The land he had once known so well felt more lifeless than ever. The emptiness in the wind put a chill in him, and the lone male shivered as he walked his familiar pathway.
It was the first time Taikon had come back to the Taiga since leaving Whitebark Stream. He had no reason for doing it other than having nowhere else to be. Part of him had hoped that as he moved closer to the old pack territory, he might find some sign that Juniper and her family had returned. That limited ray of light quickly vanished with the cold air. The prince walked on, idly listening to the cries of the occasional bird overhead.
As he sniffed the air once more to check for something to eat, he found instead something entirely unexpected. With a quick pace, he seemed to awaken from an odd slumber of the mind as he loped along the new trail. His eyes were alert and expression hopeful.
Takiyok? he said in disbelief as her figure came into view. The strange colour of the sky bounced off of her coat to give her a very pretty pink halo. Some time ago, he had looked for her in the Sunspires to no avail.

As she dipped her head, he pushed closer to her to briefly place his nose near her muzzle. They did not touch. He backed away after this greeting. It was something non-standard for him — he had learned this type of behaviour from people like Lunaria. Takiyok, though they had met only once, was someone he trusted quite comfortably.

Good question, he said plainly, smirking as he looked up to the sky, as though it had the answer for her. He smiled and breathed out a heavy sigh. There was a pack near here at Whitebark Stream that I dabbled in for a bit; they left due to flooding and I wanted to see if they had returned, he explained. He made a face, pulling back the corners of his lips. It was clear that indeed they had not returned.

As per usual, he switched the subject immediately onto her. I looked for you at Sawtooth, but there was nobody, he said. To be honest, he had worried a bit about her and her family. Did the Saints drive your family out? It had been what he had been most afraid of.

Ah yes, it was a woman who convinced me, naturally, he explained, though it told an incorrect story even with that short explanation. Aphrodite had indeed convinced him to join her pack, but they had hardly been romantically inclined despite the healer's efforts. Taikon was tempted to relay she is dead now but held himself back. That was too much information for a person he hadn't seen in forever. He didn't much feel like breaking down in tears as he had with Luna.
At the next bit, a deep frown lined his white features. The Saints were mortal enemies. Were he of a stronger type, he might have sought some sort of vengeance on them. He certainly wanted to hurt them, but he just didn't have the energy for hatred anymore. He had lost a significant amount of weight during his journey in the Wilds alone. Though he had long been a lone wolf, the emotional toil had started to take a physical toll on him.
Uh, he fumbled. Well, the floods destroyed the area Whitebark held, and everyone dispersed. I don't know, I guess I was worried. The Saints were... he thought briefly of what Donovan had done to Aphrodite. They aren't good people. I wanted to make sure you were okay, the prince said in earnest.
Are you... okay?
Was she was still unhappy where she was? Perhaps the move had given her new perspective and changed her mind.

Taikon had asked her exactly the same question the last time they had talked. Her response suggested that she was well enough, but he guessed that the issues she had brought up before were still there. He wondered how her son was doing, wondered if Takiyok had spoken to him about the inner struggle that lived in her heart. Me too, he said quietly. He had no direction to his own life. It was something that had been pretty consistent before he had been at Whitebark, but there was an emptiness there now where before there was not. There was a hole in his heart that he didn't know how to fill. Maybe it had always been there, but he was only now noticing it.
Casually, he started walking in the direction she'd been heading. So, where's home now? Sagtannet had clearly moved. He wondered if she had been heading home when he found her. Is it nicer than Sawtooth? It was a question to pass the time, but he was curious if she was happy there.
Probably not.

Taikon nodded once. Nova Peak, he said. It was possible that the Redtail ridges had recovered enough to sustain a pack of wolves, but he doubted it. The last time he had been over that way it was still a bit of a mess. No other mountains he could think of were in the area. The prince hadn't visited the peak since he'd met Easy, the coywolf who had been so disinterested in him that she had managed to turn him off.
Takiyok unexpectedly returned his declaration. Like a mother concerned for a child, she pointed her finger and demanded more. He hadn't been sleeping well. Things were bad. He figured this could potentially be his last winter if it was a bad one, but he felt apathetic to this impending doom. Still, as she asked when he had last eaten properly, his nose twitched.
Yes, I've been on my own, he said calmly. It was his default. He didn't like it. He felt a bit of angry heat in his ears and a tightness in his chest, but walked on. The faeries at Seelie Court offered me a place, but it just wasn't the right move for me, he said, remembering how offended Caw had been when he had openly rejected the offer. He was no faerie.
He didn't bother answering when he'd last eaten, as he could imagine that was obvious from his physical condition. He wasn't even sure how bad he looked.

