Where was the girl? She had not been in Seracia with the others, as she did not return with the other pups. Chrysanthe had taken Odette in as something of a niece, but now she was worried - she wasn't quite sure where she was. Without parents to care for her she had done well, but the alpha didn't want her to have to live that way anymore. Already, she welcomed the little female to visit Valhalla whenever she wanted, but perhaps the girl would join her and take the pack up as her new home? So young, she probably had wandering paws regardless, and Chrysanthe herself had once been the same way before Collision had created Valhalla here... but she had done most of her growing within Valhalla, alongside her family and friends.


It was a life she wanted Odette to at least try, but first she had to find the pup!


When Seracia had been a bust, she had started her trek home, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign or scent of the pup she had in mind. At the moment, it seemed to be nearly hopeless - but she wouldn't give up. As vast as Alacritia was, she doubted that Odette would make it her goal to meander to places too unknown. Chrysanthe considered her family, and despite her being caught up in various struggles as of late, she wanted to care for the girl. "Odette?" The half blind woman would glance from one side of the valley to the next, watching for movement as she called out to her niece. Her lips would twitch at the following silence, but she would continue into the grassy valley, placing her faith in a small whiff of a scent she had smelled quite a bit earlier on.

She had been travelling around Alacritis for over half a year, still looking for the right place to be. The memories of her parents were fading, but she couldn't help but hold onto one particular morning she had shared with her family. Oracle and Galahad were awake with her before the sun had risen and their father had been awoken by the rude yelling of Oracle's voice in his ear. It seemed so long ago, but she remembered the happiness that radiated from her small form as they raced across the warm, sandy beach. That day was the beginning of her independence crave and now she fed it every time she went somewhere new. As the memory disappeared from her mind for the moment, she thought about Oracle and Galahad. She missed her litter mates with every fiber of her being, but she didn't know if they would be at home or out and about like her. The last time she had been back to the Cove, she had come across a wolf by the name of Neo. His large form stood tall in her mind and she couldn't help but grin. He was definitely a different kind of person she had ever met. She let her mind dwindle on him for a bit before she opened her eyes. The young pup had been dozing beneath the bare branches of a pine. It was located on the edge of the Emerald Valley, a neighboring site of Valhalla. For some reason, she had been pulled back to the landscape that screamed 'Peace and prosperity' when she walked upon it. Even though her Aunt Chrysanthe had given her permission to come and visit, she hadn't used the invitation to her advantage. War had been going on with the pack against Glaciem and Odette knew she wasn't fit for such a sight. At her age, she was weak and didn't know how to fight. Odette planned to work on that before her second year of being alive. She wanted power, and with power came strength. Her thoughts danced around the ideas of her standing tall against a powerful male cloaked in shadow when her name danced on the winds. Like a knife, it sliced through her desiring image and she focused on the word uttered like a question. Someone was looking for her...but who? The voice held familiarity, feminine and gentle... "Aunt Chrys..." she whispered as her ears perked and her whole body rose to a stand. It couldn't be? Shouldn't she have been at war still? What was going on? It became more real when Chrysanthe's scent hit her nose like a brick. Happiness and excitement rolled down Odette's body, reaching down her lanky legs to her toes. She didn't waste any time as the scent started to wane, indicating Chrysanthe was moving away from her. Odette leaped across the gnarled root on the earth's surface and bounded through the snow-tipped grass. From an eagle's view, the trail she left behind caused the snow to rise and fall from the blades being disturbed. Odette was big enough to where the top of her head, back, and the beginning of her tail could be seen. She enjoyed the brief, cold encounters of the snow as they whipped her face and stroked the parts of her pelt they could reach. Her body was built for the cold climates, but she hadn't been able to experience it...yet. The chilled effects she felt from the surrounding wintery atmosphere was only a taste of what her future home would be like. Odette didn't want to yell out her aunt's name, not until she had a visual aide to prove that she was physically there. She found a log piece that stood alone in the valley and gave herself a boost with front paws pushing up for her to look above the grass. In the distance to her far left, Odette could see a white form with a red face walking through the grass like it was water. That was all the proof she needed, for she sang out "AUNT CHRYSANTHE!!" in tones mixed with excitement and tearful relief. Descending from her mount, Odette raced through the remaining distance between her and the female at a gallop, aiming in a straight line for the woman's front right shoulder. Within a matter of seconds, Odette's body collided with the Valhallen. Gargoyle's offspring was bigger now, making her weight heavier than the last time she had seen the red-faced leader. She accidentally put too much force into her collision, so she immediately pulled back in case her aunt lost her balance from the surprise tackle. Her red and blue eyes looked up at Chrysanthe with shimmering tears that threatened to fall down her gray cheeks. Odette only had to blink once and they fell, cascading into her fur like streams set free from a dam. Excitement mixed with that emotional relief swept through the seven-month-old as she waited to see if Chrysanthe would regain her composure before nuzzling her neck hard. She reclined to her haunches, slender like Ocena's, as she buried her head into the spot where she had just nuzzled her aunt. "Aunt Chrys.." she whimpered, voice muffled by the winter coat that graced the Alpha's body, "Please tell me this is real. If you are just my imagination, I won't be able to take it!" Talk like this

