Phoenix Maplewood laugh, cry, forget nothing and think many things of it

<3

Arielle wanted to continue traveling through the night. She was so close that she thought she could scent Aventus and Ancelin on the icy breeze. But her leg wasn't fully healed yet; the cold and snow only made it worse, and she knew that if she pushed herself too hard, it would only take longer to get home. She missed her family so much. She had been consumed with guilt over the last few months over leaving them in the first place. She had been selfish, wanting to find her sister and bring her back to meet her family. Not only had she not found Lilitu, but she had injured her front leg. She had slipped and fallen on the icy slope of a mountain. She had been in a hurry, and she hadn't been careful enough. She was thankful she hadn't broken the leg, but she had definitely tweaked it enough to have to stay off of it, not to mention the huge hash from a pointy rock that ran up from her paw and stopped at her elbow. She walked with a limp now, but she was hopeful that would go away with time. She had set out to make her way back home as soon as she was able, but that still meant she was gone far longer than she had intended. She kept thinking about how worried Aventus must be and how she had missed so much of their sons growing up even in the few months she had been gone. Aves had already suffered so many bad things in his life, and now she was just adding to that.

Her leg ached so bad that she couldn't ignore it anymore. She thanked the bear—she stopped the thought right there. The bear had punished her for her betrayal, and now she wasn't worthy of the god. Arielle shook her head to dislodge the thought and keep her mind from going there. 

She remembered these woods having a lot of different herbs, though she wasn't sure what all she would find right now with the cold and snow. Still, it was better than nothing. She was sure she could at least find some willow bark for her pain so that she could get some sleep. 

Thankfully, she found just the tree she needed and was able to peel a strip from it. She missed her herb den so much. Her heart ached at the thought of it and how it had been a gift from Aventus. Now, who knew what it looked like? She held the bark between her teeth and searched for a place to sleep. She heard a voice in the distance and froze. She would know his voice anywhere. Her heart started to race and she lurched forward, her injured front, left leg protesting the movement. Arielle didn't care. She darted through the trees and snow until she saw him, her gaze finding Ancelin next. He was so big now. Tears stung the backs of her eyes.

She wanted to throw herself into Aves, but she wasn't sure how angry he was with her, so she stopped in front of the pair, her eyes glistening with tears. Aventus...Ancelin she said softly, and then anything else she might say died in her throat. She was overwhelmed by everything and frozen in place.