Slowly she was forcing herself back out into the world, showing her face to the pack as a whole for the first time in many weeks. She wondered if anyone even noticed her absence or if they did had just chalked it up to her taking time away for her pregnancy? She tried not to dwell on that thought too much as she slowly walked the perimeter of Firefly Lake. She was still taking it slightly easy as she regained her strength and worked on settling her mind—uncertain which task was more difficult. She had stayed away from proper patrols thus far at the insistence of Irilyth and her parents, but a stroll around the lake seemed harmless enough.

When she made it around to the large, flat rock that jutted out over the surface of the water, Ava slowed and came to a stop on the outcropping as she looked across the lake at the late afternoon sky. With a sigh she settled onto her haunches as a breeze blew across the water and gently ruffled her fur, the sun warming her and the rock she was sitting on. Closing her eyes, she tried to blank out her mind and just focus on the sound of the cattail reeds swaying in the breeze and the feeling of the cool wind blowing against her. If nothing else it did feel nice to get some fresh air after being inside for so long.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Cerb had grown into his  more relaxed lifestyle here in Elysium. At least maybe he put such a heavy weight on his shoulders back in Fenmyre. Here he had so much more freedom if it only previously suffered emotionally. It had been sometime since they moved to Elysium and he may not have grown his roots so to say but he was comfortable. Of course he missed his siblings and family who had gone away all that time ago. But he could start to be some of his own self now.

He still did his usual duties as was expected of him. He didn't hate it. He wondered if maybe his dad felt the same way in his recovery. Some sort of peace. He had stopped by the lake after finishing a patrol and he saw Ava from the distance. No harm in saying hi, he wasn't the shy type. "Gloomy?" He asked with a subtle grin as he stood behind her on the stone she perched on. He couldn't tell if she was feeling down or just tired. Or maybe none of those. He could relate to what was expected of her as the alpha at least.

"Cerberus"

As she relaxed and just let her mind go blank with the sound of the water lightly lapping at the shore, she completely missed the presence of someone behind her until she heard someone ask about her being gloomy. The voice surprised her and made her jump slightly with a quiet gasp, turning her head to see Cerberus standing behind her with a slight grin on his lips. She sighed from the unexpected surprise and chuckled quietly as she gave him a soft smile in return and let herself settle again. "I suppose you could say that," she agreed, nodding to the spot on the rock beside her with a silent invitation to join her if he wished. She wasn't sure how she felt about socializing with anyone outside of her direct relatives just yet, but she had to start slowly returning to normal somehow so this felt like a good enough way to start.

Despite how long Cerberus and his siblings had been living in Elysium, she had very little experience or contact with Cerberus himself. They simply had not crossed paths much outside of the general passing of shifts for patrols and the like before she separated from Albion and since then she had mostly been avoiding the group of Kleins. It was certainly nothing against Cerberus by any means, she just wasn't sure what the best way to handle this kind of social interaction was. "How have you been?" An attempt at small talk, at least, since it would do her some good to focus on someone other than herself and she did always want to make sure that everyone in the pack was doing well regardless of her own situation.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

He didn't mean to frighten her of course, but he wouldn't apologize or anything. It wasn't that big of a deal at least. Large and gentle paws took those few steps ahead as Avacyn invited him beside her. He took a seat, an eye on her for just a few seconds before his gaze went out to the lake where she had become lost in. Maybe it wasn't the lake at all, but that didn't matter.

"Elysium has been kind." He spoke with a low chuckle, he was usually pretty humble. He at least didn't have many requests for living here. "I do miss the tropics of Auster though." An easy explanation. Auster was good for vacationing sure, maybe some wolves couldn't imagine living there forever though. Cerberus would have liked his home back on the island. He wouldn't leave here unless that's what his siblings wanted though.

His gaze moved back to her, backtracking to what could be affecting her mood. "Is it Albion?" They didn't know each other very well at all. She could have told him as little, or as much as she wanted. Or lied completely. He would have taken no offense had he known. Cerberus was far from a pushy or nosey type. He had everything he needed at least that's how he felt in his life today. There was no reason to be thrown into any bit of chaos.

"Cerberus"

Avacyn smiled gently as Cerberus expressed that Elysium had been kind. At the very least she wanted the pack to be a welcoming home for the wolves that lived here so at least they were successful at that. The foundation of her confidence in her ability to be a Matriarch had been shaken by recent events so even if it was a small bit of positive feedback, she still appreciated it. She chuckled softly and nodded with understanding when he added his longing for the tropic weather of Auster. "Very understandable." Even though they had traveled around a good bit in her youth up until Elysium was properly founded, they had still spent a majority of their time here and she considered Alias Island her home. She imagined it was probably the same for Cerberus and his siblings when it came to the island where Fenmyre once stood.

