Swiftcurrent Creek strong bones

Just decided to get it over with already XD

Eilidh had traveled most of the eastern valley in search of her family, and in this moment she knew, in her bones, that her brother was nearby. She followed the scent markers, followed her heart toward her blood, and found herself calling to him in the dark. She was running through the fields, heading toward the creek that flowed in the distance, her nostrils full of her brother's scent. @Constantine! she called, her voice rising and pitching across the lands. Constantine, I'm here! Eilidh ran as fast as her weak legs would carry her, her heart bursting with joy she had long searched for, and yet had never found, until this moment.

The ivory creature dashed through fields and brush, swerved around trees, until her brother's scent was overwhelming. Then, and only then, did she stop. She was past their borders, but her legs gave out, and she heaved in great lungfuls of breath, the coldness of her previous life for once pushed to the back of her mind. No more cowering in the dark, no more hiding from the wolves who would use her skills to dire ends. While this was not the plateau or the Sentinels, Eilidh knew, deep in her strong bones, that she was finally home.

aria had kept solely to the outskirts of the territory. she didn't plan on fleeing, of course, and she felt at home with constantine-- but he had a mate. a family. somehow she feared she would be a thorn in the paw of @Durnehviir, and so she stayed out of the gamma's way.

she was not built to be a guardian by any means, but a wolf could always protect-- so she kept to the borders on patrol. it was easy, for the most part, and quiet. but today, a scent broke through their borders and trailed into the territory. aria heard the call-- it was for constantine, specifically. but that did not make this okay-- in fact, if anything, it only raised her concerns. aria tore off after the scent, seeing a pale lump of fur collapsed on the ground panting. aria let out a growl, her hackles rising. "who are you? you're trespassing in claimed territory!" 

of course, aria could not remember eilidh. maybe her name, hardly her face, instances where she existed, but aria did not know this wolf anymore.

Yay, thanks for joining Magdalyn! ❤️

Eilidh had only been lying there for a few moments before another wolf approached, a growl and a demand in her lips. Exhausted, Eilidh looked up far enough to recognize the wolf's face, without gazing into the others eyes. Her stomach jolted and her heart soared; Aria was here, too! Aria? It's me, Eilidh. Still gasping, she shifted a few steps back, but got to her feet. If she needed to flee, for whatever reason, she had to be ready.

It seemed Aria didn't know her, not with the demand that forced her to move. Did she truly not know her, or had Eilidh changed so much? She was thinner, more gaunt than before, and her fur was surely lackluster compared to her usual standards. But this was something else entirely. How is Constantine? I smelled him, and I was so overjoyed by it, I didn't stop. I just wanted to come home...

aria?

the sound of her own name in a foreign voice was... painful. aria flinched as the wolf-- eilidh-- tried to tell her who she was. eilidh, yes, of course, aria knew the name. it was constantine's sister-- vague, foggy memories of eilidh circled her brain, but the mayfair had been so elusive in the times aria had truly known her and so the memories were not so clear. eilidh stood, taking a few steps back, leaving aria to peer over her-- in her silence, eilidh continued speaking.

"he's good-- this is his pack," was how aria started, her pale gaze narrowed and her brows furrowed. she was thinking-- evaluating-- deciding-- how she should approach this. "i washed ashore an island months back, i forgot my whole life in these wilds. bits and pieces have come back, constantine is my clearest memory," she then said, bluntly, still looking a bit on edge, the fur on her shoulders not yet falling. with another look down, aria continued. "you are eilidh mayfair, constantine's sister and taltos' daughter-- you left moonspear, and constantine left shortly after to find you," she recalled, mostly for her own sake, "those blank spaces have been filled in for me-- but i do not remember you." 

she wondered if this would make eilidh sad. it made aria sad. what had their relationship been before this? she wished she could remember-- she wished this reunion would have been pleasant. but instead, the january girl stood stiffly across from eilidh, looking somewhat confused and distraught, like she was straining to remember.

Aria's reaction was indeed painful, but Eilidh tried to hide her dismay. How could Aria not know her? They had tended the garden in the Sentinels together, found a remedy to treat Dante's symptoms, and left Donnelaith to seek a future. Together. Eilidh's joy at finding Aria here drifted away on the wind, a reminder that life in the wilds was never going to be as easy or carefree as her childhood once was. 

Eilidh relaxed somewhat as Aria eased into the conversation, relaying the information the Mayfair sought. This was Constantine's pack, a point of pride for her, and although Aria knew her name, she had forgotten their camaraderie through presumably no fault of her own. She'd befallen some accident and washed ashore without her memories, some of which she'd retrieved since. But though she knew of her name, and her relation to Constantine and Lasher, Aria did not remember her.

She'd never known if @Constantine followed her when she left. Indeed, Eilidh had never intended to leave. She had simply wandered too far, searching for herbs to bring back to her tiny garden on Moonspear, when she'd come across a wounded wolf. The rest, as they say, is history.

