Zephyr had taken much longer than he'd expected trailing after his wife and daughter. He was grateful that Malleus (not that he knew his first name, of course) had let him go without much of a fuss, though he wasn't going to deny that his not-so-thinly veiled threat of taking control of any future children of his didn't leave him feeling unsettled. His little speech about his family was a bit weird too.. and of little real interest to Zephyr, if he was being totally honest. Not that he was enough of an idiot to admit it at the time. He'd just wanted to get out of there unscathed, and ensure that his family was alive and in one piece. He'd been in such a hurry to get there that he'd hardly been paying any attention to his surroundings for much of his journey. He was focused completely on trailing after their scents, not on where his paws were going, and sometime halfway there he found himself surprised by a small disruption in the terrain and stupidly twisted his paw. The injury wasn't serious, maybe a minor sprain, but it definitely hindered his journey by a bit. He wouldn't arrive at Abaven's borders until the following morning, having taken a short rest, and by the time he caught scent of a pack's borders separating him from his family he found he was in a foul mood. Their absence, coupled with his twisted back left paw and now knowing they'd ended up in a pack of complete strangers.. well, he wasn't in the best mood. Though he was grateful that he knew they were nearby - and hopefully here of their own accord and not taken by force. Zephyr paused at the borders, after hobbling to a slow walk, letting loose an irritable and slightly-too-demanding howl. The irritability was meant for whoever owned these lands, and whoever might have answers for her, rather than Caelum or Caelestis; he merely wanted to see that they were, in fact, here and safe.

The child woke up early as always, up at the crack of dawn before anyone else including her mother. That was okay though. For a bit, she sat by Caelum's side and rolled about on the pelts they slept on in the den Brandr had made into a comfortable little space for them. Eventually though, she became far too bored to sit still, her self control slowly waning until she just quietly padded out of the den and decided to go explore the lands that they were staying in temporarily. The plains were cool but she'd seen a pretty big snake at one point and decided to skirt around that part for the time being just to be safe. She was on her way towards where she and her mother had arrived at this place hoping to find someone to talk to or something to do when she heard a howl not too far away. Hey, she knew that voice! Setting off at a dead run, the girl went racing towards the call hoping to be the first to answer it. She rand and ran and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her until she arrived and found exactly who she'd expected. Running over to him, Caelestis leaped at her father and cried, "DAD, YOU'RE HERE!" Walk, "Talk" Think

Sparrow had made sure to keep a close eye on the visitors. She wasn't scared they would harm the pack, but with Abaven's history with pups, she wasn't going to give anything a chance to happen to the young refugee. In the early morning, the pup wandered out of the den. Keeping her distance, Sparrow tailed her, observing with a quiet curiosity.

Not too long after, a call rang out.

Before Sparrow could even turn her head, the pup dashed off and Sparrow tailed, now much closer. As the pup neared the stranger, she called out to him and leaped at him. Sparrow slowed to a trot. Was this really her father? Sparrow cocked her head, giving a soft smile.

"You've finally made it. They've been waiting for you."

Grateful that he didn't have to wait long, Zephyr reclined to his haunches and sat, leaning his weight on his right side to avoid his injured paw. He wasn't going to flop down and make himself comfortable until he knew his mate and child were safe here - though he was starting to wonder if anywhere around here was all that safe for them. Perhaps not much had changed over the years.. the very thought made his stomach burn and the corners of his lips twitch irritably. His expression softened considerably upon seeing his daughter bounding toward him happily. It shifted into a broad, playful grin, the sort of expression only his youngest child could earn from him so easily. "Ah, there's my girl!" He boomed happily, only wincing slightly when she tackled into him, readjusting his weight as he buried his snout into her chest and nuzzled her deeply. "I didn't know when you two left for a nighttime play-date that you'd be gone so long. Next time, invite me, why don't you?" He was teasing, grinning all the while as he subtly looked over Caelestis to make sure she'd gone unharmed, and to his pleasure she seemed fine. Of course, his call didn't go unnoticed by one of the wolves that lived here. Someone of high ranking, perhaps? It was hard to tell immediately, but they certainly didn't seem a stranger here, walking with confidence toward him. He pulled back slightly from his daughter, nose wrinkling as he regarded Sparrow with a wary stare. "Name's Zephyr. My wife's here too, I presume?" He asked gruffly - knowing that Caelum would have his hide for being rude to wolves who were possibly offering them refuge, but also not feeling particularly friendly. His distaste for packs had only grown stronger as of late, but if his family was here, alive and well, then.. meh. It was better than them being back in Dragoste's lands, that was for sure.

