I Guess This Means I'm a Grown Up Now?

Mariah's ears swiveled at her father's words. It was far easier to allow her attention to settle on hanging the piece he had made for her. She hadn’t really anticipated this level of acceptance, hadn't dared to hope for it. Her gaze remained fixed to the wall hanging as it was displayed in its new home, suddenly too shy to meet her father’s steady gaze. For a long moment, silence hung between them, the only sound being the soft crackling of the fire and their harmonized breathing. Slowly, her silver orbs met her father’s gentle gaze once more, as she was overcome with a sense of gratitude and a profound love for her sire, this great, powerful wolf who had shown her unwavering support through every challenge life had thrown at her.

The warmth of her father's embrace flooded Mariah with a tranquility she hadn't known she was craving. His scent felt like home more than anything else. Being here with him, enveloped in his affectionate hold, allowed her to momentarily forget … well, everything else. Because in this moment, nothing else mattered. His breathing was steady, rhythmic, a soothing lullaby that eased the tension from her body one muscle at a time.

With a gentle nudge against her father's snout and a soft chuckle, she pulled away, her tail playfully flicking against his. Watching him in his jovial state brought a genuine smile to her face. And as she looked up at him, Mariah's silver eyes shimmered in the flickering firelight. She chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "I think I would like that," she said, her voice sounding lighter than it had in a long time. With a gentle push from her delicate paws, she carefully extricated herself from his comforting hold. She shook herself lightly, her black and crimson coat ruffling before settling back into place at his side.

Drawing in a deep breath, Mariah pondered where to start. Her journey had been filled with experiences, lessons, and discoveries that shaped her into who she was now. “Malico and I stayed with Valta for the longest,” Mariah began, casually recounting the core events that happened while she was away. “But we did visit the Hallows as well. We had a nice time at both places.” She added, her expression lighting up with a fond smile as she remembered various moments over the past year. But of course, her time spent in Auster had mostly occurred outside the Hallows’ territory with Caedes. As his family had been preparing for the Norad take over come to find out. Her grin fell at the thought, but she was quick to replace it. “I had the opportunity to train with several skilled healers, including some who were wanderers- those were probably some of my favorite encounters.” Her lessons with Iolaire came to mind- the elderly woman who had advised her how to take better care of herself among other things which was one of the more pivotal conversations she had in her absence.

"Mariah Mendacium"