Dawnlark Plains I will be there like mercy; I will find you through it all

Backdated to the 30th. @Sebastian, though all are welcome! (: Also tagging @Aditya @Dawn

After five long days, she was finally here.

The plains rolled for miles before her, barren and dusted with patches of snow. Soft hills coloured the distant horizon, and even when she squinted, she found they still rose near indistinguishable from the sky. There couldn't have been a place more different than Moonspear. Inhospitable to the barren eye - but the fading trail led here, and intertwined with a welling strength that brought her forward motion to rest.

She felt the burn of overuse lace through each of her scars, but she would still take twice the pain if it meant standing here where her searching would end, or so her hope insisted. With a careful sweep along the borders, she found his scent ran so faintly here, and her gaze darkened.

The doubts had followed her in every step she'd taken from Silvertip, but they hadn't stopped her yet, and damn it, she wouldn't let them stop her now. Resolve fixed, Andalusia tipped back her head and released her breath to carry across the plains, echoing out with one name alone - 

Sebastian.

the woman had called out for sebastian, but unlike alarian's summons, this voice was one he did not know. a little on-edge--the male had come to them from a war--aditya loped over the plains, trying to address the visitor with haste. he caught sight of her soon enough, standing at the border in wait.

his nose twitched as he took in her scent. moonspear. she had come a ways, then. he couldn't recall if sebastian had any ties to the mountain pack. a smile bloomed over his maw as aditya pulled to a halt in front of her, body language confident but comfortable. unless she showed some signs of danger, he would try to make her feel welcome.

"looking for sebastian?" he asked rhetorically, tilting his head. "he'll be here soon enough, i'm sure. who are you?"

Sebastian was standing motionless in a stream in the middle of the territory. The grey male was frozen for a reason. He was trying to fish and make sure all the females in the pack had enough food to feed their young. He also wanted all the young to be fed as well. Sebastian had decided that he could do with less. His shoulder was decorated with a very pink scar but he was glad for it to be pink. It meant that he had overcome his fever and the hallucinations it brought.

As he was concentrating on the water below, he suddenly heard a howl. Her howl. Andalusia. His head snapped up. Instantly a wave of panic washed over him. The male rushed to the bank of the river and tried to cover his ears. "No, no, no... Not again. Not again," he muttered to himself. He felt his heart beating. Was the fever back? Did the lack of food make the infection return? Was that even possible? His mind was chaotic as he tried to calm his first wave of panic.

Be rational. He was a doctor. If the fever was back he had a pack to support him. Pema was skilled in medicine and could probably help him. But his heart broke while thinking that. His hope of ever reuniting with Andalusia was eroding. She was gone. Sebastian unintentionally had pushed his face in the mud to try and block out the howl he only heard once. Luckily only once, if this fever was going to get any worse then he might even see her. That would definitely be a red flag.

If not clear: Seb didn't go to the border. Cameo, for now. Will post again when Aditya howls for Seb to come to the border! :D

As her voice settled over the expanse of the plains, Andalusia tried not to worry about who would and wouldn't meet her there. Rather, she surveyed the territory again, taking in the sights with greater precision, sparse though they were. Eventually the Ostrega levelled to watch the lightest breeze pulse through the prairie grass. There wasn't much to the motion, but their gentle rhythm, the way their limber stalks glistened beneath the stark summer sun. It reminded her of home.

She didn't recognize the man who loped toward her and stole her from her trance; he wasn't Sebastian, and Andalusia deflected to his authority with a courteous bow. There was an air of strength to his posture, an assurance - yet something earthy, warm and familiar. He was a stranger, but his presence made her feel comfortable.