His playful grin was met with her own wildly excited expression as she raced towards him, little tail swinging out of control as she almost leaps out of her skin, so happy was she to finally see her father again. Recent events had frightened the child, and let her with questions she wouldn't normally be asking at this age. But when her father appeared, just seeing him made her feel so much more happy and safe. Now that she had both of her parents she could relax. She squeaked softly as he nuzzled her, pressing her own face against him, eyes sliding shut as relief and happiness washed over her. She was safe. He was safe. Everything could be okay now! "Daddy, I missed you so much!" she breathed into his fur, little tail still swinging as she tried to reign in her excitement at last and failed miserably. He was back, and it was wonderful! "You gotta come for playtime all the time now! It's required," she asserted firmly. She might never let her parents out of her sight again. Well, except for when she got curious and had to explore. Details. Caelestis nipped at her father's leg as he got all gruff and unfriendly to the nice lady Sparrow, shooting a serious, scolding look she shouldn't even be able to make yet up at her father. "Be nice, dad. Sparrow's nice. Momma's sleeping, she's tired cause' she carried me here." Then, with a childish pout, the girl added, "She said we had to hurry and I was to slow to be allowed to walk. I'm not even that slow though..." As if to prove it, she zipped over towards Sparrow and leapt at her paw playfully in what was fast becoming her favorite game, then jumping away she would run in a haphazard arc until she crouched down in the half-melted snow between the adults and let out a playful bark, waiting to see if they'd stay all serious or if she could get someone to play with her. She was just brimming with barely contained puppy energy. Walk, "Talk" Think

The pup and her father played a small bit before the man acknowledged Sparrow. He asked gruffly if his wife was here. Sparrow nodded, soft smile still on her face, "You will find her safe and well within these borders."

Caelestis scolded her father in a way Sparrow still never dreamed of talking to her father. Still, she didn't think the pup rude and accepted that perhaps this was just their type of family relationship.

The pup ran over and swatted at Sparrow's paw. Sparrow let out a light laugh as she lifted her paw safely away. Maybe one day Caelestis would get her. Sparrow's eyes fell to Zephyr.

"I'm aware of your family's circumstances. As long as you and your family remain cordial to my pack and our rules, you are welcome to stay here as Santuario or refugees until you find a place you'd like to go. Of course, you're welcome to stay here as members if you wish. We're looking into the issue as well and could use any information you'd be willing to share."

Sparrow looked back to the pup for a moment.

"But first, maybe it's time for a little reunion? Caelestis, do you want to lead your father and I to your mother?"

It was easy to feel his spirits being lifted by his young daughter's innocent exuberance. She gave him another reason to live, to keep the darkness that had once consumed him whole at bay - not that he was the most morally sound man in the world, but he now had two wolves to protect and care for instead of just one. He was pleased to see what she was well and that she wasn't traumatized completely or anything like that - his grin broadened as she started to speak, amusement shining in his eyes. "I missed you more," he challenged her with an air of seriousness. Somehow, he was certain that afraid for a parent was nowhere near as powerful as the fear felt like a father missing his daughter - he had felt that familiar sense of dread before and the grief had swallowed him entirely. He was glad that he didn't have to experience anything similar this time. He chuckled as she nipped at his leg, attempting to scold him. He'd always had that sort of relationship with his kids, even his oldest litters - playful and friendly, and he took no offense to her attempts to make him act nicer. At least Caelestis thought Sparrow was nice, right? That was something. "She carried you all the way? She must be awfully tired then," he leaned to sneak in another nuzzle before his daughter dashed away to pounce at Sparrow's paw and then away again, butt wiggling as she all but begged them to play with her. Sparrow didn't seem rattled by his slightly abrasive demeanor. Perhaps she was a parent herself, and knew how he might be feeling? Or maybe she just was a decent wolf - he had no idea what to think of her yet. She explained that she was aware of what had happened, that they were welcome here, either permanently or just temporarily. Honestly, he could think beyond tomorrow, so he simply nodded, offering a soft "Thanks." Over the years he had become a touch less refined in dealing with others, his sharp manner of speaking slowly morphing into something more sardonic rather than simply witty, and he thought it best now if he held his tongue. Caelum already was going to be in a foul mood with him, he was sure of it; he didn't want to make it any worse by mouthing off to the leader of the pack that had agreed to house them for now. But, he couldn't stay totally silent. "The issue?" Zephyr nearly scoffed, sounding bewildered. "There's no issue to look in to!" Perhaps nobody else really knew what had happened - or rather, why it had happened? "Dragoste was taken over by a family called the Abraxas. Apparently they wish to conquer the whole fuc- damned world," he side-eyed Caelestis, correcting his word quickly, not wishing for her to pick up on his penchant for swearing even if he couldn't always help himself. "Apparently they killed Ganta, the leader, and intend to take other packs and lands by force if anyone puts up a fight." His shrug told a story that he didn't really care about any of it all that much, even if it'd be in his best interest to pretend he did. "But - enough of that. Let's go see mom," his gaze fell to Caelestis, that magical grin reappearing suddenly as he waited for her to lead the way.

