Surreal had told the children to head out and bring down some food; whatever they could. She had asked that Zuriel not announce her arrival to Falk, wanting to approach him on her own. She had persisted over Regulus’ protests that she was injured, and needed guarding. Finally, he’d accepted that she wouldn’t budge on this matter, and had went out with Zuriel. So Surreal turned her eyes to the mouth of the den. The smell coming from inside was rank; one of unwashed wolf. If depression had a scent, this would be it. She made her way to the opening, looking inside at the slumped heap of a figure. What was once a fine wolf was now a bag of bones with fur on it. She stared silently, then decided enough was enough. She uttered a sharp snarl; a command. ”Falk! Get up!” The sooner he stopped with the behavior he was indulging in, the better he would be for it. Yes, she forgave him for running off and getting himself taken by Arcanum. But this she would not tolerate. ”Get up. You have a daughter out there who has been doing everything she can to keep you alive, and you’ve just given up? No, Falk, I won’t tolerate this. Get up.” She limped forward, snaking her jaws out in an attempt to grasp her mates scruff and pull him to his paws. He needed fresh air. He needed to get out of this den. So, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she set out to make sure he got just that. She’d drag out him by his tail if she had to.

Days blurred together into one messy, sleepless, endless mass of time. He just wanted it to be over. Why wouldn't Zuriel just leave him? He wasn't worth all the fuss and the worry. He was nothing. He didn't deserve all the care she kept forcing upon him. He couldn't hunt for himself, he could barely defend himself much less her. She needed to go find herself a pack or a friend to stay with, someone that could actually take care of her, but his pleas for her to do this had fallen on deaf ears. He begged her to just leave him be and let him die, but she wouldn't. Now he laid as he always did, curled up at the far side of the den with his head turned away from the entrance. His stomach gnawed at him, but he ignored it. The weight of his sorrow pressing down on him was more than enough of a distraction. He didn't even flinch at Surreal's angry voice. He couldn't count how many times he had hallucinated and heard her voice. Smelled her scent. He had even convinced himself several times since her and his other children had disappeared that she was actually there, having full conversations with no one only to have his daughter walk in and ask who he was talking to. It wasn't until he felt her teeth on his scruff that he realized this was all too real. He blinked from shock, a habit he still held onto despite his eyes being worthless now, and lifted his head to turn his face toward his mate. He had been laying in one spot and starving himself for so long now that it seemed like every movement was a struggle. "Surreal?" he breathed, his voice hoarse from misuse. He let her pull him to his paws, his legs wobbling weakly under what little weight he had left. He wouldn't struggle, moving in a daze out of the den, still struggling to comprehend that this was real. Surreal was actually here. His mate was alive and here beside him, pulling his worthless form from their den. He stepped into the cool, clear open air and breathed it in. He couldn't remember the last time he had been outside. He took a few steps and sat down on his haunches, all the while trying his best to use his sense of smell and hearing to keep track of Surreal. Suddenly shame washed over him. He could only imagine how he must look right now. Skin and bones, fur dirty and matted in places, face and eyes completely scarred over. He was a shadow of his former self. Why was she even bothering to try with him? Speech Thought Others

