Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle led the way to Valhalla, occasionally glancing back at the injured young man. Cousin Casso. It had a decent ring to it, and she wondered if he would come back to stay for good eventually after he ventured to Winterfell for a while. She hoped he might. Finally, the wall came into view, standing above the grass in an early morning grey sky. “This is the border of Valhalla. The Plains within this wall are Valhalla’s primary Seat. The Moorland on the eastern side of the plains is our secondary territory. I have plans to expand our claim, but it will take hard work, gathering resources.” Her father padded ahead of her, heading toward the one hill that stood above the plains. It was the one source of consistent tree-growth, and it was the hill that embraced the family Seat. Aurielle waited for Casso to catch up and walked abreast after her father—they were all headed the same way. Baine would be in one of the alcoves, likely asleep at this hour. Nolan, if he wasn’t hard at work with something, was likely there with her. She cast a subtle glance at the younger, taller male, considering. “I’d imagine you’d like something for pain by now? I can get something out once we reach the caves.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus went ahead, feeling a sense of gentle contentment filling his breast. He hadn’t been quite this… happy… since Solveiga and Aramis had disappeared. Which meant a very long time. The joy of bringing them back had been a fleeting summer day’s warmth and love… and then the deadly depression had taken Solveiga so very, very slowly. But with Baine’s return, he felt a peace in his heart. Nothing would ever be the same as it had been when they were all young and he was teaching Baine little tricks, or showing Tornach how to hunt for the first time. But it was still a comfort that this sister, at least, was one he would be able to be beside, and say goodbye to, when her time came. Those facts had been the only great comfort in losing their mother and father. He’d been able to lay beside them when they faded and took their last breaths. He didn’t get to have that with Zuriel, or Faite… And surely if Faite hadn’t returned by now, she was gone for good. He passed down the ravine and into the main chamber of the Seat, padding to Baine’s alcove. Gently he called, “Baine? Casso’s here. He’s a little embarrassed. He got into a scrap with coyotes and was injured.” He was more than far enough ahead of his daughter and nephew that he knew neither would hear him, and a smile of gentle amusement fell on his features. He'd had similar embarrassments as a younger wolf. The boar, for instance. That had been a terrifying experience for a lost pup who'd gotten it in his head to go on a big adventure. All the way to Auster. Though nothing beat his mother's fury once she got hold of him. Grounded for a season.

Baine had been lingering somewhere between sleep and waking when she heard the heavy sound of her brother's footsteps approaching the alcove that she shared with Nolan. It was enough to make her half-open her pink gaze and peek out into the darkness though the opening. She was still a bit surprised to hear Regulus call her name even though he had gone out of his way to approach where she had been attempting to sleep. She lifted her head, but before she could respond she heard him say that Casso was here and had been injured by some coyotes. The way her brother seemed to speak about it with a good bit of humor told her that her nephew was okay, but she knew better than any of their remaining family how Casso could get. The only other wolf that had really known was Zuriel and perhaps Daelos, but she wasn't sure how much her late sister had shared with Daelos before she passed. Baine was quick to pull herself to her paws, unable to keep that tight worry from her chest as she forced her body to comply so that she could hurry out past Regulus to go find Casso. She had been so worried for him when they first parted ways and it just seemed like perhaps her worries had more of a leg to stand on than her nephew had led her to believe. She spotted the larger, dark-furred male and breathed a soft sigh of relief. He was in one piece - physically at least. She would never forgive herself if something had happened to him when she wasn't around to keep him from hurting himself. The albino woman trotted over to him and wrapped her neck around his in an embrace, quiet for a moment until she finally pulled back to really look at him. It was hard to do in the darkness, but she was still able to spot the wound on his leg that had just begun to heal. "Are you okay?" she asked him, her pale pink gaze searching his dual-toned eyes. There was a seriousness to her tone, daring him to tell her anything but the truth. She wouldn't bring up his issues in front of Regulus or Aurielle without his permission, but he would know what she meant. "Talk" Think

