"Well... What do ya know..." she mumbled under her breath as she stared out over the pines. She was at least ten feet from the pack's border. She couldn't bring herself to move any closer. When Tib had told her about his run in with Vereux and what he had said about being in a pack in the north her curiosity wouldn't leave her alone. Her charcoal-dipped ears flicked uncertainly. She didn't know what to do now. She had no reason to be here. Something had driven her here, whether it was curiosity or some sick sense of possessiveness over this area of the north she wasn't sure. She hadn't been this far north since... She wasn't sure when the last time she had been up here was. Being here brought back so many memories, many that she had forced herself to forget. "Vereux... What have you done? What happened? "I want you to trust my words Athena, he was a traitor, he was going to kill me then try to pry the throne from your paws... I couldn't just have him kill you... I.... I love you Athena, like Isradis loves Sendoa..." "I'll take care of him. We'll... We'll talk later, okay?" Athena gave her head a hard shake, turning her head to look back over her shoulder the way she had come. Coming here was a mistake. But at the same time... She looked back toward the pines with a sigh. She had come this far, she might as well see how Vereux is doing... She shifted uncertainly, settling on her haunches in the snow just to keep herself still. She felt so guilty for not stepping in and saying Vereux could come visit his sons after talking to Tiburtius. She wasn't sure how to face her brother now. She took a breath to steady herself before finally lifting her head to howl for him. "Talk" "You" Think

He was going to be a father, again. But maybe last time didn't count, this time he would be sure to make things right. Vereux had done a lot of thinking and had gotten his drive back. After talking with Tib - it really did bring joy to his heart to say that he was a little okay now. Damaged but not completely broken. As the healer went on patrol at the borders, his senses came alert though. Stopping when he saw Athena upon then hearing her. Why was she here? His heart thumped against his chest. So much he wanted to tell her, talk to her about. How was she? What was she doing? Was everything okay between them now? Could they even continue a relationship as brother and sister like he wanted but didn't want to pressure her all the same. After meeting Irune it was no surprise things like this were happening. The soon to be married man would approach her gingerly. Keeping enough distance, unless she wished it. “Athena.” he smiled a little bit awkwardly. Though he held himself with a sense of confidence and pride. Unlike before. “I have to admit I'm a bit surprised to see you here, though I was thinking about going and visiting you.” his single emerald eye looked towards her. “May I? Sit closer to you? So we can talk if that's what you want.” he found his heart beating nervously against his chest. Even then he still held himself steady. “Vereux” “Avalon”

A few moments passed once her howl had echoed into nothing before she saw Veruex's blue-hued form moving toward her. She couldn't decide how seeing him again after all of this time made her feel. Relieved? Confused? At least she wasn't angry. A little sad perhaps, but not angry. Bits of memories and conversations floated around in her head. "Vereux," she replied uncertainly to his short greeting. She tried to return his awkward smile, but it just wouldn't come. The longer she looked at him the more she could see the difference in his stature and in his confidence. Oh how things had changed. She grew more and more uncertain about herself by the day and her brother seemed to finally have it figured it out. She heard him speaking, but she had a hard time focusing on the words. His scent reached him and the scent she knew and was familiar with was there, touched with the scent of his pack and... was that a woman's scent? It was heavy on him so she knew it couldn't be from a passing brush. It was the same scent that was heavy on the borders. Mates with the alpha? She blinked, focusing back in on his face at his question. "Yeah... That's fine," she replied softly with a nod. She glanced down at her paws while she waited for him to come sit with her, her two-toned gaze landing on the bracelets that rested on her forelegs. The same bracelets that he had gone with her to find. The same ones that they had promised their futures on. She lifted her gaze to look at him again when he settled next to her. "You have a new mate," she mentioned quietly. It wasn't a question, but she suspected he would confirm or deny it anyway. She didn't know why this upset her, but in a way it did. She had been the one to drive a wedge between them in the first place by marrying Amalia. She understood that they were no longer together in that sense and hadn't been for years now. Yet somehow finding out about his new mate was both upsetting and reliving in the strangest way. "Talk" "You" Think

