They'd chosen to travel along the coastline, taking the journey at a good pace. Although there was time for leisure built into the journey (she was nothing if not annoyingly type A) they had made stellar time. Theory was overly pleased with the route she had plotted. She couldn't help herself from looking over her shoulder at Thalia every chance she got, admiring her almost as much as she admired the scenery. This was their first time travelling together for a meaningful amount of time. They hunted as they went and made a bit of a game of it. She was more experienced when it came to taking down marine life, fish especially. The pair ate well and Theory certainly enjoyed their journey, but she still looked to Thalia for reassurance often. Do you like this? Are you having fun? She wanted so badly to be praised it felt nearly embarrassing. "We should be closing in on your lands soon, right?" Theo asked, hoping that she was right. She'd eagerly listened to stories about the Abraxas along the way, trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. The few nights they had spent together along the shoreline had been filled with quiet conversations about god. Theory wasn't a convert but she appreciated the lore for what she thought it was - a very good story.

It'd been too long since Thalia had gone home - since Aureus's funeral, actually - and though it was long overdue she couldn't help but feel uneasy at the thought. Seeing Eligos on her own was one thing, but with Theory by her side? Would Eligos get the wrong impression? Or perhaps that was exactly what he ought to be seeing. Thinking about it too much ended up giving her a headache though and so by the time they were halfway to Aerie's borders she decided to stop thinking about it. Focusing on the journey was easier, and with Theory's company seemed even less daunting than it might be otherwise. Only when they neared her homelands did she feel as though she had been jerked back to reality - like she'd been floating somewhere above her body and suddenly she was back inside it. The feeling was jarring but Theory's company helped settle her. "We're not far now," she acknowledged with a nod. Growing more comfortable with Theory had been a dangerous balance at times; afraid of letting her in too much was counteracted by her desire to please her, and to prove herself. Stories of her family and her God were shared more easily now, though she was always fearful of her beliefs being countered or questioned.. yet somehow Theory simply listened. She'd never convert, Thalia was painfully aware of that and wouldn't even humor the thought of asking her to, but even knowing she was there to listen was somehow enough. At least for now. She slowed by the time they reached Aerie's borders, Thalia hesitating for a long moment before tipping her head to the sky and calling for Eligos to greet them.

Eligos had just stopped by his cave to drop a few freshly killed jackrabbits off for Kida, who snarled at him from the depths of the shadows before he turned away - an understandable reaction from a mother with a new litter. Cypher had, of course, made himself scarce as soon as Kida had come back from her disappearance during her heat, so it had been up to Eligos to care for her once she'd become too obviously pregnant to hunt for herself. He had some ideas for partnering the pups with wolves as they got old enough, much as Kida and Cypher had partnered with him.

He caught a voice on the wind that drew him from his thoughts and lightened his mood. Thalia! He hadn't seen his cousin in far too long. So much had changed that he didn't even know where he'd begin in getting caught up with her.

His mood changed from pleased to quizzical and cautious as he approached enough to see who was with her. Theory Destruction, the alpha of Abaven. He stopped before them somberly, dipping his horn-heavy head to them both. "Thalia. Theory. Is there something wrong?" He thought suddenly of Poem, wondering if something had happened to her, but the tips of his ears flushed hot in embarrassment. Of course it had nothing to do with Poem, neither of them knew how he felt. Not that... he knew how he felt either. But they'd certainly not have come to him if something had happened to her.

It'd been too long since she'd been home. With each step she took toward home she felt anxiety growing where there should've been excitement - not that she wasn't eager to reunite with Eligos, of course she was, but it was drowned out by the overwhelming feeling of nervousness. That wasn't really saying much though, as Thalia had always been an anxious wolf and time hadn't changed that much, she was simply good at hiding it. At least to most wolves. She knew Eligos could sense her unease before others were able to. As she called for him she took in a shaky breath, leaning against Theory as if somehow she might steady her.

Once Eligos came into view the russet-furred woman instinctively pulled away and straightened her posture. It was Eligos, but he looked notably different. Not only did he look older, but he now had... horns. It was a peculiar sight but far from the strangest thing she'd ever seen; she could only take it as a sign. Their God was pleased with the direction Eligos had taken Aerie and He had rewarded them justly. But that was a story for another time, she figured. The sight amused her so thoroughly that it was hard to hold on to her nervousness completely, letting a faint smile touch her lips, though his worried tone grounded her again. "Eligos," she greeted him warmly, with as much warmth as she could ever muster, so glad to see him that she very nearly embraced him.

