Breakaway

Walking toward the Grapevine Cathedral with Kane at her side, she was fully taking advantage of the fact that their pups were now old enough to be on their own for short periods of time. She still insisted that they stay close to whatever den they had made where they had settled for a period of time, but she trusted that they would do that so she and Kane could have a bit of time to themselves. The Cathedral was just a short walk away, but she was familiar with the area and knew how secluded it could be so it made for the perfect spot for a little date of sorts. She leaned into his side a bit as they walked, peering up at him with a loving smile. She adored being a mother like nothing else and she would never trade that for the world, but it did certainly make having time alone as a couple more challenging. Just as she was slowing her steps so that she could reach up to give her handsome mate a kiss she happened to catch the scent of blood on the air. It wasn't just blood though—that scent carried a deeply familiar scent with it as well.

The realization made her stop, her expression quickly showing her concern as her mint gaze turned away from Kane to the forest around them. "Do you smell that...?" she asked in a whisper, her ears perked as she listened for any noise or movement in the dampened quiet of the dense foliage around them. Any other plans or thoughts she had were immediately disrupted and with one more concerned glance toward Kane she set off to track down the source of the scent, half hoping and half dreading that she was right. It was the kind of thing that she wanted to be wrong and right at the same time. She hadn't seen her daughter in so long so she was slightly hopeful that it really was her and she wasn't just imagining things, but the metallic tang of blood that was mingled in with her scent made dread creep over her at what they might find.

Her fears were realized when she spotted the black and gray form of her long lost daughter laying on the ground, her heart clenching in her chest. "Ash?!" she gasped, immediately taking off and bolting over to her daughter's side. She skidded to a stop and fell to the ground beside her, her ears pined to her head as she took in Ashelia's state. The ropes, bites, and lashes all told a story that Tamsyn wasn't sure she was ready to hear, but she was breathing which at least gave her the smallest bit of comfort. She knew she didn't need to ask Kane to help her so she instead started doing what she could and started carefully and gently unwinding the ropes from around Ash's neck, having to bite through part of it to cut them free. Meanwhile, she looked up at the forest around them, looking to make sure that whoever did this wasn't near by and just waiting in the shadows to attack again.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley