The Sentinels deliver us

Making some assumptions about @Casmir, but I'm happy to edit if needed. Really hoping I can catch up on my threads now that the reboot is live. :D

Sorry this is poop, I am tired but wanted to make sure I didn't delay Emaleth's return.

She had not wanted to return immediately, so broken was her heart— even with Casmir at her side, the thought was too much to bear. Emaleth still feared the reactions of her family, feared that she would be punished for the curse that she had wrought upon them. Her brother, knowing she was safe under his watch, agreed to postpone her return for a day; and the pair had bonded beneath the stars, her brother a balm to her sorrow-filled heart.

When they arrived upon Donnelaith's borders that dawn, the child was forlorn but no longer distressed. She missed her father and Eilidh, and most of all, Deirdre. To be home again would be a comfort, even if it was a punishment that awaited her.

deirdre had prayed to the stars and to the trees in the desecrated bed of flowers that her sister would return to her. her heart could not bear this. she had thought she knew of loss with tachyon's absence, but with her soul gone, deirdre was lost herself! she sang to the wind, asking that of the north, the south, the east, and the west to carry her heart home. she prayed to the ocean; begged that if it met her dearest emaleth, that it would kiss her feet and soften them as the lush grasses of donnelaith would to tempt her home again. she asked the earth, what of it lived, to call with all of its might to her so that emaleth might hear its song and know of deirdre's longing. she asked the flames of the sun to warm her sister, and to light the path to her.

on this day, the wind carried with it a boon; in moments, deirdre was away from her ruined flowers, quietly running through the forest. the nymph knew its paths intimately, and took the surest and swiftest one to her sister, singing to the spirits and the trees and each of the elements her thanks! for it had worked, and her sister, emaleth, had come home to her! deirdre emerged from the shadows of the redwoods, her emerald eyes catching and holding her sister. with a quiet, overjoyed sob, deirdre moved to embrace emaleth, desperate for the feel of her again.

Donnelaith.

Casmir wasn't thrilled to be back, but he was relieved to see that the forest hadn't caught fire or something. he plodded behind Emaleth, shooting glances over his shoulder protectively,  but his shoulders hunched as he considered that he would now meet the wrath of his father and mother, even Dante.

he might even have to see Aria.

he had allowed his baby sister a little bit of time to prepare to return, but as the borders drew near, he realized he himself wasn't ready. it was deirdre who greeted them, shooting toward the pair like a pearly little bullet, and the moment that followed was touching.

or it would have been, had Casmir not contemplated leaving the little ones there and running off back toward Saena's pack. however, he did no such thing; he mumbled, "hey, dee," and was struck by the scent of his brother along her withers.

She had expected that her sister would be the first her to greet her, and she leaned hard into her as they embraced; the dark child could not help but to weep. Of course Deirdre would ever love her, for there was nothing that either could do to break that which bonded them. She could think of nothing that could dissolve the all-encompassing love she felt for the white witch-- not even if it had been Deirdre that had summoned the destruction of Donnelaith instead of her. And while Emaleth loved all her family so fiercely, there was something inexplicable in the bond with her sister that transcended all else.

they both wept, and deirdre did not desire to remove herself from this place. but the voice of casmir distracted her, and her eyes looked up to the man that had left without a word to her. even so, there was no coldness in her gaze; she knew only love for him, and it grew tenfold as she saw him here beside emaleth.

will you come back and stay with us, casmir? she asked him gently, and so it was no mystery, she hummed, oh, i hope you will! that he had given his loyalty to others did not occur to her; perhaps he had been lost, too, but now he and emaleth were found! perhaps they had both been called to donnelaith by her spell, and she marveled at the thought.

last post from me!

Connie was back? Cas didn't want to be here now, and glanced nervously at the forest. however, his eyes turned back to his sisters, little Deirdre and Emaleth. "you guys go on now,"he instructed, motioning that they should run into the wood while he stood watch to see that they crossed the borders. "i can't, Dee," he muttered guiltily, reaching to kiss her and then Em. "i'll come visit, though."

he stood back, and he would stay where he was until the girls entered Donnelaith and he was satisfied of their safety.