Ever alert, her mercury gaze tracked their surroundings constantly, her ears swiveling to funnel each sound closer, her nose twitching as she sifted all the scents for danger even this close to the lands of her ally. The Olympian wolves would do much to take back these yearlings she escorted, and it was not something she was willing to allow to happen. She'd taken Daegmar and Chryseis with her for added protection against attempted rescues, leaving Freyja, Sigyn and the apprentices to hold down the pack lands with Kapra. So far it had gone well, but she would not relax. Pacing to the border of Ebony, she threw back her head to send out a call for Val to come retrieve her siblings. "

Katja's howl sent first a shiver through the young Queen, remembering what her last visit had meant. Then it occurred to her... She gasped and jumped upwards. They had arrived! Val let out a jovial laugh and began to bound for the border with reckless abandon. Oh, it had been ages since she'd seen them! She barely remembered what they looked like, they'd been so young when they saw her last. She remembered the sadness when Virgil had taken them away, being too young to realize that they did not truly share blood, and were not destined to live with them forever. Even so, some of her happiest memories of youth was the entire clan together, both her mothers, all her siblings... It had never been that way since. Perhaps it never would be again, but let no one claim she wouldn't try. The hellfire forced her enthusiasm to curb, breaking her headlong rush to a bouncy trot just as she broke through the tree line. A broad grin was plastered on her features, her ears perked and tail lifted and a glimmer in her eyes that had not been seen since the young fae had learned of Sigmarr and Sindri's disappearance. "You're the best thing I've seen in moons," she would announce, proud and full of mirth. She let her oceanic eyes rest on each one of her siblings. Gods above they were so big! She had a true, warm smile for each of them. Perhaps she didn't truly know them, and she could not say what state of mind they bore, but to Val they would always be her brothers and sisters. Her voice was choked with emotion... "It's so good to see you all again." "Talk" "You" Think

Following closely on Katja's heels, Nemesis mimicked her watchful gaze. For the first time in awhile, the boy was excited. He couldn't believe that Katja was really doing it, really letting them go to Ebony. It felt too good to be true, too much like going home. Olympus was gone, he was coming to terms with that, but Ebony was still alive and as far as he knew, thriving. He was going home. He was going home! A thrill of excitement shot through him as Ebony's border came into view. Katja tipped back her head and howled for his sister, and the young Olympian, high on excitement, began grinning like a fool. By the time Valeriya arrived his face hurt, but at the sight of her, all Nemesis could do was grin wider. Casting manners aside, the boy rushed forward to greet his sister. He wanted to hug her, to be silly or downright stupid with his affections and jump all over her in a undignified manner. At the last second he thought better of it. Katja was there and Val was an alpha now. While he didn't mind looking like a goober, the young Olympian didn't want to damage Valeriya's image. With that in mind, he settled for reaching his neck out in an attempt to hook his chin over his sister's shoulder in a hug. "It's so good to see you too!" "Speaking" Thinking

Hephaestus was, thankfully, oblivious to any awkward undertones to the journey from Yfir to Ebony. He saw only that the Yfir warriors were watching out for danger, not that they were also watching for any escape or rescue attempts. He copied their watchfulness, not wanting any harm to come to his siblings ever, let alone on such an important journey. His eyes roved the land around them with complete seriousness, gold-tainted ears swiveling and nose twitching tentatively, until a very familiar scent struck him and his attention homed in on the border. That was Ebony's scent! Quite a bit different now... things had obviously changed since he'd lived there... but still recognizably Ebony. And there, coming to meet them... Valeriya. Nemesis raced forward to meet her, but Hephaestus cast a glance at Katja and the other Yfir wolves before following at a more sedate pace. Nemesis went to snuggle her with his chin, and Hephaestus, ever the physical of affection, sat back on his haunches and raised himself up in an attempt to curve his thick forelegs around them both in a hug, his forehead going forward to press against his beloved Ebony sister's auburn fur. "I've missed you, Valeriya," he rumbled gravely to her.

Thanatos and Hemera were to stay behind in the end after goodbyes Andromeda found herself with her littermates, Katja, D?gmar and Chryseis to make the journey to Ebony. She would ignore the latter three for the most part, focussing upon the path ahead of them and her siblings and before too long would find herself rewarded with the view of Ebony. Perhaps it was strange to think of the place as home still, they had been gone from it for so long. It seemed that her Xanilov siblings had been unable to call Olympus home in quite the same way though now for all of them it seemed Ebony was the only home anyway. She would come to a stop, standing silently as Katja would let out a call and after what felt like a rather long wait finally a glimpse of a familiar form would appear. How long had it been since she had last seen Valeriya? Far too long. Emotions would swell within her, happiness hitting the girl for the first time in a while and like her brothers she could control it no longer, venturing forwards to join the embrace.

For a long time she?d thought of only Ebony as home, it had taken her aunt a good while to convince her otherwise. That had been the start of her journey towards confidence. She barely even left her den when they?d returned to Olympian lands. She was so out of her element. But, after finding out how amazing her aunt really was, she was able to feel adequate without her sight. With much practice though she?d come to find that she could do absolutely anything she put her mind to. That?s why the buffalo hunt had been so disappointing. She wanted to prove to herself now that she was more than just capable. She?d been mostly silent as the traveled, her sightless eyes had been fixed on the path ahead of them and her muzzle was touching Andromeda?s hip. She?d follow her sister just like she used to. Eventually the scent of Ebony would begin to grow stronger and stronger, and the familiarity was physically stunning. As they stopped she?d lose her breath, turning away to hide such emotion she?d listen as Katja called. Slowly she?d move away from her sister, and the sound of their sister?s voice would alert her to her presence. She felt more overwhelmed with how well she knew the land beneath her feet than the absence of their Ebony sibling. She?d stand a ways off, having recovered from the awe she?d stand proudly, her focus intent on her grouped siblings. She would wait for the entourage to leave before letting her guard back down. | GAIA OLYMPUS |