Dragoncrest Cliffs wallflowers giving no action, no

here he was again, on the outskirts of a place that should have been his home but held no love for him.

val took a deep sigh and scratched behind his ear. he’d been gone again, this time longer than he intended. the road had taken him from here, and guilt had prolonged his absence. it flooded his heart in a dark garland.

he howled, his head thrown back against a grey sky.

erzulie answered. "ah, val. sweet wanderin' pirate son of mine." and here she gave him a serving of fresh fish, sliced from a salmon she had only caught some minutes ago.
"it always be good to see you back," she said to him, taking in how much the boy had grown, and wondering if the next time he would return.
he was no longer a child. he was a man now, and men often left for their own reasons. but in this male was val, their son, and she welcomed him as she would forever.

val did not deserve the fish -- nor erzulie's eternal love -- yet he accepted both with a grateful heart. truth be, the road was no place for a wellfed wanderer, and it had been some time since he'd tasted a morsel so fine.

maman, i've missed you. val greeted in return, his tail low yet heart singing. it did not matter the span of days from when he had seen her last -- his heart would always skitter. he sniffed the air tentatively, eyes saying what his throat could not muster: rosalyn?

The voice that called out caused the fur along Chacal's spine to lift. She'd been checking out the whale carcass with Suzu, but excused herself from the feast quite suddenly, lightly startling the child. She bolted =, her jaws wide open and cheeks flung back from the force of wind against her face- making her look almost maniacal as she galloped toward the borders. 

He'd come back. Erzulie had met him first, and their greeting was friendly though Valravn looked a bit sheepish, by his posture. As soon as she set eyes on him, Chacal uttered a long, ululating croon/growl that was both a playful scolding and an eager welcoming as she continued to cross the distance toward them. 

She wouldn't hold back when she reached them- she gave a blustery, near-miss kiss to her mother's cheek first- respects had to be paid- before she reached out to joust with Valravn, her tail sweeping in large wide circles behind her.

"i've missed you too," erzulie said fiercely, and then chacal was with them, happy and dancing in the sand.
the ruby followed suit, laughing, and together they wove a tapestry of love around val, inviting him back into the fold. "your maman waits at home," she said at last, answering her son's silent inquiry. "she will be happy to see you back."

val heard chacal before he saw her - or was it smelled? something stank of whale meat.

he knew he deserved a good whupping; chacal’s croon edged the wintry air, followed by an array of jousts aimed in his direction. val embraced her with rough sibling affection, remembering his station with low wags of his tail.

reunited in this moment, it was easy to forget his guilt. you smell like whale barf. he quipped, aiming a quick nip at a forepaw before he gallumphed off, following erzulie towards rosalyn at a jaunty trot.

Valravn had known his sister in a time where she had had no words- and so, it was in his presence that she shifted back to wolf speech without feeling ashamed. His insult provoked a throaty roar, heaving more whale breath at him. 

By his side, stepping in time with his shadow, she frisked up the shore, keen to have Valravn back with her again.

siblings reunited.
despite the years that had passed, erzulie still hoped that regin would arrive and brush the same hurt from valravn.
she followed her children up the earthline, chuckling to herself at their antics, as if they had never been parted.

this seems like a good place to fade, sorry I let it get so outdated <3

in moments he was transported back to simpler times. he and chacal, streaking down the beach with an attentive mother in tow.

erzulie courses behind them. chacal was at his ear with nips; the wind streamed under his fur; erzulie clipped at his heels —

the trio made for the woodline and in that moment val was imbued with love for the souls who always welcomed him back.

no matter what.