With the pups weaned, Aslatiel had felt the need to take a walk. A long walk. Leaving the children in the care of their respective followers, the young Fatalis found her paws leading her north. Thoughts of the tall, dark brute that she'd shared a breathtaking night with had entered her thoughts regularly. Perhaps she would find Ocean while she was up this way. They could have a repeat performance. Maybe that would help erase the sadness that was lodged more deeply in her now than it had been on the night of their meeting.

He'd mentioned something about his pack being in the northern reaches of the land. Incensed? Incarcium? Something like that. With no doubts that she could hold her own, the Reaper made her way towards a forest of pines. Closing her eyes, Asla inhaled deeply, enjoying the rich tang that the coniferous trees put into the air. There weren't enough pines where she lived. She'd always enjoyed the smell and sight of them.

In time, the richness of the forest scent was tinged with something else. The smell of wolf trails crisscrossed back and forth and Asla followed them until she came to a marked border. The cream and grey fae seated herself outside of the border, pulling up a patch of sun that filtered down to warm the dark stripes on her coat and ears. Once settled, she howled, requesting the presence of Ocean. Hopefully he still lived here.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Chrystelle wandered through the trees with the bag she carried to collect herbs in, moving slowly through the pine forest so she would be sure to not miss any plant life that might be of some use. Back when she had been sick and unable to leave the den much she hadn't minded the northern lands. Plus, it had been where her mother was and that was all that really mattered to her at the time. Now that she was able to move around more, able to go out and gather herbs on her own, and really understood how scarce supplies were up here she had come to dislike it more and more. Not only that, but the air was constantly cold no matter what time of year and her lungs always ached. She was constantly struggling to be out of her room for more than short stints of time. Living here wasn't doing her any favors.

But her few remaining pieces of family were here. Well... Sometimes. She hadn't had much contact with her siblings despite the fact that they lived in the same pack. Except for Ocean. Ever since the day that she found him cut up and so broken from the loss of the woman he had cared about she had felt very attached to her brother. He left briefly from time to time, but he was the only one she could count on to be with her consistently. As she walked near the pack borders, she looked out toward the lands that laid beyond it and felt trapped. She knew that there was technically no rules saying she couldn't leave to go find herbs or the like, but she was afraid of going on her own. She was afraid of wearing herself out and not being able to get home. But she also didn't want to bother anyone by asking them to help her, too worried that she might have to have them carry her home or something like that. She couldn't even bring her to ask Ocean.

A howl a short distance from her broke her inner debating and worrying, making her head turn toward the unexpected sound. For a moment she almost went the opposite direction, knowing that it wasn't her place to answer calls at the border, but then she stopped when she realized whoever it was had called for Ocean. She hesitated, curiosity nagging at her. Who could be here looking for Ocean? The quiet woman finally forced herself forward, walking along the border until she came across a small woman, tan, gray, and white in coloring with thinner green markings. Chrystelle hung back for a moment, watching her curiously. She caught the woman's scent on the breeze, her brows pulling together when she noticed that her scent was from a different pack. She couldn't even hazard a guess at which one since she had never gone farther than the lands that immediately surrounded theirs, but it made her wonder why someone from another pack would be here at all, much less looking for her brother.

She continued forward, her ears flicking back uncertainly. It was very out of character for her to walk up to a stranger, but in the brief time before her brother appeared she felt like she needed to investigate just a bit. Somewhere deep down there was a worry that something might take Ocean away, but she tried not to consider that as a possibility as she came to greet the stranger. "Hel-" she began and had to stop, clearing her throat a bit and she drew air air into her lungs that were already sore and achey from the time she had spent outside this morning. "Sorry... Hello. I'm Chrystelle, Ocean's sister," she said quietly with a small dip of her head. Now that she was here she didn't really know what she wanted to say or ask, her ears folding back again. "You're... looking for Ocean?"

"Chrystelle"

Ocean remained quiet as he mourned his loss. There wasn’t a day that went by when Motif didn’t cross his mind, but now there was another that distracted him from his deeply sad thoughts. Aslatiel. The woman he met last season, the one he’d shared with how much he loved the girl who died. The one who would never see how he felt about her. Unleashing those emotions on a stranger had been a relief as much of an exhilaration. Those thoughts touched his mind as he saw to daily duties. Dark paws carried him over the border path as he made his way on a patrol. More to clear his mind than search for danger.

As Aslatiel crossed his mind he almost couldn’t believe he heard her voice. Ocean was made to pause as his silver eyes searched the direction the voice came from. Still uncertain if it really was that special woman Ocean began to lope in that direction. He wouldn’t wish to keep her waiting if she had by some miracle come all the way here to see him. Even Motif had never made the trip from Abaven… He tried to banish the thought before the next one formed. He’d already had his doubts and he had no desire to foster the painful paths his mind could take.

