They were home - finally. It'd been a long time coming. In all truthfulness, she didn't even know if they'd be welcome home after all this time away. If they were able to come back home to Fiori, though, it was certainly where Ara wanted to remain. It'd been so long that she didn't even know if Psalm and Hymn had stayed, or if they had gone to Threar.. and she was equally as oblivious that Novel's family's pack was no longer. Feeling wildly uncertain about the outcome of this meeting - and what they might learn about everything else they had left behind - she moved toward the border tentatively. There was obvious nervousness, that she did not bother to hide, glimmering in her sapphire stare as they approached the lands. The scent was much different than when they'd been here last.. wolves had come and gone, as was expected. She couldn't catch hint of either of her sons' scents, which was not terribly surprising. Perhaps they simply hadn't traveled across the southern border recently? Shuffling her paws as they came to a slow halt, she would learn and press her nose to Novel's neck. Inhaling her scent would afford her some courage, to call for whoever led Fiori now. After a long moment, she tilted her head to the sky, letting out a hopeful call, to re-acceptance, and for answers. "We're home," she'd say softly to Novel as her head lowered itself again, a soft sigh falling from her lips as she leaned against her wife.

Quite a bit of time had passed since the pale she wolf had stepped foot on her homeland. She felt more relief than she expected so long as she didn't think about the missing scents on the border. It had been even longer since she'd seen her two boys. There was an ache in her heart as she wished them to her side, but being home was enough. They'd slow to a halt at the border, Ara seemed much more apprehensive than she herself felt. As her mate pushed her nose into her neck Novel would hum encouragingly as she leaned back. "Finally." She'd smile, letting the relief in her voice be heard after Ara would call for the current alpha. They were finally home.

Leo's ears perked when a howl called for him from the border. It was a voice that was vaguely familiar, but it wasn't one he could immediately place. He was excited though since it had been quite a while since anyone had called for him, at least not anyone that was interested in joining. He hurried toward the border and once he realized who it was he smiled happily. "Ara and Novel! It's good to see you both again!" he called cheerfully as he trotted over to them, his tail wagging slowly behind him. "All done with your trip I'm guessing?" He settled on his haunches in front of the pair while he looked between them curiously. He noticed their sons weren't with them and it made him curious as to where they might have ended up, but he wouldn't ask about them yet. He'd just let them speak first and see what they would like to do. He hoped they would want to join the pack again, but he didn't like to assume. "Talk" "You" Think

It'd been.. quite some time since they had been here. Ara hadn't exactly anticipated their trip to be so long, but she'd known it wasn't going to be that short either. Not only had they needed to find answers to questions that had been left unanswered, but they'd needed time away, time alone - just the two of them. And they'd gotten plenty of that. Now, it was time to come home. A content sigh fell from her lips as she heard Novel's words of agreement, and she leaned heavily against her as they stood and waited together. It didn't take a long time for their call to be answered, though it hadn't been the least bit urgent. She wouldn't have even minded if they waited days, lingering outside the edges of the Mangroves, content to simply be back in familiar lands. Ara had done enough wandering for a lifetime, she thought. A tired smile made its way to her lips as Leo approached. Though familiar, she hadn't expected him to have taken over Fiori - but it was obvious even with the obvious humility he held in his gait, that he ruled here now.  Ara would nod to him slowly, respectfully, grateful to be seen so quickly. "It's good to see you too," she replied, her tone genuine, but filled with a sort of weariness that she did not bother to hide. "We are home for good, if you'll have us." Her words were accompanied by a slight nod. She was honestly happy to be home, and it was obvious, though all she wanted to do now was rest.

They wouldn't wait for very long, but during that time Novel had been more than content to stand and lean against her wife for forever. Leo was quick to answer the call, while she had been expecting Epiphron her son was just as welcome a sight. They were home, for good. She wouldn't worry about them right now, but she knew the next goal would be to find Psalm and Hymn. Novel would mirror Ara's greeting as she smiled, the relief obvious in her expression. It felt good to be home, and to know that now they would be able to stop moving. They didn't have to travel anymore and relaxation was just around the corner. She just hoped Psalm and Hymn would be there too. "It feels so good to be back." And it really did. She felt like she'd seen all of Alacritia, but still this was the one place she wished to return to.

His gaze went from Ara to Novel and back again as they spoke, his expression clearly showing the happiness that he felt at their return. Perhaps this would be the beginning at the upturn he had been hoping for in Fiori. "Of course! I'm happy that you're both home. Welcome back." He smiled and chuckled softly. "You've missed quite a lot. I won't worry you both with many of the specifics right now since I can tell you're both tired. I can't remember if you had left already before I took Fiori, but I'm the ruler here now. My mother is still around of course. I'm the King and my wife Svetlana is the Queen. I can fill you in on the other specifics of the changes in the rules and such later once you get settled in and have some rest." He smiled kindly and added, "If I remember correctly, you're both healers, yes? Amalia is the lead healer and I believe she is planning on calling a training session in the Spring so be on the look out for that." "Talk" "You" Think

She didn't even know if they'd have the same den they did when they were here last. Oh, how she hoped they did. All she wanted to do was to return to it, to curl with Novel and sleep the day away with her. Soon, they would have to begin to re-familiarize themselves with the wolves that remained in Fiori, with the changes the seasons had brought to the land.. but for now, that could be left for tomorrow. She was grateful for Leo's easy-going nature. He could've been upset, and not welcomed them back, and she would have understood. But if anything, he seemed glad to see them and happy they wanted to come back to Fiori. Her expression, though tired, was still joyful, and relief was obvious as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you," she sighed, her smile growing slightly. "I can promise you we've had enough exploring for a lifetime; all I want now is to stay here,"  she expressed her feelings gladly. She hardly batted an eye at the news that Epiphron was no longer leader. She'd always been kind enough to her, and her family.. especially her parents. And Leo seemed to follow her ideals, and if anything he was even more kind. She would nod, a bit more eagerly, at his question. "We are," she answered his question about them being healers, glancing sideways at Novel. Truth be told, she was excited at the prospect of a healing meeting. She remembered liking Amalia quite a bit - their last conversation had been an interesting one, and she looked forward to studying again, rather than simply collecting herbs. Experimenting with them could be helpful, but discussing with others who shared the same passion could be even more useful. "I can't wait." She was genuine about her words; her tail batted lightly behind her as she spoke.