There was much to discuss with her sister, but the half blind alpha wanted most, to see her again. The war had happened quickly, she was glad that it was no longer raging on - but it had done so much damage. The most that she could do for her people was to move them elsewhere, someplace that they could live their lives without the reminder of their loss. Without reminder that their alpha had failed them so miserably. For now though, she had a duty to try and fulfill for Epiphron. The Queen had lended Valhalla a few men to aide as her soldiers, and they had filled out their ranks and duties in the war only to be taken. She would tell her sister of this despite her injuries not being anywhere near healed, and then she would continue her trek to Glaciem, to try and win them back. It was not a plan that any leader would be proud of, but in her heart she knew that those men were not hers to lose. It wasn't fair for them to be prisoners to Isardis, and she would do whatever it took to return them to their rightful home.


Being at the borders brought with it a sense of nostalgia. The last time that she had visited she had thought she would be married to Maverick, and the russet brute had been so kind as to give her a tour. Unfortunately times were not so simple as miscommunications between siblings and arranged marriages anymore. With a sigh, she would tilt her head back and call for her sister, her tail curled around her back legs and her head fell once the somber sound fell silent. She was so sorry about this, knew that both Epiphron and Maverick would be less quick to aide her people should war strike again. She was weak, and it was glaringly obvious now - if not by Valhalla's pressing loss, by her own scarred visage. But she would fix this, she would. Her sister's lost trust, and Themisto's glistening eyes would haunt her forever if she didn't.

The sound of her sister's voice was music to her ears. Not even Syrinx's presence had elicited such a dramatic reaction from the girl -- perhaps only if her adoptive mother had arrived would she be equally as overjoyed to see her. The very pregnant Epiphron would shift from where she lay, sheltered beneath the limbs of a fallen tree, rising to all fours with as much grace as she could muster for being so large. Her children would be born any day, and it was blatantly obvious, though she had kept to herself more often these last few weeks and it was not entirely unlikely that some members of Seracia had scarcely heard rumors of her upcoming litter. Even if she were to be giving birth now, she was certain she would still struggle to the borders to greet Chrysanthe. Right now, nothing int he world seemed more important to the Queen. Her tail was somewhat uncharacteristically even with her back, waving with little hesitance as the familiar red-faced Adravendi girl appeared in the distance. A loud bark would sound in greeting as she loped forward, increasing her speed to meet her quickly. Her demeanor shifted quickly as she drew closer to her dearest sibling, her heart worn quite readily on her sleeve -- joy shifted into something that was strangely similar to disgust, but it was not distaste at her sister's change in appearance but rather at what had produced such a deformity. "Do not tell me Glaciem did this to you," she murmured, slowing her pace as she rounded her sister, her gaze sweeping over her as though searching for further deformities. She was grateful her sister was alive, unmarred by other noticeable injuries. She had all her limbs and was standing on all fours, but her poise seemed defeated and flattened. Though she harbored no ill feelings toward her sister, or toward Syrinx, she had certainly voiced a vague annoyance to her brother. But all feelings would be cast aside as she quickly leaned to embrace Chrysanthe, head wrapping around the other girl's neck as she pulled her against her chest. Times were changing, and so were the Adravendi children. Cairo's brood had persevered -- it seemed they did this best, of all things -- but time was slowly morphing them into something she never would have expected. As Epiphron laid her eyes upon Chrysanthe's maimed features, though she knew her sister might never possess her own beauty, her sister was twice the leader should could ever dream of being. Epiphron could not imagine fighting at the front of a war, could not begin to fathom being so permanently maimed for many wolves she hardly knew -- an admittance she would never tell even Maverick. Perhaps she was selfish, but it was her vanity that made her realize how utterly selfless her sister was. A woman truly worthy of the title of Valhalla Alpha, the embodiment of everything the Adravendis stood for. "I missed you, sister."