They're over at Hushed Willows, to the west, he made a vague gesture with his snout. To her question, he wasn't sure exactly how to explain without relaying everything he'd experienced. He decided to go for the most obvious. They seem like good people, don't get me wrong, but a pack that refers to a leader as a faerie Queen isn't exactly something I trust, he explained. It was difficult to really get at. He was sure that Lumiya was also a good person, he simply did not trust a monarchy like that.
You don't have to be alone, she said. He looked at her. He felt tense. He felt defensive. But he trusted her, and so he simply looked forward, staring at the ancient path they walked upon as she offered her own home to him. He swallowed. A long period of silence passed while he dipped his head, idly sniffing at nothing.
Taikon continued to look forward as he answered, finding eye contact with her impossible. So, you think I should come back with you so we can be miserable together, instead of me being miserable alone. His voice was very serious. Finally, he looked at her, and his dejected expression morphed into a curvy, silly smile. I like it, he laughed, finding the black humour a nice little spark in an otherwise meaningless day.

Faeries. He rolled his eyes. They're small mythical critters with wings. The way they look varies by culture, he answered. Why a wolf would choose to call themselves after such a thing was completely bizarre to Taikon. He only knew of the legendary creatures because the Farukans had been so obsessed with collecting cultural information from other packs. It was concerning to him that it had been adopted in this way.

---

Thankfully, Takiyok found the humour in his half-yes response. She probed him for a real answer. He grinned, eyeing her mischievously. He mirrored her expression by also raising an eyebrow. Yes, my faerie queen, I submit! He made fun of Seelie Court to get rid of the nasty tension he was feeling at joining another pack. He feared that Takiyok would be doomed by him doing so, even though this wasn't a rational fear. Every person he had ever grown close to seemed to die if he went with them. Lunaria hadn't died yet, probably because he hadn't chosen to follow her to whatever pastures she was at. I'll come with, he clarified, nodding and offering an awkward smile. He felt nervous about it, but knew that there would not be a better place for him to go. He respected Takiyok. He felt good following her.
Who runs Sagtannet? He asked it knowing that he would need to convince said person or people that he wasn't a complete monster.

He laughed, feeding off of her sarcastic energy. She seemed pleased, truly, when he agreed to join her. His heartbeat picked up speed. After a moment, he could feel it thumping harshly in his chest, but he did his best to ignore it. Life decisions like this were a big deal, but his life was shit. Changing up the shit was not a bad thing, regardless of whatever anxiety it might cause.
As Takiyok explained, Taikon nodded. Ah, right, he said, remembering what she had told him of her time in need. While the prince was unfamiliar with Diaspora, he trusted that she would not blindly follow Mahler just because she knew him. She might not have been perfectly happy at Sagtannet, but things were definitely okay since she had bothered to follow them all the way to Nova from the Sunspires.
Let's do it. Show me your worst, a simper curved upon his face. He felt odd. Nervousness was present, but he trusted her. If he was going to live, might as well do it around someone he liked.

Taikon could feel his body protest at the change. His skin shook mildly as he anticipated excitement. He followed alongside her, trusting that she knew the route better than he did. The prince had been to Nova Peak before, but it had been a rare case where he'd had any cause to venture anywhere near it.
He grinned a toothy smile as she joked, wondering about her worst and what it looked like. She had a calmness to her. It felt a bit, maybe even a lot, like general apathy. It was still difficult for him to imagine her as much more than a calm and reasonably kind person. She'd listened to him once upon a time, and now she had offered him a home.
As Takiyok spoke to ease whatever discomfort he might have about joining a new pack, he licked his lips casually. Although he was used to being alone, he knew that she was right. It was growing less and less likely for him to survive each winter on his own as he grew older. Apart from this practical aspect, he liked her company. He wanted more of it. His tone grew serious as he looked at her. Thank you, he said, his voice slow and deep. He gave a nod of respect as they walked on. He felt dead grass beneath his feet. The cool air suddenly felt more invigorating than it did cold.
He hoped this was a good move.