Northstar Vale you're a weapon and weapons don't weep.

gonna make some assumptions about how her trip to Akashingo will end just so I don't stall out on her...

Liri's trip to Akashingo had not yielded the results she'd wanted. Aquillius may have joined their ranks, but his absence from the territory meant she had hit another dead end. She knew she had two options to deal with the matter—stay and wait for him there, or search for him in the Wilds. Neither of these were appealing, and so she took neither path. Valiria opted for a third one.

It took her some time, but she eventually found herself on the borders of Epoch. She took heart that at least this place held some familiar scents upon the landscape, though none belonged to the single wolf she actually sought. Hopeful, Liri tilted her head back and called.

she was too weak to attend.

she had taken the audience with tikal far earlier than she should have left the den. as a result, she had sickened, though not enough to affect her milk. so long as she remained still and hydrated, tamar knew she would recover.

still she ensured that @Arsenio, @Meadow, and @Towhee were informed of her condition, which would belay her at the borders for a longer time.

and at such an inopportune moment!

the call that rose required a leader. meadow healed. towhee had lost maxim and still raised children alone. she wondered if @Reyson might answer, and called softly for him to act as guardian for now.

Reyson heard the call and titled his head.he headed towards the borders and met the girl there. Blue eyes assessing and curious.

Hello.

Soft voice, but attentive gaze. He didn't know this wolf and yet she seemed familair and he couldn't figure out why.

Valiria was blissfully unaware of how unfortunate her timing truly was. Perhaps she ought to have expected it though considering this would be her fourth strike when it came to it.

It had been poor timing to leave Mereo when she did, mere weeks before the pack disbanded and disappeared.

It had been poor timing to return after all had left the territory without a trace for her to follow.

It had been poor timing to arrive at Akashingo just after her brother had left.

And now, it was poor timing to arrive at Epoch when those who knew her were unable to attend her.

It seemed fate was trying to tell her something. She would continue to not listen.

Her frosty gaze landed on the strange man who arrived to greet her. He gave her a single hello, to which she nodded. Meanwhile, her heart began its slow descent towards despair without her even noticing.

”I am Valiria Redsand, daughter of Germanicus, Imperator of M…” she paused, a short stutter, ”…of what once was Mereo. I seek news of his whereabouts. I returned home to find the Canyon abandoned and no trace of my family left to follow.”

Reyson immediately realized why she looked familiar. He hadn't known her well. Hadn't interacted with her more than once or twice and look at he now nearly grown. He felt a pang of regret for not getting to know her more, so that she had a more familiar face to greet her. She probably was worried and scared and Reyson wanted to help, but didn't know how. He didn't know where Germanicus was, no one did.

His eyes softened. I'm afraid I don't know were he is. I know Mereo, I was once a soldier there. I'm Reyson Ebonywood. Mereo was disbanded. Though I'm afraid I wasn't privy to the details. I was already put to retirement when it happened.

Reyson looked her over. Towhee and Maxim are here. Though they are currently not available. And I can't offer you rest without @Tamar but I will call them. And if all goes well I ama fair tracker. His scent is probably stale, but I can try and help you find him.

The man spoke of being a soldier of Mereo once, and though it took her a moment, she eventually was able to place him. She recalled seeing him from time to time, though they had never before interacted. She felt silly for not recognizing him sooner—he cut quite the striking figure.

But no matter. His words were of far greater importance.

"Are there none who know what happened to my father?" Liri replied, concern for Germanicus growing, "Is there reason to think he's..." Her words faltered, and she found herself unable to finish the thought aloud.

Reyson was not surprised the girl didn't know him. He had made it a point to stay away from the children when he could. Her brother the one that ate all the time, he'd probably know Reyson as he was the one that he had the most interactions with.

He shook his head. I'm afraid not, but there is no reason to think he is no longer among the living. He was healthy last time I saw him near the lake.

Reyson didn't go into detail and he wouldn't. It was not his place to tell her of the infidelities of her father. That was for Germanicus to do so.

Let me call for @Tamar and then perhaps after you rest, we can go look for your father?

the boys and her husband slept.

tamar had meant to pay a visit to towhee, but the voices filtering through the vale carried to her. eventually she came along, eyes settled toward a young woman and reyson at the border.

she did not hold the scent of tikal. "are you all right?" tamar asked gently of the dazzlingly pale girl.

Liri's face fell into a frustrated grimace. How was it possible that no one knew of Germanicus's fate? Her eyes fell away from Reyson as he continued, suggesting rest and then offering to help her search. Her concern was too great for her to notice, but it was certainly easy for others to spot the unkempt state of her coat and her thinning frame. Even if she had put her mind to it, she would've been unable to say how long it had been since she'd last eaten. Things like caring for herself simply didn't seem important lately.

Her eyes lifted only when Tamar made her appearance. The woman's face stirred some memory in her, but it was too faint for Valiria to pay any mind to. Her lips parted slightly as though to respond to the question she asked, but not a sound escaped them.

she knew this girl.

in mereo they had both kept to themselves. but this was a child of ruenna and germanicus, one of four.

her mother's heart went out to the travelworn young wolf and she glanced to reyson, then back at their visitor. "stay with us a while and rest. whatever you seek, i will help you find."

her eyes were soft.

Valiria had always prided herself in her strength. Physical strength, emotional strength, and mental strength. She was calm and poised always, even in battle. She showed no emotion to her enemies and even rarely to her friends. She was not one to crumble, nor to weep.

And yet, all Liri wanted to do was both. Tamar’s kindness, her gentility threatened to break the dam in Liri’s heart in a way no hammer ever could. She missed her father. She missed her mother. She missed her home. She missed feeling like she had a safe place in this world to belong to.

Tamar, in that moment, felt like all of those things. But she was not Liri’s. Liri’s home, her family, was lost.

The girl still could not bring herself to speak, only nod with shining eyes that were downcast. All she wanted was to go somewhere and sleep. Perhaps in her dreams, she would get to feel home again.