Azalea had ran with her tail tucked away from the fray and the chaos and into the unknown. She had gotten away from herself, her mind raging out of control. A suicide mission had been her first plan on action but when it came down to it, Azalea just wasn't that brave (or crazy). She ended far away from all that was familiar and couldn't get back. Lost as the time that she had taken Sarak far from Valhalla and then gotten turned around in her attempt to catch a rabbit. That was a time so long ago, an easier time. It was hard to say what had happened since Chysanthe had fallen to Artemis and Valhalla ended. In life's endless dance it was hard to say what had changed back home. Home, the very place she had been avoiding since finding her way back to the fringes. Sarak probably hated her, one day pledging herself to him and the next gone with the wind. Soren and Kismet likely hated her too, for disappearing and leaving them to be taken by her wicked father. Azalea found herself on the banks of a familiar lake, Wolfpaw. Her nose tipped skyward, calling out to the evening sky and to anyone she knew. This place smelled of familiar wolves but she was not yet convinced that it was anything more than a trick of her mind, holding on to things lost.

Sarak

The day was ending, one more out of the many that had passed with Azalea?s being gone. Sarak had finished his hunting for the day, given Emer her evening rabbit, and was now aimlessly wandering the territory under a sky that was beginning to darken, with stars flickering into life on one side of the sky, while burnished fire filled the other half. Twilight, that moment just before the stars and velvet night would draw perceptibly toward the fire, eventually dousing it. Mottled earthen toned frame passed on silent paws through the tree line around the lake, moss green eyes absently noting the new den sites the earthquake had made in ripping up trees. Erani had gone out of the territory with Jinxx yesterday, and he was beginning to wonder where the hell they?d gone off to that would take so long. However, those thoughts were swept away by a single, familiar voice, calling from the rogue side of the border. Sarak?s head twisted to stare so quickly the muscles spasmed painfully and he uttered a strangled ?urk?. Moss green gaze widened, before his paws took the initiative of their own accord, sending the lanky male careening through the trees, though still instinctively falling on places that would make the least noise. It was hard to forget what had been hammered ruthlessly into his psyche. His eyes found her, even as his pace quickened, frame streamlining like an arrow headed for the target. Just as he reached her, he let out a wild bark, highly uncharacteristic of him, but he was so damn glad to see her, no actual words could convey it. So he barked. And if she didn?t move, they?d both plow into the lake. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Green, green eyes. Had she ever told him that he had the most beautiful green eyes? Probably not, she was never very nice, not to anyone. The molten toned male charged out of the undergrowth and all the while her own body remained frozen in place. Her eyes followed him closely though, locked to those eyes that held her with more care than any others ever had. If Isardis was the worst of life, Sarak was the best of it. His dark, earthy colors and his foliage green gaze were so filled with life. Azalea was the Earth and he stood before her, her one and only sun. Sarak barreled right into her, shoving her into the water. In a panicked, feral moment she wondering if she had mistaken the look in his eyes and really he was trying to destroy her. She went limp, content to drown if that was what he wanted to do with her, but his weight lifted, backing off. Azalea stood, vaguely aware of the pain in the points of her chest where they had collided. Her eyes found his again and she smiled lightly. "I'm sorry, I'm not a very good mate." Or mother. The words remained locked inside her head. This was a moment for just them, the pups... adults damn nearly now, would come later. She made a face, "I'm sure you've found a better one by now." Aza couldn't help herself. She knew (though her stomach still turned with worry) that Sarak would not have given up on her and found another lover, but she would not be herself without fishing for at least one compliment."

Sarak

Splash! Sarak came up dripping, blinking water out of his eyes, some of his delirium fading from the cold splash to the face. He sat up quickly, fur slick to his frame, defining muscles and sinew. The pain in his chest throbbed in time with his wild heartbeat, and his eyes found her again, one word falling from his jaws. ?Azalea!? He fell on her with licks to the face, tail slashing through the water. Her words stilled him for a moment, and he regarded her with a raised brow point. ?You came back. A bad mate never returns after he or she vanishes.? He nestled close to her, as close as physics would allow, head tucking around to bury his nose in her scruff. He drew back in surprise at her assumption, eyes wide with shock, and a little indignation. ?Who would ever be able to replace you?? He couldn?t think of anyone. ?I would wait for eternity for you to come back; even death wouldn?t stop me from that.? His low voice, raspy from lack of use, was intense, his eyes bright with honesty, piercing her amber gaze. And then he brought his dripping nose to hers. ?I love you. And I will say it time and time again.? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The pair stood in the shallows, sopping wet. Azalea's fur clung to her, making visible what her fur had been so good at hiding. She had slimmed down, lost some of her shape. Being a loner was not suited to her but at least she was a decent hunter. He spoke her name and her tail rallied to send bullets of water in either direction. He held her close, so their hearts could feel each other beat in their chests. She smiled faintly, taking in his scent. Home, amplified by the water. ?You came back. A bad mate never returns after he or she vanishes.? The Adravendi woman couldn't be sure if she agreed with him. She felt like the worst. His shock to her words made her grin like a fox. ?Who would ever be able to replace you?? There was a look of selfish pleasure that lit her eyes at that, so happy to know that he could think of no one else but her. ?I would wait for eternity for you to come back; even death wouldn?t stop me from that.? His intensity made her stop, going still and her grin leaving. She blinked and suddenly they were nose to nose. Her nose tipped down, looking like a swan in water as she stood with her nose pressed to the dark male's. ?I love you. And I will say it time and time again.? She stared into his eyes. "Yeah? Cause its been a while and I could do for hearing it a few more times." At that Azalea grinned, skipping backward in the water, almost losing her balance before rocketing forward to escape the liquid depths and come ashore. Shaking out her sodden coat, she turned to Sarak before looking around. "You know, this is where I was born. Pretty weird to think about... How is everything, everyone?" Azalea still didn't like the idea of birth at all, recalling too very well the world of pain and grossness it had brought upon her. Her mother had always thought of it as a beautiful thing. As she seg-wayed into reality it was clear that she wanted to know what had become of Soren and Kismet. That was not all she wanted to know, though, she wanted to know of her siblings and parents and aunts and pack. She wanted to know what Alacritia was up to, what had changed.