Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

Drinking deeply of the cool, mountain stream Dómari grinned at the warmth of the sun on his back.  The weather was mild and beautiful!  He couldn't ask for a better day to go herb gathering.  On the task list for today was meadowsweet.

Scampering over the cool stones and back into the forest Dómari started heading back toward the area where he'd last left his search.  Once he found the herbs he was looking for he'd take them back to his den nestled away in the rocks near the waterfall.  He'd taken a fancy to this particular territory and decided to make it his home for as long as he could, at least until he ran into his family again.  Though to be honest he'd just about given up on that idea.  They were probably outside Boreas by now but if anyone could find them Diarmuid could.  Pausing in the dappled sunlight Dómari bent down and set his nose to work.  Time to focus.

Call it instinct, but Sigleif knew just where to go. After a hard swim back to shore, her internal compass had tugged her to the north. With no other idea where to begin, it seemed as good as any. Sig's long stride easily ate up the terrain. It was not long at all before she found herself facing a range of mountains, following a rumor from a halfwit she'd bumped into along the way, and a hunch. Her family's face mask was fairly distinct, though hardly exclusive. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high. In the distance she saw a mountain peak with a magnificent waterfall plunging off of it's face. Well, it had certainly drawn her attention. She set off. Her heart was in her throat as Sigleif began to examine the paths she found along the way. Deer, deer, and then a scent, something achingly familiar. "Dom?" she whispered, under her breath and in disbelief. Was it true? She raced along through the trees, leaping a small stream and many a fallen log. She let out a howl, calling for him, letting him know she was there. Domari's scent was all over this place, as if he had been in the area for quite some time. But where was he? She slowed to a stop, frustration evident in her body language. She let out a huff. The wind was dead, and presumably Domari had spent a fair bit of time in the area because Sig struggled to make heads or tails of it. "Talk" "You" Think

It was beginning to feel like every season went by quicker than the last. The weather was warmer now, and the days were longer, meaning that summer had arrived. And that meant that autumn would soon follow, and Alarik would be two years old. Two whole years. Finally an adult, but with nothing to show for it. His family had lost track of each other a long time ago, and since then Alarik felt like he had been wandering. He had seen some new faces and learned some new things, and had physically grown quite a lot, but... where was the adventure? Where were the dragons and pirates to be defeated, and the princess in need of his dashing rescue? All the things he imagined as a boy, the things he truly believed he would have when he grew up, where were they? He was getting a little tired of waiting. But maybe the adventures meant for him would be worth waiting for. So he remained patient, at least for now. The warm summer weather meant that Alarik decided to stick to the north, where his thick coat would be less likely to smother him. Even though he was older, he never outgrew his love of exploring, so that was often how he occupied his time. He traveled through caverns and over small mountains, and walked through lots and lots of evergreen forests. Today, by luck or perhaps by fate, the young man happened upon a grand waterfall set in the side of a mountain. He was enraptured by the sight and traveled closer, wanting to see the majesty of the waterfall up close. It was then that he heard the howl. He knew the howl immediately, even after all this time, and his ears and tail lifted up to the sky. "Siggy!" he cried out, his own baritone voice surprising him for a moment. The last time he had called his big sister by that nickname, his voice had been octaves higher. So much had changed. Where was she? He needed to find her. Alarik took off running in the direction of her voice, and as he came closer the scent of both his sister and his brother filled his nose. Sigleif and Dómari? He looked all around, his heart going wild and filling him with a lightness and excitement he hadn't felt in a while. "Siggy! Dom! Where are you?" "Talk" "You" Think

Diarmuid hadn't strayed far from Dómari, even if the yearling hadn't realized it. They had planned to meet up every so often, to scout the land as far as their paws could take them and report back any findings periodically. The goal was to find the rest of his siblings and possibly the rest of the guards that had been instructed to lead the Xanilov children to safety. He could only hope they had made it this far, and somewhere deep in his gut he had a feeling they had. They had Valeriya's blood running through their veins -- they had the strength to make it through nearly anything, he was certain. He'd been trailing after Dómari's scent for a few hours now, intent on finding him. He'd caught scent of one of their scents earlier, he was certain of it, though it was hard to tell how old it was. The mere possibility of them finding the others was enough to ignite a hopeful fire in his heart, and with fervor he pressed on, tongue lolling slightly from his mouth as the sun made its ascent across the sky and beat down on his dark pelt. What he didn't expect was for their scents to grow stronger, mingled with Dómari's now, as he approached. The first one he saw wasn't Dómari at all, but Sigleif. He hadn't seen the girl in so long.. a rare, wide grin broke against his weathered features at the site of her. Hadn't she just been a small child when he'd seen her last? She was full-grown now and his heart clenched painfully at the thought of the time that had passed, though seeing her again made up for it tenfold. "And to think I was supposed to be the one looking for you," he remarked, grinning as he approached her and slid his head around her own, pulling her close in a rough embrace. "But it seems you found me first. Have you seen Dómari?" His own head spun to the side, nostrils flaring as he tipped his head to the air, searching. His scent was nearby, he was sure of it, much stronger now than it had been earlier. Pulling away, he lifted his head again and let loose a summoning call for both him and.. the other scent, did it belong to Alarik?

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

Dómari combed through the scents of various flora, trying to pick out what he was looking for. His brow furrowed as he caught a scent that wasn't floral but vaguely familiar. He ignored it, wasn't anything threatening and he needed to focus. Being on his own and getting into trouble as he usually did meant having a good supply of medicine on hand was essential to his survival and there it was again, that familiar scent! Sigleif!