It seemed that she had lost the trail among the snow, and that she had miscalculated when tracking the girl to this location. Relying heavily on her nose, she was bound to come across an error like this a few more times. With a sigh the alpha would admit temporary defeat, but she would not give up on Odette. The girl was out there, she was close - she had to be. And still there was always the fear as to who would find her if she failed to. What if a Glaciem found her and claimed her for the ice prick's pack? Or if she was murdered by a malicious rogue, or worse! They were the typical worries of a parent or guardian, and Chrysanthe had to fight back the panic somehow. In the end, she would pick up her pace and begin searching again, as long as she had strength in her and a lead, albeit small, she would search.


It would be little less than a miracle that the girl would respond to her call. At first she doubted that she was really there - but the girl's frame could be seen sticking out of the snow, her gold and black fur a stark contrast to all of the white. The woman would gasp, and her lips would pull into a grin as the girl bolted toward her. Chrysanthe would brace herself for the impact, her tail wagging behind her, before Odette would crash into her. She had thought nothing of it at first, but in the moments that the girl was airborne she noted just how much she had grown since she last saw her.


And well, by then it was too late!


She would stumble, holding back a bit of laughter as she did, but she would manage to recover quickly, and smile down at the girl who was now looking up at her. Odette's eyes were glistening, and she nearly responded with tears herself as they fell from the girl's eyes. Instead she would return Odette's affection and nuzzle the girl back, relief flooding her system at seeing her all in one piece and unclaimed by anyone that could do her harm. She was safe. "It's me - I promise. Did that mean Odette had been searching for her too? You gave me quite a scare yourself, Odette. I thought you had gone to Seracia with the other children, but when I visited you weren't there." Her words would come out somewhat rushed, but with relief opposed to the panic she had felt before. "I was worried about you!" The woman would move to place a few kisses to the girl's head, before sighing one last time, and releasing the worry she had felt along with the puff of frozen air. "I missed you." And she wouldn't have to any longer.


"Where on earth have you been?!" She would ask through smiling lips, and curiosity brimmed through watery eyes. Surely the girl had been on a few adventures while she was out on her own. The alpha was just glad that she had managed to stay out of trouble. "You've grown quite a bit while you were gone." At that she would hold back a snicker - she had experienced that first hand - gargoyle had been nothing short of massive, something like Collision, right?

