Her visit with Atlas had been enlightening and her vacation from Amenti had been comforting, but it was time to make the return journey. It would be slow going and she hoped that no one would worry, but she needed to skirt the storm to keep herself safe. So far her senses had kept her out of any serious danger, only allowing herself to enter the areas least affected if she could not avoid it at all. The gentle rain that fell for much of the journey was soothing, cleansing her body of the exhaustion of walking and the stress of her recent days. Now, laying by the lake, the drops concealed her tears. Natalya was not one for emotions - for the most part they had been trained out of her through both physical and mental lessons. She would never show her sadness or her fears to anyone, but now that she was alone she let some loose. The queen was lonely without her king or her princes at her side. Her devotion to Olympus was never-ending, but the other family members simply weren't enough. She wanted her love and her life back, and she did not know when or how she would get them. The tears came slowly, barely even there, but she felt them and loathed them. She could hear the buzzing of insects around her and used the noise to distract herself, to pull her out of her thoughts and into the world. She wished she could see what was around her, enjoy the beauty of the world. But without Helios to describe it, she would never know of the fireflies that surrounded her and the lake as the rain slowly became lighter and lighter and the storm began to move on, as she would soon have to once again.

He would follow her to the ends of the earth and back, still they had had to be away from each other through this. He missed her, his other half. He was incomplete without her next to him, an aching had moved into his heart that was usually occupied by his beloved. He had arrived in the land of Alacritis with one goal in mind, to return to his Natalya. Tracking her had taken longer than he had thought, and while he had managed to find and follow some weak scents of the rest of his family he had not found any of his wife.
That was until he had drawn close to the limits of a pack, the scent boarder burning in his nose. Underneath it all he could smell her. A newer scent of hers could be found leaving the pack lands a bit further down the boarder and he followed it eagerly. He was not against the idea of a pack but he would rather not call for anyone till he was sure she was in there. The rain chilled him all the way through and the wind pulling at his soaked pelt irritated him. He could only hope that wherever his wife was that she was safe from the elements.
It became harder to track her the more time he spent in the rain, her scent becoming diluted, near impossible to follow. He gave a sigh and lifted his head, russet eyes scanning the horizon in desperation. He would continue on this way and hope that the trail became easier to follow again or that he found her. The rain was beginning to lighten up, a fact he was thankful for. A lake came into view, shimmering into life upon the horizon, hundreds of yellow glowing lights flickering in and out existence.
He could see a figure laying before the lake, covered in shadows and wet from the rain but he would know her anywhere. He moved off so as to be downwind from her, he knew her smell was better than his own and while she would hear his approach he hoped she would not know it to be him. A small smile spread across his face at the site of her. As he approached he noticed, hardly even there, droplets running down her face. ?Now my lady, what could it be that troubles one as fair as you?? His question rang clear across the night, the clouds parting for a moment to reveal a full moon smiling down upon the world below as lovers reunited.







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The words barely registered above the buzzing of the bugs. A voice that she never thought she would hear, a voice that seemed to come from her imagination to torment her when she wanted them most. She had heard the gentle footsteps approaching but had written them off. Whoever it was walked as he walked, but it couldn't be him. Even if he had made it to this land, how would he find her so far from the rest? It was impossible. Natalya convinced herself of this and chose to ignore the being until the voice reached her ears. They had fallen back toward her head, keeping their tunnels sheltered from the rain, but they perked immediately. She rose slowly from the ground and turned her nose in the direction of the speaker. It can't be him, she reminded herself as she cautiously stepped forward, straining to catch a scent over the wind that directed it away from her. With each slow, agonizing step she became more certain that it was a dream, that she would reach the spot and find only empty space. But she was wrong. Abruptly she would stop, the muscles in her body tensing as she felt the presence that was all too familiar to her. The presence she had craved for weeks, the one whose absence left her feeling fur-less and vulnerable. Without warning, without word, she would suddenly thrust herself forward, pressing her face into the fur at his shoulder and exhaling the breath she had been holding for far too long. She felt her happiness return with the warmth that radiated from her husband, her Helios. Natalya finally felt whole again.

He would wait patiently, he had been gone a long time and he knew his sudden appearance would at the very least surprise her. There were doubts, he had been away for a time, had she found another to satisfy in this time? He trusted her, but neither would he blame her if she had, he still found it hard to believe he had her, that he deserved her. He watched as his ebony queen lifted herself and took a step towards him. Slowly she would close the gap between them, he would wait patiently a small smile spreading across his features.

