broken crown.

The embrace she shared with Leo was interrupted not long after it began. A smile had briefly illuminated Caeto's handsome features, but it was far from genuine; he stood, unmoving, watching her with a careful eye. A moment of silence would be spent with Leo, happy to feel his pelt pressed against her own, the scent of her two sons something that calmed her soul significantly.


Isolde had not been far off. A painful whine caught in her throat the sight of her daughter. They had reunited briefly, but her own selfish mind had led her astray. Only now did she realize that her children were the most important to her, and she regretted leaving them with all of her heart. "I didn't want to leave you all," she told them softly, leaning into Isolde's welcome touch. "It has been hard without your father. But I don't want to lose touch with any of you again." Where had Maverick gone? She was pained that she did not have answers for them, if any cared enough to ask. It was strange that once, he had meant the world to her, and now she couldn't imagine him ever being in her life again.


Her mind felt hazy as the scent of another reached her twitching nose. Arian, too, had heard her call. She greeted her by name, no longer 'mother' as she might've in the past. This time a whine did fall; a pained sound, that said far more than words ever could. "My Arian," she would turn to face her, gently prying herself from the grasp of Leo and Isolde. There was a child at her hip, certainly not her own? Their scents were laden with that of Azalea and of a pack unfamiliar to her. "Forgive me," she would breath softly, all grace leaving her form as defeat laid claim over her pained expression. There was obvious hurt in her daughter's eyes and she mirrored the look, her own vibrant sapphire eyes welling over with tears. "Who is this? And what happened to you?" The scar on her face was something she couldn't ignore, and her step had an obvious limp to it. There was no hesitation as she turned to pad toward her, slipping her head about Arian's neck in a tender embrace.


Her eyes would dart among her children as she gingerly pulled away, searching, looking for any sign that might help her explain why she had gone -- and what had happened to their family. Caeto seemed cold and detached, while Isolde and Leo were simply happy to be reunited. They were almost a family now, save for their oldest siblings, who had been gone for longer than she cared to remember. Arian, however, was a different story, reeking of the woman she had tried so badly to maim; wondering if she knew even half of the story, or if she didn't care what either her or Azalea thought of one another.