"So he is here!" She laughed and lifted her head, and found the want to keep on going until she pranced right on up to the sky. Instead, she restrained herself, yet the emotion still sketched along the length of her travel-worn frame: lips curled to the glow of a smile, blue eyes glistening with the warmth of relief, and tail moving with a vibrant sway, "Andalusia Ostrega. He's one of my closest friends,"  - family, even - "but we lost each other about a season back. I've been looking for him ever since - and then I found your trail, over near Silvertip, and his scent - it was mingled in so faint - but I followed - and he's really here?"

her obvious joy brought a warmth to his heart, and he found himself grinning along with her, dipping his head at her introduction. the tale was fascinating, and at her question, he nodded, happy to be able to give her an answer in the affirmative. to think she had come all this way. . .

"yes, he's here," aditya confirmed, glancing out toward the plains. he lifted his muzzle, letting out another howl. hey, @Sebastian! you have a friend here to see you! once the echoes of the call had faded away, adi turned back to andalusia, gilded gaze glowing.

"welcome to morningside," he said amiably. "my name is aditya. you've certainly come a long way, from moonspear." but wouldn't he, if he picked up the traces of a long-gone friend? he would go to the ends of the earth if he found the slightest hint of nando, basically a brother to him. the least they could do for andalusia was welcome her, and give her the opportunity to reunite with sebastian.

selfishly, he hoped she'd stay.

Sebastian's muddy face lifted when he heard another howl. This time it wasn't the pretend howl from Andalusia. Maybe he had mistaken Aditya's howl for the one of Andalusia? Sebastian inhaled sharply. He hoped that was not the case. Yet, since the alpha called for him Sebastian was quick to get to his feet. He washed his face half in the river before trotting with a limp towards the border. The meaning of the message came to him now. Was a friend here to see him? Could it be?

Sebastian trotted to the border. He could distinguish Aditya, as he came closer he realized there was a female close to him. His heart skipped a beat and he froze into place. Her scent was different as he remembered. Was that why he couldn't find her? She seemed real but the last time he saw her she had not been real. Sebastian looked hesitant. He hadn't told his new pack about his hallucinations. That he had been battling a fierce infection. Sebastian stepped forward with a limp, his eyes cautious. He didn't want to have his heart broken again.

'You see her too?," he asked Aditya. Perhaps a weird question but for Sebastian, it was a very normal question after what he experienced. His nose was moving, taking in her scent. Andalusia. His mind screamed that it was real. He stepped closer, his head down low and his docked tail stiff. "Andalusia?," he asked softly as he was getting closer. He almost couldn't believe it. He stepped closer and let his nose boop her shoulder. As soon as he noticed it she was a solid form the male burst with enthusiasm! Whines came from his throat like a happy puppy. He tried to jump from side to side but his shoulder prevented him. Sebastian's docked tail went crazy. Clearly, the male was so happy to see her again. "You're real! You're real! I knew it!" Sebastian was so relieved he wasn't turning crazy after all. He wanted to jump her and give her all the kisses and cuddles.

AKA SEB RIGHT NOW

<333

With the stranger's confirmation, Andalusia felt the final threads of her uncertainty unravel, and she turned to watch the plains, her heart soaring as high as the clouds above. Morningside. These plains seemed an inconspicuous place for a pack, humble in its display of grandeur. But then, that seemed to suit Sebastian. She had never known him as anything but gentle regardless of the strength he possessed.

And from what little she gleaned from this man Aditya, he seemed the soul for this place, too. A hint of surprise curled her voice, and she felt her grin grow brighter. "You know of Moonspear." How intricate the relations of these Wilds. No matter how long she roved these lands, she was sure that would always surprise her.

"I - " but what words she'd prepared disappeared as the mirage of a shadow blinked to life on the verge of the horizon, and her eyes and ears turned toward the vision of him which consumed her.

He approached without fanfare or noise; he carried himself like she remembered, if not a little tired, a little worn, finally showing his age - but who was she to talk? She could see the wounds that Blackfeather had inflicted on him, the ugly patch on his shoulder she imagined would never heal, the empty air where his tail should have been. She saw the confusion in his eyes, felt the weight of an invisible expanse dividing him from her, as if they were still miles apart.

