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It was a warm day. Spring had arrived… her children were about half a year old now and Philomena found herself grateful to see them growing well. Her eldest had even found a companion in a gyrfalcon… a young, spirited thing. She reminded Philly a bit of No Face when she had first met her companion… and she was ever thankful for the bat hawk that had befriended her.

Speaking of he flew above her now, leading the woman as she began to dip into a territory she barely knew. She had met another here once… and the experience left her curious about the sorts of things she could discover here. The woman moved slowly, blue eyes sweeping the land as she considered what sort of things she could learn about the land before her.

The large stones were curious things…

Philly approached one and set her paw upon it. She had seen Acere standing on one of these things…

How far could one see from the top of one, she wondered?

A cry from No Face alerted the woman that she wasn’t alone in the area and she turned, slipping into a semi defensive position until she saw the one her companion had spotted.

Pegasus.

The female relaxed and gave a light wag of her tail before letting forth a bark.

Perhaps he was in the mood for some company?

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Pegasus broke into a gallop as he spotted the long furred woman standing on top of the large boulder, a wide grin on his features. “Long time no see.” He greeted with uncharacteristic casualness. He circled the stone once then sat beneath it, looking up at her with a charming tilt of his head. “Where have you been? Wintering somewhere warmer I imagine.” He said, a cocky smirk spreading over his features. In truth he had missed her, not in the way he missed Célestin, but had been worried for her sake. She was unique in her own way, much like the motley man he had come to love as his brother, but he loved her for her spirit and determination, not the flowing locks that spilled from her crown. speaking Thinking  you

Philomena smiled gently at the male as he approached. It had been some time since she’d seen him last… their last little adventure together being the season prior. “Oh you know… busy keeping four little ones in line and training my eldest.” Philomena spoke of her children proudly, her eyes shining some. “Evangelos has found a companion of his own too… a gyrfalcon. It’s been interesting trying to get them to fall in sync with one another.” The female’s blue gaze met his own, tail swishing thoughtfully back and forth.

“I… haven’t told them yet.” She confessed. “About what happened to their grandfather and Dragoste… or it’s members.” Philomena’s voice dipped with a bit of sadness as she frowned. “I want so much to protect them… but I know, should they be willing, they will be necessary fighters alongside us.” Philly hopped down beside Pegasus and shook her head.

“I was hoping exploring somewhere close by might clear my head and help me with answers.” Her companion let out a cry and Philomena glanced up at him with a nod. No Face would be close if she needed him but the bat hawk intended to give the two some privacy. Her gaze returned to Pegasus then.

"Would you care to join me?"

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He bit back the instinct to wrinkle his nose at her mention of one of her children finding a companion from another species. The religion he had been born into and the doctrine he lived by stated that other species were unclean and that wolves should never seek them for companionship, but he held his tongue. It was not his place to tell others what dogma to follow. As her mood darkened, all trace of supercilious doubt fled from his features, he found himself speaking without even realizing it as he told her “My father told me when I was a year old. Perhaps it’s better if they don’t know for now.” His ears picked up slightly as she hopped down beside him and invited him to join her as she explored, but the man was sure he saw a shadow of pain in her eyes as she spoke. “I would love to.” He said with a tip of his head and began setting out, glancing over his shoulder to see if she would follow. Rings of flowers crowned the scattered boulders and seemed to spill onto the emerald green hillside as spring came to its zenith. Birds flew in waltzing circles as they courted, and rabbits leapt suddenly from their hiding places as if dancing in the newly formed warmth of Spring. It was a beautiful sight, and it set his heart aflame with wonder as he moved through the stony garden, but try as he might to avoid it, his mind kept reaching back to Célestin. It felt unfair that he could share the splendor of the day with someone else while he stayed in Lirium and sulked. He wanted desperately to reach out to his friend, but with the sudden arrival of his mother and sisters, and with him alleging himself to Philomena, he was no longer sure reaching out to him would be the fair thing to do.   speaking

Philomena gave a small nod as Pegasus spoke and gave her some reassurance on the matter. She was worried about telling the children… in a way it wasn’t their fight… but at the same time she worried for them. For all of Boreas and Auster if the actions of the Abraxas were to continue as they once were. Even if the did not… there were still crimes to be answered for. Injustices that could not be overlooked. Maybe it was wrong to hold a grudge… but for the sake of Ganta and Yale the female knew that she would.

Philomena followed after the male with no hesitation at all. Being alone in her thoughts would not help anything… if anything it would bring up thoughts and darkness she’d rather keep hidden away.

She allowed her gaze to wander instead of her thoughts, looking to Pegasus as a knight against those sorts of thoughts. To make matters worse Ulric had seemed to disappear as well… and one of her daughters was ill… Gods things were never easy, were they?

Her gaze swept over the flowers that spilled across the the green that covered the hillside until it landed on one of the large boulders here and there. She allowed her blue eyes to sweep up them too, thoughtfully silent as she observed. It was Spring… and she should have been happier. Should have felt more confident. She took note of a bird nesting on a niche on one of the stones as well.

How strange… it didn’t seem like the best place for a nest but she was hoping the creature knew what it was doing.

At last, paws continuing to carry her onward, she allowed her gaze to return to Pegasus, speaking up softly. “I’m glad to see you come back again, Pegasus.” Her words were soft and sincere.

“I’m afraid my brother has disappeared again… and I never did reunite with my mother.” Her words became quieter. “I think I may also need to seek out a healer as well… one of my daughters has been under the weather for some time… and I fear my knowledge is not enough.” Not that she knew a lot about herbs to begin with.

She felt badly sharing this with him… but without her brother she wasn’t sure who else to turn to with her worries. Pegasus had proved to be trustworthy thus far… and she hoped he understood just how much she needed him.

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The valley itself was alive with the chirping of birds and bounding hares, a line of quail chicks tutted behind their mother in front of the two wolves, completely indifferent to the two massive predators before them. Peg had never known a place could be so full of life, even in the meadows of his home animals were wary of wolves and scampered away at the slightest sound, here it seemed the animals couldn’t be bothered to live in fear, or perhaps they were too preoccupied reclaiming land that was no longer within a wolf’s territory. He paused to lap at a small spring formed by the winter thaw and gave a quick glance at the jagged peak in the distance that had most likely formed it before returning to Philomena’s side as she began to speak again. Her brother and mother were still nowhere to be found and her daughter had fallen ill. He couldn’t keep but smiling then at her fortune that his own siblings and mother had joined him. “You might be in luck then.” He said with a wry grin. “My mother recently joined me here, she’s an incredibly skilled healer.” He told her, moving to match his pace with hers. “My two sisters are here as well, and they’ve agreed to join us.” He explained. “It seems like our pack of vengeance is coming along quite well, in spite of everything that’s happened.” speaking Thinking  you