She seemed.... uncomfortable. Which he didn't think was anything out of the ordinary. He would scoot a bit closer, but not so much. Still giving her space as he sat in front of her. Perhaps better than sitting beside her. After all, his emerald eye searched around - looking for some words to possibly make this less trouble for he. Funny how he still thoughts of others before himself on most occasions. Athena muttered about his mate. He chuckled a little lightly, he supposed he knew how she felt a little. “Yeah, it's been a long few years for me. Avalon saved my life so to speak.” he breathed staring at the snow. “Though I haven't quiet earned the trust of her children - that's something I still need to do.” he gave off a soft sigh. “Have you and Amalia been well? I talked with Tib not too long ago, but I didn't ask him much about you guys.” whether Amalia disliked him or not. He still slightly wanted to know if she was okay here and there. Vereux hoped that he could help Athena figure out how she felt. It was true that he had loved her - and maybe a little less now but the feelings had been there. If he thought about himself when he was younger though, he was a fool. “Vereux” “Avalon”

Avalon. So that was her name. She breathed in a deep breath and let it out in a quiet sigh as he mentioned how she had saved his life and how her children hadn't quite warmed up to him. So she had new nieces and nephews. Well, nieces and nephews in law she supposed. It did help to hear that she had helped him so much. It gave her an excuse to be happy for him in a way. "I'm sure they'll come around," she mentioned after a moment. She hoped so for Vereux's sake anyway. As much as his new life confused her emotions she still wanted him to be happy and for him to succeed. She cared for him too much to wish him anything else. He asked about Amalia and she nodded, a small smile finally coming to her muzzle. "Yeah, Tib told me he spoke with you... That's how I knew where to find you." She shifted a bit, curling her tail around her haunches. "Amalia and I have been good. I'm sure Tib mentioned our daughters... I think they might have saved us in a way. It was hard, Amalia wanting more children and trying to figure out how I could even do that for her..." She trailed off, not really wanting to go into the details of it all. It had been a hard time for her and her wife, but it had all turned out for the best in the end. "The girls are a year old now though. I can't believe how fast they grew up. And the boys..." She hadn't meant to talk so much, but one thing kept leading to another. "Vitus just showed back up not long ago. Still no sign of Bacchus since he challenged Leo and Archie hasn't been around in... I don't know how long. But Tib has stayed close." Speaking of the boys... She frowned a little, her expression growing apologetic. "Vereux, I wanted to apologize... It was wrong to keep you from the boys. I know Amalia's intentions were good, but I should have stepped in. Tiburtius talked to me after he bumped into you. I know he already invited you to visit, but I wanted to tell you that I second that." She gave him another small smile, sighing softly. "I feel like we should be so much older than we are by now. So much has happened..." "Talk" "You" Think

Her emotions came off of her like waves. He was no stranger to those, however he was glad. Vereux wouldn't be able to help it. That fact that she said they would come around warmed his heart. Then, the question he asked, seemed to have sparked something within her. Athena poured out a whole lot of information, and the man would look straight towards her with his ears perked to show that he was actually listening. Nodding towards her as she spoke. About Tib, and about her girls. It was great really how she and amalia started a family. Just like now, where he would be a father soon enough. He would have to protect his family the best he could with how Avalon would be pressured with her alphess duties. So Bacchus challenged Leo then, and it seemed only Vitus and Tib were left. Well no matter, they were by no means boys any longer. Hearing that even Tib had a mate, his joy could not be expressed into words. However her last words, caught him by surprise. In all honesty, he wanted to cry. He wanted to say how sorry he was that he wasn't there. That he hadn't been strong enough for the lot of them. Those thoughts were met with a sigh though. He looked away and shook his head. Smiling brightly, and kindly at Athena. “It was in the past Athena, and I won't deny that I was foolish and selfish. There's no need to apologize, I knew Amalia was doing what she thought was best. And I still care for her as well.” he started as he laughed a little bit. “I want to cry, honestly. There's so much that's happened and for me in such a short amount of time. I'm a wanted man and yet at the same time I'm soon to be married with a litter of pups. Our aunt Abelinda is in the pack with me, with a new mate by the name of Liar. I also ran into Irune but I don't know what she's doing at the moment.” Vereux would let out a breath of air. It was good, and he wanted to let it go and tell Athena what he thought. Now that he would consider visiting Fiori. Perhaps to even see Amalia. “I'm a healer now, fighting just never suited me. Athena... when me and Avalon get married - I'll be taking her last name. And so I'd like to ask you if you'd like to reconnect with me on a brother and sister relationship despite that. It's okay if it's too much for you, but for where it counts as family you were there for me. For once, I feel like I'm doing something right.” he dipped his head towards her. “Vereux” “Avalon”