The little girl let both paws slap the ground abruptly as her father challenged her, gasping dramatically and crying, "Nu uhh! I missed you the most! Tons!" Lifting her chin skyward in what appeared to be an attempt to indicate the amount she had missed him, the pup nearly toppled over backwards in the process and righted herself with a cheeky grin and a wag of her tail. Nodding to confirm that mom was indeed very tired, Caelestis almost dropped the silliness but the temptation to race about was simply too great for her to ignore. She pouted a moment when she missed the paw she'd attempted to leap at, but her energy level simply didn't allow her to dwell on it. She sat, wiggling and eventually took to rolling in dirt between the two adults, distracting herself a moment until they began talking with each other more. Rolling onto her back, she would eye sparrow with her rose pink eye, a single sharp canine poking out from her lips as the goofy pup eyed the adults. Caelestis wasn't too sure what all was going on, but it sounded awful serious. Then dad got kinda snappy, drawing the gaze of her eye that nearly matched the color of his. He sounded agitated, and he said something about Dragoste getting taken over by Abraxas? What was that? Oh, then he almost said a real baad word and Caelestis narrowed her mismatched eyes for a moment, knowing momma didn't like it when he did that but never having managed to hear the whole words yet. She figured trying to learn them might not be in her best interest though. Not when she was little. What he said next had her sitting up and at attention, eyes widening. What happened to Ganta?! Ears falling back, the child gazed at the two adults curiously. This all sounded more serious than she'd anticipated. Hoping to not worry them with her sudden quietness, she perked up as it was suggested she lead the way to her mother and jumped to her paws, grinning at her dad, "Yeah, I hope she's awake now!" turning and bounding in the direction of the den, she would do the typical pup thing and race as fast as her legs would allow, zooming off towards her mother. After hearing them talk, the girl did find herself wondering what was going on. Bad things, it sounded like. "Momma, are ya 'wake?!" she shouted as she neared the den entrance. Walk, "Talk" Think

Having slept for quite some time after they were brought to the den Brandr cleared out for them, Caelum was beginning to feel a bit better, though sleep continued to pull her back into it's embrace whenever she stirred. It had been a long journey for her, more than she ought to be tackling but the woman was just happy she'd made it here safely with her daughter even if she was rather upset that she couldn't get Zephyr before they ran. When she woke during the night she'd gently nuzzled their child who was pressed close to her side. The girl was starting to grow fast, and Cae wondered if she'd someday be as tall as Zephyr. Later it was early morning when the woman sat up sleepily, looking around in confusion for a moment before she recalled where she was and settled back down. Her heart beat faster when she realized that Caelestis wasn't at her side, but her scent was still rather fresh so she assumed her daughter wasn't too far off and she was so tired that she simply drifted off again. When at last she was ready to get up, Caelum pulled herself into a sitting position and yawned, stretching languidly and letting her muscles warm up a bit and realize it was time to get moving. Every now and then she got to feeling rather old, but luckily after some stretching and time spent letting her brain wake up she felt pretty good. Tired, yes, but still not ancient and arthritic which she was pleased by. Hearing her daughter's voice ring out somewhere outside, the woman smiled warmly and rose to trot out into the lovely golden dawn that greeted her at the entrance. Pale blue eyes squinted as she let them adjust to the light of day, reaching down to nuzzle her daughter's dark little head and plant a warm kiss between her ears. Taking a seat, Caelum cooed, "Good morning, my dear." The child bounced at her paws and turned to look expectantly the way she'd come. As Caelum turned to see what the girl was looking for, she saw the wolves who followed the girl and brightened instantly, rushing towards Zephyr and burying her face in his neck fur. "Zeph, I'm so glad you're here!" she gushed, holding herself close to him for a bit. It hadn't really hit her how worried she was for him until she saw his face again. The woman didn't think she could handle even thinking about what she'd do if she lost him again. It was unthinkable, painful to consider for even a second, forcing Cae to take a few deep breaths before she completely lost her composure. When at last she pulled back, Caelum smiled and nodded to Sparrow in greeting, still unable to get any more words out. Glancing at Caelestis briefly, she wondered if she ought to send the child to the den while they discussed things. Surely Sparrow would want to get some information out of Zeph, and Caelum also wanted to know more of what happened to him during the attack. This might not be a conversation fit for children's ears, and Caelum didn't want to focus on gauging how her child was handling things as she tried to pull information out of her mate and get him to behave at the same time. "Caelestis, darling, I need you to go to the den for a bit," she said, giving the girl a sharp look as a look crossed the girl's face that said she was about to argue. Caelestis pouted, scowling as she scurried over to her father so she could snuggle into his fur once more and seek out some sympathy before she trudged slowly off to the den, looking mournfully over her shoulder before disappearing into the darkness, out of view. Caelum shook her head before turning to the other adults and asking, "Zeph, what happened?"