Odette had pulled back her face from having it buried in Chrysanthe's fur as the female spoke and asked questions regarding the changes of the pup. It was true: she was growing up and at a faster rate than she anticipated. Chrysanthe spoke of Seracia and a quizzical look appeared on the young lady's face. "Aunt Chrysanthe, I didn't even think of going there. I have never set hide nor paw on their territory, nor do I know anyone that comes from the pack..." The confused look evaporated like her exhalations as she began to explain her reasoning. "I didn't know I could go there. Are they an alliance or something?" Despite travelling more than her litter mates, she was still small-minded about the packs of Alacritis. In due time, perhaps that would change. Her ears flattened at the words that came from Chrysanthe's lips next: 'I was worried about you! I have missed you.' She accepted the kisses placed on her forehead and shivered slightly as the wet spots quickly became cool against her skin. Guilt flushed across Odette's tan cheeks, making a light pink shine across her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I meant that much to you..." It was an honest statement, however heartbreaking it was to hear. Blinking up at her aunt with ears still flat, she said, "I hope that you didn't worry yourself sick. I didn't stay around Valhalla because I knew that a war was going to break out and I didn't want to get involved...I'm not grown up or strong enough to fight like you." It was then that she noticed the blind eye with the light pink scar slashed across the socket. "War can change a wolf, can't it, Aunt Chrys?" This question was voiced in a whisper, for she was afraid of the answer. Chrysanthe continued to ask where she had been and immediately her eyes lit up. The tears had faded, even though their streams had frozen in her cheek's fur. Ears rose from her dark gray cranium as she began to think of the many wolves she had met since her first encounter with Valhalla. "Oh, Aunt Chrysanthe, where do I start?" Her voice was filled with the memories that came with the inquiry and she had a faraway look in her eyes. "I met a few wolves since leaving...but I didn't meet any evil ones." If she had, the pup would have left. "Meili from Valhalla -- she taught me how to hunt...Seth, but I am not sure where he came from..." The look in her eyes changed as she turned her gaze to the red-faced female in front of her. "I came across a lady named Aurora and she was from Ludicael. I wanted her to stay with me at Mama and Papa's den, but she said that she had to protect her pack, so I slept next to her in a burrow she made beneath a set of willow roots." Odette's rump rose from the ground, tail wagging slowly behind her. "That was fun, because I had never done that...I had to leave her, though. I wanted to see if my family had returned to the beach..." Her head sadly hung, eyes facing the dead grass beneath her paws. "They still haven't come back, Aunt Chrys..." Slowly, she raised her head and spoke again. "I also met a few men. One was named Friction and he smelled like you. He was looking for herbs and I helped him." A smile crossed her face and she giggled. "He reminded me of Papa, except he wasn't as big as him. Then I met Fermin, a man who was able to help me learn how to spar...I can't WAIT to do that one day. I want to do it all the time when I get bigger." Her eyes sparkled as she completed her list. "They were very nice people, Aunt Chrysanthe, but none of their company were like yours.." And with that, Odette nuzzled her own Adravendi before pulling back again to quickly add, "I feel like I have grown, too. The ground is not as close and I am hungry all the time when I used to want only a little bit." Her eyebrows rose as she looked up at the female in front of her again. "I sure hope that's a sign of me getting bigger because I don't want to eat if it's bad for me." To be polite at the last minute, she slipped in, "By the way, you have grown, too. You've gotten prettier." As was what should happen for her own Adravendi -- vanity ran a little bit in her blood. Talk like this

Ah, so she hadn't stuck around in Valhalla as long as she had thought - she hadn't been there to know where to go as a child, and had wandered off on her own. That explained a lot - she hadn't given her specific instructions on what to do when the pack went to war, but she had stayed out of trouble herself. "The Matthias own the territory, and our families are close. If you ever want to visit it's near the heart of the south." She would explain a bit, giving Odette another place to check out should she want to do a bit of exploring or meet some new wolves. It seemed like she was enough of an explorer to run with the information.


The woman was surprised though, that the girl didn't believe that she was someone that the alpha would miss. She had told her she was family - but it was then that Chrysanthe realized that the girl had little family to call her own. How was she to measure the meaning or the bond without much prior experience? Perhaps she could give her a bit of insight then. "I'm glad you left when you did, war is no place for a child." She didn't want to scare Odette, but there was no way to pretty up the answer to her question. "It can, very much. But you can grow from any experience." She would see past this injury and learn to live with it, of that she was sure. "This will heal with time." At the very least it would be a little less garish than it was now.