Athena listened as Vereux spoke much the same way he had for her. Married with a litter of pups. Her brows raised at that fact that he seemed to brush past. He was going to be a father again. She pushed any other feelings other than excitement out of the way. She wanted to be excited for him and Avalon. He deserved that much from her. He hadn't shown any kind of upset at the mention of her daughters so she had no right to be that way over his new children. The only thing she couldn't fight off was the smallest twinge of jealousy. She couldn't even pinpoint what her jealousy was about. It felt like it was caused by a lot of things. The fact that these pups would grow up really knowing Vereux where her boys hadn't, the fact that he and Avalon could have children whenever they wished while she and Amalia couldn't, the fact that they had that excitement of meeting their new children to look forward to and they may never have that again... She shoved it away. She couldn't think about all of that right now. He listed off names that she had been positive that she would never hear again, surprise coloring her face. She hadn't seen any of their family in so long... Then he mentioned that he would be taking Avalon's last name. She wasn't expecting that to bother her, but it did. Neither of them had a reason to have pride in the Armada name, she knew that. She quite often tried to ignore her heritage and hadn't spoken of her side of her and Amalia's family much, if at all, to Diana and Jayne. Despite all that, she had kept her name. Kept her bracelets and the dyed marking on her hip. They were her last connections to her siblings and her family that she loved so dearly even though she hadn't seen them in years. She closed her eyes for a moment as he offered that sibling relationship they had been lacking to her, swallowing hard around the lump in her throat. She was so overwhelmed by everything. The memories that being here brought back, everything she had found out in such a short time frame, reconnecting with her brother. All of it. She kept getting flashes of memories from when she had been a queen or a sovereign. Back when she had been confident in herself and what she and Vereux wanted to create. She didn't miss those days, but she did miss the confidence she used to have. She blinked open her ruby and emerald gaze, her eyes settling on his face again. She got up then, moving toward him so she could curve her neck around his in an embrace if he'd let her. She squeezed her eyes shut again once her face was out of his sight, leaning into him and swallowing hard again. "You've always been my brother," she told him quietly, her voice thick with emotions. "I've missed you so much." That was more true than she wanted to let herself believe. "And I'm happy for you. I really am." "Talk" "You" Think

Vereux knew that the Armada last name meant a lot, but to him it was like shackles tying him down to a tree. For that, he didn't want to be reminded of his failure over and over again. His neck ached, his leg from when his father had saved him as a pup. His eye - from the storm, only to be asked to take his mothers bastard children back towards the pack. Oh those parts of his life. He didn't miss how naive he was, quick to please his family trying to fit in where he could. Though he still tried to do that now. It had been the first time in ages as well that he hadn't run away when he was afraid. He was living right next to a pack that likely wanted to maim him. Because he tried, with his life to get to this point. As Athena embraced him, it took him slightly by surprise. He didn't reject the touch, but rather he was amazed. Eye widening as she went out of sight. His heart thumping against his chest. A shiver ran down his spine as he shuffled a bit on his paws. A sigh escaping his lips as he returned the gesture softly. “I'm just glad you've been doing alright.” he said for a moment. “Don't force yourself if you don't think it'll work out. I wouldn't blame you for all the stars the world has.” he smiled for a moment. “You should head home soon. Wouldn't want to be gone for too long.” “Vereux” “Avalon”

Athena had never been the best at processing emotions and now was no exception. She felt like everything was still just sitting on the surface and she hadn't even begun to truly understand everything that had just happened between them. When did she become so emotional? She didn't used to be like this. She remembered the day she had returned to Glaciem, greeted by Sendoa and their mother. She had been cool and distant, constantly in control of herself. Maybe it was just from living with Amalia for so long now and having her wife's kinder, more gentle personality rub off on her. Maybe being a mother had made her soft. "I want it to work out," she replied after a moment. It was going to take her some time to accept that Vereux had someone new in his life now and that their lives were on completely different paths, but she wasn't ready to burn that bridge. She had to try and build their relationship into whatever its new form was. He was the last of her side of the family she really had. She sighed when he mentioned heading home and she gave a slight nod as she took a step back from him. She wasn't looking forward to the long walk back alone with her thoughts, but she knew Amalia would be worried if she didn't come home tonight. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. And I... I look forward to meeting Avalon. And my new nieces and nephews." She gave him a smile and tried her best make it genuine. Her expression grew more serious for a moment, adding, "Treat her well. Be a good father. You're getting a second chance here, Vereux. Not everyone gets that. If you never do anything else for me ever again, just do those things for me." She sighed and gave him another small smile. "I'll see you later, Ver." She'd turn to head back home then unless Vereux stopped her. "Talk" "You" Think