With all her heart Philomena wanted to return to the weeping woods to see the damage cast upon her old home… but going any further than Algoma Prairie with Memento in tow had proved to not be a wise choice. The lands still seemed bleak beyond and anxiety kept her from traveling with her little one and Cel… thank goodness the rainbow marked man had settled with her daughter to keep her occupied while Philomena scouted around. She had a reason for heading out this way alone though…

No Face, her companion, had finally returned. She had thought the bat hawk had been lost in the eruption and found herself comforted that he had not perished. He had even uttered the name of one of her sons from her first litter and, that alone, was enough to have Philly place the request on Cel to stay with her daughter while she went to comb the lands in the west on the off chance that somehow one of her children from her first litter may be out there. It was enough to make her body tremble, desperation pushing her to find any of the three that may still be alive.

Her search lead her to this cavern… the place No Face had reported seeing the brown and tan wolf with a mane. Anxiety welled in her gut at what she may find her, ears flicking back as she started into the cavern alone. No Face would be around outside… but he refused to enter the cavern, lit or not, and warned the she wolf of contact with the mushrooms that gave off the bluish-purple glow.

She searched for a while but… the scents there, for the most part were stale… and those that were fresher belonged to strangers. A sigh passed the she wolf’s lips as she lowered her rump to the ground and lifted her gaze to the stalactites hanging above.

Would she ever see any of her other children again…?

Was she just chasing ghosts at this point?

A soft sigh passed her lips and Philomena closed her eyes.

She knew that, until she saw their still forms, she would not give up hope on seeing Evan, Nau, or Dylas alive. They were her children… no matter what. She would not give up on them no matter how many years passed.

She took a few moments, calming herself with some deep breathing, and let herself collect her thoughts. She didn’t know where they were going from here… if the weeping woods were still unable to be visited it was hardly fair to drag Cel and Meme with her… she’d meant to have a talk with the rainbow male anyway. A better one than their last one…

She opened her eyes and rose, turning as she heard the sound of claws against stone.

She flicked her ears back and became guarded, calling out to the stranger further up the cavern.

“Friend or foe?” Her voice too held a tone of being wary... she couldn't risk herself. Not when she had family to return to.

Speech

Torin had been checking the lands near their borders again when he'd caught the trail of his children, amused he'd followed the trail to the cavern he'd found his sister and father in. Despite himself, he couldn't help a small smile, so this is where they'd gone, and probably why his daughter had been painting when they got back, the glowing flora must have caught their imaginations.

The man entered the cavern, his own curiosity piqued. He entered the cavern and immediately caught another scent, this one was not one of his children though there's were there too, this was that of a stranger. He was about to turn around when he caught the hint of something familiar, mixed among this stranger's scent was that of his nephew, faint and mingled with another unfamiliar wolf but there. Whoever this stranger was had spent a decent amount of time with his wayward nephew, and recently. Torin debated for a moment then started further in, hopeful he might finally get some news about Célestin after so long.

A feminine voice called out to him, obviously as aware of him as he was of her. "Hopefully friend." He called back, picking up his pace a bit, searching the growing dimness for the stranger. "You're not lost are you?" His voice had genuine concern in it. Much as he was eager to ask about his nephew he wanted to make sure the woman wasn't in need first.

Art by Sam2015

When the other called back Philly was relieved that there was no hostility in the voice of the stranger. She remained still for the moment, however, ears flicked a bit with uncertainty. The next thing he asked, she noticed, held a fair amount of concern in his tone… It felt strange, she realized, to have someone outside of those she lived with now care. She allowed her fur to lay flat and began to move in the dim light towards the source of the male voice as she answered.

“Not in the way you may fear.” Philly answered honestly. “My companion led me here after sighting someone I’ve been looking for. It seems that he’s already moved on, however.” She finally caught sight of the pale glow of his eyes and let out a short bark to announce how close they were.

“...and you? Are you lost?” Philomena asked. It was hard to keep the disappointment in not finding her son from her voice. She had come to a stop where she was, taking slow breaths as she tried to gauge who she was dealing with.

Speech

Torin didn't really see the stranger, he could hear movement and her scent grew closer but it wasn't until her bark that he realized how close she'd gotten. Her smell was stronger now and more than before he was sure he hadn't mistaken his nephew's scent. "I'm sorry." He said softly, not really sure how to respond to her comment about looking for someone and losing their trail, he certainly knew what that felt like.

Torin shook his head, then realized that might not be visible. "No I was following an old trail, out of curiosity, not a search." He strained his eyes trying to look over the woman and was curious who it was that his nephew had chosen to spend time with recently... what had happened to Pegasus? "Though I did stumble on a new trail... Y- You wouldn't happen to know a man by the name of Célestin? He's mostly brown with uh, crazy as it sounds, a rainbow on his back?" He had to be sure, he had no way of knowing if his nephew was even still using his name. The hope in his voice was in contrast to the pain in her own.

Art by Sam2015