Peregrine found peace among the gently buzzing grove. Insects of all kinda floated lazily between patches of flowers which grew in great abundance amongst the bases of small trees. They were not terribly large or impressive trees, but their heart-shaped leaves provided her enough shade that Peregrine was more than content with them. Tsiry skittered along at her side, opting to walk instead of ride upon Pere's back as she so often did. Peregrine made an effort to shorten her stride and adopt a more leisurely pace to suit her friend. The day was warm, but in this sheltered grove it did not seem as hateful as it might have been. The trees gave off a coolness all their own, even as the smell of baking grasses and warmed earth filled the air around her with it's heady scent. She was on the hunt for something worth her attention, though it was a lazy search and she felt no great rush to complete it. It was not the day for such things. She moseyed along enjoying the rare peace she and Tsiry seemed to have found, at least for the day. It was mostly because Peregrine was too deep in her own thoughts to open her mouth, but either way she wouldn't complain! "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

It was too hot. The air was sticky and Oleander felt like he was choking every time he drew in a deep breath. Cedar led him closer and closer to a shaded forest, but even there the heat was pouring all around him. The scent of herbs didn't bother him, but it did make it harder to track prey. With a sigh he shook himself, feeling like he was wet even though his coat was completely dry. He never thought that he would not be thankful for summer, but this time he was wasn't so sure about it. Turning towards his brother, he stopped for a small rest and signaled for the smaller canine to scout ahead. Taking his time to try and recapture his breath, he leaned against the young tree with a sigh. Rubbing his itchy head against the rough bark, he peeked around the trunk when he heard the jackals rough bark. Blinking his blue eyes, his head fell to one side in question. But Cedar didn't say anything, his eyes wide and a shocked look on his face. What now? Had he found something? Curious, he rose to his paws and followed his companion, fighting against the swirling feeling in his belly. It was hard to smell much of anything with the overpowering plant scent, making it even harder for him to figure out what he was being lead towards. It wasn't until a brown form started to manifest through the waves of heat that his heart truly started to pound. He couldn't be certain, but there was something inside him that clung fast to the hope. But the closer they got, the more he understood why Cedar had been in shock. It was Peregrine, the woman he spend months looking for. Oleander's heart hammered in his chest as his breath stuck in his throat, his paws eating up the ground until he was directly behind her. Without stopping, he nearly crashed into her backside, excited yips leaving the normally reserved male. His tail swung behind him as his eyes came to life all over again, the jackal watching with a small smile on your face. "Est revera vobis Ubi eras? Hoc Quousque iam fuit?" Ollie was so eager that his words came tumbling out in Latin without him even realizing it. "SPEAK" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS" -- "SPEAK LATIN"

All was quiet, until the thudding of rapidly approaching paws sounded out behind her. With a gasp of alarm, Peregrine whirled around braced herself, ready for whatever ambush awaited her. Had those same bastards come back for her, had she been found? Her teeth bared and ears flattened, but she realized in an instant who it was. "Ollie?" she gasped out. Her turnabout had brought her closer to him than he was probably planning for, because it was only a breath later that he collided with her at full force. The air was knocked out of her with a 'woosh!' and she tumbled down, rolling. She caught a glimpse of orange in the tree's above, robin egg eyes watching the scene with amusement. Peregrine guessed she must have fled upwards at Ollie's approach. Pere came up laughing, realizing the the grey man was babbling at her in excited latin. "Ollie, hey! You know I don't understand a word you're saying right? It's so good to see you!" She heaved back to her feet and pranced forward to give him an affectionate headbutt to his shoulder. She peered around his side and found Cedar watching them expectantly, just as surprised. "You too!" Tsiry clambered down from her hiding place and back onto Peregrine's shoulders, smiling at the two new arrivals. "You'll never believe the season I've had," she grumbled out. She was embarrassed to have to explain herself to him, but was still happy to see her old friend despite this. They would have to catch up, she decided, curious to know what he'd been up to in the mean time. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

He didn't see her growling face before he clashed into her, sending them both tumbling around each other. He was slightly winded but regained his breath faster, turning around to hop around her like an excited rabbit. Ollie didn't even had time to stop and take a deep breath, panting as the Latin words came tumbling out of his mouth. He hadn't even realized it, it was so hard to calm himself down. With a little growl for Cedar to get his attention, he peeked over to see the jackal raise a brow at him. Right, right. He needed to calm down. He stood still, well sort of, shaking in place as he looked her up and down. He just couldn't believe that after all this time, here she was! He had spent so long looking for her before he gave up hope, and then to just stumble into her like this so casually! Pere came to butt her head against him, and he leaned down to playfully tug on her ear. He was never this open with anyone else, but in the short time that they had known each other he had really bonded with the brown female. She had offered him a home, sharing his excitement with growing herbs like no one else had. Maybe that's why he hadn't been able to join Faite's pack, the thought of being in one without Peregrine hadn't felt right. Taking a deep breath, he tried to switch his brain of Latin to English. Of course that never fully worked, as he still mixed some Latin words into the more common tongue. She turned to greet Cedar and he just dipped his head, moving from where he had avoided the collision to sit at his brothers side. He was about to speak when she looked back at him, the words that tumbled from her maw made him pause. He knew that something had to happen for her to just vanish, and he finally settled in his seat. Letting out a small whine he reached out to brush his nose across her cheek. "We looked for you, after you praeteritus, disappeared. It was many menses, months, before I assumed the worst. I cannot explain how gaudeatis exultantes, how overjoyed I am to see you." His tone was a lot more calm, but his tail thumped on the ground behind him. He couldn't even start to put it in words how worried he had been. "What happened?" His baritone voice dropped a few notches, hardly above a whisper as he leaned in slightly. Given her tone, it hadn't been anything good. "SPEAK" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS" -- "SPEAK LATIN"

Guilt weighted Peregrine down as she listened to him. Her ears drooped, and she squirmed a bit where she stood. She had had such high hopes for the pack, and she had risked her life to achieve it... before being stolen away. She did not feel personally miffed, having a hard time attaching emotional weight to circumstance, but she did feel an enormous debt to the wolves she had promised a home. She kicked at the dried dirt of the forest floor. "Well... I'm not exactly sure. I was ambushed and forced to eat some... Oh, I don't know. Something, and it made me too woozy to do much but bumble along. Tsiry here," she said, bumping a leg against the shoulder of the lemur who had come to stand next to her, "saved me by stealing my food away while the bastards were otherwise occupied. I was weak, but I had enough wits to escape thanks to her help. I've had a friend aiding me in figuring out what they used, and tracking them down, but I seem to have lost track of her." Peregrine gave the male a sheepish grin. She was certain Roe could hold her own, but she would very much like to see her friend again all the same. In the meantime, running into Ollie was more than she could have asked for. "But I'm doing better now! I don't know what I'm doing, but physically I'm alright. What about you? Has your life taken any turns?" She was overcome with the strongest urge to apologize, but she couldn't find the words to do so. Ollie was a sweet soul, someone she rather liked spending time with, and she felt as though she had personally wronged him. Of course, as always in times of strife, her first reaction was to make light of the situation and in this case meant doing nothing at all. Maybe at some point she would have the strength of character to confront him, but it appeared that now was not that time. "Talk" "You" Think