Her eyes shadowed, and she remained trained on the cusp of the border, unwilling to press nearer this man who held a wall against her. She could see that he was thinking, uncertain - and she waited, uncertain herself. What had they done to him? She felt the seed of something dark squeeze its fingers around her chest - but the anger simmered at bay when he uttered her name, and she nodded, her face cracked with a gentle grin. Yes. Yes, yes. "Yes," her voice ran quiet, forgetting Aditya's presence there. The word was for him.

Sebastian drew closer, reached out - and she closed her eyes when he leaned in to tap her shoulder as if not quite believing she was there - and yet in that so familiar way - and she pressed her nose toward, to feel him the same. And whatever veil shrouded his eyes was suddenly torn away.

His energy sucked her words clean from her lips, and she laughed instead - laughing, and laughing as she swung toward him with an embrace both gentle and strong, covering his face in licks of affection before she wreathed about her dear brother and burrowed her nose against his better shoulder - to smell him, to feel him, to make up for every lost moment where she'd held herself back. How she'd missed him, how she'd been so, so scared. "I was so afraid," she breathed, and she buried her face in the mane of his fur and wept. For Sebastian, for the joy, for the fear. For everything.

he nodded, smiling at her query that wasn't really a query at all, just a confirmation of his knowledge. before they could speak further, sebastian arrived. he knew at once that this reunion was not a show, something to gawk at. he took a few steps back, watching as they approached each other, wonder and the utmost happiness shimmering in their eyes.

adi grinned, the expression lighting up his entire face. with a nod to andalusia--he doubted she saw it, through her excitement--he turned and padded away, giving a final look at the pair over his shoulder. he was touched to his core, to see it. after so long. . . moments like these gave him a newfound sense of hope. so many bad things had happened lately. but if old friends could still reunite--

and hey, maybe sebastian could convince her to stay. long way back to moonspear, after all.

Sebastian's body flooded with intense happiness as Andalusia responded to him, the moment he felt her muzzle make friendly contact back to him. His stump never wiggled this excitedly behind him. His ears could only hear her laughing. Her wonderful laugh that made his world so much brighter. It even pulled a smile on Sebastian's face. It felt strange to smile and laugh as he had not done any of that ever since the war, perhaps even before the war. The last time he smiled and laughed was chasing after Andalusia and playing in that meadow.

Sebastian only wanted her close and she did. When Andalusia buried her nose in his shoulder Sebastian just felt himself grow stronger. It was like he had his other half back. The wilted flower that Sebastian had become was slowly strengthening again. His hollow shell filling up. It was instantly seen in his whole body. The male didn't notice Aditya leaving, too absorbed with having Andalusia back. As she nosed his good shoulder it was Sebastian's turn to shower her with licks on top of her head. He had missed her, he had been afraid to lose her. Then she spoke those worlds herself.

"Me too," he spoke before the laughter was replaced with weeping. The big male tried to pull her in closer, to give her all the comfort she needed. But as he stood tall to comfort her the male realized he wanted to cry just as much as she was doing. There was relief from his side that made him cry and to finally let go of that one fear that she would never return. He couldn't stop the tears now. All the emotions of these last months overwhelmed him. He held Andalusia close as he cried himself. The cry felt good, it made him feel lighter. Slowly, the only emotion that grew stronger was happiness. Pure Happiness. He had Andalusia back in his life.

He had nuzzled himself closer to her as well. He couldn't tell how long he had been crying or how long they stood there embracing like wolves do. Sebastian didn't care. "You are here. Words cannot describe how happy I am. I've been looking for you everywhere," he wanted her to know that. He had been called crazy, he shed his loyalty to the Caldera folk to look for her. He had no regrets, especially because now she had found him instead. "I'm so glad you found me." But then realization hit. She smelled like Andalusia but also like another pack. What was going to happen now? He didn't want to separate from her again. "You live somewhere else now," he spoke softly. Was it a home worth leaving? He wasn't sure if he could leave his sister if he could leave the Morningsiders after their extremely warm welcome. "I don't want to lose you again."

