Her body stilled as she stopped herself in front of the rather fresh scent marker. Nostrils flared as she took in the familiar scent of her uncle's marking. Relief softened her cold stare and she allowed a soft sigh to pass her lips. She was finally home even if she had no good news to share on her uncle's missing mate and kids. Her and companions had been gone in search of them shortly after they disappeared. Actaea felt it was a right choice so that her uncle could continue to care for the pack and keep it thriving. She had greatly missed home and had found sleep hadn't come easy in the seasons she had been away from home. She was also relieved that home, was still in fact here and that was one thing that hadn't changed around her. She lowered her rump to the ground, curling her tail around her paws to keep them warm as her two companions filed in beside her. Her bi colored eyes looked up to the full moon and quietly she took a moment to hope that she wouldn't be waking her uncle from slumber. Then she lifted her slender muzzle and let out a long summoning howl announcing her return to Acere and if her brother (if he happened to be awake). She had seen the land go through changes in her travels, and the volcano that used to be her home erupt with fury. She only hoped that home was still the same she was looking forward to getting back into her normal pace after she caught up on some well needed deep sleep. "Speech" & 'Thought'

The king had indeed been asleep, but when that familiar howl cut through the silence of the night, he instantly awoke. Crimson eyes flashed open while he listened to the echoes of that howl, making sure it wasn't just a dream. But as the remnants of her call died and the world went silent again, he knew she was here. He stood, careful not to wake his kids as he went to find her. His pace was hurried, his chest tight with excitement and worry and fear. Was she okay? Had she been hurt? He knew she had gone to look for his former mate, and while he was grateful for her determination and service, part of him hoped she had failed in that endeavor. At this point, he didn't think he could look Heloise in the eye anymore. Despite how much he had loved her, her abandonment had torn his heart in two and even more at the thought of her abandoning her children. But when he saw Actaea, those thoughts melted away as he approached her. "Welcome home, Actaea!" He greeted gently, moving to wrap her in a hug. "It's good to see you again, I know Ignis will be thrilled," He grinned as he let her go, looking her over for signs of injury. She appeared fine, other than looking tired, that is. "Asides from the tired look in your eyes, you look well." He hoped she had been, anyway.

She was ready to Go to her den, clean it out with her companions and then hit the hay, but she knew better then to waltz into the pack. She had been gone far to long and she had seen far to much changes to be comfortable with that. Plus she wanted to see her uncles face, even her brother's face before she was ready to fully relax and fall asleep. She needed to confirm that both were well and alive before she could fully succumb to her exhaustion. She briefly glanced to her companions knowing that they too were ready to be back in their home. Her ears picked up the sound of an approach and her fiery eyes zeroed in on the wolf approaching. It didn't take long for her to recognize the large form of her uncle and her tail began to happily thump against her paws. As he spoke she rose to meet his embrace, gently inhaling the familiar scent. A rare smile also spread across her face showing her relief and happiness to see him well and still in charge. He mentioned Ignis and her smile widened, knowing that meant he was well and alive. "I know he will, I'm relieved to finally be..... Home," she said as she looked him over as well. The healer in her did not see any new injuries, old injuries and scars that were hidden by fur. Her uncle was still strong as ever and it pleased her to see this. She focused back to his red eyes as he spoke again and she would nod in agreement with him. "Despite having no success in finding the missing and being worn out I'm well," she said to confirm his suspicions. "You look well, have I missed much?" "Speech" & 'Thought'

"And it's good to have you home," He smiled as he hugged her. When she pulled back and told him that despite being unsuccessful she was doing well, he nodded. He wasn't upset by Heloise leaving anymore...it took him a while, but he got over it. "Thank you for trying." He was grateful she had, even if her efforts were unsuccessful. "You look well, have I missed much?" He took a deep breath and slowly nodded. So much had happened since she left, he didn't even know where to start..."A lot, actually. But I wouldn't even know where to start with that...do you remember the deal I made with the band, Hjarrandi? In exchange for Tyranis'...friend...we're raiding a couple of packs. Abaven is the first target, though I know this will put a strain in our alliance if not dissolve it completely. I must admit, it's been a huge stress but I aim to get it over and done with as soon as possible regardless of what happens." He sighed, suddenly feeling much, much older. "I know I can just give him back, but...I wanted to help him. He was important to Tyranis...and if I handed him back to slavery then what? I feel like no matter which decision I make, someone will criticize me for it." Gods he missed having Actaea here. Though he also felt bad he was suddenly dumping his problem on her. He knew she was tired, that she likely wanted to go rest. But he'd been holding this doubt in for so long, he didn't know who to talk to about it. Actaea was also the only other one besides him that was close to Shaye...so in a way, he supposed he was looking for some guidance the same way he and Shaye sought that from each other. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to trouble you with that. I'm sure you're tired from your journey," He wouldn't blame her if she wanted to go to bed and not deal with the issue. After all, she hadn't been here for most of that since it was close to the time that Heloise had left. Then he wondered...was that why his mate decided to up and leave? It was possible, but knowing her...she would have talked to him about it instead of ghosting away...

She nodded to him, giving him a quiet motion of 'your welcome'. It had given her time to explore along the way and to learn the layout of the lands up here and even down closer to Abaven. She was even able to explore some changes that the volcano Eruption had made. It had satisfied her urge to roam and she knew she would be good for a while as far as roaming to far from home. She was rather disappointed in not finding the missing pups, Heloise had been nice, but she was impartial to the loss of her presence. Her ears would perk as he began to explain what all she had missed which was more then she had expected. He started by the deal with that band, which she vaguely remembered and nodded somewhat in reply to his question before he continued on. She was a bit surprised to hear that Abaven would be the first pack to raid for the band deal. He went on and she let the news stew within her brain. Abaven was a fairly large pack so targeting them for a raid made sense because they did have plenty of resources. She did agree that it would put a strain or dissolve the alliance they had with Abaven. Then again if her uncle refused then he would be forced to give Aki back to a life of slavery which is not at all right in her opinion. Her uncle had a hard decision to make. Either way he could/would be going against his word. Either way there would be a wrong committed which made her uncle be in a stressful situation. If she remembered correctly the last time she was down by Abaven the borders no longer smelled of Shaye. She didn't know what had happened to her, but she was aware that Abaven was no longer under her rule. If it had been Shaye she may understand things if the situation was explained to her, but she didn't know about the new alpha. There was alot to think about either way and sympathized with the struggle her Uncle was having. When he started to reply she shook her head at him. "I am tired, but I'm always up for talking and spending time with you," she reassured him. "I do agree that it is important to keep Ty's friend from slavery. Which means we need to go through with the deal which is the right thing to do. If you wanted to flex the muscle of the pack, we could always retaliate against the band, but the problem with that is that we could never prove that we could go through with a deal. Another thing to consider is that Shaye is no longer in control of Abaven and the current Alpha may be totally different from her views. Shaye would have understood why we had to do this, but the new leader probability won't." It was her opinion and understanding. Winterfell had to make a name for itself, and it couldn't do that without going through some bumps in the road. Yes putting their alliance with Abaven on the line was a risk, but the other situation of simply giving the wolf back to slavery was not right. "Speech" & 'Thought'