It seemed nothing could stop her habit of wandering about. That was more than fine with Caelum, she had grown to enjoy wandering places. She also hoped in the back of her mind that she might once more run into Avani. Now that things were smoothing over with Zephyr, it felt more than time to try her best to work it out with her daughter. The girl hadn't ever entirely left Caelum's mind since their first reunion; she just hadn't wanted to go looking for the girl again before she was ready. It wouldn't do any good to rush things too much. She had a lot to catch up on though. Cae felt so bad for missing so much of her child's life... If only she'd spent more time looking for other survivors instead of pitying herself- ah, but there was no sense in going down this road. It only lead to heartache she couldn't do anything about. Sighing, Cae pressed on, seeking to explore a land she'd yet to venture to. Soon she'd have most of the south explored, but this land she'd yet to take a peek at.

The ground here was cracked, split open in places from the earth moving, trees that once stood tall and proud now laying prone on the ground as they withered away. For some reason, she related to this place and the way it was changing and being affected by that change. Sitting down for a moment, Caelum decided to rest a while. Her paws were aching sooner than normal. Most likely a result a result of carrying pups.

Walk. "talk" think

She had managed to find her way back to the main land, though she was exhausted from so much traveling. She wanted so badly to find Nyko, but she felt like her chances on that were dwindling. It had been some time now since they'd gotten separated, but she didn't lose hope. She'd ask everyone she came across if they'd seen him, after all, he was hard to miss. Sighing, she hobbled along at an excruciatingly slow pace. Her paws were cracked, bleeding, the woman in pain. She didn't want to stop here though. She didn't know where she was, but as far as she could tell, there was nowhere for her to safely find shelter nor resources she might need to tend to herself. Minutes turned into hours, and the day continued on. Finally, she would stop. Unable to go much further without each step bringing a fresh new wave of pain up her legs. She was exhausted, hungry, thirsty...lonely. Rose colored gaze looked up with weariness as she tried to spot at least a decent place to take refuge before night fell, and as she scanned the sights around her, she spotted something. No, someone. The wind was working against her, so she couldn't tell if the other figure was male or female, but she could definitely tell it was a another wolf. Her heart began to beat with uncertainty, what if it was hostile? She was too beat to run and get away! Feeling like she was left without any other options, she would remain where she was, warily watching the other. If they seemed to be a threat, then she would do what she could to get out of it. "Speak"||Think||Hear

Alone, yet not... really alone if she thought about it. She lacked those close to her, but frequently found those to interact with and to care about, even if for a short time - strangers looking for help, or looking to help; temporary hunting partners, those who were lost, there were always a lot of opporunities for Avani, and she took most of them.

What brought her here wasn't so much another being, but moreso her desire to travel, to not stay still. To distract her mind with new sights, new sounds, and new experiences to ignore the old and ignore the issues in her life... which, she knew, was an entirely immature thing to do, and not something she even did when she was younger - but now, she really just... didn't want to face it. At all.

Looks like fate had another idea in mind, though, for her wanderings and musings brought her directly in range of wolves she never expected to see again, one of whom she had practically run away from. She froze as the all-too-familiar scent reached her. Caelum was nearby, and it was obvious. There was another nearby - another scent she recognized, though one she thought for dead. Unbelieving, she crept closer, avoiding the scent of her mother, and instead on the other.

For a long moment, she stood still, staring at the grey and white female with well-known markings. Rose. It was Rose. Rose, who had been only a yearling during the attack, and one of the ones she was certain had died, though Avani had never discovered her body. How could she have not thought that, when the scent of the attackers, Roseus, and blood had all disappeared into the distance? She let out a shuddering breath, and with it, a whisper: "Rose..."

Caelum sighed deeply, settling down to curl up where she was and relax a while. There was no need to rush her departure, so the pale woman rested her chin on her paws and gazed out at the land around her. The West Wind's lands had been nice, but this place had so many unique places and stunning sights to see, the more she adventured the more she became content with her situation. Idly glancing around as her thoughts wandered the woman would consider what lay ahead. Things were good with Zephyr, enough so that she didn't want to push it by asking the questions she'd held onto. In that area of her life she was happy to let the past be the past. But with her daughter, Cae recognized she still needed to try and repair things, even if it meant airing out some unsightly emotions they'd both left to fester. Maybe there was some selfishness in her motives. What if the girl decided she was well and truly done with her mother? Cae supposed she'd have to let it be then, though she did hope thins wouldn't come to that. It would be nice to have her child back again, and she suspected Avani with her gentle soul would love to meet her newest siblings when they arrived. The figure far enough and the wind blowing in a funny direction so she wasn't able to catch their scent. The other wolfs' presence was brought to her attention via the feeling of eyes on her. Dragging herself to a sitting position again, Caelum turned so her own ice-hued eyes could seek out the one who she felt nearby. Her breath caught in her throat, held fast though why she did not know. Grey and white fur, a blur to her at first. A single tear fell, and she didn't know why until she'd blinked it away and could see more clearly. No way. How many times was this going to happen? The rising excitement she felt in her chest was reaching a fever pitch and only held back from becoming entirely overwhelming by the mounting uncertainty and disbelief that chased it. At first Caelum could only think that if what she was seeing was real, she was the worlds worst mother. That did it. That feeling stomped all over everything and left a hollow pit in her stomach that had her vowing to never again let her emotions overcome her. Never again let her focus become so skewed that she'd make mistakes like this. Finally with a soft grunt she pulled herself to a standing position and gazed out at the girl with the pink eyes, ears flicking back uncertainly. Would she be rejected again? Some self-loathing part of Cae felt like she deserved to be, but the rest simply ached to repair the increasingly obvious damage done to her family, her pack, and her children. Caelum wanted to speak, but words failed her. Words alone could never convey the depth of emotion within her, and she was sure that it was the same story for the rest of those who survived that attack. Rose, Avani, Zephyr, and even Inverno and herself. There was too much pain, magnified by the distance and time. Caelum wondered if she would recover her strength in the presence of her children as she had finally done with Zephyr. SPEAK