The tall stone structure loomed above him unforgivingly. Talon swore it was taunting him -- reminding him of how pitifully small he was, compared to the rest of the world. Pale silver gaze was trained to the top of the structure, eying it warily as he stood, wavering on three paws. It reminded him of the wall in the north, where he'd reunited with Kangi after she had quietly fled from the northern King's pack. It had been so long since he had last seen her... and even longer since he had seen her truly happy. They had been so optimistic for awhile, thinking they'd found a place that they might someday call home, but that pack had quickly fallen into chaos as politics they did not understood unfolded. A soft sigh left his lips as he stood, staring unblinkingly at the castle before him. All he had craved was stability. A place for him to live beside Kangi, without fear and without worry that their entire lives would be uprooted without a moment's notice. It seemed impossible for him to find happiness; the moment it felt like it might be within reach, it was torn from their grasp. Slowly his paws would carry him closer to the foreign structure, one careful step after, his gait a bit uneven as he scoped out the nearest perimeter. He tasted the air, finding it stale but interesting. This wasn't a place that had been explored well, and it was certainly uninhabited. How had he gotten so far south, anyway? The storms had been strong, nearly unbearable for the lanky man. It seemed that only fate had kept him alive, managing to find shelter each night without much struggle. The north had held bad memories for him, and the central lands weren't much worse so weeks had crawled into months as he made his way south. With a fair bit of uncertainty he would duck beneath a piece of fallen stone, under the shelter of the structure overhead. Talon would begin to explore the lower half of the castle, stumbling awkwardly over crumbling stones and vegetation that had begun to overtake the stone building. His motions were aimless and repetitive, his mind wandering further with each moment that passed, darkening as the sun set slowly began its descent below the horizon.

She was alone again. For a time she had held onto the hope that he would come back, had stayed in that weird pack by herself with strangers. After Roman had left everything had seemed normal enough but then the new woman, Azalea, had disappeared as well. Maybe it was a sign she was simply not meant to be a part of a pack? Slender limbs would pull her away from the north and slowly she would make her way south. The young girl would move from territory to territory, exploring on her own and passing time as best she could. It was lonely. She missed him. She had attempted a few times to make friends, had watched people from afar and then slowly slipped away. No one really seemed to get her, no one seemed to really be as much like as as Talon was. Unless she hung out with a bunch of kids which in all honesty was starting to sound better and better. But then the storm had hit, she had hunkered down along the southern coast in the cave and watched the waves crash along the shoreline. It had been scry at times, terrifying at others and the whole time she had just wanted to be beside Talon. When the storm had passed what greeted her was something amazing. Land stretched for miles before her and slowly she had pulled herself out of her den and started across the divide. Her next few days would be spent, roaming and roving all over this new place. There was excitement and wonder to be found here. New lands and structures to explore that had probably never seen life in so long. Today specifically she had come back to one of her favourite places, a huge structure made of perfectly shaped rectangular stones stacked atop each other. It was weird here, but fun at the same time. There were caves and tunnels throughout it but they had holes in the walls every so often. She found herself scampering through these tunnels, heading up the staircases and then down below. A wide grin slithered across delicate features as she flew down a staircase that lead out to a balcony, ears pinned to her skull as she launched herself off the last step and almost launched herself off the balcony that lacked a handrail or half its flooring. Paws scrambled and butt slammed to the ground as she attempted to force herself to stop much quicker then intended. She must not be where she thought she was, she breathed heavily as she came to a stop at the edge of the crumbling balcony and slumped a bit. That was a close one? Slowly the girl would pick herself up, shake herself off and blow out another heavy breath before turning to go back inside. That was when she saw him. Almost too far away to really see him but the missing limb was a pretty tell tale sign despite the fact that the rest of him blended with the background. "TALON?!?!" She practically squealed his name, ears pricking and hoping that maybe her voice might make it to him. A moment of indecision tore at her as she stood on the balcony staring at his distant form. If she left now could she make it down to him before he moved on? Should she stay up here and keep yelling at him until he noticed her? She let out another little shriek before finally dashing back inside. Long limbs would prep ell her at almost dangerous speeds down the stairs and through hallways with little care to her own safety. She flew around a couple of corners and then suddenly the ground dropped out from beneath her. A staircase appeared where she could have sworn there hadn't been one before and with that she was sent tumbling down. Luckily it was only a short drop, just a handful of stairs, but she still managed to gather enough momentum to propel her past the bottom of the stairs and right to his paws. "OH MY GOD! TALON!!!"It was like it never happened? She had fallen down the stairs? When! Hopping to her paws she would bounce before him, grinning wildly. They had a strange way of running into each other it seemed? It must have been months since Kangi's freak out when Roman had declared war and since Talon had disappeared to the winds. But then again so had half the pack after that. Kangi had stuck around for a bit, grown quite fond of Azalea actually but then she had left too. Apparently the girl wasn't much good at keeping friends around. But Talon? He was the one accept ion to that rule. She was terrible, he was terrible. They seemed to constantly loose each other and yet in the end they always seemed to meet up, and always in weird or awkward situations. It was kind of? Magical in a sense...

