You couldn't kill me if you tried
At last she was returning home. It had been a long journey. One that she never thought she'd go on. She never did imagine what she would find at the end of the road, but everything had finally come together and her existence finally made sense. She learned her history. Of her past. Why she had been left to face the world alone. It wasn't out of selfishness nor the fact that they didn't want her, but out of necessity. The story played in her mind as she made her way back to Vericona Plains where Ardyn waited for her.
"When you were born, it was the happiest day of our lives. Your mother and I were strangers in the land you call home. For days and weeks we took care of the both of you. Everything was going perfectly, and once you were old enough, we were going to establish ourselves here. But when you were just shy of being weaned, as the days and nights grew colder, the dangers for us grew. I was out on a hunting trip when your brother managed to get out of the den while you and your mother were sleeping. It was late. Cold. The rain made things difficult. And by the time your mother awoke and realized your brother was no longer there, she left you in your bed to go find him. He was just a pup, there was an assumption that he couldn't have gone far..."
She remembered the grim look on his face as he further told her the story. The way his gaze suddenly seemed far off. The way his body language betrayed the sadness and grief in his heart.
"It was difficult for her to follow his tracks, even with her light, the rain made it hard. Your brother was not yet old enough to have learned how to use his light, otherwise it would've been much easier to find him sooner..." He had taken a deep breath as he continued. "Your brother was not far off when everything happened. A band of rogues had settled nearby, and your mother had been unfortunate enough to stumble into them. They were...not kind. Instead of hearing her pleas for help in finding him, they decided to attack her instead. As you can imagine...a group of wolves against one lone wolf did not bode well for her. As experienced a fighter as she was, she didn't stand a chance against them alone. Your brother had been nearby when it happened...he heard it all. And by the time all was said and done, she was gone. I had tried to come back to you all...but I had also become the victim of ill fortune. On my way back, I was attacked by a bear. It had severely wounded me. Damaged my eye...I barely got away with my life."
"By the time I was finally able to make it back days later, you were gone. Your brother was gone. Your scents were old and stale, all traces of it beyond the den washed away by the elements. I searched the area...and then I found your mother. Her body lay cold and stiff. They had left her there for the crows...her light...was gone. I buried her near the den...I searched for the both of your for days...even as Winter set in, I searched. But then the thought always lingered that whomever had killed your mother, must have either killed or taken the both of you...and so I reluctantly made my way back home. Back to the lands I knew and the healers that could tend to my injury. It wasn't until a year or so later that your brother had been found by a group of our hunters when they had gone further East and brought him home to me. And so that gave me hope that you were out there somewhere, still. But instead, you found us. Years later...but you found us all the same. I cannot give you back the time that was stolen away, but I can give you everything a father can going forward. If you'll have us, we would like to return to your homeland with you. To be the family we didn't get the chance to be."
Of course, she and Ardyn had agreed. Her father and twin brother would meet them here in the coming weeks once they got all their affairs in order back home. She was reluctant to leave them behind, but she left her barn owl with them so that she'd be able to guide them back home. And now, she was nearly home herself. Ardyn she knew, would be waiting for her in the Vericona Plains.
By the time she finally made it, her paws were sore, but she was determined to get to him before she chose to rest. They had spent a significant amount of time together since they were children. His family was like family to her, his mother practically her mother as the pale fae had just about raised her. And the fact he had gone on this journey with her, the relationship between them blossoming into something she never imagined, and the love and affection she felt for him only solidified the fact that it was Ardyn she wanted to be with. She had always thought him handsome, of course, and he always had a way of setting butterflies loose in her stomach. But she had never acted on her feelings for fear of pushing him away or losing him. Perhaps even completely ruining their friendship...but it seemed that she had been afraid of nothing all along.
She caught a whiff of his scent, and suddenly she had a burst of energy as she followed it, making a beeline for the tower he had spent quite some time building. As everything came into view, she moved quicker, falling into a hurried lope until she spotted him atop the tower. "Ardyn! I've made it back!" She barked, her tail pulsing like a bright beacon at the sight of him.
"Speak"