Surreal

He didn’t even seem to realize she was really there until her teeth dug not to gently into his scruff. She couldn’t see his face from her position as she began hauling him out of the den, but she could feel the shock in his body. Her name came on a whisper from her mate, and she uttered a muffled grunt of affirmation through his dank fur. As they entered the wonderfully clean smelling air, she released him, circling to get a good look at him now that he was out in the light. A shadow of his former self indeed. He was thinner than he’d looked inside the den, and his fur was dull and lifeless. The scars over what had once been a pair of bright sky blue eyes attested that he’d never see again, even if her mother had been there to work on him. She growled as she saw the moment shame entered his emotions; it was in the posture of his shoulders and head, and he’d never been very good at hiding his expressions. She didn’t have to hear him say it to know what he was thinking. It was written in neon lights over his features. Why was she even bothering with him? ”Because I love you, you idiot. You are the father of my children, and one of the brightest lights in my heart. I may get mad at you, but it doesn’t mean I will give up on you.” Because, no matter that he was an Armada, he was a truly good soul, completely casting away his fathers name and abandoning it for her family; the family Isardis had tried so hard to crush. ”Zuriel and Regulus need you to get strong again. I need you to stop moping in the den and start eating right and working on finding your way without sight. Taurig managed it; you can, too.” She stepped forward, leaning in to brush her tongue over his muzzle. ”Don’t leave me alone in this world, Falk. Mother.. Mother isn’t here anymore.” Her voice shook slightly, before she tightened the leash on her emotions. ”That’s why we left. It was her time. She wanted to be beside Uncle Cormalin, so we went back to the island. I thought I’d be back the next day, but Regulus followed us, and he and I ended up getting swept away on the swim back.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Without him saying a word Surreal read his mind and answered what he was constantly thinking to himself. His head turned toward her, his ears tracking her voice as she spoke. Taurig. He didn't know how his older brother had managed it. The idea seemed so unsurmountable. However, as she continued to speak his heart dropped into his stomach. Erani was gone? Her explanation for their disappearance made him feel like a fool. "I thought... His raspy voice trailed off and he gave a firm shake of his head. It didn't matter what he had thought. Surreal and Regulus were here now. It still didn't explain where Faite was, but he had three quarters of his family back. That was more than he had dreamed he would get back. He let everything sink in for a moment before leaning forward to find Surreal's muzzle with his own and gently brush against hers. His tattered eyelids closed from the force of the emotion that washed over him at that touch, as little and simple as it might be. "I thought I had lost you forever," he whispered softly, placing a tender lick on her cheek. "I kept telling Zuriel to leave and find a pack that would take her in and take care of her, but she wouldn't go... You and her both apparently see much more in me than I do myself." He sighed and just leaned his cheek into hers for a moment, just savoring the warmth and smell of his mate, the things that he had only dreamed about recently. He realized that this would be all he ever had now, only touches and scents. "Would you... erm- Would you help me get to the steam? So I can clean up a little?" he asked, his ears folding back with embarasment. Not only did it hurt his pride to ask for help, he had realized that he certainly didn't look - or smell - all that great. A small, bashful smile tugged at his lips, the first smile that had found its way onto his face since Surreal left. Speech Thought Others

Surreal

His raspy voice uttered a cut off sentence. “You thought what? That I’d just taken the eldest born child and left the rest of you? You should know me better than that, Falk.” She leaned into the male gently, taking the weight from her sore shoulder. It was good to be back, but it felt hollow. Her mother was gone. And the cryptic words she’d left Surreal and Regulus with hadn’t made much sense. I’ll see you in your dreams. What had it even meant? His weight brushed against hers; what was left of his weight, anyways. She pressed her muzzle into his in response to the affection, breathing him in. Even with his need for a bath, it was good to smell him again. She listened to him speak, a faint chuckle leaving her throat at his ending. “The women in our family tend to be that way. Don’t forget who her grandmother i-- was.” The stumble of getting used to using past tense where her mother was involved hurt. It was a relief when he asked to be helped to the stream. “First lesson in getting around blind. Mother made me do this for hours when I was young.. Use your nose, and put it to the wind. Sniff out the water. I’ll help you with obstacles for now, until you know the area by memory and touch.” She pulled away, stepping out of the direct wind, allowing his nose clear access to fresh air. Slowly and patiently, she went with him, notifying him of when he needed to step over, or duck under, an obstacle. When they reached the stream, she dropped her head, drinking her fill. It was cold, clear, sweet. It refreshed her energy enough that she began to slowly feel herself again. So she settled to watch over her mate while he attended to his ablutions. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

