Although Athena had agreed to find somewhere to settle down with her, Ara hadn't been completely convinced she'd see her again. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, no - in fact, she trusted Athena a great deal more than most wolves. Over the years she had grown accustomed to loss, and she had learned to be realistic when it came to others sticking around in her life. Much of the time, they simply didn't, regardless of the circumstances. Abandonment was a natural part of life, and something she had to endure no matter how heavily such things weighed on her mind. When she heard a familiar call, though, she felt her spirits soar infinitely, and a gentle smile painted her aging features as she headed toward the borders of Lirim. Perhaps things weren't going so badly after all....
By the time she made it to Athena, despite her hurried pace, it seemed as though Frostbite had already arrived. Slowing, and silently cursing the slight fatigue that was wracking her body this morning, she continued to closed the distance between herself and the other two. "I'm glad to see you here," Ara greeted her friend warmly, moving to press her nose to her shoulder in tender greeting. The sort of relationship they shared wasn't one she was easily able to categorize; they had both lost the women they'd spent a majority of their lives loving, and in their shared experiences they had found comfort and companionship - and Ara could only hope that Athena meant to stay here permanently with her.