Ocean could hardly believe his eyes when he saw Aslatiel at the border, and Chrystelle already arrived to greet her. He banished the romantic thoughts that clouded his mind as he was sobered by his sibling’s presence. She had helped him through his sorrow as well, as much as she could. Anything he needed all he had to do was ask.

Silver eyes barely left Aslatiel’s beautiful scarred features as he slowed to s top next to Chrystelle. ”Hello again, Asaltiel.” Oce’s voice was warm and almost dreamy as he greeted her. He wasn’t certain the why of her appearance, he’d told her she could find him whenever she wanted but he hadn’t expected her to take him up on his offer. She was a high ranked wolf in a rival pack, what would make him so worthy of her presence? He couldn’t begin to imagine, but he wasn’t surprised at how happy he felt to see her now. Enough that tears began to form at the corners of his silver gaze.

Rather than Ocean, a woman answered her call. She was larger than Asla, of course. Damn near everyone was. It didn't phase her though. She was surrounded by giants every day. As the black and grey fae drew near and began to speak, Asla grinned. So this was his sister. Would she be as protective of her brother as Asla was of her own? "Good to meet you, Chrystelle. I am indeed looking for Ocean." Just as she was about to introduce herself when her own voice was carried to her on the wind.

Ocean approached and just seeing him brought a true smile to Asla's face. Now that he'd come up beside his sister, the smaller woman turned her attention back to the larger. "Aslatiel Fatalis; Reaper of the Armada." As her galactic gaze rested upon the big man's face, she noted the wetness in his eyes. Asla's brow gave a sympathetic wrinkle before she motioned for him to come forward with a pull of her skull.

She remembered the emotions that they had shared together. Remembered the pain and sorrow, rage and confusion, hopelessness and loneliness. She remembered how they had taken all of it and turned it into something different. Something beautiful and filled with passion. There would forever be a soft spot within Aslatiel's heart for the black and grey man.

Once he was in front of her, Asla smiled up at him, hiding the endless pain that had been plaguing her since their parting. She had been sad before, but it was nothing compared to what she had been dealing with in the interim. "I needed to get away from the pack for a while and I wanted to see you." Reaching up with one white-toed paw, she gently brushed the wetness from first one sweet, silver eye, then the next.

To keep from making things awkward for Chrystelle, Asla turned her attention back to the black and grey fae. "Ocean and I met seasons ago. We helped one another through some difficult times. I've been thinking of him since. Worried about whether or not he was okay." The cream and grey fae smiled again. "I'm glad to see that he's doing well and that he has family to be with." One paw had moved forward to settle upon one of Ocean's much larger paws.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Chrystelle watched the smaller woman curiously as she returned her greeting, confirming what she already knew about the fact that she was here to see Ocean. She spoke so easily and so confidently that Chrystelle surprised herself with a bit of envy that creeped up in her gut. Her mother hadn't been a shy woman and Severine at least certainly had more boldness about her than Chrystelle did - something that she wished she had more of. Her brother appeared beside her moments later before she could ask anything else and she glanced up at him, taken aback by the look on his face. His gaze was fixed on this woman, scarcely even glancing at her as he spoke in this warm, familiar way. He looked... happy, which wasn't an expression that she hadn't seen on him for as long as she could remember.

Her ears flicked uncertainly as the stranger introduced herself as Aslatiel and gave her rank - which Chrystelle assumed was a prominent one - within a pack called Armada. She watched Ocean move toward her as she beckoned him, her brother seemingly entranced by this woman. She shifted her gaze away from the pair as Aslatiel reached up to wipe away tears from her brother's face, her face flushing as she suddenly felt extremely out of place and silently wishing she hadn't come to this call that had been intended for her brother. For a moment she wondered if either of them would even notice if she turned and slipped away, but then Aslatiel addressed her, pulling her amber gaze up from the ground once more as she received the explanation of how they had met and helped each other and how she had been worried about him. Her gaze shifted to Ocean as if she was looking for some kind of confirmation, but she could already tell she was being truthful by the way he reacted to her.

She couldn't quite untangle the ball of emotion squeezing at her gut as she glanced between the two of them. There was something akin to envy from the way that Aslatiel carried herself and how she had seemingly brightened Ocean's demeanor so easily while she had been desperately trying so help him for so long. There was a panic that Ocean would want to be with her, that he would leave to be with her and chase this happiness. But there was also a heavy guilt that quickly followed - a guilt over the fact that she could see Ocean so clearly enraptured with someone and all she could worry about was herself. If he had a chance at happiness and a chance to free himself of this place she should let him have it... no matter how much it hurt.

