[Set the day after the Pack Meeting, and a day after Xodus and Pal reunited.]

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

The snowy based young male stopped as the Plains came into sight ahead of the group. It looked quiet, and as he stepped forward, his sapphire and amethyst eyes spotted a scattered line of stones of varying colors and size. They ran along the well-trodden path that he remembered being the border. So, Celestial still stood, as the outrunners had confirmed. His tail wagged behind him as he stepped forward, bending to sniff at the scents. Regulus, Justice, and Fable were all among the scents there—but where was his mother’s scent? A feeling of dread crept through his heart. Had she died? Had Surreal been contagious after all? The small off-group Kavdaya and Regulus had found at last had been the other group that wandered the two continents. He had no way of knowing what had happened. He was worried, too, at the staleness of the scents of Valor and their father. He waited until Xodus reached his side, then smiled at his brother. “Well, let’s tell them we’re home, shall we?” He tipped his head back, muzzle pointing to the sky and sang out, calling for Regulus, first, and his siblings and parents. Regulus, naturally, was the one who would be needed to accept them both home… Dear gods, he hoped they could come home. Kavamaya and the other Nomads added their own call, ensuring it wouldn’t be missed. Kavamaya, in particular, was interested to see the leader of Celestial. A thought was niggling that perhaps she was ready to settle down, however much she enjoyed teaching and traveling with the Nomads. She enjoyed teaching Paladin – he was a bright mind, and it was nice to talk to a member of her family, since she had left many of her siblings and cousins behind in one of the larger groups on other lands in the world – and she wanted to further his education. With her sister’s help, he had a massive potential. Assuming Kavdaya was there... The group settled to wait however long it might take for the call to be answered, and Paladin shifted from paw to paw, eyes straining for movement in the pack lands.

Justice lifted her head from her paws as the sound of a vaguely familiar howl trickled through to the den where she'd been keeping vigil on her mother. A beat later more howls joined the first, but she was still staring towards the entrance with a faintly puzzled frown on her muzzle. Who would be calling for Regulus, AND her family? She could almost but not quite place the voice. While she was still thinking, she turned to nuzzle her mother's pale ear. "I'll just go see what's going on, Mum, I'll be back soon and I'll tell you more about the plants I'm learning about, ok?" She didn't wait for the answer she knew wouldn't come, instead turning to make her way swiftly through the caves and out onto the plains to trot towards the border. She still hadn't quite figured it out when she caught sight of the wolves on the other side of the border, her eyes sweeping over the multitude of strangers and a deepening frown turning down the corners of her mouth. Where had all these wolves come from, and why were they calling for... "Welcome to Celestial. How can I hel...." Her eyes landed on the familiar, though much larger and more filled out than she remembered, form of her brother. The fiercely guarded expression, and words, and all thoughts really, flew away in a sharp squeal as she threw herself suddenly over the border rocks in an attempt to tackle the barely-larger white sibling. "KNIGHT! You came back! You're home! You're..." Suddenly all her leaping and licking and cuddling stopped as a fierce snarl replaced her happy kisses, and she attempted to shove him back onto his haunches with her sturdy chest and shoulders. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING RUNNING OFF LIKE THAT YOU HAD EVERYONE SO WORRIED AND WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD AND YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE HELPING WITH MOM, AND VALOR AND DAD ARE MISSING, AND I'VE BEEN DOING THIS ALL BY MYSELF AND I NEEDED YOU." She planted herself in front of him, and had she been human her hands would have been firmly on her hips in the very image of furious indignation, almost adorably so in a fluffy-little-teddy-bear way. A fluffy little teddy bear you might want to think twice about cuddling - the way she wrinkled her nose to bare her fangs said she was considering using them. Never-you-mind that she herself had been gone until very recently, this was about Knight, not her, and she was so very clearly pissed off about it. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself, waltzing in here like it ain't no thing, huh?"

Exodus followed his brother with a thrill of excitement fluttering through him, the knowledge that they were going home once and for all was elating. The Nomads surrounded them, and it felt to him like he'd known them all along. Their kindness was something he'd never known from other strangers, and it had taken no time at all for them to morph in his world from strangers to family. Without Paladin and the Nomad tribe finding, he may have died from heat and exhaustion. Now, he felt well and alive, and his burnt pads were healed thanks to their knowledge and skill. He wasn't sure how he could thank them, except to go forth in life and be grateful for the opportunity of life he'd been given, and to do his best to learn and grow and one day share his own skills.