Instead she simply drew close, giving him a good once-over. "No, nothing is wrong at all, but I've been gone without word for too long - and for that I apologize. You look well, though," she observed. She could only hope the rest of Aerie was faring similarly. They'd suffered too much lost in the past to possibly endure any more hardship. "I wanted to bring Theory to visit, though.." She hadn't told Theory directly of her plans, but her mind had been buzzing with ideas the entire way here. Securing an alliance with Abaven would only be profitable for them both, Thalia was certain of that. "I wanted to facilitate a discussion about a possible alliance between our packs. If you'll humor me, the two of you," Thalia suggested, sounding infinitely more confident than she felt.

This was the only way, she knew that for a fact after a long season or two of mulling over it. This was what was meant to be. This was precisely what Eligos had wanted, from the moment he'd become Aerie's leader. With Abaven's numbers and Aerie's ruthlessness she knew the relationship would be profitable for them both, if only they agreed.

She dipped her head in return as Eligos appeared. He seemed worried, and for a moment she regretted not sending her raven ahead to inform Aerie of their arrival. Theory had been so relieved to have the ice finally melt and relieve them of their exile that they had begun the journey with little preparation. "Eligos! Well met. Nothing is wrong," she demurred before allowing Thalia to take the lead. What followed took her by surprise, but only slightly. The only hint that they hadn't previously discussed this was a slow blink on her behalf. Her eyes turned to Eligos and she gave him a small smile. "Yes. I'd certainly be interested in hearing more from both of you." When Thalia had drawn away from her shoulder a cool breeze had rolled through, only bringing more attention to the absence of her touch. She fought the urge to press her side back to Thalia's, instead shifting her weight back and forth on her front paws until she settled into a comfortable sitting position. Just barely did Theory allow herself to list slightly in Thalia's direction.

Eligos carefully smoothed his expression as Thalia dropped that bombshell on him. An alliance? With Abaven? It hadn't precisely been in his mind to ally with anyone when any Contract they took could very well pit them against an ally. His gaze encompassed the pair of them, the way they'd been pressed shoulder to shoulder until Thalia pulled away, the way Theory leaned towards her naturally even after she'd moved. He had a spike of unease race through him. He hated the thought that crossed his mind, that Thalia had turned her coat after spending so long with the wolves of Abaven. An uncharacteristic flutter of panic touched him. Abraxas were not meant to integrate into the rest of the world. They were meant to be a species apart, superior even as they played nice. Had this been a mistake? It made him suddenly doubt that any of his decisions had been based on solid ground. "An alliance..." he said allowed, tasting each word with care, neutral."What does Abaven offer that would make an alliance worth the potential lost revenue?" While he didn't say it outright, he implied enough, that the lost revenue would come from being unable to accept a Contract against an ally.

The weight of what she'd done - and what she said - suddenly came crashing down on her. All the calm that she'd managed to grasp onto during their trip here suddenly vacated her, replaced with a stirring anxiety that was only growing by the second. Theory seemed interested in her proposition but the way Eli's demeanor shifted made her stomach feel like it was rising in her throat, threatening to spill its contents at her front paws. "I... perhaps I misspoke, cousin," she started, the voice inside her head screaming so loudly she wasn't sure she could even think over it, let alone speak without stumbling. "An agreement. I think we could work out an agreement between our packs. After spending time with Abaven, I see a possibility of a... mutually beneficial relationship." Somewhere down the line she'd lost sight of why she'd come to Abaven but suddenly, faced with the face of Eligos, she remembered: she'd been learning their weakness, learning just what they could exploit, learning how Abaven could benefit Aerie. She just hoped she hadn't ruined everything she'd been working toward. Theory knew she was a wolf of her word, and she hoped she was beginning to realize the power of the Abraxas - she'd even prayed with her recently. Shifting her weight from one paw to the other, her gaze fixed on Eligos, nearly unblinking despite her rising nervousness. If she had stumbled she could only hope he could forgive her and redirect her; her loyalty lay with him, above all else, above everything she felt for Theory. "Eligos, perhaps Theory should rest her paws while we talk for a moment?" Her gaze implored him to accept her offer. She wanted a moment alone with him to talk as much as she feared what he might say to her once Theory was out of earshot.

