Snow blanketed the ground now, a sight the soldier had yet to grow used to. Snow was a rare spectacle from the lands he had come from, but the snow was not one the forefront of his mind this day. The morning sun had only just begun to awaken from its slumber as Drogo made his way over the frozen ground. He did not know how long he had been away, but it was far too long. Would he even still hold a place within Helidos? And what of Nnlya? Heavens help him if she did not make it home from the landslide. He had scoured the rubble for her until his wounds had gotten the best of him. He had lost a great deal of blood that day and the days following it were still fuzzy in his memory on the best of days. Somehow, he had managed to drag himself to the safety of a cave, where with time, and far more patience than he ever thought himself capable of possessing, he had tended to his wounds.

Each day that passed he had wished to return to Helidos, but with every attempt came the disappointment of not being physically capable of making the journey, and having to return to the solitude of his newfound home within the mountains. An anger grew within him, as failure was simply something he was not akin to. Tortallian wolves did not fail, they simply did not, and knowing that he was not strong enough to take on the simple task of making a trek down through the mountains and across the neutral lands back to Helidos, took its toll on the skilled warrior. When the time came that he was well enough to make the journey home, he had made a very hard decision to stay in the confines of the mountains for a while longer. The reason for this was simply the state he was in. While he could have made the journey now, the wolf that would have returned to Helidos would have been of no use to them, weak and out of practice, he would have been no better than a weak pup. So for the sake of his own pride, and the benefit of the pack, he remained in the mountains to train, to hone his skills once more.

The time had now come, he was ready to go home, if he even still had a home, but he had to try. He needed closure if nothing else, to discover what fate had befallen Nnlya. Oh Nnlya. The grasp she held over him was infuriating, and worst of all, beyond confusing to the emotionally challenged brute. What was the meaning of it all? Why did he feel an insatiable urge to see those burning blue eyes again, and be in her presence. Shaking his head, he padded through the icy crystals that blanketed what could only be Amor Glade if his memory served him correctly, but something was different and he had noted it ever since crossing the boarder into Helidos. The scent it was...different. Azul's scent still lingered, but it was far fainter than before, and a new scent was detectable over top of his. Had he been gone for so long that Azul had stepped down? Far to many questions were whipping through his mind, but all he cared about was finding Nnlya at this point. That was all that mattered, no matter how confusing it was to him.

Two seasons. Two seasons since she had seen Drogo. And in those two seasons, those many long months, the Elite had been plagued. Nightmares of his death rolled through her mind at the worst of times. Ghostly apparitions followed her wherever she went. They never moved, they never spoke. They just stood there. And they always disappeared when she turned her head away. Tears could not escape this wolf's eyes. For a wolf could not cry. But even so, she refused to become so dulled down and upset by a tragedy. She had felt her last drop of pain the day she chose to forget her rape. When the memory was squashed so far down its was almost forgotten. But coming to this place brought it back. First slowly, in little nuggets of information. She always remembered something bad happening around the time, but never what it was. But then she met Drogo, then a Warrior like herself. And it all came rushing back. She needed to tell someone, but she had promised herself only to tell the male she would be mated to. She broke her promise that day. And had been rewarded with a true friend.

Since he had disappeared she had feared the worst. Had he died at the cathedral? Had he survived and run away, deserting them? Had he found that fae he had told her about and run off with her? Had he decided she was too broken, too damaged to be any sort of a good mate? Or even just a good friend? It weighed heavy on her heart to know that he could have just left like that. With no explanation, no words exchanged whatsoever. No mention of what could have been. No conversation of "I've enjoyed our time together, but I don't want to risk our frienship. I'd rather we just stayed friends." It hurt that he had thought so lowly of her so as not to give her that little piece of courtesy. But she had to move on. She needed to continue her life with the knowledge that he just wasn't the male she was meant to be with.

