his hearing then, pin pointing the source. There...was another creature out here. Almost immediately he would stand, hackles rising as he began to move.

He moved as fast as his old bones would allow, and it seemed that he wouldn't make it in time. The mountain lion leaped at the same moment a round of thunder rumbled the air, and he could see Ashelia had turned around to see what was coming at her. With adrenaline coursing through him, he forgot the pain in his body, a vicious snarl ripping free from the depths of his body as he slammed headlong into the Lions side, both of them tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud.

He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, the mountain lion doing the same. Without taking his eyes off of his opponent, he stepped back a pace. "Run Ashe!" He did not turn to see if she had obeyed, for at that moment the lion had leapt at him, the male barely dodging enough to escape it. He felt claws drag at his back, pulling him down to his side. Searing pain crawled it's way across his spine, but he ignored it as he sought to make an attack of his own. Without hesitation, he turned and clamped his jaws down as hard as he could over the Lions forepaw, crushing down with as much force as he could until he heard the joint break. The lion roared with pain and frustration, swiping at Leon's face with the other paw and sending him tumbling across the ground.

Blood welled from the lacerations on the side of his head, but it would not keep him down. He rose once more, facing off against the lion as it charged in for another attack. Bracing himself, the lion leapt once more and Leon charged at him. Jaws snapped open, the wolf aiming a savage bite at the Lions throat. He managed to gain purchase, and he held on for dear life even when both landed heavily on the ground and rolled about in a frenzy of flying fur. Even while the lion clawed at his body, Leon refused to let go. The scent of blood and the stench of the lion filled his nose, and he knew that if he didn't end this soon, it could be all over for him.

"Leave my daughter...alone!" He hissed between fur and flesh. Little did he know that they were getting closer to the edge of the cliff, and he didn't realize it until his rump became exposed to the cold air below. With a final ditch effort, Leon rolled onto his back, exposing his underside. He knew it to be a certain death sentence, but he needed to do it. Claws cut down his rib cage, slicing across his abdomen. With the remainder of his strength, he brought his hind legs up and under the Lions belly, aiming a hard kick while simultaneously releasing his grip on its throat. Time seemed to slow down as the lion was sent flying over the edge. But not before it tried to grip Leon with its unbroken paw, claws finding purchase on his back as soon as he had rolled onto his belly. With a cry of pain, Leon was dragged down the side of the cliff. Everything seemed to go in slow motion now.

The rain pelting him. The wind rushing by. The world around him spinning. If this were under any other circumstance, he would have thought that maybe this was what flying felt like. Without the pain and panic and the knowledge that death was about to come. Somewhere around him, he could hear the mountain lion screaming. The waves below them crashing against the rocks.

And then...silence.

It was over.

He landed on a ledge far below the top of the cliff, the breath being driven from his body which now lied broken and bloodied. Eyes remained closed, his body still.

Ashe...

Her heart pounded, the girl crouching among the grass as she heard the terrifying battle going on just a few yards from where she was. She kept her eyes shut, afraid of what was going on. It felt like such a long time that they were fighting. The rain and thunder making it hard for her to hear anything except for the muffled sounds of snarling and roaring. With the blood roaring in her ears, she didn't realize that after several agonizing moments, it was all gone. The fighting had ceased to exist, and she was left alone at the top of the cliff with nothing but the elements.

Moments of silence would pass, and finally she would slowly open her eyes only to find that she was alone. Her heart pounded painfully hard against her chest, her breathing quick. Slowly, she stood up and made her way towards the edge of the cliff on shaky legs. She was afraid of what she might find...had they both gone over and gotten lost in the sea below?

Peering over the edge, lightning flashed and illuminated the sky around her. She flinched for a second, searching for the wolf...or the lion. Dual toned gaze found a body lying on a ledge far below her. Her breath hitched in her throat, wondering if the lion was there too...but her continued search found nothing else. Swallowing, she turned around and searched for a path that would lead her to the broken body of her savior. It took several long minutes, but at last she had managed to find a narrow ledge that she could fit on (and just barely), that would take her down to the other. Rain began to fall upon the earth now, making her little journey on the ledge dangerous. But carefully, she would pick her way step by step with her tiny body pressed against the cliff.

Finally she would arrive, the girl scurrying over to the nearly still body of Leon. Whining, she gently nudged his muzzle as she tried to wake him. "H-hey! W-why did you do that? Why risk your life for me?" She was curious, though she was also terrified that this man was going to die here. Tears stung her eyes, her rain drenched body shivering as she whined more as she frantically looked him over. "I-I can help you! Just...I need herbs..." But where would she get them? She didn't want to leave him here alone. Maybe...if she howled...someone would come help...quickly, she tilted her head back and began to howl. But was soon stopped when a paw touched her own.

Clicking her jaws shut, she looked at the male...hazy blue eyes looking at her own dual toned ones. She would lower herself to her stomach, paws touching his chest to feel his body barely rising and falling. "Th-thank you..." But seriously...why?

Rain fell upon the old males nearly still body. His wounds bleeding, the blood washing into the mud beneath him, mixing with the water and changing the earth's color. The adrenaline from before was wearing off, the lacerations and open wounds bleeding freely. He could feel the pain. His eyes were closed as his body struggled to continue breathing. Painfully. Slowly. Then suddenly, he felt the slightest touch on his face. A voice questioning why. He swallowed as he struggled to find his voice to answer. The man fighting to stay alive at least a few moments longer.

