Step 1.
Find a way back to the mangrove.

Step 2.
Find Australis, Aurora, and Magnus.

Step 3.
Make every apology I can think of.

Three steps. Three easy steps, right? That was all it would take to bring her home again. She would repeat these three steps over and over in her head until they became ingrained in her psyche. Mangrove. Family. Apology.

Her explanations wouldn't matter to Australis. He was a tough nut to crack. He had once been her everything; they practically raised each other until Aurora came back into the picture. Australis never had forgiven her though...She had left her two pups without anyone to rear them. They had tot each themselves to hunt, and then Zlata had left him.

She felt so stupid. It hadn't been so long ago, but all of Alacritis smelled of death, and it had sent the girl running back to Ludicael to ensure her family's safety. They would have a lot of work to do, but Zlata knew that they could all pull through.

Zlata allowed her body to stop just before the border of Ludicael, and gave herself the permission to smile. This was it. She could smell it! Her family would be just across this scent marker if she played her cards right. Who now was even alpha of Ludicael? Word on the wind had it that someone new had taken over, but who? Silver eyes would squint in thought as her brain picked through old memories. The only wolves she could think of were Aurora, Song, and Novel. Well if rumors were true, then Song couldn't help her. And she was not quite ready to confront Aurora. Perhaps Novel had taken on a position to accept?

Without a second thought the silver girl would tilt her muzzle to the sky, ebony ears flattening against her skull as she let out the youthful howl she had never yet practiced. It was summoning Novel directly in hopes that she would remember her voice, though matured by now.

Her form would be curled against Ara as she slept off the sickness. Her body was recovering somewhat slowly, but she knew she was getting better. Her slumber would be disturbed by the sound of a summons of herself. It was on the border, and for a long moment she wondered if they had meant her grandmother. She wouldn't recognize the source yet, but would move to investigate anyway. She would say a quick farewell to her companion, she could follow if she wished. White paws would carry her to the border, still quite confused until she saw the form of the girl that had called. Aurora's daughter Zlata stood there, waiting for her. Novel would smile, her memory lapsing suddenly. She would forget about the terrible news that awaited the girl, only a smile showing on her features. "Zlata! Oh my goodness I've missed you!" She didn't know where the girl had been, only that she had left the mangroves. "Speech"

Silver eyes would sparkle as Novel appeared in the distance. The girl had grown, just as Zlata had. She did not look well though, perhaps recovering from an old illness. All the same the young silver girl was happy to see the Dame approaching her with a smile on her face, though fear and worry twisted her own stomach into knots. As Novel closed the distance between them, Zlata could not keep her tail from wagging. The last time she saw Novel, the girl had offered to take in her and her brother and teach them to hunt. She had always been so kind. She felt like jumping all over the big colored girl, but instead resorted to excitedly nuzzling the fur of her chest with her ebony nose. After the embrace, Zlata aimed her silver orbs into Novel's own sapphires. " I missed you too, Novel! How are you? You look so sick...I mean I heard there was a sickness but you never expect it to be the ones you love, ya know? Are you alright? " Suddenly she felt so horrible for calling her to the border. She probably should have called Australis, he never seemed to get sick when they were little. Zlata sat back on her haunches, ebony limbs landing awkwardly beneath her as she had still not mastered her mother's grace. She angled her head to the side at the thought, wondering if Novel knew anything about how her own family was faring. Before hearing the answer to her previous question, Zlata pressed further, unable to contain the excitement of tumbling around with Australis again, or sleeping beside her mother and father. " Have you seen Australis around? Oh he must be such a grump. Probably driving Aurora and Magnus CRAZY. They haven't gotten sick too, have they?" This time she would sit patiently and wait, expecting Novel to laugh at her impatience and tell her the whole story of how Aurora got sick and Australis and Magnus nursed her back to health, mending the bond and blah blah blah. Or something like that. Speech,

for novel < 33

Zlata's tail would wag just as excitedly as her own, the girl was obviously happy to have finally made it home. She would nuzzle her, and Novel would return the favor, tousling the fur of her scruff. The younger girl would look back up and Novel's ocean blu eorbs would meet with her mercury ones. "I missed you too, Novel! How are you? You look so sick...I mean I heard there was a sickness but you never expect it to be the ones you love, ya know? Are you alright?" She would just smile, the sickness was gone and all was well. "Yes, I'm fine. The cure was found, and all is well. Everyone is slowly getting better." She would mirror the girl's movements, taking a seat herself. "Have you seen Australis around? Oh he must be such a grump. Probably driving Aurora and Magnus CRAZY. They haven't gotten sick too, have they?"
At the mention of her family Novel's ears would fall to her skull. Was this responsibility really going to have to weigh upon her? She would take a deep breath, and try to scoot closer to Zlata. She couldn't bring herself to say anything at first, her tongue would be tied as she looked through sad eyes at the orphan. She would shake her head, and try to explain. "Aurora.. is gone Zlata. Australis left not long after she passed. Magnus has only left but a few days ago.. I'm so sorry."


"speech"

Step 1. Find a way back to the mangrove. Step 2. Find Australis, Aurora, and Magnus. They were...gone? All of them? Her her family...disappeared before she could even have a chance to find them. How could they? Aurora was dead? She couldn't be...it just wasn't possible. Aurora had been the only strength she had ever known. Nothing, no one could take down the alabaster giantess who had loved her so much. The smile would immediately fall from her face, her ears flattening to her skull in confusion. The girl would shake her head slowly, refusing to break the gaze between her mercury orbs and Novel's sapphires. She was searching...hoping to see some sign of a cruel joke hiding in her friend's eyes. "No...." She would say, her voice firm and demanding. She had to be lying. It just simply wasn't true. Yet Zlata could find nothing but sorrow reflecting in the eyes of her dear friend. "It can't be true, she must have just left again, probably wanted to give Australis some space." She nodded then, finally breaking away from the sapphire gaze. Ebony limbs would lift her from the ground and she would stand. The girl would shake her pelt, nodding her head once more to confirm her thoughts. "I just have to go and find her, alright? She's fine. She's okay." She spoke quickly, more to herself than to the Dame before her. Nose would then lift to the air with purpose and the girl would turn her body away from the border in preparation to leave. Speech,

She was unsure what to do, but her look of concern and seriousness would show the truth in her words. It was hard, standing there as the other girl's face would fall. Novel hated that she had to be the one to tell the girl. Why couldn't Magnus have stayed? Why wasn't he the one standing here, consoling his daughter. Why was the world so cruel, to snatch Aurora away like that. "No...." she didn't believe her, obviously didn't believe her. "It can't be true, she must have just left again, probably wanted to give Australis some space." She had to be trying to make herself feel better. She wouldn't just take Novel's word so easily. "Zlata, listen..." but the girl would stand. "I just have to go and find her, alright? She's fine. She's okay." Novel would also stand, up to her full 25 inches. "Zlata." she would say forcefully, "She's gone. The ocean took her, all your father could retrieve was her feathers." her voice would soften as she talked, the harshness of her words hurtful even to herself. "Speech"