Epiphron was.. tired. She struggled to find any other adjectives to describe how she felt. She thought as she approached the end she might feel more -- some kind of brilliant clarity, like light breaking through the clouds, illuminating things she had yet to understand so far in her life. Or even some kind of otherworldly sense of gratitude and forgiveness, letting go of whatever pain she'd held on to thus far in her life, and forgiving those that had caused her that pain.

But she merely felt tired. Epiphron felt no different at all than she had for some time, despite her realization that this journey was as much a metaphorical one for her as it was an actual one. This was the end - she knew it as soon as her pace slowed. Perhaps not this very minute, or perhaps not even tonight, but she knew from somewhere deep in her bones that she likely wouldn't see another sunset as lovely as this one, if she saw another at all.

The trip to this familiar area had taken more out of her than she anticipated, and by the time she moved across the invisible border of the terrain her limbs were quivering from fatigue. It was soothed by the familiarity of these lands, the scents comforting and wrapping around her like a warm blanket. She shuddered, though it was not from cold - the temperature had been warm for most of her trip here, though now that the sun had started to set it had lowered a bit. Her sapphire eyes fixed on the skyline as she walked across the stretch of abandoned farmland, marveling at how the setting sun cast a brilliant palette of colors across the sky.

She wandered around the Range for a long while, traipsing through the stretch of meadow that separated the woodlands, navigating around the old storage shed and even spending a moment at the stretch of graves that had been dug here so long ago. This was her home - as much as the mangrove forest had grown to be, and as much as Vericona Plains had once been, too. This place simply held.. more. More memories. Her children had been born here; she had fallen deeply in love here.

A wistful sigh fell from her lips as she started toward the red barn at the northern edge of the territory. By now the sun had descended completely, and overhead the sky was crisp and dark, dappled with millions of brilliant white stars overhead. Briefly she tilted her head up to watch them, feeling her breath hitch slightly in her throat - she'd expended a lot of effort exploring this place again, perhaps more than she should have, and once again fatigue washed over her, like a wave would wash over the shoreline. Another shudder took hold of her, and she slowed her pace as she started toward the barn. Before she entered it, on a whim, she tilted her head toward the sky and let loose a low, mournful call. If she didn't make it back to Fiori - and she knew deep in her heart she might not - she hoped at least someone could tell her family where she'd gone so they wouldn't worry for her.

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At the moment Kassander was still living in his cave-den in Crew's old territory, but the emptiness of the mountains was beginning to make him nervous, even jumpy. Chaos still lived there too, somewhere but the former alpha had been preoccupied and distant, broody, since he'd dissolved his pack and sent everyone on their way. With those two great big owls always hanging around Chaos Kassander found him frankly unnerving, and he'd been quick to escape on an herb gathering expedition. He'd need to find a pack before winter set in... Though the idea of moving all of his stores too far made him blanch. He'd collected a lot since he'd joined Crew. He wondered if he could find a pack that would welcome his crafting as much as Yfir, Ivory Ridge, and Crew all had. It was... the only thing that really made him unique, and was something he could do without needing to participate in awkward interactions with others...

He'd been nosing around in the tall grasses of the range, looking for echinacea while Rommel was off hunting, when a vaguely familiar nearby howl drew him from his fretful thoughts. The sadness in the song sent shivers down his spine and raised his hackles in reaction, but it took a long moment for the familiarity of the sound to connect. When it finally did his mismatched eyes widened in recognition and a touch of fear. Epiphron!

Dropping the small amount of herbs he had already collected, he raced towards the voice. A barn loomed up before he slowed from his headlong pace. Despite his worry - what could have drawn such a mournful tone from the elegant queen? - shyness gripped him, and he didn't so much walk into the barn's shadowed opening as much as he tiptoed anxiously. "E-epiphron?" he stammered softly, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Would she even remember who he was? It had been so very long since he'd been a king, and they had been allies...

Epiphron wasn't quite sure who she expected to answer her call, if anyone. It wasn't as though the call had been terribly inviting, and it was more likely that it'd be ignored - what use did a stranger have in answering a tired old wolf's call? She hadn't been calling for help, though, nor for company, thought admittedly there was a small list of wolves she almost hoped might suddenly appear to her. Perhaps foolishly she almost found herself wishing that Maverick might come back to her after all these years, that he might beg and plead for her forgiveness. She'd be too tired to turn him away, and especially too tired to fight, and his familiar touch might be a welcome addition on this cool summer evening.

Certain that she was alone, and would be for the evening, Epiphron found a dark corner of the barn to lay against, feeling comforted by the wooden wall cradling her as she shuffled to the ground. The Adravendi took a bit to find a comfortable position, extending her forepaws and letting her muzzle lower to rest on them, shifting to lay slightly on her side. The evening was peaceful; from outside the barn she could hear the gentle chirping of crickets and other insects, and in the distance an owl hooted softly, the sound echoing across the range. The serenity nearly lulled her to sleep, her breathing no longer quite so labored, instead soft and steady as she blinked in and out of consciousness.