"I see," she replied, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Well... I guess I should be go-" A tickle in her throat caught mid sentence, turning away as her lungs betrayed her and she was thrown into a fit of coughing. She at least kept her face turned away from them till she was able to get them under control again, breathing an uneasy sigh. She was exhausted and she tried to blame it on the morning she had been unsuccessfully trying to find herbs and the harsh effects of the northern air on her, but it was hard to deny that this overwhelming wave of emotions didn't also take its toll.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly, doing her best and failing to keep the wheeze away from her voice. She didn't risk speaking any more then, instead turning back toward the ship and beginning to make her way slowly back to her room so she could at least warm up and make scrounge together some kind of herbs to help. Herbs were so few and far between that she very rarely treated herself, but on days like today when her symptoms continued to flare she didn't really have much choice.

"Chrystelle"

Aslatiel’s features shifted as he approached, a smile lit up her face and Ocean was almost surprised to see it. Like she felt a similar flare in her chest just as he did. The memory of their night together was never far from his mind, she didn’t remind him of Motif but she did remind him of everything he lost. It didn’t feel like he was hopeless anymore though, that loss had led to something almost magic. His sorrow led him to her, and Aslatiel knew the true scope of his loss, something that he could never show to Chrys. Mostly because she truly did not deserve that burden from him.

Oce looked towards Chrystelle for reassurance before his huge paws brought him forward into Asla’s reach. He leaned forward and lowered his head as her paw reached up to his silver embossed cheek. He leaned into the simple sign of affection, touched that she had made the trip all the wya here just to see him. Ocean never felt very special, especially after losing his parents so young. He’d never been singled out or told he was worth anything like this sweet attention Aslatiel gave him.

He had clung to Chrystelle like she was his liferaft, and really she had been. What might he have done to himself if she hadn’t found him broken after losing Motif? Chrys reminded him of his will to live, and Aslatiel had come along and reignited a passion for life. His mind turned along the same lines as Asltiel’s and he shifted slightly as she explained their meeting to his sister, who at this point looked like he had struck her. He felt Aslatiel’s paw over his own but instinctively he moved towards her.

Oce knew his sister well, he could see the plethora of emotions that raced over her features as she experienced them. After everything they’d been through his heart felt even more broken at the thought of making his sister upset. She had been his whole world for so long, surely she knew he wouldn’t abandon her, not even for an amazing experience like what Asla gave him. ”Chrys, don’t…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence when his sister began to cough almost uncontrollably.

Worry creased his brow and Oce closed the distance between them, offering his shoulder for her to lean on as her body rebelled. She needed to get back to the den and rest, but he didn’t want her to go with this hanging over their heads. ”Don’t be sorry.” He said again, aiming to nuzzle her neck. ”Are you okay? Can I do anything?” Aslatiel wasn’t forgotten, but surely she could understand his concern for his poor sister.

Her presence seemed to bother Chrystelle and Aslatiel understood. She was able to put herself in the other woman's pawprints. Some foreign female, coming out of nowhere to meet her brother. Hell, Aslatiel had been thinking about murdering her own brother's band for the crime of touching Indigo. She didn't have to worry about that now. There was a rift there that she had created. A rift that she wasn't sure could ever be mended.

Chrystelle began to cough in the middle of speaking and Asla rose to her paws, ready to help if needed. A look of concern creased her brow. The black and grey fae hadn't seemed unhealthy. When Ocean left her side to tend to his sister, Asla understood. If the woman was unwell, then she needed to be tended to. Without any argument or hurt feelings, Aslatiel turned and made her way out and away from the border. If Ocean wished, he would be able to find her later.

As Aslatiel walked, she began to think. If Chrystelle was having difficulty breathing in such a cold environment... wouldn't it then make sense to live in a warmer climate? Perhaps she would broach the subject with Ocean. Perhaps they would both come back to the Armada with her. The thought was a surprisingly happy one.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Chrystelle did her best to hide how much her childhood illness still affected her and for the most part she was pretty successful in that pursuit. She kept to herself on days where her symptoms flared the worst or on days where she knew she was going to be out hunting for herbs or doing something else that might aggravate her damaged lungs. It was a very, very rare occasion where she might get into a coughing fit like this in front of her brother purely because she didn't want to worry him. She did everything she could to make sure that he didn't have any additional stress or concerns when he was already dealing with so much of his own. Aslatiel's visit had been a surprise so she hadn't had a moment to prepare and take anything that might have prevented this from happening. She knew she should have just kept her nose out of it so this situation wouldn't have happened to begin with, but her curiosity and her dependance on keeping Ocean in her life drove her here anyway.