Since the disappearance she had granted numerous wolves entrance to Helidos, been promoted to Elite and found a close friend in one of her new recruits. Jackle had been good and kind to her and ensured she was never alone. It was good, but she did like her space at times. To have some time to think. When she got a day to herself to took a run, as she was prone to doing. First the borders, to ensure there were no travellers that needed attendance. Then she hoped to escape to her meadow, the one Eclipse had shared with her almost a year ago to this day. But something drew her to the Amor glade. logic would say it was Drogo's faint scent from crossing the border, but her mind was closed off to everything that reminded her of the brute, passed off as a figment of her wishful imagination.

Upon her arrival to the once flowering glade she allowed herself a moment to sniff the last of the dying wildflowers. A light snow blanketed the glade, killing off much of the abundant life. But it would return in spring. It always did. A light snow began to fall, uncharacteristic for this time of day but not unheard of. Through the curtain of white and grey, her eyes caught sight of a figure. It was another of her phantoms, come to torture her. She sighed, drooping both head and tail as she turned away from the apparition. But it did not dissolve and fade away as they always had. Her head whipped around, expecting the sudden movement to force the disappearance to occur. But it didn't Still he stood there, walking with his deliberate gait just as she remembered. Powerful shoulders rolling in fluid motion. She gasped, it couldn't be. No. There was no way. "Drogo?" She whispered. But already she had leapt forward, bounding through the drifts of snow. She pulled up short before his larger body, confused by her emotions of both relief and anger. She didn't know whether to tackle him and nuzzle him half to death, or snap his ears off. Finally she settled on a soft but forceful nuzzle along his neck before stepping back to look at him. Taking in every minute feature. But then she remembered all the anguish he had caused her. She snarled, muzzle crinkling angrily and she yelled. "Where the hell have you been?!"

Could it be? Could it really be? Deep amber eyes widened as the sight of another figure caught his attention. His body stiffened and his stance widened as he stared blankly at the wolf who stood in front of him. Those familiar blue eyes, that sweet scent, could it truly be? Before he could even wrap his brain around the fact that she truly was still alive, and that she really was here, now, in front of him as he had imagined for so long now, she was bounding towards him. He wished to run towards her as well, but he could not bring himself to move a muscle for fear of waking from whatever wonderful dream this must be. His body tensed even more as she neared, and his heart stopped momentarily as she pulled up just short of him. He was not one for reading emotion well, and the fact that there was undoubtedly one thousand emotions whizzing through her mind did not help him in the slightest to analyze just what it was she was feeling.

The touch of her muzzle against his neck was like a jolt of electricity that shocked his heart back to life, and caused it to race uncontrollably, though the exhilaration was short lived as she stepped back and her demeanour took a drastic change. Watchful eyes immediately noticed her hackles raise and the hair on her body bristle with anger as she yelled at him. It was far from the reunion he had hoped for, but at least he could sleep at night now knowing that she was safe, and that the slide had not claimed her life as he had dreaded to believe before.

He didn't dare move for fear of angering her, or causing anymore emotional distress than he apparently already had and so simply reclined onto his haunches, his muscles rippling beneath his rusted coat. "Nnlya" he said, his husky voice almost a whisper accompanied by a sigh of relief. "Nnlya I am so glad to see you. Everyday I worried that you had been lost in that slide. That my burning desire to explore the mountains had been the cause of your death, that I would never see you again.." he began hastily but stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. That was not what she had asked. "I searched for you Nnlya, for as long as my body would allow me before I succumbed to my injuries. The days following the slide are foggy on the best of days, but I somehow managed to drag myself to the cover of a cave nearby. I have been living in the mountains ever since, tending to my wounds, trying to regain my strength so I may return home.." he said, his voice fading out, unsure what she would do next, but not much caring as he could die this very instant and be happy, simply knowing that she was alright.