Despite how close she was to being asleep, she heard someone approach, quietly but the noise was somehow quite audible in contrast to the quiet evening. Her ears flicked, briefly wondering if anyone had claimed this barn as their own. She was in no state to fight, and would happily give up her shelter - alright, maybe not so happily, since she really was quite comfortable here - and tiredly she lifted her head and blinked through the darkness to face the wolf that had disturbed her rest.

Quickly she decided she wasn't being disturbed at all, and that the company was well appreciated. It took her a moment to recognize him, his face somehow still so youthful to her despite the clear age written on his muzzle, but once she placed a name to his face she couldn't keep the smile from painting her features if she tried. "Ah, if it isn't King Kassander himself," she greeted him, her voice betraying her tiredness despite that smile that crept into her tones. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She didn't know if he was a King or not again - she had a feeling he likely was not - but she remembered fondly the last time she'd seen him, insisting he was a King still despite having no pack to rule. She'd always been quite fond of him, since the first time they'd met near Mount Volkan. They'd both been very different wolves than then they were now, and Epiphron couldn't help but wonder if Kassander would still be as in awe of her now as he had been then. It was hard to forget how tongue-tied he'd been, and her blue eyes glimmered with amusement at the memory. Normally she would've risen to greet him, but now lifting her head and gesturing for him to come closer seemed more than sufficient.

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The tired tone of Epiphron's voice did nothing to soothe the worries in Kassander, and he felt his gentle heart break a little at her fond greeting. Still, he wagged his tail and forced a hesitant, soft smile for her, his ear tips trembling a little both in pleasure that she remembered him so well and concern for how... frail she looked. His mismatched eyes were wide and shining in the dimness of the barn and his heavy form seemed to shrink as he crept closer to her. He'd always been surprisingly strongly-built for his personality and profession, but after all genetics did not usually take such things into account when assigning physical traits. He didn't even notice anymore.

No, his attention was all on the elderly wolf who had gestured him nearer. She'd always seemed larger than she really was, larger than life, a figure of awe to the younger Kassander. He was still in awe of her, still struck by a beauty of body and soul that transcended her physical weariness, and yet... and yet. She seemed to have shrunken, that light dimmed, and he was suddenly and painfully aware of her mortality. He'd been distantly aware of the gray that had begun to silver his own muzzle, but somehow it had never occurred to him that as he'd aged, so too had Epiphron.

Feeling somehow greatly daring and brave, Kassander carefully curled his own auburn body around her fragile white bones, trying to give her a little comfort and warmth from his larger frame. He couldn't help but give a shiver of delight despite the somber circumstances. The Xanilov male had been more than a little in love with her since he had met her as a youth so long ago, and that feeling had never faded despite his own failure to act on it. Now it was colored with regret and sadness for what might have been and never was. He was, after all this time, experienced enough as a healer to recognize that the elder wolf had little time remaining to her. Hours? Days?

It didn't matter to him. He would stay with her now until the end, however long that was.

"Epiphron..." was all he could manage to say, again, his soft voice trembling a little in the darkness, an answering tremble deep in his chest.

Long ago, she probably would have been offended at his surprise at her condition, and at her age -- she'd been a lot of things, once. It amused her to think of all the things she'd once cared about, things that she now hardly even gave a moment of her thought. Time had taken its toll on her, and finally the physical signs had caught up to her change in mental state. Somehow she'd taken it all in stride, no longer fearful of death's embrace; not that she particularly longed for it, either. It simply.. was what it was, and dwelling too much on it would do nobody any good. Any worries she'd been feeling, pushed back somewhere beneath the fatigue and her waning consciousness, were all but erased as Kassander forced a slow smile in her direction. If she'd met him when she was younger, if her heart hadn't been given away so long ago, she was certain she would've fallen head over heels for the sweet Xanilov.

Somehow, it didn't surprise her to watch him wearily as he crept closer, moving to curl tightly against her. It'd been a long time since she'd been touched by anyone so tenderly, and she felt her own body wracked with a shiver of delight at their sudden and unexpected closeness. She wasn't too proud to lean into his touch, not any more, relishing his warmth against the coldness of the earth and of the wood on her other side. Even his scent was comforting, familiar after all these years, and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Tell me what you've been up to since I last saw you," she requested, wishing her voice didn't sound as weak as it did. Lying here and being cloaked in silence sounded much less appealing than hearing Kassander talk. She truly hoped he'd been faring well, that he'd found somewhere to call a home again just as she had, and even if he had nothing at all to say she hoped he might make something up to satiate her need to hear his voice and forget everything else for just this moment.

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The soft breathiness of her once-vibrant voice shook Kassander to his core, but he took great pains not to show it as he listened. What could he tell her? What could he say that would give her comfort and happiness? He wanted to tell her to save her strength and rest, but he was too much a healer not to know that there was little rest could do for her now. You couldn't rest enough to chase away the ravages of time. And if she wanted to hear about him, as odd as that was to Kassander, then he would happily oblige her for her sake.

