The small huntress padded toward the pack that she had called home since almost the first day she had set foot into Alacritis. It had been far too long since she had laid eyes on this place and she was excited and nervous to be back. She had heard from a few passing wolves about the move back from the islands, but she had no idea what to expect otherwise as far as what had happened within the pack since she and Gael had disappeared. Well, perhaps disappeared was a harsh word to used. Since they had gone into quarantine. She reached the edge of the plains and looked out over the grounds that she could vividly remember hunting in, the special, fleeting moments she had enjoyed with Gael, the talks she had with Ash... She hoped she would still be welcome back here. She let loose a howl, calling anyone that might wish to come meet her at the border, whether it be someone she had befriended before or, preferably, someone who could accept her back into the pack, she would be happy either way. She wondered what had ever come of her brother that she had been reunited with just before she had left. Was he here too? She certainly hoped so. Speech Others Thought

Erani Adravendi

She padded easily across the plains, enjoying the middle-early Autumn atmosphere around her. The grasses had turned to pure gold in color, leaves turned to fiery red, pale yellow, and burnished copper and bronze, with dashes of late emerald here and there. It wouldn?t be very long before the leaves would completely descend to the ground, soon to be covered by fresh snow. Her territory and pack were all thriving, and at some point, she would call a meeting, and announce a few new things that she had thought up as of late. Cormalin, Surreal, Alsander and Sarak, were all privy to her thoughts, and had all taken to her idea. She just hoped the rest would like the additions and changes to their pack system she had thought of. A howl rolled across the plains, and her forward motion ceased, head swiveling to gaze toward the call. The voice was familiar, and she smiled as her paws turned her frame toward the wolf on the border. Exactly when she was thinking they needed more hunters, one of the old Psis had returned. While Valhalla was growing large, and she would soon need to start turning wolves away, and pass the word through to the Betas, Surreal and Sephiroth, Meili would be an exception. She was a good hunter, and worked well with Ashtoreth, the two being best friends. She approached Meili, deep blue gaze sliding over her frame for any sign of injury, old or new. She?d often wondered where the girl had gone, if the storm had taken her. Well, she was about to get her answers. She greeted Meili with a warm smile, velvet tones warm as she spoke. ?Meili, it?s good to see you home again.? Her words were both greeting, and early acceptance of the small hunter?s return, an invitation to step beyond the borders into her home. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She wouldn't have to wait long at all before a figured appeared, her voice and greeting both friendly and welcoming. Meili recognized her as Erani, who had been the lead healer when she was last here. Gael had told her that Erani had taken charge so she wasn't too surprised to see the white fea coming to greet her. She dipped her head as a respectful greeting, giving Erani a friendly smile. "Hello, Erani. It's good to see you again too and I'm glad to be home." she really was very glad to be back. She couldn't wait to find out everything she had missed. She knew she had never really been in active part of the pack in the past, but she thought the time away had done her some good. It made her realize how much Valhalla had done for her and how much she loved it. "Gael should be along before too long," she said, explaining, "He had a couple of things he needed to do, but I wanted to go ahead and come back. She realized Erani would probably want an explanation for their absence and she explained, "I had wondered off on my own a bit, not far at all really and I had only planned on being gone a day or two, but while I was out exploring Alacritis I began to not feel well and I couldn't get back to the island before I got too sick to travel. I had told Gael my plans so when I didn't come back when he expected me to he went looking for me. I tried to get him to go back so I wouldn't get him sick, but he wouldn't listen. He helped me get well, but in the process he caught whatever it was I had. By the time I was completely well he was horribly sick. So, I took care of him till he was well. We were fine though. We turned it into a bit of a pre-honeymoon," she ended with a soft chuckle. "We honestly weren't paying attention to how long we had been gone till I realized seasons had passed." Speech Others Thought

Erani Adravendi

Erani smiled as Meili greeted her, then settled upon her haunches to listen as the small huntress explained her absence. Her ears perked slightly at the mention of Gael. So that was where he?d gone off to. She?d assumed that he must have become ill since she?d last seen him at the beach, the day of the challenge. Well, she supposed that was true indeed; he?d just gotten ill after he?d gone. Either way, she was glad to hear that he would be coming home. A small smile crossed the Alpha Primary?s features, her own chuckle mingling with Meilis. ?I?m glad to have you home again. Your hunting ability is much needed, especially with winter coming soon.? She rose from her sitting position, tail swaying. ?When Gael returns, would you like a mating Ceremony? Ashtoreth and Leon had theirs in the late summer.? Warm deep blue gaze sparkled faintly as she looked at the huntress. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Meili nodded in understanding when Erani mentioned her hunting skills with winter approaching. Winter was always a hard time, even in a place as abundant as Alacritis. She was more than happy to help the pack in any way that should could. She was proud of her speed and stamina and used them to her advantage every time she hunted. While she was gone, especially when she was hunting for both her and Gael, she had plenty of time to sharpen her skills and practice with several different kinds of prey. Her ears perked up at the mention of a mating ceremony for her and Gael and her eyes widened at surprise when she heard Ash and Leon had already had theirs. A huge grin spread across her muzzle and her tail wagged behind her. "I'll have to be sure to find Ash and congratulate her. I hate that I wasn't here to see it. And yes, I would love a mating ceremony, Erani. Thank you." Meili couldn't help the excitement she felt when she thought about going through such a special ceremony with her big man. They would finally, officially be mates. Now all she was worried about was what his family would say. Speech Others Thought