She wept with him, and felt the wetness of his tears soak through her fur, yet she reckoned his shoulder was wetter still. What a mess they were - and she remembered Aditya, and cracked a stinging eye open, but even through the blur, she could tell he was gone. There was no one here except Sebastian, his presence, his scent, his voice, and her body shook from sobbing to the sound of laughter again.

"You definitely didn't make it easy," she said through half a laugh, and her face broke into a smile as she pressed her nose against him again and let his words sink in and soothe her weary heart. He had never stopped looking. He had never stopped trying. He had never given up. She had never been alone.

Yet her grin faltered when he spoke again, and she glanced at the ground through half a lid. Vela's warning had never left her mind, but she had let the young girl's words fall to the burner for the few moments she had spent in her friend's embrace. "I know," she whispered, and drew in tighter, despite the full knowledge she would need to leave to return to Moonspear again. And she wanted to. They were her family. But so was he. "Moonspear. I didn't tell them I'd be gone. They'll be wondering where I am."

Andalusia shifted with the knit of her brow. She didn't know how seriously to take Vela's threats against her, but she refused to see them as anything inconsequential. The girl had experienced deep hurt, as had her parents. If she left Moonspear now, what would that do to them, especially when they had been slighted before? Yet if she left Sebastian, what would that mean for them? Would this just be over? She pressed into him and sighed, "They're my family - Ostregas. They saved my life. I can't just leave them."  She slicked her ears. "I need to go back. But I don't want to leave you, either."

Sebastian knew that he hadn't. He had left the Redhawks to find his sister who moved as well. He never expected this pack to become his home. It had become his home so quickly. Sebastian let his pale eyes on her. Moonspear? Had she been at Moonspear this whole time while he was searching for her? Sebastian felt disappointed with himself that he hadn't found her more quickly. He had gone in the other direction to search for her.

After a brief pause, she spoke of them as her family. Sebastian's ears fell back. However, she explained. They were her true family, her blood family. Sebastian felt his heart beat faster. She couldn't leave! He had been apart from her for so long. "You can't leave! I— I love you!!," he breathed out before thinking. Like that was going to stop her from leaving him. It didn't stop the others from leaving him. But that was not something he realized at this very moment. Emotions ran high with his reunion.

He couldn't leave Morningside... Aviana relied on him with Faye. He couldn't leave Faye as well. Plus, River had been wounded. He wanted to look after the boy as well. But-- That would mean he would have to give up Andalusia. He couldn't give her up. His heart was torn. Sebastian's eyes showed how much he was torn about this. He hoped he could show Andalusia around and introduce her to Aviana and Faye. But as he looked at Andalusia and realized what he told her. He loved her and he wasn't sure if he could live without her. Sebastian's ears fell back shyly.

Andalusia hadn't given much thought to how Sebastian would react - but his outburst seemed nothing beyond the ordinary, if not a little strong. Then again, he'd always been an emotional man, and she realized his protest didn't surprise her. "Of course I know that," she said, and sighed through the curl of a bitter smile. In every way, he had proven that to her. "I love you too," Andalusia uncurled from the warmth of his touch, knowing right now, she needed to see him face-to-face, and slowly, thinking, she lifted her gaze. "But that doesn't mean - "

Yet her eyes finally met him, and she found her words gone. Her face fell to a confused frown, and yet her thoughts clicked. She wasn't so green that she didn't know that look - the slick of his ears, and the wide anguish of his eyes - and her heart fluttered in her chest with an all familiar twist of emotion she didn't really know what to do with. "Wait - what do you mean, you love me?" And she watched him through furrowed eyes, sharp and intense.

Sebastian's heart was beating fast as she started speaking. Her first words didn't really help with his shock. It sounded like she took it the wrong way. He loved her more than that. He couldn't keep it contained. after thinking of losing her and realizing how much he loved her. How much it hurt that he couldn't find her. How he would never be able to tell her. She looked into his eyes and then realized what he was trying to say. Sebastian looked so guilty. He couldn't help it.