His heart was starting to race as he set about tracking the scent, desperation focusing his mind as he trailed it. He could feel fear welling up in his stomach. Doubt threatening to drown him again. How many times had he gone chasing scents, certain he'd found his family only to be led to a dead-end. He wasn't sure he could handle that again, not again. If he were smart he'd stop right now but still he pushed on. And then there were more scents! Alarik? Diarmuid?

He heard a voice cry out and returned the call. "Alarik! Alarik is that you! I'm over here! I'm-"

A chill ran down Dómari's spine as he broke through the brush and looked up to see Sigleif. He took a step back, uncertain for a moment if it was really her or a ghost. He hadn't heard voices before and she looked so real. "Siggy?" Dómari started to cry and raced toward her intent on burying his face in the scruff of her neck, boogers and all, he didn't care!

For a moment she was alone, and then all at once she was surrounded. Sigleif had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that so many of her siblings were here and... And Diarmuid? She managed only a gasp before Domari rocketed into her side, burying himself in her scruff. The air whooshed from her lungs, but she couldn't bring herself to care. What in the gods names... She was flabbergasted. "You little punk!" she wheezed good-naturedly, her voice choked with an even mix of mirth and emotion. "You had me worried sick!" How long had it been since she'd been able to breathe in her brother's scent? She took the time now, burying her own nose into the ruff of his neck fur and inhaled, memorizing it. She hoped it wouldn't ever be such a distant memory again. Sig turned to Diar and grinned. She was surprising to see the grizzled old brute, actually. None of the guards her mother had sent to trail them had ever arrived, but it lifted weight off of her shoulders to know that he was here. A reliable warrior and a remarkable soul, she had always been very fond of him. Her tail wagged. "Nice to see you too," she said. A bit awestruck by their sudden appearance. When Alarik's voice broke through the distance she gasped and disentangled herself from her younger brother. "Alarik!" She called out as loud as she was capable, energy flowing through her body. If they were here, surely the others were near at hand! "Talk" "You" Think

OOC // sorry for the wait guys!

He could smell them. Their scents were much stronger here, so he knew they were close. He continued to trot along at a brisk pace, wanting to get to them as fast as he could but not knowing where exactly they were. But then he stopped cold, hearing his brother calling for him. And then Sigleif did the same, and Alarik practically sprinted toward the sounds of their voices, a grin parting his jaws as they came into view. And not just them, but Diarmuid too! He'd nearly forgotten what the brute looked like; the last time he had seen him, he'd been knee high. But he could think of all that later. Now was the time for joyful reuniting, and seeing as Sigleif and Dom had already done their share, Alarik decided it was his turn. His tongue spilled out of the side of his mouth as he ran straight for his older sister, not bothering to stop. Manners and dignity be damned, he was happy to see her. He plowed right into the larger female, hoping to send them both toppling to the ground. He laughed like a giddy little pup and gave her a big slobbery kiss. "Siggy! I missed you!" he said, and then when he'd spoiled her enough with his tackles and kisses, he jumped up and tackled his brother as well. "Where have you been, Dom?" Alarik laughed, pressing close to Dómari and burrowing his face in his fur. His tail was wagging hard, shaking his whole body from side to side with the motion of it. He was just so freaking happy. His family was here. Granted, not all of them were here, but more than he had seen in a long time. And if Sigleif and Dómari and Diarmuid were here, the others couldn't be far. Right? "Talk" "You" Think

Diarmuid's grin, an unusually cheery expression for the man who was usually quite stone-faced, only grew as Dómari arrived. Instantly he headed to Sigleif, greeting her exuberantly. The girl seemed quite surprised, both of them overwhelmed -- and likely even more surprised when Alarik bounded in. He found his tail swaying gently behind him, beyond pleased at the reunion. They still needed to round up Demyan, Vaska, and Sindre, but this was a damn good start. Half of the kids had been reunited, now. Maybe Valeriya wouldn't be quite so hard on him now if she realized they'd become separated. He could only hope she knew he'd done his best to find them -- he would settle for nothing less, and would never stop looking for her children. Happy to let the children catch up, he settled back on his haunches. He felt far more at ease than he had in some time. He wasn't a man who believed in luck, nor in fate, but it was hard to imagine that all of them reunited so quickly as mere coincidence. He and Dómari had been searching diligently for quite a few seasons now, but to find both Sigleif and Alarik in one day? Incredible. His grin hardly faltered as he admired the three of them quietly, amazed at how much they had all grown. They'd been hardly more than pups when Valeriya had instructed him and the other guards to escort them to these lands safely, and though they were all but adults now it was hard to not see them as children still. It certainly wasn't going to stop him from trying to guide and protect them still, no matter what paths they chose now that they had found one another. "Talk" "You" Think

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

For awhile Dómari couldn't speak. He was to caught up in the moment and the rushing relief that crashed over him like a wave at suddenly finding himself back with his family. Well, at least a fair chunk of it. He still ached for his missing sisters and brothers but he would take what he could get. He pulled away from Siglief steadying his breath as he realized he was embarassed about his little outburst but it had been building for so long that he just couldn't stop the tears when they came. He turned to Alarik and reached over to bury his face in his brother's ruff and bask in the others scent before pulling back to explain. "I-I was just exploring and a storm came up and I looked everywhere but I couldn't find you guys! Where… where are the others? Are they with you?"