Whenever Nolan was far too awake to go to sleep or in the odd occasions that he woke up way too early and didn't have anything else to do, his default activity had quickly become making a lap around the pack's borders. He wasn't patrolling necessarily, but he liked having the time to just enjoy the quiet and to familiarize himself with the lands a bit more. It kept his muscles moving and he liked to think that one day he would eventually be in the kind of position where he would actually need to do patrols and this felt like good practice. It usually wore him out enough that by the time be got back to the dens he was able to fall asleep fairly easily or at least take a quick nap. He was actually on his way to do just that, but when he got closer to where they all slept, he caught an unexpected scent on the breeze. His ears perked and he doubled checked it just to make sure he wasn't just imagining it, but no, it was definitely his cousin! Nolan grinned and picked up the pace as he ran back toward the dens, the group of his family quickly coming into view. He arrived just in time to hear Casso tell his mother that he was okay and that's when his eyes dropped down to the bite wound on Casso's leg. Something had certainly gotten him good! But Casso was tough, he had gotten in a bunch of fights already so Nolan wasn't too worried. He gave his cousin a grin when he came to stand next to his mother, his tail wagging happily behind him. "You made it!" he exclaimed with a bright, cheerful smile. "What got a hold of you this time, huh? You always get into the exciting fights without me!" "Speech"

The large male followed along behind Regulus and Aurielle as they led the way into Valhalla, moving a tad slower than he would have otherwise. He quietly did his best to keep up with them though, never one to complain. He kept his ears perked forward to listen while his glowing cousin explained some of the layout of her pack, occasionally giving a small nod of understanding to show that he was listening. Being around others certainly had a way of keeping his mind calm and he was grateful for that as they went to find his aunt. He was nervous to see her again, especially in this state. There was something about the fact that she knew the truth of what he was that made him particularly careful about how he presented himself to her, but after the experience he had with Elizabeth he began to wonder if it wouldn't be better for him to be less careful. He hadn't had anyone to share with since his mother passed and he was starting to think that had been what had worn him down.

His gaze flicked to Aurielle's when she offered him something for the pain and he shook his head after a slight pause. "No, that's okay. I'm fine." A small part of it was not wanting any extra attention on him or his injury, but he also appreciated the dull, lingering ache that the wound sent though his leg. It kept him firmly planted in the present and gave him a not too subtle reminder of what happened when he didn't maintain himself. Eventually he might give in and take the herbs one of his family members was sure to offer to him again, but for now he wasn't interested. It felt like a self-inflicted punishment for the lapse he had allowed himself to have.

When he looked up again, his eyes landed on his aunt's worried face and his expression softened a bit. He let himself return her embrace, saying softly, "Hi, Aunt Baine," even though she had been quiet when she approached him. When she pulled back to question him, he paused and took in her stern expression. He gave her a tired smile and nodded. "Yeah... I'm okay now." It was a short, simple exchange to anyone that didn't know any better, but between the two of them the words held weight. He saw the relief that touched her expression and he gave her another small nod. He was okay, at least for now. He couldn't know how well he was actually doing, but for now his mind was quiet and that was about all he could ask for.

His cousin's energetic greeting made him grin as he looked at the partially-albino young man. "I did, with a speed bump or two along the way. I got into a fight with a couple of coyotes. Don't worry, I'll leave one for you next time." The humor in his tone and the smirk on his lips clearly said that he was joking, but he had always appreciated how eager Nolan was to dive into literally anything. He hadn't wanted to tell his family about the fight he had gotten into, but now that he was here and the evidence was written in his skin it was hard to hide. His gaze shifted to glance from one family to another, realizing there was practically a welcome party here for him now. He wasn't someone that liked to be the center of attention, but now there was no avoiding it.

"I found some of my Praetor family in the north," he explained, his gaze focusing on Baine again. "Acere is the alpha now... He said Ignis and Actaea are living there too." He knew Baine would likely be the only one here that knew who he was talking about, but he could at least tell her so she knew what he had been up to. "I was on my way to fill you in and then I was planning on going back to see them again and stay with their pack for a while, but then..." He motioned to his injury with a small shrug. "Aurielle said I could stay with you all until I'm all healed up though, so I guess I'll be here for a few weeks."

"Speech" Thought

Aurielle Adravendi

His side pressed into her shoulder, and she soaked in the provided support with a sigh. When he didn’t open the gift, The Spirit smiled faintly at Casso’s stubbornness, but didn’t push him. As the reunion got underway, she made her way to her father’s side and sat beside him, smiling at the scene and leaning slightly into her sire’s side. It felt good to see so much family, even if the loss of her mother still stung raw at her heart and she yearned for her twin brother she’d barely gotten to get to know as a grown wolf before he was once again gone. Her eyes strayed from the scene to the cave mouth as the thought brought a pang to her heart and she once again wondered where her erstwhile twin had gone, and if he was alright. He wasn’t dead, surely. She’d know. She knew she would know. She turned her eyes back to her cousins and Aunt, watching for several minutes before she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his crimson cheek. “It’s time I got out on patrol. Casso, make yourself at home.” She padded toward the exit, smiling at Nolan and Casso and her aunt Baine, though she paused long enough to press her nose to the woman’s cheek before heading for the cave mouth. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think