Arrow Lake lux aurumque

things had progressed more quickly than she had anticipated. one day an abnormality, something within her body that had not been there before. only five moons ago. and as her condition began to deteriorate, Tahani knew that it was time to find her family again.

physically, she was not up to the task of a journey south, particularly in the late days of summer. but fall was coming, and winter at its heels. she could feel the winds coming down from the north, even farther north than she'd situated herself. and so she followed them, weary but determined. each dogged step carried her further with each day.

she asked around, in her halting common tongue. white wolves, northern names? Shivali, Siarut, Takiyok. . .? when she passed by the glacier, she knew she was near. the sight of the great white expanse—so beautiful, so dangerous—sent a dagger through her soul. there, she had loved. there, she had lost.

some she encountered had answers that encouraged Tahani; they sent her toward the mountains, mentioning they'd heard of a Takiyok there. who else could it be? what other northerner would come this far south?

the healer staggered up the steep slopes, eventually cresting the rise to face a broad alpine lake. her eyes, still dark but now dull, swept over the glittering surface. her nostrils flared and she found her sister's scent, and others. even. . .no, it couldn't be—Sadiq? why was he here, too?

why had they all come to this too-hot place?

but then, she had come here by choice, not once but twice. with a gusty sigh that belied her exhaustion, Tahani planted herself at the borders, trembling on her paws. she gave a delicate yet insistent call to Takiyok and anyone else who would heed her howl. . .and then fell silent, utterly spent.

Sadiq was gloomy, feeling his failure deep in his heart. Once again he had made a mistake and everything had changed. Stigmata was dead, Ego was missing, and he hadn’t been here to support Takiyok. He felt horrible, and there was nothing that could have perked his mood.

Well, almost nothing. The familiar howl broke the silence around him, standing much to quickly for his still healing head and leg, Sadiq broke into a run toward the edge of Diaspora’s territory. When he caught sight of her he couldn’t wait to get closer before calling to her.

“Tahani!” Of all the siblings that had left he had missed Tahani the most. His gentle and peacekeeping sister, Sadiq bound toward her, a rare grin spreading his jaws and his tail swept rapidly behind him.

Hopeless. That's how she felt today. Hopeless and exhausted. It was one more day without her son and one more day she had to find some way to survive through her grief. It wasn't as though she hadn't dealt with loss before, but this time was vastly different,  and sometimes, she wasn't sure she could keep moving forward.

The call from the borders didn't immediately pull her attention from her somber thoughts, but the familiarity of the sound eventually worked it's way into her consciousness, making her stop her aimless walking and stare in the direction of the howl. She could only feel wary disbelief as she made her way there, too afraid to let herself hope.

She froze as the pair came into view. Sadiq and...Tahani? How? She moved forward slowly as if still unable to let herself believe even her own two eyes. But when she reached her lost sister, her face crumpled, and she pressed into the fur of her neck, silent for a few moments as she tried to fight the tears that stung the corners of her eyes. I feared you were dead, she murmured quietly into her sister's coat. She would soon inquire about her weakened state, but for now, Taki was just glad to have her back.

oh, Sadiq! he had grown so much since she'd last seen him, and yet he'd hardly changed at all. she leaned into her brother's embrace, taking in his scent, the solidness of him. whispering murmured greetings, joyful, breathless —

and then Takiyok was on the scene and she felt as if her heart would burst. Taki, she managed, and pulled the young woman close, shuddering with tears. i feared you were dead. terror rose up within her, remembering the news she'd have to impart. 

not yet. not yet. 

without my family, i might as well have been, Tahani softly remarked, shaking her head. her little sister smelled of babes, of new life. . . you are a mother? she asked, pulling away to stare at Takiyok with a face full of hope. can i meet them?

He couldn’t help the steady wag of his tail, he hadn’t seen her in ages. His happiness at seeing her clouding his gaze to the fact that something was amiss. He stood by as his sisters met, a smile playing on his lips.

Of course her sister would immediately pick up on the fact that Taki was now a mother. She felt a twinge of guilt, though, because she didn't feel she had been a very good mother lately. She tried to soothe her children's grief the best she could, but she never felt like she was actually helping them. She forced a small smile. Of course you can, she answered. They need family now more than ever. Maybe with her help along with help from Mahler and Sadiq, her children wouldn't be permanently damaged by the trauma of losing their father so young and in such a gruesome way. Maybe they could all fill in where she was apparently inept. 

That sadness in her expression deepened, and she studied her sister a moment before asking: Where have you been?

that seemed fairly ominous, what Takiyok said, and Tahani gave her sister a troubled look, nodding. there were lines of grief etched into the lines of her sister's still-young face; she wondered what had happened. if she was simply bringing more loss to an already-aching pack.

north, she said in response. Currituck is a wanderer; i followed her for a while, then let her do her own thing, eventually. but i wanted to find you all again. i needed to find you all again. and so i have.

she cuddled up against her siblings, close as she could, a smile of utmost joy bleeding over her muzzle. can i stay here? Tahani asked softly. it might not be for very long, but i can help provide when needed. healing, herbs, child care. . .anything that your pack requires.

Going to go ahead and wrap this up since Sadiq is inactive

She was beyond relieved to hear that Tahani had found her daughter; she knew the pain of a missing child. It seemed she had eventually traveled north, though, and Taki wondered if she had seen Sia. She still held a lot of anger and resentment for her former idol, and she quickly pushed away any thoughts of him.

Of course, sister. You can stay here for as long as you want. Concern swelled in her chest, though. She wondered why it would only be temporary. Couldn't she just stay here and help raise her children? She would ask her about it later. For now, she lifted her head and motioned for Tahani to follow her. Come on, I'll help you get settled in. All her concern and sadness aside, she was incredibly grateful for her sister's added presence in Diaspora.