As they came closer to familiar land, Exodus needed to keep himself in check, holding back the urge to go running forth like an excited pup. He knew he needed to show some control and maturity, despite how he felt. So instead of bolting ahead, he drew in the scents of home, the familiar wolves, and everything he looked forward to seeing again. Some scents were strong, others not so much. He didn't notice his mother's scent at all... but he longed to see her. What had happened?

Having been distracted by scents, he'd wandered a bit, and so when his brother spoke to him,
he bounded forward to draw up to the boy's side. He nodded to Paladin, ready to call to the Alpha,
and to their family. He tilted back his head and added his voice to the chorus as they called out.
Waiting was painful, but it wasn't long before Justice came running toward them, and a great smile began to spread across Exodus' dark face, joy filling him as their sibling approached. Oh, it had been too long... but the pure happiness was short-lived when Justice lashed out suddenly.
Exodus knew where it was coming from - she'd been worried about their disappearance - but it was sudden, unexpected and stung a little anyways.

The way Justice glared at them and bared her teeth, she looked quite ferocious, and he had to say,
he was glad she was his sibling, and not some stranger. He wouldn't want to have to face her wrath on the wrong side of the fence. But he knew she would calm down, once everything had been settled. "Justice!" he barked, trying to draw attention to himself as he padded toward her, "What do we have to say? Well, it's good to be back, that's what I have to say. No excuses,
just... it's good to see you." He grinned widely at his sister, his dark, white-tipped tail waving back and forth, wondering if Justice would unleash some of her wrath upon him.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus padded carefully along a rabbit trail, nose, ears and eyes alert for the little creatures. He intended to bring one to his cousin, in hopes that she might rouse from her listless stupor enough to eat. A howl from the border pulled him away, however, and he broke from the rabbit path with a huff. However, his pace quickened, rabbits forgotten, when a whole chorus of voices added to the first. So many? Was it a raid? Or a siege? No, the voices were friendly. And raiders would want to get in and out with as little chance of injury possible, wouldn’t they? At least, he would want to take that much care if he took the pack raiding; not a likely thing to happen. He preferred to keep Celestial on good, or at the very least neutral, terms with other packs. As the group drew near, he broke into a quick trot, spotting Justice’s dark frame heading in the same direction and smiled slightly. She was keeping active, applying herself with initiative to patrols, healing, and intercepting trespassers. That pleased him. His eyes flicked back to the group, now that he was close enough to pick out details. It was the tear markings that tipped him off as to who the snow based fellow was. He reached the group just as Justice began her greeting, and he smiled as she caught sight of Knight and launched into him with a joyful greeting. He thought he could see another young male with bright green tears pushing to the front of the group as well, but Justice’s abrupt whiplash switch of mood redirected his attention before he could attach a name to the face. He stepped forward, letting a rumble thunder out in warning before he sought to knock the small female aside which the broad edge of his left front leg. He let the green marked boy – Ah, yes, Exodus – speak up, before he added his own voice, heedless of the bared teeth. “As I seem to recall, the story I got when I returned was Knight disappeared after you followed myself, my mother and father, and your mother out of the pack lands. When you were all very clearly told not to follow us. You have not been caring for your mother alone. If you recall, I have been trying to get her to eat since she fell into the depression that ails her. Before you returned home. Now. I think you can greet your brothers without your teeth showing, and stop shaming them in front of our guests. Neither of their paws have waltzed over the borders, and they called for an alpha and their family first, instead of assuming they could walk right in without consequence.” His eyes were stern, even if he could understand her anger. His voice was mild, but no less cutting for it. His eyes turned to the two young boys and looked them over. Exodus showed some recent signs of malnutrition, but Knight was vibrant, if looking bruised in the eyes at his sister’s mixed greeting. He bore a mark between his brow points, and Regulus smiled, recognizing a Nomad’s first mark. Upon glancing at the group that accompanied the two boys, it was clear that they were all Nomads. “Nomads, I thank you for keeping our kin safe. Please, Share our dens and all that we have.” His head bowed, respectfully, and deeper than he might even give most other alphas. And the phrase was one carefully taught to him by his grandmother, should a group of the Nomads ever pass along the borders of the pack once Surreal raised the standard of the pack. To the boys, he smiled. “No doubt you have both experienced hard trials in your absences, and have learned a lesson or two about leaving the pack borders when told to stay put. I will not punish you for disobeying, especially since it was so long ago when it happened. No doubt you’ve had enough close calls out there to learn your lessons. Welcome home, both of you.”

