Familiarity was something she longed for. No, she did not want to return to Valhalla, or even to Seracia -- these were places of her past, and she had no desire to revisit them. Whatever future lay ahead of her was something entirely new, and though she did not have the faintest idea what it might be, she knew it was not in either pack, nor in lands she had grown so accustomed to. But this place felt welcoming, though she knew it well, even despite how different it looked now. The earth was frosted with snow, the rock leading into the ravine slick with ice. A faint sense of nostalgia bubbled deep within her stomach, but the warm feelings did not materialize into words. She had grown comfortable with silence now, though it was an odd, uncomfortable silence most of the time. For awhile, Epiphron had pictured life without Maverick. Even though he had all but begged for her forgiveness, even though he had taken his punishment without complaint, she wondered if she might be better off without him. Admittedly, she didn't know what life would be like without him -- it was hard to imagine, and it was even harder to pretend she wanted that kind of life. Quietly she would lead them near the ravine, sapphire gaze dancing over the steep sides. The ice might make the journey treacherous, but not impossible. Gingerly she sought to make her way down into the ravine, highly aware of the slick ice below. "I wonder where we would be if I hadn't come here that day," she mused aloud. Perhaps a morbid thought, but she did not find happy thoughts so easily these days. Would they have ever met? Or might Chrysanthe be in her place now -- and where would she be? For a moment she turned to glance at him, painfully aware of the damage she had done to his face, but not before turning back to focus on her next step.

He followed obediently behind her - like a child. An ear flicked idly as he realized where she was leading him. Was she rubbing salt in his wounds? His scarred eye twinged as he continued on, briefly slipping on the ice and recovering himself in the last possible second. She had chosen a dangerous route - and he loved her all the more for it. He would never have trusted her skills enough to lead her through here, and it showed great bravery and strength from her - something he'd never truly noted before. She mused aloud about where they would be if she had not come here on that first day they met one another. He felt as if she had shoved a dagger in his chest, and he swallowed hard before answering. "I would have ruined your sister's life as I have yours," the pain was evident in his vocals. He didn't blame her for being angry, but he did wish she knew how capable she was of ripping out his heartstrings. Her eyes met his and he wondered which of their pains was worse before she turned away from him and continued on. Emerald eyes swept to the location he'd first seen her, only twenty or thirty yards away. It was shrouded in ice and snow now, but still held the memories from long ago. "Do you remember how it was.. when we first met? How we flirted, how we learned to love in secret?" "Speech."

Still her emotions mirrored the ocean tides, turbulent and unpredictable. Often she felt guilty for Maverick's pain -- but a moment later she told herself that he had earned every ounce of whatever she felt like dishing out to him. In all honesty, it was rare that she was outwardly angry with him. Silence was her chosen form of punishment, and it seemed to cause even more pain. And yet she was not yet ready to kindle whatever fire they might still have between them. The most important thing now was to find their children, and to spend time with them. What they wanted to do with their lives would help her decide what she wanted to do with her own. The air was bitter here, though not nearly as cold as she knew it could get in the north. The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine. Maverick spoke quickly after her, and slowly she shook her head. 'I would have ruined your sister's life as I have yours,' he said, his voice brimming with pain that he didn't bother to hide. "Your uncle has done a fine job at doing that, or so I hear," she noted conversationally -- not meaning to incriminate him for his uncle's actions. She'd been warned about him, after all, but Chrysanthe had never been one to back down from a challenge. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she sought to keep balance as she moved from one ledge to the next, glancing back at Maverick. He had not yet fallen, and though she wasn't exactly happy with him, she wouldn't let him fall either. Though angry and stubborn, she was not cruel. "I remember it well," she uttered, feeling grateful when her paws found solid ground at last. "My brother wanted to kill you when he first met you." There came no laugh this time, but there was a hint of jest in her tones, despite how true the statement was. He had wanted to kill Maverick simply for loving her; she could only imagine how he might react if he had found out that he had been with another woman. Sapphire gaze strayed to the spot they had first met. It was plainly familiar, despite how large the ravine was, as they had met there more times than one. Slowly she slunk toward the spot, lowering herself to the ice-caked earth. "Sit with me," she requested simply. "Help me remember." Epiphron had missed his company when he had gone, but anything that resembled longing had quickly been replaced by rage. Fury unbridled had spewed forth, from her lips, from her fangs. She hadn't meant to hurt him, she truly hadn't, but she had never expected such betrayal from him. Even still -- she loved him, and though she didn't know what the future held, she suddenly craved his touch in the most simplest of forms, and she gestured for him to join her there.

He tried not to take offense when she chastised his uncle. He personally had never been Gideon's biggest fan. He also tried not to take offense when she didn't refute his self-depricating phrase. It seemed she was determined to retain her coldness toward him - at least until she transitioned it to someone else. He wondered if that day might ever come, the one when they could stand truly as man and wife again. He watched his steps, only his ears swiveling in attention when she confirmed that she did remember their first encounter here. At least his transgressions had not wiped her memory of the good of the past. That in itself was a miracle. He found himself chuckling when she spoke of her brother's intentions. "I sensed that, he isn't exactly the most subtle of wolves." His tail wavered as he struggled to keep his balance, finally coming onto the solid ground she had found ahead of them. Truth be told, Syrinx was perhaps the wolf that Maverick feared most - now even more so that he had scorned the man's beloved sister. He hoped and prayed she would not ever share his sins with Syrinx - if she did it would certainly mean his death. She beckoned him to sit, and he would oblige her at once. His haunches curled neatly about the earth, tail flicking idly behind him. He cast his gaze slightly away from them, fixated upon a point in the near distance. "It was there, where I fell trying to impress the pretty lady who had caught my eye. I knew I had made a mistake the moment I lost my balance, but I remember thinking that it would be worth it - falling to my death - if it meant I could get a closer look at her." There was a truthful note in his vocals, one that fondly remembered days long since passed. His tail sought to intertwine with hers, as it once had when they'd only been star-crossed lovers. "Speech."

It was the first time she left Covari since finding out she was pregnant. She had been assualted with so many emotions, anger, regret, anxiety, and finally acceptance. She didn't want to be pregnant, especially by a man she didnt know and probaly would never see again. And yet, here she was. Pregnant, looking like she was going to pop. Her slender figure had been disfigured by her swollen belly, and slightly swayed back. There was no going back now, she would be a mother whether or not she was ready. Kill them. The voices in her head always suggested it. Ebony paws pressed into the ice, her verdant gaze cast downward as she carefully placed each step. This was probably the last place she should be exploring so heavily pregnant but right now she didnt care. Her aunt would have a heartattack if she knew she was here. A smirk tugged at dark lips, tail swaying behind her. Audits would swivel, picking up distant voices. There was no other way for her to go other than forward, leaving her no choice but to cross paths with the strangers. Her pace was sluggish but careful as she would close the distance. Her gaze wouldnt lift until she was several feet away and came to a halt. Eyes would widen in a mixture of shock and disbelief. It couldn't be. What were the chances of finding him again. A pale would sat beside him, their tails intertwined. Another conquest perhaps? She would not need to annouce her presense as the click of her claws against ice should have been enough. Instead the woman stood frozen in her place, mortified, though her expression was neutral and her posture tall. What would he say? What was she suppose to say? Coward! Whore! Voices would whisper insults in her ear as she waited for Maverick to say something. Talk like this