Why did he leave her, over and over again? Perhaps it was for the same reasons she abandoned him. A perpetual cycle, one that neither of them seemed able to break. Talon was afraid of losing Kangi and, ironically, this led him to pulling away from her. There was a constant fear that he might not be enough for her and that she deserved a much better life, one without him and the burden of his companionship. He knew deep in his heart that he would never amount to much more than what he already was -- a wanderer, with a heart of gold, but his physical skills were limited and he had no desire to achieve greatness or anything more than what he had shared with Kangi. Certainly she could find a male much stronger, much more able to protect her and care for her; someone different than himself. He couldn't seem to reconcile his need to keep her safe, and their own innate desire for freedom and independence. They had never been entirely happy when they were with packs but he knew winter was coming soon, and they were certainly safer in a pack. Talon felt as though he couldn't win either way. The pack they had joined had seemed good at first, but quickly after their arrival a war had been announced and they had been too terrified to stay. The storms only separated them further, his own safety on the line as the hurricanes battered the lands and forced him into hiding. Another sigh fell from his tight jaw as he wandered, pacing back and forth along a single wall of the castle. It wasn't a solid stone wall, instead it was crumbling and caving in numerous spots and though it looked dangerous he was not fearful for his safety here. The cover of the floor overhead made him feel safe, as though hidden from most of the world. A familiar sound would slowly rattle him from his thoughts, his hazy vision slowly sharpening as he shook his head to gaze about. "Hmph?" he would mumble, his voice hoarse from not being used as his head swung to the side, searching frantically for the source of the sound. How long had it been since he'd spoken to anyone? Days? Weeks? Perhaps even a month or more. It look a long moment for him to register who was calling to him. Before his brain fully registered the situation, she came tumbling near him, falling from above like something sent to him from the heavens. His jaw would unhinge slightly, surprise painting his delicate features as he locked eyes with her. "How...?" How did she find him? Had she meant to at all? Truthfully, he had gotten a bit lost himself. Talon knew he had traveled south but this new continent was something entirely unfamiliar to him. "I didn't mean to leave you..." he started, his voice small and beginning to quiver quite audible as he gazed upon her pretty features. Why was he so stupid? Tears already had begun to well in his silver eyes, his limbs feeling quite unstable as his mind reeled.

They seemed to have a very messed up relationship, one that seemed to be on repeat and constantly hitting the same notes. It all ended with one of them leaving. Would that be how it was from now on? Would that be the rest of their lives? A constant dance of coming and going? Was she okay with that? Odd how she had never sat down and considered this, had never sat down to look herself in the mirror and puzzled out her plans for her future. Maybe she would always be the type to live in the here and now, would always be the type to not consider actions, reactions and consequences. Would that be an alright way to live? It wasn?t how adults did it, this much was for sure but did she want to be an adult? Her tumble would bring her almost directly to his feet, landing in a heap and the first thing she would see was his paws, all three of them. It was him. Unfortunately this wouldn?t have been the first time she had mistaken another for Talon or even imagined him being there with her. But this? This was real! The look on his face was priceless, his shock and awe undeniable as she rolled languidly out of her heap and studied him, tail waving behind her and grin splitting her features. He would ask her how and she would giggle before pushing forward in an attempt to run her face under his chin. He seemed shocked, beyond words and she didn?t stop to consider it might be a bad thing. Had he left on purpose? If the thought even crossed her mind for a moment it would disappear quickly as he stated that he had never meant to leave. Immediately she would pull back, plunking her butt down and pulling herself close. ?Talon?? Her words were soft but stern at the same time, reaching out in an attempt to touch her nose to his cheek in hopes to stop the tears before they would fall. She hated when he cried, hated when she cried. Why did they always cry around each other? Whether it was happiness or sadness it all seemed to bubble up and overflow only to escape as tears. ?Don?t cry! We?re together again! That?s all the matters!? She would try to focus on the positive. She had disappeared on him countless times, could she blame him? No. Especially after all that had happened with the pack and potentially going to war. It had all been too much for her, she didn?t blame him one but. ?I?m glad I found you?? Her words were soft, barely a whisper as she nuzzled into his cheek, along his neck and pressed her face into his chest. Was he glad he had found her? WORDS HERE

Though he was reckless at best, his feelings for her had never faltered despite the constant tug-of-war they played with one each others hearts. He'd never known a love so pure or so strong as the kind he felt in his heart for Kangi -- the same love that she had always given him in return. Even his mother had never loved him even half as much as she did. A quiet whimper escaped his throat as he gazed upon her face, perpetually amazed at its beauty and simplicity. The warmth that sprouted from his chest spread through his limbs, and made him waver on all three paws. How was I so stupid? he would ask himself silently, a single tear falling down his cheek. She might not come back next time! They were both guilty. Both afraid of something. Of love? Commitment? Talon was so certain that he loved her and that he wanted to spend his life with nobody else. It all seemed so stupid in retrospect, since he enjoyed his time with her so much, but it was scary too. There was a constant fear of losing everyone in his life that he loved and Kangi was no exception. 'Don't cry! We're together again!' she said and he nodded, though somewhat grimly. "I know, I know..." he began, voice quivering, so small in the large structure that surrounded them. "I was so scared, Kangi. Nothing ever seems to work right for us when we try to settle down somewhere..." Stability had never been a blessing for him; it was always disrupted, shattered, no different than the crumbling walls of the castle they had found themselves in now. "I get so scared sometimes. I'm not used to having anyone that loves me like you do..." It was hard to admit, and he wasn't even sure he'd ever told her that before. His parents had hardly stuck around, and Euphrosyne had disappeared far too quickly -- he was unused to people sticking by his side. "I don't think we should try to find anywhere to live anymore," he admitted, sniffling as he tried to force himself to stop crying. They were happy tears, but he was sick of crying every time he reunited with her. "I don't like getting scared and leaving you, or waking up without you beside me. We've made it this far.. I think we can make it a bit longer without any help." It had been difficult, but they were living proof that they needed nobody else but one another. A smile tugged at his lips as she pressed into him, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. Her touch was so familiar but exhilarating too, having not seen her for months, and he would hold her close for a long moment. "I love you. I don't want to be without you again." Their time apart was never good, but both of them grew reckless when they were scared and confused -- perhaps staying on their own would prevent that reaction entirely. He took a deep breath then as he stopped speaking, inhaling her scent like it was the very air he needed to breathe.