Her face didn't smile, he was met with a confused look which made his nerves worse. Sebastian looked rather pained as she questioned him. "Yes," he choked out and then battered his eyes at her. "You were gone, it hurt so much. Then I realized why it hurt so much but my heart really broke when I realized I might never get to tell you," he ended in a whisper. "I'm sorry." Though he wasn't really sure what he was apologizing for. His love for her? Why did this have to be so complicated? He should have kept this for himself.

His confession was like a fist in her gut, yet at the same time, somehow took her to the sky. She hadn't come here expecting this - not when she thought she'd done everything to prevent this. But had she really? She traced the familiar lines of his face, and eased with the quiet crack of his voice. Even in her forgetting, his was the first face she had remembered, and he had become the passion that drove her. An affection she had waved to brotherhood, and had convinced herself they were nothing more - but somewhere along the way, the affection had become something more than that, for the both of them.

Even just a year ago, she had been too wrapped up in the memories of Adrien to even consider that someone might want her. And even if she knew that someone had, there was never use in trying, since she knew they would leave her once they knew she was barren. But Sebastian knew, and he had been the one to gently unwind the final strings that had burdened her from moving forward.

She moved forward now, and pressed her nose to his cheek. "You silly goose," she whispered, affection lining the length of her soft and humoured smile. "I don't deserve you," but she sure as hell wouldn't let him go. "I still need to go back to Moonspear, but we'll make this work." It would take effort, and likely some hard conversations on her end, but it would be worth it. He was worth everything. "And I love you, too," she said, her smile still holding, and her voice, quivering with a laugh. This was a curveball she hadn't expected, but she was ready to take it.

Sebastian watched as she stepped forward. His docked tail did a tentative wiggle as she did so. The male moved his nose to her cheek as well. Such a gentle moment. Her step forward had eased his anxiety a bit. Her words weren't an insult to him, far from. The male knew he was silly, and not very good with all this romantic stuff. He tried but most of the time he couldn't hold his feeling in. It often turned into a flash flood of words. He shook his head gently when Andalusia found that she didn't deserve him. "I will be the judge of that. You do," he spoke.

In fact, he almost felt that he didn't deserve her. He was crippled. His was not the young wolf he was when they met, or perhaps he was now he thought about it. She helped him when he was injured. Young and reckless. Stupid. Now he was injured again because of something stupid. They were both a bit broken. But the funny thing was that Sebastian didn't feel broken when he was with Andalusia. "You do deserve me," he spoke firmly.

He had almost missed her words about Moonspear while in thought. He was forgetting it again when she verbally confirmed her love for him. Sebastian licked over her face. "We will make it work,' he confirmed, softly then. He would need to trust Andalusia that she would return to him. She had done that once before. "They need my help here but that means I will at least stay in the same location," he chuckled. "Or I can visit you at Moonspear? What would you prefer?"

Sorry for taking so long! x_x Do you want to post once more, or fade here? I'm good with either! (: Also, can we make the two mates, even if they're in different packs? I never really had to think about that before haha...

There was a time she would have shirked away from any kiss he offered, but now she simply closed her eyes against it and smiled. Truth be told, the affection felt strange, but it was right and she told herself so, even as she gently returned the gesture, leaving the flick of a kiss upon his cheek before they delved into the logistics of their relationship, now that their direction in that was, at least, settled.

"When the time is right, I'll come to you," as much as she wanted to tell him to visit, the trip was long and dangerous, and she could see well enough that Sebastian wasn't healed. He would be better staying here, healing up, and helping out in the ways he could, until she could return to him and start a new life from the pieces they carried together. "I'll head back to Moonspear tomorrow." They would be wondering, after all - but a smile touched her lips and she swayed her tail with levity. "But tomorrow's still a long way off. As long as we have today, let's say we make the most of it."