I'm sorry, she whispered, ducking her head with ears flat. For your memory loss, for causing my brother to search for me, for everything. Eilidh's breath hitched. Only now, in the face of this stranger who had once been her friend, Eilidh felt safe enough to be vulnerable. I never meant for any of this to happen.

aria's shoulders rolled as she thought about a response-- hesitantly. "i don't blame you," she said finally with a small smile, "i wish i could remember you-- in the way i used to know you." with a soft breath, aria sighed, her pale gaze turning over her shoulder for any sight of @Constantine. "i can try to show you to where he usually is-- i'd tell you about him but, i suppose you'd want to hear that from him... yes?" she offered kindly, her tail waving a little as she gestured with her muzzle for the woman opposite of her to follow her.

was waiting for constantine to join but i'll keep posting ;)

PP of Talos being with him! Obviously, Bryndel you can join.. but tagged for reference. <3

Mid-wrestle with @Talos (who had sparked a certain sense of competitiveness in the wolf, as she grabbed at his nose with her sharp teeth), the swarthy male paused as he tried to pin her and tickle at her belly, one ear slipping back to catch the dulcet note of his past. Eilidh, his mind whispered, and he pushed himself up in a rush, just out of reach as his fearsome daughter made a grab for his lip.
 
Durnehviir had the boys with her – the cold shoulder she had given him since he had taken Aria in to their ranks had kept him from joining her, and Talos had chosen instead to spend her day with him. His eyes glanced around sharply, looking for another to look after her and finding no one in the vicinity of the den – their ranks were dangerously low.
 
“Talos, come on,” he urged, his muzzle bending down to usher her forward with a bump to her rump. His strides were quick as he led his daughter, re-directing her at times, given the short attention span they all still had with their growing minds.
 
When he came upon two white wolves rather than one, he paused. His tongue licked at his lips as he considered the scenario – hoping, quietly, that Eilidh would  be able to freshen Aria’s memory. “Eilidh,” he rumbled, his voice wavering with an emotion he would try to push aside, when all he wanted to do was fall forward to her paws and beg forgiveness. “You found your way home.”

Eilidh was hesitant to follow Aria further into claimed territory, even if the alpha of said area was her brother. Thank you, she finally allowed, but before they could go any further, a dark blur arrived, followed by a smaller wolf, a tiny girl. Her gaze traveled from her brother to the tiny child, wondering if she was her niece. But then Constantine grabbed her attention again, and she smiled softly. She closed the gap between them, burying her nose in his ruff, inhaling the familiar scent mixed with new ones; her brother was a father, and not only to this tiny one. He had a mate, and a pack that was small, but intimate. Her heart rose, buoyed by love for her brother, for his family that she didn't yet know.

Finally, was her only reply, pulling back from her brother's embrace. Her gaze flicked to Aria, wondering what had happened between them. They had seemed in love with each other when she left, and now they seemed strangers. Did she detect a brief look of regret in her brother's gaze? Eilidh ignored it; it wasn't the time or place to question their past. Her emerald gaze found the tiny creature behind her brother, smiling. And who is this brave girl? Her ears turned toward the girl, legs bowing to be closer to her height. Are you protecting your home with your father, little one?

aria was quiet as constantine arrived. she viewed the small child with jealousy and longing. she'd always wanted a family-- that was one thing that had never changed, not ever in her life had aria not wanted a family. but she had not met constantine's children yet, as she'd tried to hard to distance herself from them to avoid any conflict-- conflict that had not been definite but... aria had an inkling of a feeling that it was present. 

she didn't wish that this was her child, that it was her and constantine's child, she merely wished she had one. some. a pang of regret that she had been to stubborn in her lifetime to settle down, to flimsy with her morals, perhaps. or maybe she had tried, with that floki man. aria simply couldn't remember. 

she mustered a soft smile for the burly little girl, ears angled forwards, and then looked up towards constantine. "i will leave you two, there's plenty to catch up on, i imagine," she said, before dipping her head and removing herself from the situation.

@Eilidh fade here? We need an up to date sibling thread to catch up!!

Aria dismissed herself quietly, causing the shadow runner to stiffen slightly. His gaze followed her as she left, an ear flicking in idle thought and his features becoming grim for the moment. It was Eilidh’s voice who pulled from his thoughts, and he blinked, feeling a surge of elation that his sister had found him – alive, and well. “This is Talos,” he announced, his eyes gleaming as the pup tipped up to take a cheeky snap toward his muzzle. “My daughter, and the creek’s fiercest dragon fighter,” he introduced, giving his sister a wink. Nudging the dark girl to be tamer, his muzzle then tilted forward, hesitantly brushing to Eilidh’s cheek in greeting. He had thought he would never see her again.
 
“Come,” he beckoned, pulling away and leading the two girls. “Rest. Later, we can catch up on everything.” With that, the swarthy wolf gave his sister a tour of their new home before helping her settle.