Arivae had told Tiburtius she was leaving to live with her parents. But on the way, she got lost in thought, and decided to come back. She would never find a friend as friendly and sweet as Tiburtius where her parents were. He was too gentle, too loving for her own good. She couldn't handle leaving him like this, no matter how much she wanted to see her mother and father again. After all...that boy was currently the most important figure in her life. How dare she even think about leaving him?
When she was at the border of the Mangrove, she stopped. The girl was tempted to run through and find Tiburtius at his den, cuddle up with him when it was chilly, and to play goofy games with him all day long. But she couldn't. Not after how she left. She felt her face burn, and she slowly lowered down onto her haunches. This was going to be so embarrassing...telling him she couldn't leave. And she wasn't going to lie to him if he asked why. Arivae kneaded at the dirt with her paws, gritting her teeth together nervously. How would he take it?
She wasn't going to find out sitting here...the girl slowly to her paws, throwing her head up and letting out a swayed howl for him. Even though she was thrilled to see him again, she was pretty nervous about how he'd react to her immediately coming back to beg forgiveness. Eck...
Tiburtius had been so sad to see Arivae go and it had taken him what felt like forever to get over that sadness. He still caught himself laying around outside of his den from time to time with nothing to do, no matter how much he tried to keep himself busy. That's what he was doing today, just lounging in the shade from the tree next to his den. He sighed and rested his head on his oversized paws and let his two-toned gaze look out across the Mangroves. He heard sounds of pack members passing by from time to time or a bird fluttering in the trees, but other than that the pack lands were pretty silent today. That was until a howl reached his ears.
His head popped up in surprise and it honestly took him a moment to register that it was real. The voice was of course far too familiar and there was no way he could mistake it. He quickly scrambled to his paws and took off and a loping gallop. His legs were so long that when he ran he naturally took overly long strides and made him look a bit like a horse. That did mean that it only took him a few moments to find her though and when he spotted her he skidded to a halt a few feet in front of her. "You're actually here," he said in disbelief, a little breathless from his run. He quickly looked her over to make sure she was okay. No matter how sad she had made him, no matter how hurt by her leaving he had been, he still couldn't keep from caring about her and wanting to make sure she was okay. "What are you doing here, Arivae? I thought you were going to live with your parents. Are they here too?"
Before long, he was standing before her, his sides heaving as he fought to catch his breath. He was just as handsome and tall as she had remembered. And seeing him rush here, panting like a wild dog, made her want to bend down onto her belly and beg him to forgive her troubled soul. But she wouldn't do that. Instead, she continued to stand there, her wide blue eyes locking with his bi-colored ones. "You're actually here," He began, his voice hoarse from lack of breath. Her ears flattened against her head and she took a shaky step forward.
He continued before she could speak. She forced a mouthful of guilt down her throat, and she moved forward again, stopping only feet away from him and opening her mouth to speak. But at first, she was at a loss for words. Possible replies rushed through her mind like schools of fish zipping around the ocean. It took her so long that words just eventually piled out of her mouth. "I couldn't..." She whispered, her face growing hot once more. But this time she couldn't stop herself. Tears began to form beneath her eyes as she continued to speak.
"You are my best friend, Tiburtius...I couldn't just leave you like that..." The young girl slowly turned her gaze to her paws, which trembled gently beneath her. She splayed her toes out and dug them into the dirt for a brief moment while she fought to say the correct words. "I've never known anyone that could be so loving and kind toward a runt like me. So I came back to be with you and your wonderful family." She swallowed. Her tongue refused to emit anything else, so she continued to hang her head, staring at her paws aimlessly.
His brows pulled together with confusion when she finally managed to get some words out of her mouth. What did she mean by she couldn't? He wouldn't ask right away. He sat quietly and watched her struggle to speak and suddenly he saw the tears form in her eyes. Immediately all was forgiven and he wanted to hold her close and do anything that would stop her tears. However, he would hold himself back, making himself stand still while she spoke and explained herself. Her brilliant blue gaze turned away from him and down to her paws. The more she spoke the more she chipped away at the wall he had built to make sure he wouldn't get hurt again.
By the time she fell silent she had completely broken him down. He stepped forward and gently nosed her chin up so that her tear-filled gaze would come back up to meet his. He gently licked the tears off of her cheeks before placing a small kiss on the end of her nose. "I missed you," he said softly, his ears folding back as he tried to keep his emotions in check. He didn't like being overly emotional, he liked being strong and like a protector. There was just something about Arivae that made him a little more of a mush than he liked to be though. "It's been really lonely around here without you. I'm glad you came back."
