Red Roses

Dominus found himself following the path of the voles that had run from him, thoughts of the volcano and appreciation for the calm Autumn that he was living in now at the back of his mind as he seemingly drifted through the mangrove. He wandered the forest for most of the day, the hardly available light dimming even more so as the day progressed to an afternoon, and then an evening...

He stood at the edge of the forest though remained cloaked in the coverage of its shadows, staring in the direction of where he'd last known Abaven to be; out past the streams of the Delta and the waterfalls that created them. He hated packs, admittedly, but he chewed hard on the thought of wandering to their borders in search of her in an effort to discover what had become of her after all of this. Just as he was about to give in, her voice chimed and lifted his ears.

The voice came from behind him and was still a bit distant, but he knew he had heard it. She remembered him, then? By name? His thick neck twisted as he turned to face the direction of her call, smile that slightly showed his teeth present on his squared muzzle. Not to keep her waiting, he rushed to answer - forfeiting his previous attempts to remain unknown as his heavy weight crushed the autumn leaves that had collected along the forest floor. The sound likely announced his entrance long before she could see him.

The thick trunks of the mangrove trees nearly hid her from him, her sudden image appearing to him and making him slide to a stop rather recklessly while he tried to fight the momentum of his run in order to keep his eyes on her and keep her from disappearing from his view behind the next tree. Leaves were sent flying from around his paws as they pushed through them, some attaching to the thick fur that blanketed his neck and chest as they fell into him. He gathered himself in poise fairly easily, but the leaves remained to taint whatever elegance the beast could have pulled off.

The grin that had been present on his lips faded slightly, hiding his teeth again gradually as he truly looked at her and noticed all of the changes. She was much taller than he expected to discover her, the paleness of her pelt and purple of her eyes much more striking than his memory had done justice. Of course, how could he compare the woman before him to the sweet child he'd found back then? Surely, he looked much different too - he was no longer a boy with awkwardly long limbs and skinny ribs.

He had been moving so fast to get to her, but now that he was standing before her he moved incredibly slow.. his blue eyes never leaving her as he committed every detail of her image to memory. Even in the shade of the mangrove, she was so bright and ethereal in appearance. She was tall and sturdy, yet so elegant and beautiful with feminity. Selfishly, he took a moment to admire her before his voice finally broke the silence.

"Poem Destruction... of Abaven." A smile returned to that masked muzzle as he recalled how she had thanked him and introduced herself back then, proudly claiming the pack she was from. He had his reasons for straying away from packs, but her pride was admirable back then- as was her drive to find and protect her sister even while risking putting herself in danger.

"I wasn't sure if I would find you again. It's been awhile, a lot has changed in Boreas. After I took you home.. the world nearly seemed to be ending with floods and fires, I had seen it in almost every corner of the land. I am glad you survived. How.. are you?" It's funny how articulate he could be when he wanted to. He had a mouth on him that often offended others, yet he also still had the manners he'd once learned as a prince. He wanted to directly ask about Motif, but he skirted around the question for now out of respect. If something happened to her, it likely would be a harsh question for her to hear and at the moment, he wanted to do what he could to keep those beautiful tones in her eyes crystal clear and free from tears again.