Enough time had passed since the siege for Ebony's wolves to have healed and were no longer in need of his attention, so it was time for Kassander to leave the pack lands to go visit the packs he had turned to for help when he went to war, and to thank them. He'd be bringing Callisto with him when he went to Abaven, to fulfill his end of their bargain by bringing them a healer to train the Abaven wolves, but for this one he was alone except for Rommel. The fox had been a constant beacon of strength, wisdom and companionship since they had met such a short time ago, and Kass had to marvel at the depth of the bond that had formed between them so quickly. It was no wonder that the Xanilovs had chosen to have fox stewards for so long, and it was hard to imagine now how the young king had managed to limp along so long without him.

They arrived together at Fiori's borders, and Kassander tried to calm the butterflies doing acrobatics in his stomach. For the first time Kassander was coming to Epiphron as something other than simply an untried naive boy-king, and it made him nervous to know that something had changed and he couldn't predict how it would effect the way she would view him for it. Rommel smoothed his tongue over Kass's shoulder comfortingly, and, somewhat soothed, Kassander took a calming breath before calling out for Epiphron.

Epiphron hadn't quite known what to expect when she faced Kassander next. Her own two warriors that had gone to the siege had returned relatively unscathed, besides minor injuries that she had expected - and that had all but healed already. She couldn't help but remember how the wolves that had fought against Glaciem had been; they'd returned home quite injured and unwell, some even taken as prisoner. Would the Ebony king be the same as she remembered him? She knew that war could change someone, despite the fact that she'd heard of Ebony's extremely successful victory in battle.  Still, she found herself taken by surprise when she heard the Ebony king's familiar call ring out over the land. Why he had come to visit her, she wasn't sure; she figured he'd come to thank her for letting her sentries join him, though it had been a personal favor at best, not just from her but between the family ties that Birna and Bjorn shared with him. Her gait was relaxed as she moved swiftly toward his call, noting quickly that he had a companion at his side. A smile graced her lips as she closed the distance that lay between them, her tail sweeping behind her in a happy motion. "King Kassander,"   she'd greet her, her voice touched with faint amusement. "I'm beyond happy to see you again.. and in one piece, no less." Her head would dip in a respectful greeting as she came to settle on her haunches before him.

The pale queen moved into his view, and his paws moved nervously on the ground like a cat kneading. Beside him Rommel gazed curiously at both Kassander and Epiphron, but reserved judgement, choosing to stay silent and watchful. "Q-queen Epiphron," he returned her greeting with a jerky dip of his head. "We made it through all right. Ebony didn't have any major injuries but I've been staying close to Ebony until everyone was healed." He, Sindri, Sigmarr and Phaes had been the only ones from Ebony who'd fought, but he'd also had Vereux to keep an eye on and he'd been increasingly concerned about Maximous' mental state as well, all on top of the frantic gathering of herbs for storage over the winter so he'd been pretty busy as a healer. "I... mostly wanted to thank you for your help. Not just for lending us Birna and Bjorn, but for keeping watch over the non-combatants while we were gone. If we hadn't won... Arcanum was always so vindictive, I'm sure they'd have tried to hurt my family." He swallowed hard, thinking about the taunting words the other young alpha had spoken before the whirlwind as battle had joined, about how her family would come for the Xanilovs if he didn't do as she wanted. He hadn't even decided whether to accept her offer or not before the decision had been made for him - did he have to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for these elusive parents of hers or had Fiori's warriors' decisive victories over the alpha and her brother intimidated them into silence? "How are Birna and Bjorn doing?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject in an attempt to hide how the memory made him falter. When he'd last seen the pair before they returned to Fiori immediately after the siege they'd had only a few bruises and lacerations and they hadn't seemed much affected by them at all, but even minor cuts could get complications.

Truthfully, she hadn't been terribly invested in Ebony's siege against Arcanum. She'd allowed both of her lead sentries to go, for they were related to Kassander, though it had been a personal decision rather than a decision made between allies. Even when she'd reunited with Surreal, and had learned that Arcanum had taken her mate prisoner... she couldn't help but feel strangely detached from it all. Even if they had been bad wolves, who had done bad things, it was difficult to care about the situation even a fraction of how much Kassander did. And yet they had won, which she was selfishly grateful for -- for it meant Kassander, Bjorn, and Birna were well and safe. Her smile was genuine as she assessed him, noting he sported no major injuries or scars from the fight. She could only hope his spirit was recovering just as well. Only briefly would she eye the fox at Kassander's side. He seemed skeptical of her, and  she would return the wary stare without hesitation. "I'm glad," she'd tell him earnestly, stepping forward a bit closer to him. It was a relief that his family was well, and unconsciously he tail would wag behind her in genuine, albeit reserved, happiness. "It's not a problem," she'd respond to his thanks, shaking her head. "You, and your family, are welcome here anytime." She'd liked Kassander upon first meeting him, and she only liked him more now. He was wildly different from her, firmly staunch in his fight for justice and doing what was right, and though he had grown quite a bit more mature as a leader, he still had an air of youthfulness that was invigorating. She could only hope he might return the favor someday.. not that she expected to find herself leading a siege against anyone in the future. Even still, it seemed a relatively small favor; and what was a friendship if not an exchange of such favors when they were needed? Despite their win, it seemed Kassander still feared for his family. Epiphron couldn't help but worry their worries might be warranted. "Do you think they might retaliate?" she'd ask curiously, a bit warily, her head tilting to the side. It was something she had always feared when Seracia had aided Valhalla in their fight against Glaciem, and she couldn't help but wonder if Kassander had the same worries as she had once. "Bjorn and Birna are both well," she explained with a grin, scrutinizing him, noting how his demeanor had shifted at the change in topic. "I think they both needed a good fight. They seem.. invigorated, now. But what about you?" Obviously he was well upon first glance, with no visible injuries.. but she wanted to know about his overall state. Curious, she'd lower herself to sit before him, waiting for his response.