It was barely past noon and the sun had already begun its descend beneath the equator. The sky was drab, furnished with clouds that seemed immobile and choked out all but a few rays of sunlight. It was silent other than an occasional breeze that funneled through the orchards, threatening to turn the water that pooled on the ground to ice. In some areas the top layer had already solidified, no more than a millimeter thick; but it wasn't ice as one might think, it was dirtied. The entire orchard was a great disaster of slush and mud with ice filling tracks of animals where water might have pooled. The atmosphere held an unrelenting chill, and it was drying to ones skin to just linger. The skeleton trees that once bared fruit now stood just so, with thin rails of ice trailing down their knotty bark.

Every step was audible as the pressure from his large paws upon the ground elicited a great crunching noise. If his cumbersome movement didn't make him known, his coloration would surely do him in. His tans and greys stood out against the vastly white backdrop, and the cool browns of bark laced in ice. A mist spouted from twin nares with every exhale, and upon inspiration he could still smell the sweetness of half spoiled fruit that laid covered by mud and ice. Perhaps the sweetness lured him here as it did others, and that would explain the surplus of tracks around the orchards dark boles.

He wore thick plush that was impenetrable by the occasional breeze; his core unmistakably warm. He was but a refuge in this new land, and couldn't pass judgment off of the wintery landscape, but this new realm harbored so many scents. It was promising to say the least. Chocolate eyes scanned gingerly across the orchard, examining the occasional bird landing on one of the skeletal branch for a rest. He too needed a rest, but the short trees of the orchard had not grown close enough to offer protection from the elements, and even now it flurried gently.

There was a bitter loneliness that knotted in my core. It was unmistakable, unrelenting, and oh, it was brutal. It was pit in my stomach that I was able to suppress most days, but something inside me still gnawed away at my soul. There was much to explore in these lands, much to do, but it was not always enough to suppress the waves of self-loathing and existential dread that rolled over me and threatened to suck me into the current.
The orchard was a lovely place, if not slightly overwhelming. I had ventured here more than once, the rotting fruits a putrid but somehow enticing scent, but at the frost solidified and the cold weather settled on the lands like a bird back in its roost, the smells slowly dissipated, and he haunting rows of barren trees, lined at attention like soldiers, became a more bearable place to escape the cold.
There was not much fat on my body, not much muscle either, and I had found that the winter months were particularly hard on my rapidly-aging joints.
I was moving in between the trees as the smell struck me, but at first, it didnt register. It was an instantaneous deja vu, but more intense. It wasnt just a familiar smell. It was more than that. It was...it was the scent of a knight I once knew. A knight I loved as a friend, as a brother, and as a piece of my soul. A knight I had abandoned.
I froze, pausing mid-stride with a forepaw hovering above the snow, a precarious position for a woman with only two remaining legs on the ground, but my brain had shut down for the moment. Lids squeezed tightly over emerald orbs. An illusion.
There was no way Arborick could be here. I had run and I had run and I had run and I had launched into the sea and I had selfishly fled my old life in the pursuit of... well, in the pursuit of anything. Anything had to be better than the mess I was trapped in.
An illusion, but the smell had not faded. My own breath had paused, leaving a deathly silence. But that silence was filled with the muffled sounds of paws sinking into the snow, and warm snorts of breath in the cold air.
With a start my eyes snapped open, and skull swung wildly as my body bounced and heaved in and effort to pivot to find the source of the smell, of the sound.
Arborick...
Against the snow, my russet and cream pelt was a far cry of camouflage, and I would stand out like a neon sign, but then again, so should the gray man I was searching for.
He was a good distance away from me, making his own way through the orchard. An apparition of muted gray and tawny tones; from this distance I could make out the vague shape of his partially missing ear and his black collar marking, and I nearly wanted to cry.
I was swallowed in a wave of emotions; jubilance, indescribable happiness, confusion, and also.... guilt. The guilt settled in like a boulder and for a moment I thought that I would retch.
"Arborick..." I breathed out, the words rolling off my tongue like it was the only word in the world.
"Arborick?" I spoke again in the next breath, a question this time. A small voice, but it was loud enough for the male to hear. His senses were as sharp as anyones, even if I hadnt spoken, he would have found me.