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

Paladin fairly vibrated as he waited, and finally, two forms appeared from differing directions. He vaguely recognized the bright red form of the Archangel, Regulus, but it was the much smaller, much darker form of his sister that he locked onto, front paws prancing as a soft keen of joy and excitement escaped his throat. But he didn’t leap forward. He knew better than to cross the line of stones and scent. She solved it for him. By the time she looked at him as she greeted the Nomads, his tail was beginning to windmill through the air behind him, and he greeted her leap with delighted whimpers, shoving his nose into her fur and breathing her in. And there was their mother’s scent. But there was something wrong. His joy evaporated as concern replaced it. But he’d barely had a chance to part his jaws and demand what was wrong with their mother before he heard her snarl and found himself shoved back, haunches smacking into the ground with a heavy thump. He swayed aside out of reflex, letting any fresh attacks slide past him as he stared at his litter-mate as she threw a litany of anger at him. Exodus broke in, pulling Paladin’s eyes aside for just a brief flick before they returned to his sister. However, Regulus’ reprimand, for it was as such, even with that mild tone, pulled his attention more fully away as he listened to the giant Crimson male. He gave a weak smile at Regulus’ acceptance, but the joy had already been lost when he’d smelled that wrongness in his mother’s scent on Justice’s fur. Depression? Gods, was it his fault? What had happened? Kavamaya stepped forward, answering Regulus’s words to herself and the nomads, heavily brogued voice holding a deep similarity to that of her sister. “It is our great pleasure, especially to help the children of my sister, and the many-greats grandson of one of our founders’ daughters. We will stay but a few days, and help where we can. However I would like to request a favor of you, when you have the time.” Paladin’s eyes had shifted back to his sister. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t really know what to say next, and his posture and eyes held a clear reluctance to get within biting range of his own sister as he rose to his paws, turning to Exodus and asking once again, for what might have been the hundredth time since they’d left the Basin, his brother’s paws encased in the hide covers with a Calendula paste and Aloe gel, “How are your paws?”

Exodus fell silent, his ears pinning back and grin fading when he saw the big red male approaching. He recognized Regulus instantly - it was hard to forget his bright scarlet coat and vibrant blue eyes - and he knew the Alpha would have words for them. After all,
they had left the packlands against Regulus' orders. They had broken the rules and gotten into trouble. An apologetic whine escaped him when the Alpha had finished speaking, his head low and tail fanning out behind him in a low wag. He was grateful that the man had not been more harsh with them. He knew it could have been much worse. Internally, Exodus promised himself that he'd be on his toes, keeping busy and playing catch up within the pack. He didn't want to be in trouble, nor did he ever want to let down his pack mates again, as he now saw his actions as letting others down. He hadn't helped a single thing by trying to follow the adults out of the pack lands, and instead had gotten himself hurt, and nearly died from dehydration and exhaustion. If his brother and the Nomads hadn't found him, he may never have made it home alive.

The boy turned his attention to Paladin as his brother once more asked how his paws were doing.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "I promise, my paws are fine," he assured his brother, "Never felt better, actually!" He added that last little bit just to ensure Paladin that he was doing fine, and hopefully convince him that he didn't need to ask another hundred times. However,
his dedication and concern were good traits, and Exodus was proud of his brother. He would make an excellent healer, and his compassion for others was extraordinary. Now Exodus had to make sure that he made just as fine a warrior, so that he could stand up for not only his brother, but for any that were vulnerable and in need of defending. That would be his duty from now on, to make sure he became the fighter and protector that his family needed him to be.