Asharya... wasn't quite sure where to begin. Time had passed since she had last stood on these borders. A lot of time. More than she had planned for at any rate, and it wasn't until she ran face first into the border that she wondered how she might be received. Frankly, she had just lost track of time. Once the heat of full summer was baking through her fur she realized how long she had really been away. Asha was no longer a lanky youth, fully grown at last into her full height and stature. Her fur blazed almost as brightly as her eyes, which had become chips of ice given her anxiety. Asha shoved those feelings down, locking them away behind a mask of confidence. Whatever had changed in her absence, she would take it in stride. Asha stopped first at the canyon where she had been raised but found it empty, and at its bottom she saw sticks and sand and other debris piled up as if it had been washed through some time ago. Unable at pick up any trace of her brother or mother there she turned for her uncle's pack instead. The borders were well marked and she found a plethora of familiar scents. Others were notably absent. She sat back on her haunches and furrowed her brow in quiet confusion. There was no trace there of Amon, and no immediate evidence of either Ashiel or Pyralis. She began to grow worried. Asharya had no doubt that both of them would probably bite her tail off for just up and disappearing over the horizon, but she couldn't wait to see them again. What if they weren't here? Asha realized she wasn't sure how the rest of the family would feel about her sudden departure. She huffed, and pulled on a shroud of indignation, fluffing out her fur. Well, screw them if they thought she would apologize for following her gut! The Fallen God wouldn't have made her paws always itching to move forward if she wasn't meant to listen to them. Asharya huffed and took two long strides over the border before tipping her head back in a howl. Someone would come to greet her eventually, and they would be able to save her some time by answering the countless questions now swirling through her mind. Quietly, for her ears alone, she prayed to the Fallen God that her family was still okay. "Talk" "You" Think

Ashiel stretched out next to the creek. Despite it being winter in Auster a sudden heat spell had swooped over the territory and combined with the humidity it was absolutely sweltering. He prayed for a breeze to ease the heat and give him some space to think. Ashiel was wound tight. He had been since the flood and the problems only seemed to keep adding onto themselves. The flood, the vision, the daughter. He found himself dreading the next rising of the sun and what it would bring. For now he had to contemplate his new duties of fatherhood and he drank in what he considered to be his last few moments of solitude. Thankfully Serene had agreed to help and he had his cousin Malleus, as well as other family members from which to get parenting advice. All the same though… he missed his mother. Ashiel rested his head on his paws, watching the waters churn. He'd been restless. Strange dreams had been flitting in and out of his unconscious mind, evaporating like vapor in the sun the moment he awoke. Was the Fallen god trying to communicate with him again? He shuddered. Best to try and catch a little bit of sleep before he returned to duty. Just as his eyes closed a familiar howl rang out across the land. It was so familiar he was sure it had to be a dream. Sighing he pushed it aside. He was imagining things. Asharya had disappeared long ago and it was just his aching heart imagining her return. There was probably someone else at their border though and that warranted investigation. He strode confidently through the territory, locking down his insecurities and approaching as a leader might. That all dissolved in an instant as he saw the brightly colored form of his sister. He blinked. Surely he was imagining things. "Asharya? Is… is it really you? Or is this some sort of test." Was the Fallen god tormenting him? Testing him? He supposed having visions while being awake would be the next of his trials. "Talk" "You" Think