She was beautiful as always. She stopped and he knew she could feel him, knew it to be true. Natalya rushed forwards and he braced himself some, absorbing her contact. He turned to lick once at her cheek. ?I am sorry for taking so long.? He spoke softly, whispering the words in her ears and burying his nose in her cheek fur.

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She relished his touch, lived for his kiss. She had gone so long without them, her body shook with satisfaction now. She stood perfectly still, except for pressing further into his fur, getting as close as she possibly could. After a long time she pulled away to speak, keeping her nose to his. It doesn't matter anymore. You're here now. What has become of our sons, though? She was more than grateful for Helios's presence. If he was all she could have for the rest of her life, he would be enough. But Natalya loved her boys and worried for them no less than she did her husband. Where were Apollo and Hermes, and why had they not joined their father on his journey to her?





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THANK YOU TEALAH<3

He was so happy she forgave him, he would not have been able to live with himself if she hadn?t. He reviled in their contact, it had been far too long since they had held each other like this. She pulled out a bit and he looked at her, head tilting to the left as she spoke. ?I would have thought they had made their way here already?? He looked away for a moment, gazing out over the landscape. ?They went out one morning and I thought they were coming to join you here.? He frowned, quickly looking back towards her and kissing her again. ?I?m sure they are fine.? He reassured her, worrying creasing his brow.






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THANK YOU TEALAH<3

An aching gathered in the pit of her stomach, a pain that could not be explained in words. It was formed by the same worry that caused her to clench her teeth and paw nervously at the ground beneath her feet. Her boys were supposed to be here. They were supposed to be at her side before Helios, and yet she had heard no word of them, hadn't caught their scents on the air. They hadn't made it.



The boys were capable warriors - Natalya had raised them to be that way. They had trained their whole lives to fight, to hunt, to survive. While she knew what Helios said, that they were okay, was probably true... She was a mother. The queen could not help but fear for the safety of her princes. She exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. You are probably right, she mumbled in a quiet voice. I'm sure they're fine. How was your journey? The change in topic was sudden, but she needed it. She could not dwell on her concerns, but the pang in her stomach would be a constant reminder.






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THANK YOU TEALAH<3

He would do his best to put his wife?s fears at rest and short of that at least be there to comfort her. He buried his nose in her fur as she spoke. He pulled away briefly to look at her, it wasn?t uncommon for him to find himself starring into her eyes, sightless and yet so full of emotion and the most beautiful and mysterious pair he had ever seen. She changed the subject, an ear flicking as he noticed the force behind it but would not comment on it. ?Rather uneventful?? He began gently nudging her with his head. ?But I thought of you the whole way here, I missed you so much!?
How many times had he said it yet? He couldn?t be sure but he felt as though he needed to say it a thousand times more to cover the way her absence had felt. ?You have been doing well ?? As far as he could see she appeared healthy, but he needed to be sure. He would never forgive himself if something had happened to her and he hadn?t been there to protect her.







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THANK YOU TEALAH<3

The touch of her love was comforting and relaxed her sufficiently, driving her worries from her mind for the moment. She exhaled deeply and returned the gesture, turning her nose into the side of his neck in turn and forming a sort of embrace. She nuzzled him gently while he spoke, stopping only to nod when he addressed her.



I have missed you as well, but I have been fine. I have mainly been doing all I can to assist Virgil in her conquest to restart our pack. For now we reside with a small, fragile pack in the North - it will be the easiest to conquer when the time comes. That is where I am headed, though luckily I stopped for a break and found you. She smiled to herself at this. I assume that you will join me?





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Despite all her words, her assurance that all was well with her he couldn?t stop the guilt that flooded through him, so much had happened while he hadn?t been there. He pulled her closer, burying her face in her pelt, surrounding himself in her scent. He never wanted to leave her again, and yet as she questioned him he hesitated. He pulled her face out of her fur, turning it slightly so that he wasn?t looking at her. ?Nat, I-? He cut himself off, uncertain what he could say to make her understand without hurting her.
?It is hard for me to accept being under an individual who is not of the family,? he would begin, ?I will always be nearby, I never want to leave you again but? I just don?t know if I can/? He cursed his pride, he wanted nothing more than to stick beside her always but the idea of being led by one not chosen by the gods? it made his skin crawl.







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THANK YOU TEALAH<3