Her sister would appear - just as regal as ever despite her being pregnant - again! The alpha's eyes widened considerably as her smaller sibling rushed toward her, and she couldn't help but grin seeing her like this. It had been a hassle, getting her here in Seracia over a year ago, but it was definitely worth it. Her life seemed to be everything the alpha wanted for her lovely kin, it was only somewhat bitter sweet, because one of her biggest threats to said life was she herself, and the enemies that she had made. It set her heart into a panicked flutter, seeing her sister's gaze change so dramatically - did her eye look that bad? To the point of being disturbing? Chrysanthe's gaze swept away from Epiphron's figure for a moment as she spoke. Grateful she was, that she was not blind, but it was not a loss that shes was particularly proud of. "Their Queen blinded me in battle." It had happened so quickly, so suddenly - so painfully, the only reason she had thought about it thus-far was because her vision was so heavily impaired. "It's not the worst thing that could have happened." She would force a small smile, not wanting her sister to see her too down - but they both knew that she had work to do - the Queen's men were still trapped in Glaciem.

Epiphron was kind enough to put that aside though, as she moved closer to her sister, stretching over her lowered frame, and Chrysanthe sighed into the hug. "I've missed you too Pip." If things continued this way, she would oft have to worry whether she would see her dear sister again, more often. "I would have come sooner - but the seige raged on longer than it should have... Glaciem got to us first." They had planned a counter attack, but in the end filling her ranks with Seracian men had been a mistake. Now she struggled to get them out of there before their cover as seracians was blown. The last thing that she wanted, was for Seracia to adopt Glaciem as an enemy on Valhalla's behalf. They should be avoided by her sister pack, not feared. "I'm on my way to Glaciem, to see if Isardis will trade his daughters for the members of Seracia he stole. Bronze and Themisto have been imprisoned..." Although by this point, she probably knew something of the sort had happened while they were away. They would have returned by themselves if it hadn't.

There was so much to discuss, and yet Epiphron couldn't help but feel a vague desire to forgo all conversation and instead do something childish, such as wrestle with her kin, and then curl up and sleep in the sunlight. As though they were merely pups again. Nothing would ever be quite so easy, of that she was sure -- but the tugging desire for things to return to such a simple state seemed all too pressing lately. And yet a further glance at Chrysanthe told her that it would never, in fact, be possible. The two of them had duties and obligations that they could never renounce. The two of them, though different in character in many ways, were both too determined and steadfast -- like their father, who had lived fully to his last days, never once stepping down from his role as Adravendi patriarch. So it was the Queen that had blinded her sister, not Isardis -- but it didn't really matter; a Glaciem had done it to her. "I.. am glad worse did not befall you." Her words were pained, but oh so genuine. "Though you look rather..." she struggled for the words, forcing a smile onto her pursed lips. "...invincible now. Quite the warrior, if I do say so myself." Even if she was not her sister, Chrysanthe was not anyone Epiphron would want to pick a fight with. Though she had never seen the Valhalla leader in a fight, she could only imagine the kind of damage she could do if her strength was anywhere close to the size of her heart. "So I have heard," she would beginning, pulling away to listen to her sister speak. "Syrinx did visit me, though his time here was brief. I made him promise he would return Bronze and Themisto if they did not return sooner." She had previously hoped Chrysanthe would handle it, but seeing her sister in such a state made her feel guilty for even thinking about confronting her about it. Suddenly she wished to beg her to stay here, to forget about the two warriors who had so selflessly offered themselves to fight for their ally; and yet she would stifle that more selfish part of herself, working up the strength to speak again. "If you are worried about endangering Seracia, please do not be. Last season a woman sought refuge here, one of Isardis's claims; our lead Ambassador wanted desperately to protect her, but Maverick released her. I can only hope they remember that we want no trouble with them." But sending warriors to fight for Valhalla had been a possibly dangerous move -- though who knew if Glaciem had any idea they were Seracians. They had been in Valhalla for some time and their scent was like similar to the rest of the warriors that had been in the siege. "Azalea visited, as well." Her words grew a bit more somber, less agitated -- how badly she wished her niece was a child again, young and naive, oblivious to the horrors of the world that she had been confronted with far too soon.