Asharya began to grow frustrated as the time stretched between her howl and anyone coming to greet her. In reality it wasn't very long at all, but patience had never been found among her many, many virtues. She was a breath away from just plunging headlong into the forest and hunting them down all on her own if no one had time to spare. Then, the underbrush before her rustled. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of an ashen coat and two piercingly familiar peridot eyes. Of all her early memories, somehow her brother's eyes staring back at her amidst all the mayhem they had caused seemed to be the strongest. It hit her like a bull moose, and she let it. Ashiel had materialized from the trees like a wraith, appearing so suddenly Asha wondered if he hadn't been there all along. The breath she didn't realize she was holding wooshed out of her at his words, and she rushed him without thinking. "Ashi! Oh, you are here!" She moved to plunge forward, flinging her forelimbs up to wrap around his neck while she shoved her nose into the fur of his scruff. "What do you mean, test? It's really me, I swear! I went to the canyon but I couldn't find anyone! Is mother here too? Spirits, I missed you so much." She fell back, pain obvious in her eyes. The worst part of it all was that Asharya really hadn't realized just how strongly she felt until it was all shoved upon her at once. Of course she had missed her one and only sibling, ever her best friend, but that longing had been reserved for beautiful vistas or pristine acts of violence she had wished to share with him. It wasn't until Asha was standing at his side once again that she realized his absence alone had left a gaping hole somewhere inside of her. Guilt rose in her throat, unbidden and uncomfortable, like she had accidentally swallowed stones. Hesitation was largely unfamiliar to the brash and reckless fae. Surprisingly, so was regret. Both sensations were tossing around in her gut in that moment, threatening to rip her to bits from the inside. "I know its been too long. I just... One day I got the urge to go and I just.. kept going, I guess." It wasn't much of an excuse, but it wasn't meant to be. Her brother deserved the truth, and Asha wasn't about to shy away from the repercussions of her actions either. Part of living without regret was facing consequences head on. If her brother was furious with her, she would figure out what to do about it in due time. She opened her mouth to explain more about where she had been and what she had discovered, but something else caught her attention and snapped the train of thought in two. Her brother's scent was mostly the same, more or less, but there was something more to it that she hadn't expected to find. Something familiar, and yet so unexpected that it took her a long moment to place it. Milk. Pups. Pups? Oh shit.. Her eyes went wide. "You smell like pups. Are.. are they yours, or..?" She felt ever so faintly dizzy. Of course she had missed her family, but that was because they weren't where she was. Asharya had hardly given any consideration at all to the fact that time had pressed on just as efficiently in the lands she left behind. The world hadn't paused and waited for her to run off her jitters, it spun on. She had missed things. She might have missed a lot of things. She sat down in a slump, properly miserable, but trying her best to conceal it. That was supposed to be a happy thing, right? So what right did she have feeling so awful about it all? "I'm... I'm really sorry, Ashi.." What more was there to say? "Talk" "You" Think

Ashiel tensed as she rushed him, fearing that she'd just pass right through him and prove she was a vision sent by the Fallen god or a figment of his imagination. When she collided with him he was stunned. The air rushed from his lungs and he stood there frozen for just a moment before he sought to bury his face in her scruff and wrap his right arm around her side.  By the Fallen god… she was really here.  Tears were forming in his eyes and his throat started to burn. He couldn't manage to choke out a proper hello and then when the questions came he pulled back. Words tangled in his throat. "Spirits above Asha… I, I don't even know where to begin. A horrible flood hit the canyon, I lost my companion Griff and the pack was scattered.  Mother-" his voice caught and Ashiel had to take another moment to collect himself. "Oh Asha, she was swept away. There's been no sign of her." He didn't want to say dead. He couldn't bring himself to accept that, not for a wolf like his mother who was as much a force of nature as the flood. Ashiel didn't know how to feel about Asha's leaving.  Part of him was hurt and angry that she hadn't returned even just to let him know that she was going to wander and wouldn't be back. Yet, another part of him knew that she was like their mother. Untamable and wild as the wind and not born to be controlled by anyone. The greater part of him still was just glad she was back. He wanted to tell her about his visions but at that moment she caught the smell on his pelt of Mæva and the other pups. "Er… yes. Well, not all of them. Just one. Her name is Mæva, and she's your niece." He smiled a bit awkwardly, suddenly struck by the strangeness of it all. He could've sworn not that long ago they were pups playing on the beach, throwing dead fish at their cousin Malleus. When had so much time passed? "I'M... I'M REALLY SORRY, ASHI.." "Forget it, Asha, I'm just glad you're home." "Talk" "You" Think