Bring me that horizon. A voice in the distance froze his form mid stride. His name echoed throughout the orchard several times, amplifying until it was discernible. It was sorrowful and the winded, and in a moment of disbelief he stalked on, large paws carrying him west. The audible crunch of snow to his right grew loud enough to cause the beast to pick up his head and lock on to its owner. She was recognizable anywhere - there was no one in the world like Simber. “Simber!” Immense form swung round his grounded hindlimb, and then his bodice slinked to a full out sprint. They met within seconds, an inner fire stoked within him. He reared and leapt around her like he was a welp, playfully bowing and spiraling inward until he met her shoulders in a bear hug fashion. He dismounted shortly after as to not throw his tripod friend off balance and simply buried his skull into her chest, a grin transpiring ear to ear, his singular pinna laid flat agains his skull. “You’re alright, you’re safe. I found you..oh, how did it happen?” He chimed handsomely, rising before her once more to allow his gaze to settle into her own. What were the odds? It was a moment of splendor, the kind that rendered hurt void, and allowed a platonic love to blossom once more. He had so much to tell her, and he was sure she felt the same. It had been some time since the two had seen each other, and at this point, she was the only friend he still had. She had no knowledge of the events that plagued Resia, but she could come to find out.

His deep vocals rumbled forth; and there was no hesitation in the males actions. Before I could fully react, his massive form as bounding forth, closing the distance in large and purposeful strides. He emanated warmth and happiness, and I leaped forward to meet him as he neared. There were small, squeaky whimpers that sprang from my vocal chords as we rubbed together and bounced around each other like our lives depended on it, and he was on top of me in a split second in a bear hug. Everything about him was home. His scent, his fur, his very being. His massive skull buried into my chest and I craned my neck, coral ribbon covering his crown and his ear in frantic, but loving licks. He crooned words, and I couldnt contain my smile. Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes and a lump rose in my throat, but it was a happy lump. Good lump. "A work of the Gods. And they brought you to me in perfect condition, my knight." I muttered, nuzzling into his skull before he pulled away. The epithet was an old one, but he was none less deserving; my tone as playfully teasing, but there was nothing but adoration and respect in my vocals. My tail wagged, jade gaze tracing over my friend. He appeared uninjured, lacking any new mutilations to his pelt... Good. All the negative emotions inside me- the guilt, the hatred, the sorrow- it all melted away as I stared into his gleaming chocolate orbs. My brow furrowed briefly, "How did you find this place?" I asked, mostly because I wasnt even sure how I had found this place. But I couldnt let the smile drip from my face, not yet, no. I was still basking in Arborick's presence. "SPEAK"

Bring me that horizon. For once it seemed the Gods were on his side. Encounters like this rarely happen once, never mind twice - it was a marvel he had managed to find Simber across three different continents. She seemed in good spirits, but her body seemed exhausted, tolled by travel and the winters bite. Her eyes however, shone with a similar brilliance as they did when she was Queen. Thats the problem with travels: every time you up and go, you lose bits of yourself. No one cares who you were, what you’ve accomplished, how feared or loved you were; you’re just an outsider to them, and to them, you deserve nothing. With every move he lost a bit of himself, as she did. Their titles grew worn and eventually dissipated, and no one cared to reminisce, as it was too painful to see just how far they have fallen. Every time he tried to build himself back up he would rise just to be torn down again. “I’m not sure…I left Resia about three weeks ago, just kept running, kept praying. I couldn’t bare to stay there any longer.” There were so many reasons for this. Resia was a place of promise, and ultimately disappointment and betrayal. It was a place hope was laid to rest, as well as many of his dear friends. It was difficult for him to express this, so much had happened. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he had remembered the kids. Where were they now? “Where are your children Simber?” Concern was laced in his voice. Based upon his previous experience he could only think the worst; of how he walked upon the body of the deceased Cedar Timber, of how Galen Foehn was torn to shreds. Both by bears. He hated bears more than anything.

Arborick's words brought the acrid taste of bile to rise in my throat. To think of Resia... it hurt. I had done the same as he, it seemed. Perhaps my cowardice was not so much cowardice but just a preemptive action. Nah, it was definitely a cowards move. Bu what mattered now was that I had my old friend. We had had many reunions over these years, each one sweeter than the last. I ducked my head, tapping the top of my cranium into his chest as he spoke again. My heart dropped to the earth. Arborick hadnt seen my children? But...but he was just in Resia. They were there. They... I swallowed hear, my ears flattening sideways, backing away from the gargantuan man. Emerald orbs were trained on my paws, swallowed by the snow. "I... I was hoping you would know the answer to that." Those words were broken and cracked ar the edges. I was a horrible mother. Oh my god, what would Aborick think of me. How could I have left my children? How could I have done that to them? "He was keeping me from them... I tried to leave with them and he.." Skull drooped defeatedly; I didnt finish. I didnt need to say his name. I refused to say his name. The man who had stole my heart and then promptly chattered it into a million pieces. Where were they? Tekia? Nicano? Kratos? How could I have left them? What the fuck was wong with me? "SPEAK"