Look Ma New Scars

Meriadoc didn't have to wait long. He lit up when Viviane came into view, his joy turning to mirth at the comical display. Just as quickly he was reduced to a humbled puddle of sorrow as his sister began to cry. Her words hit him harder than her leap into his chest. He drew a shaky breath and had just enough time to throw a paw around her shoulders before Cairo wrapped them both in a hug. It was the emotional weight, not the physical, that took him to the ground. Meriadoc's legs buckled and he slumped forward, possibly bringing all three to the ground depending on how much of their balance rested on his neck. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into Viviane's fur.

Wordlessly he sought out first Artur's gaze, then Caelia's. His expression was distressed and pleading. He felt awful for being gone so long. The distance between them had made home feel like a distant dream. At the time his circumstances had demanded his full attention and it had been easy to shelve his thoughts of Valhalla and all who resided there. But now he was being presented with the fallout from his absence and he realized there was no way to make up for what he had done. At the time it hadn't felt like he had much of a choice but he supposed that wasn't quite true.

To all of them, he said, "I wanted to come home sooner, I just...couldn't. It was one thing after another. There was always something that made staying..." He trailed off, unable to fully articulate his thoughts on the matter. After the attack he'd spent countless weeks healing. Infection after infection had made his progress slow and painful. He'd passed most of that time sleeping. The band was in perpetual motion so he'd fall asleep in one place and then wake in another with only vague memories of the sled moving to mark the passage of time. After that it had been about first Delilah and then the pups. Life had been busy causing time to slip by unnoticed.

A faint humorless smile touched his lips as he addressed Cairo's question. "Slavers. I didn't know it at the time but soft momma's boys are easy pickings." The smile faded. "But don't worry about them too much. They are far from here and much too busy fighting at home to venture abroad. At least for awhile."