you were all i ever longed for

He was wondering now if he should've come here at all. Without his mentor's guidance, he found himself feeling more.. aimless. Maybe reckless was a better word for it. Feeling rather on-edge now that he'd caught the scent of someone else - and heard the gentle clinking of claws as the apparently stranger made her way toward him - he found himself really regretting this decision. Not that he was particularly afraid, just wary and uncertain. Zephyr's nose twitched a bit frantically as he tested her scent, as though cataloguing it to memory in case he needed to remember her later.

Eyelids narrowed pale green eyes as he searched for her. Her silhouette was clear enough, but due to the distance her features were all but unrecognizable. The voice made his stomach tighten even more - his nose wrinkled and discomfort at her presence, even if he couldn't fully tell why. "Perhaps you can't resist my presence," he retorted without thinking, a soft snort echoing into the caverns, pinging off the walls and creating a soft echo in the distance. The sound was disorienting, and he shook his head to focus his attention again on Asha. She didn't seem much like a stalker, not really, but how could one be certain?

"It seems like--" his voice cut off, suddenly, as he took a few steps closer. He knew her. Quite well, too. The recognition hit him suddenly, quite painfully, and he felt an unbearable weight bearing down on him. How could it be? He'd looked for her, but she'd been gone. Weren't they all dead? Except Caelum. It'd been years since he'd seen her. His throat tightened as he froze, unable to speak or even think. He'd never considered that she might still be alive, not for so long - the hope was too difficult to live with. Never knowing if he'd find any of them again. It'd been easier to accept the worst, and slowly deal with his loss as the years went on.

But now, he felt like he could barely breathe. "A-Asha?" Another few slow, wary steps were taken. All the walls he'd build around himself over the years seemed to crumble, and he felt strangely vulnerable. As his eyes adjusted to her, he knew he was right. It was her, though she was older now, but he had no doubt about it. He was frozen though, hardly able to move a muscle as he stared and swayed on his paws where he stood.