Arcturus walked back to the cave he had been sharing with his family within Elysium's lands, a small smile lingering on his lips. He had been coming home later and later, but it was worth it to spend a little more time with Vanille. They spent the day hunting, as they tended to do, but their days of solely hunting less than they had been. They spent more time just being together and stealing kisses, a development he was very much enjoying. The rest of his family was already asleep in their various sections of the cave so he just quietly slipped in and got settled in to his bed of furs, resting his head down with a quiet sigh. Sometimes he thought about the difference his life had taken since he met Vanille and started hanging out with her. The way she had helped him to get out of his own head and think about something other than himself... It was just an invaluable thing that he couldn't possibly repay her for.

He set his eyes close even though it was hard to get to sleep with his thoughts buzzing the way they were. Eventually he managed, drifting to sleep somewhat reluctantly. It felt like he was only asleep for a few moments though before his eyes were flickering open. He knew spans of time were deceiving when he was asleep so maybe it was longer than it felt, but somehow he doubted it. Everything was blurry at first so he couldn't really tell where he was, but as he lifted his head he started to realize that he was no longer in the cave. His brows pulled together with confusion and his paws rubbed over his eyes to try and focus him, but everything felt kind of strange and he didn't quite know why. Was he actually awake? Was this a dream?

"Arcturus Indarra"

As Arc worked to focus he’d find himself in a patch of grass, moist with the dew.  The grassy circle was about 30ft in fifty feet in diameter and beyond that everything was shrouded in mist.  Shapes that suggested possible trees lurked through the mist.  There was a pale bit of orange that brightened up the west so that there was a shimmer to the fog but still the sun couldn’t fully penetrate it.  Arcturus was enclosed in the circle. Naiche had been hunting for a time.  He had never fully spotted the target of the hunt yet he had sensed it.  Naiche had no need to eat and so the hunt itself was satisfying for the chase.  His memory was foggy at points, patchy as to when he started or why he started or ended some things.  He had left the beast he hunted as something called to him. As Naiche stepped into the mist it parted before him like a curtain and so to did his mind gain clarity, recalling him to a life before this existence.  Memories of what had been would come and go in this life but now as he felt summoned it was as if none of it had ever been forgotten.  The last thing he had been doing on the land of the living was leaving the lair of firefly man, having found it empty.  Where he had once visited the living after death there was now one still alive visiting Naiche’s realm.   It didn’t matter that he had grown, that the signs of the young child were behind, there was nothing about his child that could have changed where Naiche would not recognize him.  Time had truly passed in the real world, more than Naiche would have imagined for his son to have grown so much.  So damn much!  “Arc,” Naiche whispered, his own voice surprising Naiche.  He hadn’t spoken with anyone in a long time.  Not that Naiche recalled at least.  The smaller golden wolf stepped toward his child.  Where he once looked down to see his boy now Naiche looked up, “My son, you… grew," there was pride and wonder mingled in the words as he regarded a child he remembered pushed up against Asla, eyes not even open. Naiche didn’t dare touch him yet, if he touched Arc would the boy vanish, would this end?  There was no logical reason for that but neither was there an answer as to how they were meeting each other.  Illogical or not, Naiche couldn’t risk it yet, he wanted to look at his child longer, talk to him. "Naiche"

When he lowered his paws from his bleary eyes, he looked around and saw the strange mist that was all around him, but he wasn't in the mist exactly. The area immediately closest to him was clear, but if he tried to look more than a few feet away it got difficult and clouded. He frowned and slowly started to sit up while he tried to figure out where he was... when he heard a familiar voice behind him. It made him freeze for a moment while he tried to decide if he had imagined it or if maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but when he finally made himself turn his head to look back over his shoulder there he was.

He didn't believe his eyes as he got to his paws, turning to face his father with disbelief—but he wanted to believe it. Even if this was all a dream and fake, he wanted it to be real. His dad walked over to him and spoke again, mentioning how big he had grown. Arcturus looked down at himself and back at his dad again, realizing that he was having to look down at his father to look at him now that he was over a foot taller than him. The last time he saw his father Naiche had still seemed larger than life and Arc had hoped that he would grow to at least be as big as him one day and now he had far surpassed that.

The emotion that was building in his chest made his chuckle in response come out sounding a little choked up, but he fought against the tears that were threatening to build up in his eyes. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess I did," he managed after he swallowed past the lump in his throat, giving his dad a smile. At first he had no idea what to say. For so long he had thought about what he would say or do if he had one more chance to see his dad and now that he had it he was at a complete loss. It was so overwhelming, but in the best way. "I've missed you," was the first thing that he could get out of his mouth, but it was probably also the most true thing he could think of to say.

"Arcturus Indarra"