She was so unsure of everything. How had he lived? Wasn't he crushed under the slide? Why did he only come back now? Why didn't he try to contact them? Why didn't he try to contact her? But all she did was stand there, her anger still boiling beneath the surface. He had worried about her? Unlikely, her mind scoffed. When he paused for breath, closing his eyes almost angelically, she growled lowly, nearly snapping. But his voice started up again, ignoring her. He searched for her? Well, we we're friends. Friends look for friends in dire situations. But to know he had been stationed so close the entire time and she had never found him.

True she did not search for long after that day. But she couldn't. She had spent hour after hour, digging long into the night through rock and shale. Each boulder she overturned she expected to see his body crushed and mangled, too far gone fore repair. And each time she was met with more rock. As she dug she sobbed and cried out his name, inhaling the rough dust. Eventually she gained a cough and soon after lost her voice altogether. And still she continued to dig. She ruined her perfectly sharp claws and shredded her paws until they were bloody and ragged clumps of flesh. It took the Creek a long time to heal them properly after the Elite had managed to drag herself back home. Although it felt empty with the absence of her counterpart. So long a time passed during her recovery that it seemed senseless to continue to search for Drogo. He should have returned or his body found or something. She had duties that needed doing, a pack that needed caring for and travellers to greet. She could not shirk them.

And now Drogo's voice trailed out, unsure. But before the silence had even truly began, she snarled and snapped her jaws very close to his muzzle. "Don't you speak! You don't even realise what I've been through! I dug through that mountain of stone for hours and hours. The stars came out and the owls were flying. I dug until my paws were raw and bloody trying to find you. I lost my voice screaming your name over and over. And when I was so exhausted I could do no more, I hauled myself back to pack lands for healing. Do you want to know what I thought? I thought you were dead! Every time I turned over more stone I would find your lifeless body. I thought you had deserted us..." She paused to draw breath. "And if not those, then I thought you had found that bitch and run off with her. I thought," Her voice dropped with her gaze. Barely a whisper, it was almost impossible to hear. "I thought- I thought you had left me." And so anger gave way to pain and sadness.

Silence. Something Drogo had been akin to all his life, and had grown far closer to in the past seasons than a wolf need ever be acquainted with the deafening silence of nothingness. It was something he thought never to wish for again in whatever time remained for him on this earth, and yet here he found himself, faced with the wrath, the raw emotion of a fea, and wishing she had granted him one moment of solace before she began to tear him limb from limb, figuratively of course, but the pain was arguably equivalent, or at least he imagined it to be. Scolding, unlike silence was not something the soldier was used to. He had always been praised for his hard work, for his commendable efforts in battle and his great achievements, that was of course until the day he decided to take the fate of Tortall into his own hands. But even then. The regret, the never ceasing feeling of self loathing and anger, knowing what was surely being said about him by those he had left behind, none of that compared to the hollow feeling that encompassed him now.

Without hesitation, Nnlya snapped her jaw mere inches from his own. An action that, had it been any other wolf standing before him would have paid the price dearly for such a bold move against him, and yet here he stood, unmoving, not even flinching.  Confusing set in again as she began to yell. Do not speak? How did she expect him to answer her question without words to tell the tale? Oh how the female gender continued to boggle his mind to no end, though this one more so than any other.  Never the less, he remained silent as listened to her retell her own tale of what had happened, what she had gone through that day and in the time following it, and with every word that left her mouth it pained him more and more. But this pain, it was not like the pain he was used to. Physical pain was easily overcome and was something he was more than familiar with. Enough so that he had learned to become less affected by it, less sensitive to it, but this, this was different. This pain was far worse than the sting of torn flesh, or the searing of sprained muscles. This was something else entirely. A pain that burned slowly throughout him, making his insides twist and turn, and felt as though his heart was bound and being constricted.