Through the swirling torrent of emotions, Asharya was sure of two things. One, she never wanted to leave home for so long again and two, miraculously Ashiel wasn't chomping down on her ears just yet. She wouldn't have minded in he did and nearly thought to offer one up when he spoke. The words, once her mind was able to make sense of them, ripped the air from her lungs and left her feeling deflated and weaker than she ever remember feeling before. Asha stared at the ground, unseeing, while her ears rang. No. No, that couldn't be right. But she herself at seen the canyon and known something was amiss, and she herself had wondered why her mother's scent wasn't present her either. She didn't have anything to say to her brother to prove to him that he was wrong, that his implications were both damning and heart-shattering and unacceptable, and she desperately wished otherwise. She was an Abraxas, damn it. Pyralis would never want her to show such weakness in the face of tragedy. Death was a part of life, right? Then again, she hadn't raised her daughter to ever give up either. When Asharya looked back up there was steel and fire in her gaze. "You're right. Apologies won't fix anything, so I won't say it anymore, but don't you think for a second that I'm ever giving up on her. I'll find her, one way or the other, I swear it. Whatever happened, her story deserves an ending fit for legend. As for Griff, do.. you know for certain what happened to him?" She was already concocting a plan in her mind, mapping out mentally her knowledge of the nearby lands, plotting out the most likely places she would have to search first. Even if all she found was a corpse, she would at least be able to give their mother a burial to keep the scavengers off, and save them both the agony of wondering for the rest of their lives. But there was more than just the news of their mother and the pack. She was right, he was a father now. Asharya forced herself into elation, for both of their sakes. She smiled softly at him, eyes watering. The world spun on. Lives were lost, and lives were given. Mæva, she thought, turning the name over gently in her mind as she got a feel for it. "An aunt? Oh dear. I'm not sure you'll want to let her know we're related. I'd hate to see my better qualities rub off on the impressionable youth." She winked and smiled, trying desperately to lighten the mood. Ashi's words told her there were more pups than just his own, but she was far less concerned with the rest of her family's progeny. No use getting attached to the little tykes if they were deemed unworthy anyways. She'd get to know them in due time. Besides, she already knew that Mæva was her favorite so what difference did it make? She stepped forward again and pressed herself into her brother's flank. Softly she murmured, "I'm glad I'm home too. Can I meet her?" Asharya smiled, knowing she had just shoved a lot of emotion into a very small corner in the back of her mind, and it would demand to be dealt with one of these days. For now she just wanted to meet her niece and find out which of her family were still left standing, maybe put a bit of fear into the other pups. Time would tell, and just then it finally felt like she had all the time in the world again. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

He felt like a missing piece of himself had been returned, like something was now filling up some of the empty space that had breached his being since the flood. Emotions were shivering all along his body and it was taking all his will just to hold himself together and not recess back into a three-month old pup. He shook his head as Asharya asked about Griff. "No, not for certain. He was still recovering from a broken wing so I have no idea if he made it out but the last I saw of him he was soaring into the sky. I think he made it out. I… I believe he made it out until I am proven otherwise." Yes, Ashiel was trying to convince himself. Yet, if Griff made it out then surely he'd head for Risen as well? There was just so much uncertainty. Ashiel would've looked for his companion if he had any idea where to start and if he wasn't afraid to go back into the canyon. He didn't want to see the ghosts of their empire, or the potential bodies of his packmates. Asharya pulled Ashiel back to the present. It was so hard for him not to dwell on the past but he needed to start focusing on the future, for his daughter's sake. He grinned. Yes, Aunt Asharya. He had to admit, it was weird to think of his sister being an aunt. "Oh, I'm sure she'll find out. She has our mother's eyes and she's a little fighter. Of course you can meet her. She's staying with Malleus' mate, Serene, until she's weaned. They have a litter of their own. Come on, I'll show you!" Ashiel turned and started heading back toward the den site, a soft smile still on his face. After everything that had helped it felt good to truly smile again. -exit- "Talk" "You" Think