Finally, it would seem that the woman would ask the right question, and she couldn't help but smile as Odette's eyes lit up at the chance to tell of her travels. Chrysanthe was more than happy to listen for a bit, and she would take note of those that Odette had met as best she could. Meili she knew - the woman was an excellent hunter and a good friend of Gael's. As for Aurora, she had some ties with Ludicael that she would have to strengthen or cut off herself - but she knew that many of the wolves there were good natured. If she met up with the woman in question she would thank her for taking care of Odette - even if it was just for a little while.


"Patience Odette." She would nudge the girl slightly as she hung her head with thoughts of her lost family. Perhaps if she just kept waiting, they would return. The snow rogues were all about family, weren't they? Friction... the man had been scarce since she had failed his daughter - the alpha wondered where he was now. After meeting all of these wolves, Chrysanthe would worry somewhat that the girl would grow restless within Valhalla. Maybe there wouldn't be enough to explore, or she would want to meet wolves that she was unacquainted with... but the girl silenced most of her worries with a nuzzle and a kind, sincere statement that no child would bother lying about.


"If you're hungry, we can hunt for something here, this Valley is good hunting ground. You're growing up not getting fatter - promise." She would tease, her lips pulling into a slight grin. The girl was lovely, she took the best traits from either of her parents, hadn't she? The alpha blushed slightly though, not expecting the compliment - as she was rather sure she was done growing and only looked a bit fluffier and a bit more mangled since they had last met. And yet Odette had seen something in her change, and she thought it was pretty. It was enough to pull a sheepish look onto her Aunt's face. "Thank you dear." It meant quite a bit coming from her.


"Odette, my niece - I want you to know something, alright?" She would not let Odette go on thinking that she was some far off barely thought of family to her. The woman had a lot of it - more than she could constantly stay on top of - but she would do anything she could for each and every member. Odette was definitely no exception. "You're already my niece, but would you... like to be my daughter?" It was somewhat of a big step - and she was a touch nervous that she would break the bond she had with this girl if she didn't ask her correctly. "Gideon and I don't have children yet, and I'm not trying to replace your own family - but I want to teach you how to hunt and fight, and for you to stay with me in my dens and come to me whenever you need something." An aunt, a sister, all of those things would do - but there was something different about her relationship with Odette that she knew was there but had yet to act upon.


There was no guarantee that she would be good at being a parent, especially with Odette nearly old enough to make all of her own decisions. Yet she wanted to try, and try she would if it was something that the girl wanted. "It would make you an Adravendi too." She didn't have to drop her old last name if she had one - only add Adravendi to what she already had.

After telling her aunt all of the experiences she had from just those six months of travelling, it was Odette's turn to listen. Chrysanthe didn't waste any time with what she had to ask. The fact was, it was what the question meant that made Odette's realization blinker turn off in her mind. The proposition for her to be the Alpha's daughter made her eyes widen. Of course, she was Gargoyle and Ocena's daughter by blood and she would always claim them as her parents. That didn't seem to be a problem for her aunt, though...and it wouldn't be one for Odette, either. A few seconds after Chrysanthe spoke, Odette was able to find her voice. "Aunt Chrysanthe...you're asking me to be your daughter? And you will be my mama...wow..." She looked to the ground a few inches away from the female's foot, thinking about how her future would pan out from this proposal. It wasn't long before Odette raised her head, eyes of red and blue meeting the singular light blue opt of the russet-furred lady. Once their gazes met, Chrysanthe added that she would become an Adravendi. It was the icing on the cake and Odette's response was a happy bark. "Yes, Aunt Chrysanthe. I would love it if you became my mother..." She rose from her seat on the cold ground and her tail started to wag very fast. Snow that hadn't stuck to the grass flew in a fan-like arch from the impact of wind Odette made with her tail, but she didn't care. Odette turned in a happy circle, barking in short, light yips that showed her excitement. Upon finishing a complete 360, Odette padded to Chrysanthe and nuzzled her neck with a tender movement. Her eyes closed and she let the warmth from the Alpha's offer and body sweep over her. Tears of joy began to seep from her closed eyelids before slipping out into her fur. The emotions she felt were overwhelming and Odette let them flow. Ocena's personality showed in the tears that were shed. The Gargoyle mini-me pulled back and looked up to Chrysanthe with the tears still shining in her opts. "I will have you as my mother, as well as a teacher for what I will need to know to survive...and Uncle Gideon? He will be my father?" She leaned her head to the side and gave a concerned look. "Do you think he will like me?" The question was serious, but then again, it wasn't a big deal. Chrysanthe was going to be her mother!! She laughed weakly and a wet smile appeared on her face. "Being an Adravendi will be an honor...Mother." She tried out the title for her aunt and immediately felt warmth towards it. "You don't know how happy you have made me, Mother." Her smile brightened at the title and she blinked back the tears that were still poised in her eyes. "I don't know what else to say..." Talk like this