"I've been here and there," he told her quietly, keeping his voice light with an effort. "I met a lemur a few years ago that taught me to create a drink out of fermented fruit that wolves seem to like enough to trade for. We lived in the far north with Yfir, and Katja would trade it to the other packs for us. But she was called away some time ago and the pack was dissolved, so I was somewhat at loose ends."

He stopped to consider, and gently smoothed the fur between her ears as though comforting a pup - an action that was as much comfort to him as it was meant for her. "I spent a lot of time learning to craft different things, but I'm not really meant to be a lone wolf I suppose. I joined another pack called Ivory Ridge, and stayed with them when it was given to another alpha and became Crew."

He had to smile wryly, thinking of the motley group that he'd found himself with then. He hadn't really fit in much with that wild bunch had he? "They were... interesting. Not as interested in trading or crafting so much as drinking the stuff I made and counting coup against other packs. But they needed a healer as much as anyone else does, and they weren't really a bad sort so much as a little wild, so I stayed. They weren't really meant to last very long, I guess, and the alpha dissolved it a little while back. Now..." he shrugged carefully, not wanting to jostle her.

"And you, Epiphron? How are your children faring? And grandchildren now I'm sure?"

Epiphron couldn't help but be grateful that her condition was something that both of them largely ignored - there was no use dwelling on how little time she had left when nothing that either of them did would change it. For now, she was beyond grateful simply for the distraction of his company, and his touch was more welcome than she would've anticipated. It was hard not to be reminded of Maverick as he curled around her, his touch somehow both tender and yet powerful all at the same time. It was thoroughly comforting to know she wouldn't be alone tonight; that she would drift off to sleep not only in a familiar place, but in the embrace of someone she had always thought so fondly of.

It didn't surprise her that Kassander had thought of, well, unusual ways to make himself useful for packs. He'd always struck her as a resourceful wolf, and she was quiet as he spoke. "I can't say I was ever meant to be a lone wolf either," Epiphron admitted a touch forlornly. She'd always been the sort of wolf to hope she could be okay on her own, and to act like she would be - but the truth was that she needed to be surrounded by family and other like-minded wolves more than she liked to admit.

She listened carefully to him, not bothering to refrain from grinning with amusement at his description of his last pack. It didn't sound like the sort of place that Kassander would fit in well, but she supposed she herself had found herself in packs that didn't seem ideal for her. She was grateful though that she'd spent so much time with her children in the last few years - and she was happy to tell Kass about them. "I've kept in touch with a few," she started softly, alarmed at how tired her own voice sounded. "My son Leo ruled the pack I've been in for awhile - now his Heather daughter has been given rule." She felt immensely proud in the fact that the Adravendis had gone on ruling even long after she had interest in it. "His children have stuck around, though it's been years since I've seen most of mine." Such was the way of life - children moved on without their parents - but it was hard to keep a touch of sadness from creeping into her voice as she leaned back against him a touch further.

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Kassander listened as she spoke of her children, and her son's children, and he felt a faint stab of pain in his heart. Hadn't Svetlana joined that pack to be with Leo? Were those... her children? Did he have nieces and nephews that she had never bothered to find him to tell him about? Was she even still alive? All questions he refused to bombard his infirm friend with, questions that he carefully tucked away. This wasn't about him and his problems. This wasn't about his dysfunctional, disappearing family, however much missing them might make him ache. He needed to focus his entirety on Epiphron, who deserved gentle reminiscences rather than desperate questioning.

"I'm glad you have gotten so much time with them," he told her softly. "I can't think of anything more important than family, and if yours are anything like you they must be amazing."

His touch was more comforting than she ever would've dared to admit, had she been in any other condition - but the exhaustion was too much to bear and as much as she'd dreamed of going out fighting, she knew that would not be the case now. Instead she languished in his embrace, soaking up whatever warmth and comfort he would offer her. "I'd appreciate it if you could eventually find Leo," she offered, a touch hesitantly.. not sure what Kassander's plans were, but not wanting to be a burden even after this life. "And tell him." Did she have to elaborate? She didn't think so. Hopefully her son would be comforted by knowing she wasn't alone at the end. Epiphron thought to ask Kassander to tell Leo she was infinitely proud of him, that she loved him with all of her heart, to pass on her love to her grandchildren and so forth.. but she was sure her son knew all that, and those details somehow seemed superfluous now, less meaningful if repeated by Kassander, so she asked nothing else.

"I think, King Kassander," she started after a moment, her eyes closed now though she tilted her head to press it back against the thicker fur of his neck, taking a moment to relish in his scent. If this was her last memory, she would be completely okay with it. She'd learned to let go of her regrets a long time ago, and now that she was certain she wouldn't live to see another sunrise, she had no reason to hide anything. A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips, despite the fatigue, as she tipped her head toward him. "That if circumstances had been different, we would've made a fine pair, you and I. We would have been unstoppable. What do you think?" Her words were wistful and a touch playful, despite the shaky softness of her voice as she relaxed back into her former position, lying limply in his embrace. Perhaps she was right - it was a nice thought anyway, to think of such things instead of more somber topic, as a shudder shook her body and her breathing slowly grew a touch more labored and effortful.

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