Védís had wandered further south than anticipated. The bitter cold of the winter wasn't exactly appealing, and so she would travel away from the worst of the weather. Hours turned into days, and slowly autumn faded and now winter was here in full-forced. To say she was running away from something wasn't quite true. There was no real stopping point in sight for her; she simply moved and persisted until something stopped her. Though to be honest, she found herself missing her family quite deeply.. some, perhaps more than others.

       Her paws tread through the cool sand as she wandered down the beach. The night was young, the sky clear, and the moon bright. Its light illuminated the coast well, and she had no issue wandering through the night. The woman's toes stretched, a slow yawn slipping from her parted jaws as she tilted her head skyward. It was cold here still, as the ocean waves brought a bitter wind to the lands, but it was bearable, and there was no snow which was a plus.

       Her blue gaze would penetrate the night as a glimpse of a cavern, against a small cliffside, certainly a place to protect against the elements. Her pace increased slightly, paws carrying her into the darkness as she slipped into the cave, her side pressed against the cool stone wall to orient her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The cavern had a slightly sharp slope toward the back, and it seemed as though some water had pooled there. Another slow yawn left her as she stretched her weary limbs - grateful for the prospect of quiet rest.

Why had she left the safety of pack lands? No doubt Ravine was on the verge of having another heart attack. Her poor mate was definitely put to the test with her little antics. Akemi was worried mainly for Tiny though -- hopefully Ravine was keeping him warm. The femme would press on through the snow, feeling the push of the winter season upon her body. She definitely needed to find somewhere to rest for a bit until she could try making it home. The sight of a cavern would catch her attention, and Akemi would hurry towards it. She would smell another as she arrived. The scent was somewhat familiar, but more concerned with getting out of the biting cold Akemi wouldn’t try to process who it belonged to. “Excuse me for intruding, but it’s too damn cold to be out there.” She would plop down just inside the entrance, glancing out at the snow. Yeah, she had decided she definitely didn’t like the stuff. ""

Yeah.. quiet. About that. It seemed she hardly got settled before her moment of silence was interrupted. A barely audible sigh left her lips before the stranger even slipped into the den - Vedis caught her scent long before that, but she was tired and had no interest in finding another place to sleep. Perhaps she might have to, if this wolf wanted to claim this one as her own, but standing her ground was a far more likely prospect. Her hackles would raise slightly, nose wrinkling as well as she heard the gentle shuffling of paws that signified Akemi's approach.

"No worries," Védís offered tentatively. Briefly she had closed her eyes, allowing darkness to overtake her, and she found her vision hazy as she adjusted once again to the pale moonlight that shone through the cave's entrance. It took a long moment for her to get a good look at Akemi. Even her scent had not been terribly familiar.. perhaps masked by time, by Akemi's companions, by the bitter cold and the briny stench of the ocean. "Do you really think I would turn away my own sister?" Her reply was slow, and cautious - but once her eyes had adjusted fully, she knew with no uncertainty that this was Akemi. Her size alone was enough to give it away.

She chuckled openly. Ah, fate was a funny, fickle beast.. and it had been so long since she'd seen anyone in her family. Though Védís had not been terribly close to Akemi - nor had she been really that close to any of her siblings - it was good to see her, and she was willing to offer a fond smile in her direction, eyes roving over Akemi's scarred form. "Where the hell have you been all these years?"

It wasn’t until she heard those words that Akemi decided to take a good, careful look at the femme who had ended up sharing the cave with her. Well well, a sister indeed. Not one that Akemi had been particularly close to {having been more prone to seeking attention from her brothers} but one that she didn’t mind. Akemi wasn’t really sure what to make of the comment itself though. It seemed that Hati was more than willing to tear her apart for his alpha... So why shouldn’t she entertain the idea that Védís would turn her away in this weather? “Hard to say as of late. It seems some kin do not care for our bonds as siblings any longer... Though I would like to hope that the answer is no.” The femme would let out a soft breath. Oh where did she even begin with filling Védís in? “I guess you could say I’ve been to hell and back. I’ve had my battles, my wins, my loses... Mainly all staged here in Alacritia. There’s been a lot that has gone on just in this sole land. It is a place where heaven and hell coexist.” Akemi would give a soft snort. “I know for a time some of our siblings made it out this way too. Though lately I’ve only seen Hati... And it seems he’s become a lapdog for the king of Imperium, ready to tear me apart for this man.” Her single eye would narrow slightly. “Not that our family was incredibly close from the start. Ahhh but I digress. How have you been fairing Védís?” Akemi was truly hurt by what her brother had told her at the battlefield. It was something that ran over in her mind over and over... And that sense of betrayal and heartache left her feeling bitter inside. "Talk"

Loyalty to their family was one thing that the Hroovys had been taught from birth. That value had not left her, despite the time that had passed between her and her siblings, and despite whatever they had gone through. Védís had never grown as selfish as some might, given their upbringing; she could only hope Akemi had not either. But even if she had, she was still family, and she was happy to see her. She would be eager to give up some comfort for a sibling - though if she was being honest with herself, family was the best thing that could happen to her right now.

Her words were a bit perplexing. She'd likely missed a lot in these last few years; and it was no surprise that some of their kin may have gone their separate ways. Their overbearing, demanding upbringing had probably been harmful to some of them. Vedis would furrow her brows, casting Akemi an inquisitive glance. "I wouldn't," she confirmed, her voice firm, and not without some kind of fondness. There would be no reason to cast a family member aside, not unless they had done some great injustice.

Her words ushered another soft chuckle. "I never knew you would grow to be so poetic," she commented, a hint of laughter audible in her voice. "Though I can say, it does look like you've been through more than I can imagine."  Akemi's ears were shredded, her eye mangled - or so it looked from the dim light of the cave - and her tail was nonexistent. That just covered the major changes, not to mention the numerous scars she bore. The news about Hati, though, was curious. He never struck her as the type to be someone's lapdog. Huh.

"I've been okay," she answered the question about her own well-being a bit tentatively. She'd been surviving. There was little to share; her existence had been rudimentary at best, though she was here to speak of it, and she figured that was impressive on its own. "Glad that I've stumbled across you, definitely. Have you seen anyone else in these lands?" It was a strange stroke of luck that she'd stumbled upon Akemi without meaning to, and she couldn't help but wonder if anyone had followed her here.

Vedis’ words brought a bit of a smirk to Akemi’s lips. Poetic? Had she grown that soft? Perhaps becoming a mother, among her other trials, had changed her more than she thought. Though she couldn’t say that she was necessarily upset with the outcome. She had learned more in these years spent in Alacritia then any other point of her life. It made her realize, the hard way, that wolves changed. They came in and out of your life. You just had to keep living. Akemi’s gaze would become saddened when Vedis posed her question though. “In the beginning... It seemed a good many of us had come. Tyr, Baldy, Thor, Loki, Freyr just to name some. But as time wore on Vedis they’ve gone. Whether death has claimed them or they simply found elsewhere to call home it seems that you, I, and Hati are all that remains.” Akemi would close the distance between Vedis and herself, giving an almost loving nuzzle to the other woman’s shoulder. “I... I miss how things used to be, as crazy as it is to say. I miss the days of our youth. Things were hard but...” Akemi shook her head. “Broken family or not, it felt more like a family back then than it does now.” ""

Table by:: Tealah