She wasn't sitting there for too long before she felt his presence in front her, even closer than before. Not paying much mind to it, she refused to look up at him. But the option was stolen from her as she felt him lift her chin up with his nose. Her head went limp, and she was soon staring eye-to-eye with him. Despite the situation she couldn't help but admire his two toned gaze, green and red like his mother's eyes. It was so beautiful...and she was glad to be able to see them again.
She felt his tongue move over her tear-stained cheeks, and she returned to reality. Her face grew hot, although a weak smile did creep onto her lips. The warmth that she had received from him rushed through her and hit her hard. It was a completely new feeling. She has always liked Tiburtius but...never like this.
Her face beamed as he kissed her nose, and she leaned forward, nuzzling into his neck. This new feeling made her want to be embraced and loved by no one other than Tiburtius. She was young and innocent, and easily confused by these kind of things. But she needed Tiburtius to be part of her life. It was clear to her now.
She pulled back and glanced up at him, her eyes still glazed with the tears from before, but shining like stars. "I missed you too, you big blue dork." She giggled, placing an innocent kiss onto his lower jaw. She couldn't reach his cheek, so that would have to do. "I'm glad I came back...! We still have so much to do together." She grinned playfully and leaned into him, hoping she wasn't a bother at all.
Tiburtius smiled when Arivae nuzzled into his neck. He felt his face warm a bit from the contact, but he couldn't say he wasn't grateful for it. Of course he knew he liked her, but he wondered if maybe he might like her. A lot. He didn't really fully understand all his feelings around her, but the one thing he could be sure of was that he was be was thrilled to have her back. He tipped his head down to give her a quick nuzzle as well before she pulled back.
A chuckle rumbled in his chest at her comment and he grinned at the kiss she placed on his jaw, easily seeing that being a common gesture for the two of them with their height difference. "We really do. Adventures are no fun with no one to share them with." She leaned into him and he happily let her, even tipping his head down to kiss the top of her head. "Does this mean you're gonna live in Fiori now? My uncle Leo is the alpha now, I'm sure it would be easy to find him if you wanna go with me to make sure it's alright for you to join again." He smiled hopefully down at her, his thick tail wagging behind him.
Leo had heard the call from the border, but he could tell it wasn't directed at him. He was curious though and started making his way there anyway, but he took his time. He padded toward the border leisurely, letting whoever it was that was calling for Tiburtius have their time to say hello before he crashed their party. He seemed to have impecible timing it seemed since he happened to hear his adopted nephew mention going to find him to see about accepting his friend just as he walked up behind the large young man. He smiled and peeked around Tib's side to see smaller black girl standing in front of him. Leo had to dig through his memories for her name, but he remembered her well enough from when she previously lived in Fiori. "No need for that, I came to you!" he said cheerfully with a chuckle, glancing from Tib to the girl as he stopped a couple of feet from the pair. He wondered to himself what it was about these Armadas liking the smaller girls. Athena and Amalia, Bacchus and Abby, and now Tibutius and Arivae. He was seeing a trend here! He kept his thoughts to himself though. "What was this I hear about you joining us again? Is that what you'd like?"
Arivae grinned as she felt him place a gentle kiss onto the top of her head, her tail thumping in rhythm with his. But after thinking about it, she kinda giggled. Kissing her on the head must be so easy considering their height differences. Pft...how silly. After asking if she were going to stay in Fiori, Tiburtius informed her that his uncle, Leo, was now the pack alpha. Finding him sounded like a pretty hopeless idea. Last time she roamed around Fiori, she got lost, nearly stepped out of the territory.
She could howl. But would it be loud enough? Would Leo actually think of coming to meet her? Considering she hadn't met him, she didn't know what to expect. Of course, until a new voice filled the area. Arivae gazed over at him and slowly scooted back and away from Tiburtius. Maybe not pressed up so close with an adult around- that'd be a little awkward. But what he said lit her face up. She completely forgot about the weird moment just a second ago.
"Yes, sir." She replied firmly, nodding her head. This is what she wanted...to live with Tiburtius and his family. To become part of their pack once and for all, without even thinking about leaving again. This is what Song and Garthinaw would've wanted for her...so she'd do it. For them, and for Tiburtius and his family.