It came as no surprise to him that she too thought he dead.  He was barely sure how he had escaped the slide, let alone both of them. The same thoughts had undoubtedly gone through her mind. Praying, hoping desperately with each rock unturned that the other would appear, safe and unharmed.  But neither was blessed with the relief of knowing the fate of the other, be it good or bad so their minds could rest. But her next words stung even more than the previous ones. Deserted them?  For her to be able to conjure such a thought as him deserting them hurt him. Did she think so lowly of him? How could he even blame her, after having heard his story, knowing the pain that followed him, it would seem fair to assume he a deserter. He had after all done it before, though she knew full well his reasons why. She seemed to have been understanding at the time, but had the uncertainty of knowing his fate cause her certainty in him to waver so greatly? Oh how he wished that the wicked hands of time could be turned back, that they might avoid all of this, but alas, such was not possible, and only time now would tell how this would all play out in the end.

A brief pause in her words gave false hope to Drogo that he may begin to explain it all, that she would let him assure her of his loyalties, and that it was never his intent that such pain and suffering should befall her, most certainly not on his behalf.  But the pause only gave way to more anger, that flared in her eyes and radiated from her body, and what she said next, nothing could prepare him for. Run off with another fea? What ever did she mean by this? Drogo was stunned, lost for words and far worse, lost for a general sense of being. He had no idea where such vial thoughts had stemmed from, what rumors had been formed here in his absence but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to get to the bottom of this.  And just like that, anger in Nnlya’s eyes melted into pain and anguish, a look that Drogo could not bear to see upon her face.

Whether she was finished speaking or not, he had no clue, but he could not wait a moment longer. He could not allow her to think these horrid things of him, but where to start oh where to start. He hadn’t a clue, but he had to try. ”Nnlya listen to me. “ he began, his voice pleading, ” I cannot begin to express my utmost regret that actions of my own have lead to such suffering and pain. Never in a thousand lifetimes would I wish such horrors upon you, and were there anything I could do to take it all back, trust that I would. And while it pains me to hear the thought of myself having deserted Helidos ever crossed your mind Dear Nnlya, I cannot say that I blame you. What more could one expect from a King Slayer. But what pains me most of all, and what I understand least, is where the idea that I would, nay, even could have! Run off with some fea… I simply do not understand. What ever did I do, did I say to make you think that such was even a possibility. Please I beg of you, tell me.” He felt exhausted already, as if every ounce of his energy has been sucked from his body.  This was a strain he was not used to, feeling so deeply about something, it was... hard.  Why? Why was it so hard to let these emotions find their way to the surface, why, or rather how was it that she was the only soul capable of pulling all of this raw emotion out of him?

What was it that made her believe he had deserted the pack? Was it his history? No. Not that. His past hadn't even crossed her mind when she had thought of him. It had been difficult to consider. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, a lump in her throat and an unwelcome feeling in her stomach. But it was better than the far more likely alternate of his untimely demise. She would rather think him a deserter, a traitor, but alive and happy somewhere. It was easier than facing the mirages. The cruel images conjured up by a disturbed mind. Images of this wolfs body dead at her paws.pieces of him crushed beneath stone, others entirely whole. Or worse, the possibility of going back there and finding him, broken but alive, gasping for air and begging her to kill him. There had been one such nightmare of this calibre.

The charcoal fae ran through the trees. Thunder roared overhead, giving off great deafening booms. The gods themselves were warning her of what she would come to find if she continued this path. But still she ran on, nothing in her path could sway her from this decision. She had to know. If he was dead, she needed to see his body with her own eyes. It was the only way to give up on this thread of hope she clung to. She was desperate, and anyone could believe anything when they're desperate. The rain finally spewed forth from the dark clouds, pelting to the earth. Each drop was monstrous in size, staining her coat as they found their mark until eventually the wet darkened the pelt to appear almost black. The ground beneath her paws grew soft and slippery. Even a seasoned wolf such as she found difficulty holding it's footing.