When she said that she could help him, he felt his heart clench. He knew there was no helping him at this point. There was nothing that could save him. As soon as she began to call for help, he managed to move his paw on top of her own. Stopping her. Glazed blue eyes looked at her own. Reminding him so much of her mother...the purple mixed with blue, always a curious thing. But now...that curiosity was gone. Replaced by tears and fear. She lowered herself to the ground. Thanking him. His eyes closed again as he reveled in her touch. Oh how long had he been waiting to touch her? To be close to his daughter? Now...he wished he hadn't waited so damn long.

"I...did it...because...you're my...daughter..." He rasped. Each word bringing a wave of pain. "I've...been look..ing out for you...for the past...year..." Why he never made himself known until now...was the fear.

She froze. "Wh-what?" She was in disbelief. She...he said...she was his daughter...and that he'd been around for the past year. That meant..."D-daddy?" Her voice was a cracked whisper. Was this really her dad? How could she not have known!? She recalled seeing him around. Meetings mostly. But...it had been so long. She hadn't seen him since she was a pup so no wonder she didn't recognize him..."Why didn't you t-tell me?" She looked at him, rain drenching her so it was hard to tell apart the tears and the rain. "Why didn't you...I've been alone for so long...looking for you..."

He could hear the disbelief. The shock in her voice. And although he wished so badly that he could go back in time and start over, he couldn't. Otherwise he would have in a heartbeat. "Be..cause...i was afraid...that you hated me...for leaving you...on your own for so..long." He closed his eyes, brows furrowing as he whined. "I searched for...years...Ashe...ever since I learned that...you disappeared..." His focus was dissipating. He could feel the numbness beginning to gradually take his body. "I never stopped...searching. I'm...sorry it took me so...long..." He winced, a sharp pain piercing his lungs. A violent cough took hold, sending his body into violent spasms until the coughing subsided. Blood trickled from his mouth, staining his muzzle and the ground. "I...am sorry...I couldn't find you...sooner..."

The tears fell more with each painful word he said. She could hear the pain in his voice. The truth in it. The way he was struggling to speak. She whined as she pressed against him, burying her face into his bloodied neck. "S-stop...don't speak. Save your strength..." She closed her eyes. Squeezing them shut as he suddenly went into a violent coughing fit. She knew that her words were futile. He was too wounded. Too old. He could practically feel the strength leaving his body. He had been searching for half of his life. Nearly the entirety of hers. How could she hate him for that? "D-don't be sorry...I...I could never hate you..." She had no reason too. She just wished that...she could have spent more time with him. Her father. But now...

He hated the fact that he had waited so damn long. But at least... he had done at least one thing to make up for it. He had given up his life, to save his baby girl. Now a full grown woman. He felt that all he could do now was apologize. But even then, no amount of apologies would make up for anything. Or so he felt. Though when she said that she could never hate him, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. Off his very soul. He didn't know why he had such an intense fear of being hated by her...but at least he knew now that she didn't. "My little Ashe...how you've...grown..." A weak smile found its way on his maw. Her warmth seeping into him, fighting with the cold grasp of the rain and the coming of death. "I wish...i could have...been there for you...more..." His heart started to slow. His body growing number. "I...want you...to know...that...I've always...loved you..." He rasped. He had never stopped.

His words...calling her his little Ashe...he made her want to cry harder. Instead, she chose to bury her face into his fur even more, sobbing. She wished they could have more time together...but she had failed to recognize him when he was around. She felt like this was her fault..."I-I love you too, daddy...I'm sorry...I should have realized..." She cried into his fur. Part of her sensing he didn't have much longer. She didn't want to let go though. She just found him! It wasn't fair! Why was life so mean!? Why was the world trying to take away her father!? Was there anything she could do to save him? She was desperately hoping...but...there was no way...she could tell now, as she felt his heart begin to slow. "Daddy please...I'm not r-ready...I just f-f-found you...don't leave me..."

With Eyes Wide Shut

Don't leave me... He wished he didn't have to. He wished he could have changed the flow of time. To make it stop so they could be together a little longer. But that was something that nobody could do. Wheezing breaths grew slower. Body shuddering with each one. "I'm...sorry..." I wish I didn't have to... But even without his fatal wounds, death would have come knocking anyway. He had reached the end of his lifeline. Fate granting him just enough time to see his daughter one last time before passing on. Age had not been kind on him in the passing years...so one way or another, his fate was sealed.

Remembering back to the days when she was a baby, he could envision the little ball of fur as if she was born just yesterday. "Do...you remember...?" It was a simple question. One that didn't need an answer. He used to sing to her. A lullaby when she was a pup. He used to sing to her under the moonlight so she could sleep.
"I know...I'm not...there to hold you..." He would begin to sing for her. To comfort her one last time. "Look up...see the sky that I...do" Clouded blue eyes searched through the rain, resting upon the remnants of the moon that peeked through the storm clouds. "You make me...the happiest of men."

He could feel himself fading...breath getting slower, heart slowing down as well. His voice grew lower with each passing word. Stray tears slipping down to mingle with the rain. He was...grateful. That he could spend the last of his moments with his long lost daughter curled up at his side. He would have asked for nothing more in his last few moments..."And if God...takes me...before you...I just want you...to know...I love you" He whispered to her. This was it. He was almost there..."And you...made...me the strongest...of all men...I'll remain...the happiest of...men..."

Slowly, his voice trailed off into a whisper. His eyes began to close. His heart stopping. Body going still as the last breath left his body. The only sound left now was the rumbling thunder. The rain upon the ground. And the crashing waves below them. At last...Leon had succumbed to the grip of death. His daughter at his side...and he was happy knowing that even after all this time, she knew he loved her...and she loved him...

-Exit Leon via death-