Zephyr's grin grew wide at his daughter's proclamation that no, she missed him the most. It was a battle he was happy to concede in.  "Fine, you missed me the most then," he said, but she was already moved on, rolling in the dirt between them, distracted by the possibility of play. But it seemed she was catching on, at least to the mood of the conversation, only perking up again at the mention of finding their mother. Even if she wasn't awake yet, Zephyr was sure Caelestis would change that quickly enough. He padded easily after his daughter, noting Caelum's scent grew stronger as they approached what seemed like their den they'd been staying in - her voice following soon after. Another genuine smile touched his lips, his tail waving behind him as he watched his wife slip from the den and nuzzle their daughter, finally turning her head to greet him.  "And I'm glad you two are safe," he murmured happily, embracing Caelum and pulling her close for a long moment. He, too, wasn't sure what he'd do now that he'd found her again. Even imagining it was difficult for him. He offered Caelestis a quick nuzzle as she leaned into him, pouting at her mother's command. Thankfully there was no arguing, and she soon wandered off - he eyed her as she went, giving her a knowing stare, not wanting her to lean out of the den's entrance and try to overhear them. He took a moment to start speaking, intending to reiterate what he'd told Sparrow, only a bit more kindly. "Apparently Ganta is dead," Zephyr started with a slight frown, knowing she'd liked the man.  "A family called the Abraxas has taken him down. One of their group told me they intend to claim as much land, and as many wolves as possible. Whoever won't submit to them will be killed - that's what one of them told me." His tone said that either he didn't believe a word of it, or if he did, he didn't think it applied much to them. He scoffed a bit and shook his head.  "I was sleeping pretty damn peacefully when two whelps showed up at our den and tried to fight me. Thank god you two were gone then. Inverno heard the ruckus and came to investigate - not sure if he was smart enough to run as I did, but..." He shrugged a bit too nonchalantly.

Sparrow listened solemnly as Zephyr recounted the events the family had experienced. She momentarily tried to decide if the reunion was a farce. Could this family be trying to trick her? The alphaess quickly decided that no- they weren't tricking her.

Sparrow was glad to be able to provide some rest and repose for the trio, but the news of Dragoste's capture was both jarring and disturbing. A part of her really didn't want to believe it. She also didn't want to jump to conclusions. The last time a pack came asking for help, Bass had thrown Abaven into a war that nearly split the members on the question of loyalty.

Sparrow couldn't afford to do that with the lack of members left.

"I wish to try to confirm this further, but in the meantime, you and your family are welcome to stay here as refugees or as members."

Sparrow offered a small smile, "But this is strictly up to you two. I don't wish to pressure you into a hasty decision. Until then, I think both of you deserve some rest."

Once positive their daughter had wandered far enough into the depths of the den to be out of earshot she could relax a little bit though tension still clung to her stubbornly. Her face became creased with worry as Zephyr recounted his own experiences during the takeover. Hearing that Ganta was dead, that had her heart breaking into a million pieces as she thought of his children and mate he left behind. He was a good man, someone she could get along with quite easily and whose company she’d enjoyed, and knowing he’d died at the paws of such evil made her both deeply sad and deeply angry. If she’d been alone she may have shed a tear or two but as it was she remained composed, wondering if she should seek out Roza eventually. To lose Ganta so suddenly and be left with one child while the other was still missing as far as Caelum knew… Unimaginable. Gladness that her mate had escaped a sticky situation unscathed and made it to her side was overshadowed by the desire to try and shove him to the ground and interrogate him about why he thought it was no big deal to leave one of the only members that was still alive from their old pack to die alone at the hands of those wolves. She considered doing it, Sparrow or no Sparrow, but opted for cold fury hidden latent in her voice as she spoke, ”Oh, I see. You’ll have to elaborate on that story soon, my dear.” The chill in her tone as glacial eyes would stare daggers into the man promised a tongue lashing for the ages, but she was still too polite to do it in front of Sparrow. Moving to stand on his right, aiming to place one of her paws over his and sink her weight onto it so he knew this was just the beginning of the suffering he would see once they were alone and she could tell him off properly for abandoning someone like that, she looked over to Sparrow and smiled as warmly and sweetly as ever, though her tone took on a bit of a saccharine quality as she spoke, ”Thank you for all you’ve done, Sparrow, we appreciate it greatly. If there’s anything we can do to aid you at any time feel free to ask. We’ll have to discuss what we’ll be doing next, I’ll let you know when we come to a decision.” SPEAK