She would wait for the girl's answer, a bit more nervous than she liked to be or to admit. But when she finally yipped her reply, the woman couldn't help but beam. Seeing Odette this happy was absolutely contagious, and although she was the last of her siblings to have children of her own, she was a mother now. Odette was a teenager, she could wander on her own and make some of her own choices, but at the end of the day she would look to her if she ever needed anything - she had a daughter and although she hadn't expected it at the beginning of the day she couldn't be happier with that fact.


The girl moved to give a little nuzzle and Chrysanthe would dip her head to meet her, her tail wagging gently behind her. To think that her little niece would grow so much, and to imagine that she would get so attached to her in a few surprised meetings. This time though was different, and she never had to let the girl go. And it seemed that Odette was just as happy to stay, and the woman moved to lick her tears away before the girl moved back and looked up at her with her mismatched gaze.


Gideon... he shouldn't mind taking in a little girl. She couldn't imagine him shunning her baby, although it might take some convincing for him to consider her his daughter too. Bloodlines were important to Adravendi - and they seemed to be important to the Matthias too. Lucky for her, she had taken the more impromptu Matthias as her own. "Yes that does make Gideon your father - and I'm sure he'll love you." She would answer with a smile, honest with her statement because with a little time and persuasion at most he would warm up to the girl she was sure. Hearing Odette call her mother made her chest swell with happiness and pride - the girl's apparent speechlessness brought a small chuckle from her lips. "I'm honored to have such a strong girl as my daughter."


"You'll meet a lot of your new family in Valhalla - you have plenty of cousins, and aunts and uncles to meet. Your grandmother is there too." Erani was probably starting to wonder whether she'd see grandchildren from Chrysanthe at this point. Odette wouldn't be her first grandchild, but she would be the first to live in Valhalla with her. She knew the healer would take to the girl well - she was close to her daughter's birth family when they were around. "We can meet them after a bit of hunting?" She would be calling a meeting once they got home - it was time to move Valhalla to their new home and start the next chapter of their lives.


For the first time in a while, Chrysanthe felt like she had quite a bit to look forward to.

It was all so wonderful and happening at a pace Odette was enjoying. She was now the adopted daughter of Chrysanthe, and even if Gargoyle and Ocena came back, she would introduce the russet-faced female as her mother. The family she dreamed of surrounding herself with was becoming more and more a reality and she didn't know what to do except embrace all of the unknown shadows in her mindset. Soon, she hoped, they would all come to light. Odette's eyes met Chrysanthe's as she spoke of Gideon accepting her. "That will be great," she said happily, tail continuing to wag in the same manner. "I have only met him once, but he seems really nice." She hoped he was because if she came to find out her mother had married someone who treated her wrong, she wouldn't hold back. Odette folded the image away and proceeded to grin at the chance to have a grandmother. "Really? That is something I have never been able to imagine...A grandmother? Wow." If she sounded redundant, she didn't mean to. Everything was just one surprise after another. Meeting the rest of the family would indeed be interesting. Her mother then brought up the offer to hunt beforehand and Odette immediately nodded repeatedly. "Yes, ma'am!" She exclaimed, tail shaking faster at the thought of eating and being welcomed into her family. "That sounds delicious already. Do you think there will be lots of rabbits out here?" The young girl had been going through growth spurts and rabbits was her current favorite meat. "Especially the plump ones...they are always yummy." Talk like this