It felt as if the wind had shifted. Eligos' reaction to Thalia's innocent proposition did not bode well at all. Even before she had tentatively allied with the Armada, Sirius had held each of her sisters captive in turn. The only way to hobble her was through her family. Thalia had certainly learned that by now. "Well, Abaven - " she began, only to have Thalia cut her off. Perhaps I misspoke, cousin. A chill ran through her that had little to do with the encroaching cold weather. Her mouth set in a thin line but otherwise she managed to maintain a neutral body language. Things had spun out of her control. Theory thought they'd finally reached a mutual understanding. They had a bond. They were... in love. What did she have to say to Eligos that she couldn't say in front of her? Quickly patching the cracks that sprung up on her heart, she merely inclined her head a fraction in assent and stepped back. "I'll let you two catch up." Not wanting to further complicate things by inviting herself into the territory to explore, she crept to the edge of the ravine and settled down for however long she'd need to wait. If - and her stomach dropped at the thought, if - Thalia came home with her, it would be a long, long walk back.

Warily, Eligos eyed the pair of them as their excited comraderie seemed to shatter in the face of his cool neutrality. Yes, something was definitely not right. It made his hackles prickle with unease. "Yes," he agreed slowly. "You've had a long journey. I am sure you could use a chance to rest." Despite his polite words, he kept a wary eye on the other alpha to make sure she didn't get too interested in peeping over the border, even as he turned the bulk of his attention to his cousin. "What is this, Thalia?" he asked bluntly when they were alone. He kept his voice down to keep their words from carrying to the nearby Abavan wolf. "You know that an equal partnership with another pack isn't in the cards for Aerie. At any juncture they could be the target of a Contract, and therefore our enemies for a time. If we did ally with them, let them drag us into their petty mortal squabbles to protect them, we would alienate other possibly more lucrative deals. They've always been too soft to truly accept our ways and become a vassel of the Abraxas." He thought then about Poem, about how good her softness had felt beside him as they had worked and travelled together, but he swiftly squashed the memory and turned his head to watch Theory to hide his discomfiture. "Tell me what is really going on here, Thalia..." he added gently, but firmly. She was a spy, after all. Perhaps there was another explanation here that he had missed. Some trick, some scam that was being perpetuated against Abaven. Anything but his beloved cousin going native and working for Abaven.

Theory's shift in mood didn't go unnoticed, but her cousin took nearly all of her attention as they stepped away and out of earshot.  Her voice was low when she finally spoke, though there was a quiver in her tone that spoke of her unease. "Forgive me, cousin. I've spent a long while with Abaven, getting to know Theory and learning her weaknesses. She's even prayed with me, you know. She searches for meaning in a world that she seems to often feel lost in. I know she is not Abraxas, but I was…" Her voice faltered as she searched for the words. "I think I've left quite the impression on her. She respects my beliefs and feels she knows me well. She trusts me deeply. But I think I've been distracted by… the pleasures of the flesh," Thalia admitted carefully. Theory would never mean more to her than her God, than the Abraxas, nor than her family - she couldn't, no matter how she felt. Her devotion was blind even if she had faltered. She could fix this, somehow, she was sure of it. Thalia felt her heart clenching painfully in her chest as she thought of leaving and what she'd be leaving behind. Love- at least a form of it, a thing she'd never known before Theory. Briefly she stole a gaze to Abaven's alpha but it quickly returned to Eligos, as attentive as ever, as her heart shattered into a million pieces. Her stony gaze hid the anguish though, her mind working overtime to fix what she'd done. "I think it is time I come home, cousin. I know we cannot ally with Abaven but I want to keep their trust. I told you I'd do that and I have, tenfold. I don't think I've ruined the work I've put in, but you might have to help mend my… overeagerness. Please. Frame it like I'm needed here more than there, she'll believe you." She'd have to let Theory down gently, but they'd become so intertwined that she didn't know how without making her feel suspicious of what she was doing. Perhaps leaning on her duty to family would be enough.