She slipped and slid in the mud, crashing harshly. Soon her underside was completely encased, hiding all traces of white in her fur. Still she recovered and ran onwards. Ahead loomed the great cathedral - a fitting name, for it would be the final resting place of her dearest friend. Though she had wanted to be more than friends. He was precious to her. She wanted to wake up in their den each day with him resting beside her. She wanted to always feel his comfort. To know what it was to share his warmth. To be the one who helped him discover the emotional side of himself. All this future she could see so clearly before it was torn from her. But the lack of sight and scent of the brute gave her just a tiny sliver of hope that he might have survived. Logically she knew this hope was useless and would only hurt her, so she had forced herself out on this night.

Finally the cathedral appeared. Overhead still the rain poured in sheets, trying to create a wall, preventing her from going any further. But she took a step. Lightning struck by her right paw. She jumped back, stunned. But she took a step. Clouds of deep purple rumbled, the sound getting Lourdes the closer she came to the wall. And she took a step. The Great Wall stood strong before her, the rocks that made it all slick with water. Puddles grew intensely fast around her. The water droplets that bounced off their surfaces danced and jumped. She began to climb. Drawn to a spot halfway up. She started digging. Each stone she turned she begged she wouldn't find him. Each stone she turned she begged she would find him. The world surged around her, full of opposites and contradictions. She was scared she didn't know which she truly wanted.

The final chunk of stone was overturned, her strength failing. And beneath she found her worst nightmare. The body of Drogo, trapped and broken. But still he was gasping for breath. He was alive and yet he was already dead. She sobbed, liquid leaking from her eyes in an uncommon fashion. They held the same hue as her watery iris'. They glowed with a sweet iridescence as they fell and landed on his heaving chest. The males once deep, commanding voice croaked weakly. He begged her to kill him, to end his misery. She couldn't. She wouldn't. But already her jaws had completed their task. Her bloody maw raised itself from the carcass and Drogo appeared before her, standing stall and strong as she wanted to remember him. He said no words, but his amber eyes were accusing. You killed me. And then the world shattered around her.

Recalling her nightmare sent the fae hyperventilating. It was that same mirage that haunted her for months. It's eyes accused her, blaming her for its body's death. She could not bear to see them, so she turned her head in shame and eventually they began to disappear. But Nnlya still had a question to answer. "R-right before- right before the mountain f-fell," her voice wavered. The once strong Elite was reduced to shivers and stuttering."You were telling me about this-this female. You said you had feelings for her. You called her "a rare jewel in this world". You said she "shines brightly even in the darkest of times". It hurt. It hurt to relive his exact words of the fae he had chosen over her. But they made her point so perfectly. They were her greatest weapon, the best shield to protect her from her emotions. "I thought you'd run off with her. That you told her how you felt and she loved you in return. That you'd gone off and started your own lives together. That you'd left me here, alone."

Seeing her deteriorate in front of him was enough to shatter his heart. He would never forgive himself for doing this to her, and he would do everything in his power to make it up to her, to fix this, to mend whatever he could. He had to try, even if she didn't want him to. He would be there for her until the end of time, in whatever way she wanted him to be, but he knew he had to have her in his life. Hearing her words he shook his head. No no no! Oh heavens no! He had never meant for her to think that he had found someone else. He had been so close to telling her that it was her he had found. That she was the rare jewel he had found, his light in the darkness, the only thing he wanted.

He took a hesitant step towards her, unsure whether she even wanted him near her. But his desire to see her smile, to see that twinkle in her eye overpowered any and all reservation he had and he stepped closer still, lowering his large head and gently tipping her maw up so that her eyes met his. "Nnlya listen to me. What I said that day, it was all true. I have found someone who makes me feel things I have never felt before. Someone who makes me want to be better, who captivates me like no one else. She is the rarest of all jewels, one that anyone would be think themselves dreaming if they were to call her theirs. But I lost her. I thought she was gone, that I would never see her beautiful face again, hear her voice, or ever get the pleasure of telling her how I felt." he said taking a pause, and staring deep into her eyes, with a newfound fire burning in his own.