A brief bit of silence settled between them again until Cerberus questioned her about her mood–wondering if it was about Albion. She glanced toward him for a moment with surprise before she shifted her gaze back down to her paws, saying, "No, no... I... I do have a lot of regret for how things turned out with Albion and I... I do miss him, but that's not what's weighing on me." She understood that she didn't need to say anything about what happened to him and she felt no pressure to, but there was also a feeling that the more she talked about it the easier that it would be for her to move on. "I had a miscarriage," she explained simply, giving him a small, sad smile. "And it's become clear that I will not be able to have my own children with Saracyn so I won't be able to provide an heir for Elysium. So... I'm still just processing it, you know?"

"Avacyn Mendacium"

While Cerberus had grown up nearly as a littermate to Albion and Scylla, he knew they each had their own little quirks that weren't textbook to most other wolves. It was tied into why he loved them of course, but he could understand anything that may have turned sideways between Avacyn and Albion and he wouldn't hold her against anything. He was sure Albion could deal with his own matters, and hoped he could make the right decisions both for his own happiness and hopefully the happiness of Avacyn too.

He wasn't really expecting what came after though. Something he had never experienced himself before. "Oh." He only took a few second pause as he too kind of processed her own recent trials of life. Not to his own knowledge had any of his moms lost children, but of course he knew it was possible. Much different than having experienced it himself as a father as well. "I'm sorry to hear." It was easy enough to say... just find someone else or anything of that nature. Move on. He had just a glimpse of Elysium's religion and culture but he too knew the feeling of loving his siblings. Down to Avacyn and Saracyn's relationship. Kids were no where on his list of goals at this time. Still, he could imagine it was hard for her. "I'm always an open ear if you want to talk. No judgment, no risks." Cerberus had probably kept to himself a lot since he had joined Elysium with his siblings. But it was the most true thing about him that he could really be the best friend to those who got to know him the most. Any secrets were safe with him and he'd never hate anyone for their own feelings even against him.

"Cerberus"

She knew this was a lot of fairly personal information to share with someone she didn't know entirely well, but maybe that was why it was easier to share. She didn't necessarily feel the need to keep up some kind of appearance the way she did with her family so that they wouldn't worry, but he wasn't so removed from her family that he felt like a complete stranger either. Sharing her experiences more and more did help make them feel more real and that felt like half of the battle. As he shared his condolences she gave him another small smile and a nod. She knew there wasn't much he could really say, but that was okay. She certainly didn't expect him to relate to the situation, but she did appreciate that he was willing to listen regardless.

"I do appreciate that... very much." to his open invitation to to talk without judgement. It seemed that he didn't harbor the grudge against her that Scylla had which she appreciated just as much if not more than his offer of an open ear. She still held at least a bit of hope that their families could reconcile at some point, but she knew it would take time. Shifting her gaze away from him again, she looked out over the lake with a heavy contemplation. "I've been preparing to be Matriarch for as long as I can remember. I think along the way I forgot to leave time or space or anything else. Everything I've ever done up until now was all to try and fill the responsibilities and the expectations I was given. I don't know if it's too late to try and be friends with you or your siblings now that the whole purpose of bringing you all here has been lost, but... I still hope that maybe it will come to that."

"Avacyn Mendacium"

What Avacyn had spoken of next was very relatable to him. Maybe more than she knew. He didn’t even realize until that moment. Sure they had both been chosen for huge power and responsibility, but leaving everything else out…that was something she could have plucked right from the depths of his own heart.

After a quick few more seconds of silence, ”Sounds like you need a break.” He responded with a small yet warm sideways grin. Maybe trying to find a light somewhere for her, or make one. He’d stand as if he were ready to turn and leave, ”Id be happy to drag you out on a hunt sometime.” A little humorous, but wholly serious if it was something she needed to get things off her mind from time to time. With a couple steps away from her he figured maybe she would need a few moments to herself after all. A little off her chest, a moment to dwell and meditate, and then turning back to duties. Cerb understood. An eye turned back to her before he’d fully go to leave, ”And don’t you worry about me.” Being friends that was. Cerb wasn’t typically one to hold grudges, at least towards those he had gotten to know a little more than a hello. As long as Avacyn didn’t maim his brother they could be as close as two peas in a pod. Albion was more than capable of taking care of himself.