He was happy... Happier than he had been in such a long time. Valhalla had truly become his home and the wolves here were his family. If he was ever lonely he could find any one of their members to speak with and share in the company of. This place was truly an ideal pack, a paradise even in the physical realm. Arwel had found his place in this world again... And there were only two things missing within it. Both of them were faes... One bound to him by blood and the other a female he had known and missed. The second, he figured, was maybe nearing her third year of life around now... It seemed so long ago that he met her, saving her life and staying with her a short while. The girl had been a newborn when he came across her... But they never really shared a father - daughter type of connection. No... When he felt the stirrings of desire for her Arwel knew it was time to move on. He had left her with a pack... It had been for the better he believed. Still... There were times when he missed her terribly. The face of that femme had been appearing more in his dreams as of late... Making it hard for the sigma to sleep. Slowly his cerulean eyes would open, something stirring. His ears... Held a strange sound that lingered within. Something familiar... Distant... Yet... Arwel would get to his paws, still dragging himself from his sleep. That was when it hit him. The noise he heard in his dream... The thing that woke him... Was the howl of Meili. His sister. Arwel shot from the den, paws leading him towards the borders. Could... Could it truly be her? What had happened since he last saw her? Worry gnawed at him. He had to make sure Meili was okay. He would arrive to find Erani had already reached his sister and was speaking with. For now the male held back... even if he was dying to throw himself at her and hug her to pieces. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle her leaving again... and hoped that this was the last time he would ever have to reunite with her. "Normal. Speech. Thought. You."

Just as she finished speaking to Erani, she heard the pounding of paws against the ground from the direction from where Erani had appeared. Meili's ears perked upright and she looked over the queen's shoulder as the paw steps stopped, looking to see who it could be. Her teal gaze landed on the blue eyed brute that had stopped a short distance from them, a smile creeping across her muzzle. It had only been a short time between when she had been reunited with her brother and when she had been forced to disappear, but there was no mistaking him. There were still pieces of her memory that were missing or faded, but she remembered him well enough to be overjoyed when she laid eyes on him again. "Arwel!!" she called out, leaping up and running over to him, her tail wagging excitedly. She looked up at her older brother happily as she skidded to a stop in front of him. "Arwel, I'm so glad you're here. I had wondered if you would be with Valhalla when I got back." With a twitch of her ears she realized she had completely blown past Erani and she turned to face their alpha with an apologetic look. She asked, "Did you know Arwel was my brother?" Speech Others Thought

A lot of things had gone down during the pairs absence. Valhalla had been taking over by a glaciem woman only to be promptly abandoned. His aunt Chrys was no longer in shape to be ruling a pack and so the healer Erani had decided to take the reigns and re-make Valhalla once again and they were strong as ever. The Adravendi didn't mind the change in leadership. He had only met Erani a few times since his return to Alacritis all those seasons ago, but she was a wise old woman and he knew she would be able to help bring the pack back to it's former glory. And he was not disappointed. Even though their little pre-honeymoon had been great, they needed to return to the pack. Valhalla needed them and they needed their family and besides, Gael had a wedding that he needed to plan with his fiance. It was time that he announced to everyone that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Meili. He had allowed her to get back to the mainland ahead of him, sticking back to clean up their little den that they had picked out during their extended leave. He was feeling very...homey for some reason and plus, he wanted to sneak some pretty flowers from the island to bring Meili once they got back to the mainland. She hadn't argued with him about staying behind and so as he trotted back to the old Valhalla territory, he would arrive proudly with a bundle of wildflowers clenched in his jaws. And just in time to catch Erani saying something about a wedding ceremony. He would come up beside Meili, nuzzling her gently as he dropped the flowers at her paws before turning towards Erani, bowing before her in greeting. My queen Erani. What is this that I hear, talking about a wedding ceremony without me? he would chuckle, his attention suddenly drawn to the other male who was in the little group. He smelled faintly of Meili. Was this other man related to his fiance? He supposed he would find out. Talk like this