The dull, stern look that used to carry was gone, and in its place passion blazed wildly. "But I found her again and I cannot express how happy that makes me, how relieved I am that I get to look into those eyes once more." he said and paused once more taking in the sight of her. "I love you Nnlya. It is you. It has always been you." he said in almost a whisper. He felt as if a weight had been lifted of his chest in saying those words. It didn't matter now what she chose to do, whether she told him to leave and never wished to see him again, or perhaps by some grace, told him she felt the same way in return, all that mattered was that she knew how he felt.

This Elite had a terrible knack for loosing her composure around the Warrior. Yes indeed, she had been informed that due to his absence, should he return he was to reclaim his old rank of Warrior. It saddened her that they were no longer one another's counterpart, but perhaps in time he could once more earn his title, perhaps advance even higher. With his past she could easily see him standing as Quinns Guardian. She knew he would do a wonderful job there.

As he placed his muzzle under her own, the Elite was reminded of the day they had first met. He had done much the same after she had admitted her tainted body to him. But then his words almost perfectly mirrored the day he had disappeared. It seemed in these few moments she was getting a speedy rundown of their entire relationship. She begged that next there would be no danger to place either of their lives in peril. Her ears twitched about and her fur ruffled softly in the winter breeze, but she could not detect any blizzard approaching. She was able to concentrate on his words. Why would he repeat these words to her? Was he really that cruel he would try to break her down in this way? If he wished to hurt her, why did he not simply have her on her back and dear out her heart with those pointed canines of his? Surely a gruesome death would be far less painful than this.

But this time things were different. He got to finish what he had wanted to say all these long months. Looking in his fiery orbs, there was a great blaze of emotion, the like she had never seen before. They were not hard and controlled as she remembered. They were far more alive than even when he reminisced the adrenaline of battle. The passion within was entrancing. How could one such female elicit such emotion from the well-trained brute? She had to be truly incredible to do so. His voice dropped so low then, that her ears were strained to catch even a single syllable. It was her? How could it be? Did he truly see her this way? Oh so many questions ran through her mind this afternoon, but only one mattered. How did she feel about him? But it was all too easy to answer. She had never truly forgotten him, much less moved on. The apparitions would have long disappeared if she had. Light pawsteps brought them closer. Closer. Closer. Until she couldn't possibly be apart from him. The fae threw her head over the sable males shoulders, nuzzling her nose into his sharp shoulder blades. Dark nostrils inhaled his woody scent until it was all she could smell. Then finally she pulled away, cerulean orbs gazing sweetly at his profile before salmon tongue slipped between parted lips and licked his cheek with affection. "Drogo, it is my greatest wish that you be mine and I yours."

(This post got deleted like 3 times when I tried to post it so I apologize for the short nature of it)
If ever a moment seemed to last an eternity, it was this one. His heart beat at an unnervingly fast rate, on he was certain it could not sustain much longer without fear of bursting in his chest. He hoped he had managed to convey appropriately, just how it was he felt about her. Expressions emotions, hell even feeling much more than the thrill of battle was all new to the hardened brute, but here he was, throwing it all on the line for her, giving her quite literally everything he had, with no clue what her response would be. She had been quite ready to rip his face off not so long ago, so why should he expect her to reciprocate any of these feelings he was expressing. Ah but what did it matter. Whether she cared for him as he did for her or not, at least she knew. He had to keep telling himself this. At least she knows

But then, much to his surprise and utter delight, light paw steps drew her closer, and closer yet until, as if she could no longer contain her excitement, she threw herself into him, nuzzling heavily into him. A wave of relief washed over him in that instant and he too nuzzled into her, closing his eyes, relishing in every detail of the moment, the way she felt against him, the way she smelt, the sounds of the wind as they whistled softly through the barren trees and the crisp air that nipped at his nose. This would be a moment he would treasure for the rest of his life. Feeling her pull away saddened him greatly, as he wished to stay there, intwined in her forever, but seeing her brilliant eyes beaming up at him was reward enough for having to will himself to refrain from embracing her once more.