When she insisted that he find it by smell his ears flicked back uncertainly. How could he possibly do that? He was about to protest, but he bit his tongue. No, he needed to do this if for no other reason than to make his mate happy and possibly reinstill a little faith in himself in them both. With a quiet sigh he pulled himself to his paws and lifted his nose to smell the air. It took him a little while, but finally he figured out the scent he was supposed to be looking for and headed toward it. He let Surreal help in guiding him past obstacles. It was slow moving, but eventually he was finally able to find the stream. "Thank you, sweetheart," he rasped softly as she brushed past her and slowly made his way out into the water. The stream was fairly shallow, but it was deep enough in the middle to cover most of his legs. He sighed and let his tattered eyelids slide closed on reflex at the relief he felt to have the cool water running over his dusty legs. He leaned his head down to the surface of the slowly moving water. He accidently touched his nose to the water in his attempt to lap up the cool liquid and it made him shake his head, but on the second try he lapped up several refreshing mouthfuls with no problem. The water soothed his dry, rough throat and a pleased murr rumbled in his chest. He slowly sank onto his haunches so that he was sitting on the stream bed and he just sat there for several moments letting the water run past him and flow through the fur on his haunches and the lower half of his stomach and back. He then lowered himself so that he was laying and only his head and the upper part of his neck was out in the air. Another contented sigh passed his lips and he smiled, throughly enjoying the feeling of all of the dirt and grime being washed out of his fur. He dunked his head under the water several times and rose to his paws so that he could work over his body, feeling over his sides and legs by touch to find any places were dirt or debris had gotten matted into his fur so he could lick and pick at them till his thick coat was finally clean. He sniffed the air to find Surreal's sweet scent and used it to guide him back toward the shore. When the water was just covering the lower half of his legs he stopped to shake the bulk of the water out of his coat before he came over to where Surreal was laying. He searched for her form with his nose until his nose bumped into the side of her neck. He smiled and his tail wagged happily. Now that he was clean and had gotten some water into his system he already felt a hundred times better. He knew it would take him a long time to gain back the weight and strength he had lost, but just doing this simple thing made him feel so much more alive. He settled down next to her and nuzzled his face into her scruff, breathing in her scent and just enjoying the fact that she was here in the flesh. "I missed you so, so much," he rumbled softly, his bass toned voice no longer holding that rasp now that he had some water. He followed up the curve of her neck with his nose till he found her ears. He rasped over them gently with his tongue, covering her ears, the top of her head and down over her cheek and muzzle in gentle, sweet kisses. He wanted to shower her with affection. He felt the need to prove how much he still loved her and show her that even though he could no longer see he still thought she was incredibly beautiful. Now that he could only go by smell, touch, and memories it made him realize how incredibly beautiful her personality was. It was almost like he had been distracted by her gorgeous two-toned eyes and lovely figure all this time and he hadn't been able to see how truly wonderful she was on the inside. It was something he had always known, but had never truly appreciated. He leaned his side into hers and brushed his muzzle against hers. "I love you so much, Surreal. More than I can ever possibly say." Speech Thought Others

Surreal

Surreal watched with some amusement as her mate bathed, and once he stepped out, back to his rich earthen tones, he did seem to feel a bit better. He found her spot and nuzzled her neck, soon settling beside her. She leaned into his thin frame with a sigh as his water smoothed bass rolled through her. ”I missed you too, love.” Her tongue slid out, lashing the end of his muzzle before he began to explore her body in a way that felt as though she were a Goddess, and he a worshiper. He explored each detail, caressing her ears with kisses, moving to her face to continue the lavish affection. Even though she was tired, and he was so thin, the caressing triggered a rise in her libido that hadn’t reared its head since last Summer. A delicious shiver ran down her spine and she turned her head to nibble softly at his russet-cream throat with a sound that faintly resembled a purr. To his words of love, she smiled, blinking back tears as the emotion in her heart swelled near to bursting; grief for her mother, relief that she and Regulus were home safe, and most of all, Love. Love deeper than the sea, and taller than the sky; for her mate, for her children, for her family. ”I love you too, Falk. Even when I’m furious with you.” She pressed her muzzle to his throat, feeling the pulse there. What would have happened, if she’d found the way back later? Would that pulse have ceased? ”Falk…” She knew she wouldn’t have to finish her sentence for him to catch on to her meaning, but she laid several hints in the form of nibbles and nips along his throat. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

speech,

Those nips and nibbles that Surreal placed on his throat sent a feeling rippling through him that he hadn't felt in far too long. With his sight gone and his other senses rising to compensate every touch seemed that much more powerful and tantalizing. She said his name and he knew exactly what she wanted because he wanted the same thing. Even with their time spent apart he knew her all too well and knew how to read her. "Surreal..." he rumbled in reply right as he started to shower her with affections again. He gently and carefully rasped his tongue over her cheeks, ears, and down along the back of her neck.

He rose to his paws as he placed these tender kisses and light nibbles all down her back, both to love on her as much as he could, but also to find his way by touch. When he reached her tail he turned and placed a few teasing but playful nips along her hip, his lips curling with a small grin. Even with his form being so wasted away and with most of his strength gone, he refused to give his mate anything but all of his effort to make her feel wonderful. She deserved nothing less. He carefully rested his form over hers and nuzzled his face into her thick scruff before reaching up so he could kiss her ears gently again. With that he poured all of his love out for her and helped to remind the both of them what it was like to have a mate and be completely and totally theirs.

-fade to black-

Surreal

Her mates answer was one that sent her pulse racing; his affection trailing down her back. She rose to her paws as he nipped her hip, body thrumming with anticipation. It had been too long since he and she had taken the time to enjoy one another; what with pups, him getting taken, and then her and Regulus getting lost and taking so long to find their way home. She was heartsore from the loss of her mother, weary from travel and lack of a decent meal, but she was well enough to enjoy this event. As her mate rose to cover her, she let herself fall into the sensations and joy that was ultimately love. -fade- Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think