See you later

The water was taking its sweet time washing the dirt and mud from her fur. Though it was visibly washing away, this was taking forever. She didn't really enjoy the idea of submerging herself further, even if it wasn't as cold as usual the temperature was still not as nice as she'd ideally want for taking a dip in cool water like this. Her ivory pelt was stained a bit, something that might take a bit of grooming to entirely remove. Heavily she would sigh, air rushing from her lungs while exasperation washed over her face momentarily, only to be replaced by curiosity as she caught the sound of another wolf approaching. So much for a day to herself.


Familiar. Why was she so terribly, frighteningly familiar? The girl who approached, clad in a pelt of ivory and darkness and bearing a hesitant voice seemed like an old friend, and yet at first glance Caelum could only see a stranger. Tilting her head a few degrees to the right, then turning her body so she could face the younger wolf, it took only a few seconds to see what was familiar. Her expression visibly softened, ears relaxing a bit to the side while she answered in an equally soft and gentle voice, “I um… I was trying to get the mud… But it isn’t coming off…” Her words faded, thoughts evading her grasp and before she knew it Caelum had slipped forth from the water without even bothering to shake herself off, enraptured by this girl before her.


Her mucky legs forgotten, only this wolf had her attention. It didn't really start to hit her until she     got to where she could see more of the young wolf's pelt. This familiarity… The pelt… The scent was only very vaguely familiar, as if it was reminiscent of one she smelled a very long time ago. Her heart was beating faster, when did that start? Her body was moving as if on it’s own, perhaps because something inside of her already knew what was causing her reaction, even if her mind couldn’t quite grasp it just yet. Funny how that happened… A wolf always had instinct to tell them things when their brain didn’t catch things.


The girl was… Caelum stopped, sitting when it hit her HARD, like a charging buffalo. Her eyes widened significantly, mouth opening but no words could come out yet. How had she not seen it before, even after all this time she should have seen it immediately. Of course her body had reacted, telling her early on what she’d taken far, far too long to realize. Words danced through her mind, taking on the tone of her own mother’s speech, something she hadn’t remembered in years, a mother always knows. Cae had not felt like a mother in far, far too long. Here, of all places, here in a land she still hardly knew, she was coming face to face with family with a frequency that was making her head spin. It wasn’t just any family. She was standing before her daughter.


Words failed her. How one could possibly hope to express everything she thought right now was beyond Caelum, perhaps because these emotions themselves were beyond words. It was terrible and wonderful, so very powerful it left her sitting here, stricken by what was happening. Her old life seemed to be returning, piece by piece, nearly making her wonder if slowly everyone would return and it would all melt away as if it was a bad dream.


It had been so many seasons since she last saw her eldest child. Even after so many recent bouts of crying, Caelum could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and bringing her back to reality. It only took a couple steps and she was close enough to touch the ivory and brown girl if only she would reach her muzzle forward a bit. Again she sat, looking into those familiar eyes, so much like her father’s it almost make Caelum smile. Her tone needed only to rise to the level of a whisper, they were so close, “It’s been so, so long child. I’ve missed you, Avani.”