Hearing her words he knew that life could not possible get any better than this. "My dearest Nnlya you have made me the happiest wolf in all of the world. Know what I will never leave your side, will protect you with my all, and love you unconditionally until the end of my days." he said softly to her. He prayed he still held a place within the pack, as he knew now that the proper thing to do would be to have a talk with their Alpha in regards to taking the next step, and making Nnyla his in the eyes of the pack, and the wolves of past.

It was this moment, this moment right here that had made her the happiest she had been in a long time. She never wanted this moment to end. She could live in it forever, she told herself. But if it did stretch on forever, then it wouldn't be as special. So when she pulled back and spoke those words, she was acknowledging that the moment had indeed run it's course, but would always be treasured in her heart. The moment when they both knew the others feelings and it was mutual. The first moment where her imagined future with him, running around with laughter, her belly swollen with his pups - it all seemed a very real, not too distant future. And that thought made her smile. But what he said next made her heart soar and her chest swell with joy.

"Oh Drogo, you cannot imagine the joy I feel at this very moment." She pressed her nose into his shoulder softly, inhaling his scent, drowning in it. She was consumed by him, and for once she allowed herself to have these feelings for a male. Perhaps she hadn't broken her rule after all. And that thought made her even happier. "And know that I will stand by you for as long as you will allow me, and protect you from all you enemies. I will vouch for you to any who call you deserter or Kingslayer. I am yours and you are mine."

The thought of him being called a deserter, reminded her of how she had found him here. He was returning and so much had changed. She would have to bring him up to date on everything. Not just the deaths, but the step down of Azul and takeover by Quinn, his own change in rank. Her change in rank. Oh where was she to begin? The female turned to stand alongside her... What was he now? They were more than friends, but they weren't quite mates - not in permission anyway. They weren't counterparts of a rank. No, she would call him her mate no matter what. It was only around the Alphess she would have to be careful. She nudged him playfully with her shoulder and grinned, but held her place. She offered her body as a crutch, as he didn't seem to be quite at one hundred per cent capacity.

She stepped forward, heading for the pack clearing. She knew he would follow easily. "Come, we must bring you home. There is so much you must know! I suppose first I must warn you that in your absence you were demoted to warrior." Her ears flattened and her head dropped slightly in sadness. "But don't worry, I'm sure Quinn will allow you to earn it back soon enough." She realised what she had said and it occurred to her that she might have lead with the information of her - their - new Alphess. To quell his queries, she quickly continued. "Quinn is our new Alphess. There really is a lot for you to catch up on. The story goes that Kenai died saving the Alphas son, Lucas. But Lucas had fled - to where we know not. After that, Azul stepped down as Alpha, giving the position to an old friend of his by the name of Quinn. She seems nice enough, though I haven't met her for very long."

She considered for a moment. What else was there that needed to be known? "After Kenai's death, Aurora went into exile with her pups. Alanoth has disappeared, presumably with his and Fel's pups, as they are also missing. Eclipse's son Ayden is also missing. It does not bode well for the poor boy. Dear eclipse has lost so much, only recently his beloved Creek took her own life. She was sickly and beyond help. She preferred to end her life on her own terms, rather than wither away." It was all she could think of in terms of those they had lost this year. "But there is some good news too. The pups from the first litters have grown and earned their ranks, no longer Apprentices. Our friend Yiska was promoted to Lead Warrior, and Eclipse from Lead Hunter to Elite." She felt no need to gloat her own promotion to her mate. He would know soon enough in any case. Together they entered the trees and headed for home, happy.

(It's ok. Aahhhhhh! This is just so cute. I am already planning their mating ceremony in my mind and seeing Yiska in the crowd screaming "Finally!")