Now she couldn't hide it and was embarrassed not only that Ocean had to see him like this but also this stranger that he seemed so smitten with. Her ears fell back against her head as he came up beside her, his shoulder against her own. She couldn't make herself lift her gaze to meet his even has he nuzzled her neck and asked if there was anything he could do. She gave a little shake of her head, not because she was denying his help, but because she genuinely didn't know what to do or how to even help herself - much less being able to tell Ocean what he could do to help her. "I just haven't had any treatments today... that's all," she assured him softly, leaning gently into his side. She had already accepted that she wasn't ever going to be fully healed. At this point it was just minimizing the symptoms and trying to keep herself from coughing too badly, but even that had been hard to do lately.

"Herbs are hard to find around here," she mentioned, pausing to clear her throat. "So I try not to use them every day." She didn't want to admit that wasn't even certain if she had any left that would help her current state, but she knew just getting back to her room where she could get out of the cold wind would help. She wrestled with the guilt she felt over pulling him away from his guest so she pulled a smile onto her lips and looked up at him again. "You should go back to her. I'm okay," she insisted even though she knew it was at least partially a lie, giving his shoulder a small nudge. She wanted to see him happy again even if it meant giving him up in the process. It never occurred to her that there could be a possibility that she could leave with him. Ocean was big and strong. There was at least a chance that he could fight for his freedom if he wanted to go. That wasn't something Chrystelle couldn't even dream of doing.

"Chrystelle"

He had to give his attention to Chrystelle, her struggles suddenly obvious there before him. He was conflicted though, he felt that similar draw to Aslatiel and his desires were strong. She gave him an outlet for the love and adoration that he was never able to give the girl he fell in love with. They shared an instant connection in the suffering they both felt, and she proved he was worth something when she appeared at the border. Oce was focused on his ailing sister, but he didn’t miss that Aslatiel was carefully turning away.

He was never truly aware of how sick Chrys really was, despite living close to each other she kept him blissfully unaware, until this moment. He could see how much she was struggling now despite her efforts to downplay how she was affected. Of all wolves he knew best how much her herb stores were dwindling, in addition to the long winter Chrys couldn’t even get out to gather herbs that had managed to grow. If she hadn’t had a treatment today it was likely because she was very nearly out of her life saving herbs.

Very suddenly Oce realized how close he was to losing the one he had left. He and Chrystelle clung to each other here in the north after losing everything. Their parents were gone and their siblings might as well have been. She assured him she was alright, and in a show of selflessness she urged him to return to Aslatiel’s side. The woman had come to steal him away for a while, something he needed more than he realized.

”Come with me, Chrys.” He urged her softly. If he had to Ocean would carry his sister southwards to get warmer air into her lungs, at least for a little while. She was so much more important than his baser desires. Oce wanted Aslatiel but he wanted Chrystelle to breathe easier more. He looked back to Aslatiel, realizing now she was walking away. ”Aslatiel…” He called after her, realizing at that moment he would do absolutely anything to make Chrys better. ”We have to get out of here.” Pain raced across his features, but it wasn’t because of his grief. Those feelings had blinded him to his sister’s strife, now he saw the truth. They couldn’t stay here in the North, they couldn’t remain in the place they were born, they couldn’t remain where they buried their parents. They had to leave so she could live.

It only took Ocean calling her name to have Aslatiel stop in her tracks. She turned her head first, seeing him approach, Chrystelle in tow. His pleading words met her ears and Asla merely nodded. Looking past him to the black and grey fae, Asla spoke. "It might be easier for you to breathe somewhere warmer. This cold air makes your lungs tight, I hear." After she had almost died in mid winter, trapped beneath the ice and water of the falls, she'd gotten sick and had issues with breathing. Staying warm had been the key. Perhaps it would be the key for Chrystelle as well.

Asla seated herself and had a little think. They would have to go about this the right way. "Will your alpha let you leave?" She wondered if the man or woman was a reasonable sort. Some packs allowed members to leave as long a they were notified. Others forced their members to challenge for the right to leave. Aslatiel didn't believe in that. Why keep wolves that didn't trust you enough to stay with you? It was absurd.

"Either way, I can meet with them if you'd like. If you're willing, I'll take you both with me." A brother and sister couldn't be separated. A pang of pain throbbed within Aslatiel's chest, but she slid the mask back in place. She couldn't think about Indigo now. She just couldn't. She had to focus.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"