Hideaway Strath The return

@Fury suRPRISE!! :D

Recognition.

It was what drove her. The landscape was familiar, like a lost memory coming back. She had clung to it. Knowing it was real, knowing that it was somewhere. She had searched. She kept on traveling. Finally there was proof that her memories were real, that this place was real. Visual cues came first, followed by the scents of her kind, her family. 

Her heavy panting was in rhythm of her galloping pace. One goal. One focus. There was only one thing she wanted. One thing she needed. Her condition wasn't the best but the lean female seemed determined. Nothing stopped her in her place. The strath. They were here! The pale girl half stumbled in her eagerness, her limbs heavy, but she had to push on.

Arlette sounded a howl, filled with longing. She kept her pace, making her arrival known as she came closer and closer to the border of her home. She wanted to scream 'I'm alive!', 'I have returned!' But those worlds failed her, out of breath, and finally having reached her goal the female collapsed on the ground. Heavily panting and trying to catch her breath, as she was dizzy with lack of food and air.

*SCREECHES HAPPILY* OMG OMG OMG <333

Fury was with her child when a long lost voice carried through the air.
That howl...

It couldn't be.
Could it?
Ah, but it was!

Arlette.

"Stay." She breathed to Sovereign before sprinting for the borders. 
It took less time than normal with flying laws, and as she drew closer, she recognized Arlette, tears threatening to blind her as she slowed herself enough to not blast through the former Medic when she got to her. 

"Arlette! You're alive!" Fury's voice threatened to crack as tears rolled down her cheeks. 
So many words wanted to come out all at once, but the Warchief's tail never ceased in its frantic wagging.

"I was so worried about you! About the kids. I- You-"  Fury stumbled with her words in her joy. 
"I'm so glad you're okay." 

It didn't take long at all when Nyra came. She recognized her right away. Her friend, best friend, no-- Sister. She crawled closer to the other female when she approached. Arlette's tail was wagging a mile a minute. Whines coming from her throat between her panting. She was really pleased to see Nyra okay. There had been so many threats towards their family. She didn't expect the Saints or Nyra especially to be alive!!

"N-Nyra!," she croaked in excitement, staying low on the ground as she didn't feel confident her legs would support her after such a massive end sprint. She could only nod when the other exclaimed she was alive. She was! She was! She was so relieved to be home again. Arlette had a blank space in her memory though. "Kids-- not here?," she asked, deflating a little, slowly catching her breath. She took another breath.

She slowly pushed herself to a sitting position. "I-- I am glad... to be home?," she spoke then, though there was a question in her voice. Was she allowed to return to The Saints? She didn't want to assume. She couldn't really think about the fact that her children were not here...

"My name is Fury now. Fury Brunhilde. So much has happened-" 
Fury breathed through the happy sobs still threatening to break her voice.
The question in Arlette's voice wasn't missed. Home? Of course she was home!
"Yes! Yes, you're home!" Fury confirmed, tail still wagging akin to her sister's.

"I have more children this year, and a husband as of recently." She added first, wanting to gauge Arlette's reaction to this news before continuing on with the update of everything that had happened when the Medic had vanished.

Arlette looked up at her sister and then nodded. "Fury...," she repeated. Then a soft smile turned on her face. "It suits you," she commented. She would need to adjust but she would for her friend. She imagined there would be, giving what she knew from Nyra that there would have happened a few things. "You should tell me, soon," she offered. She would even love to hear it now.

Arlette seemed to sag in relief when she heard that. She was home. She was so glad. "Thank you," she breathed softly. Then she had to smile a little wider when she heard that Nyra had a children and... a husband. "Oh how wonderful," she spoke, genuinely happy for her. She would help take care of them of course. "Who.... is your husband?," she asked. Her mind then focussed on her own mate. She quieted for a moment.

"...Derg?" she asked hopefully, maybe he had returned as well.

The Warchief smiled as Arlette took in her new name and the news of a new litter, and a husband. 

"My husband's name is Arashi. He is our General, my second in command. I am the Warchief, the Alpha, of course, heh." She explained with a small grin.

Derg? Arlette inquired.
 
Fury shook her head softly. 
"I haven't seen Derg or any of your pups, I'm afraid." She admitted. 
Where could they be? 
Fury didn't know, but she hoped they were all alive. 

Stepping to the side and turning towards the Strath, Fury gestured with her muzzle for her sister to follow her beyond the borders. This was home, after all. 
Making sure the Medic would follow, Fury would walk beside her at a liesurely pace.

Arlette was expecting to hear a familiar name, however, the name of her husband was unfamiliar to her. That would be someone she would have to get to know then. She trusted Fury's judgement though. She wouldn't pick a man that would mistreat her. "Ofcourse. I wouldn't expect anything less from you. How did you meet him?," she asked curiously. Wanting to hear how she at least find a little more happiness. At least Arlette assumed.

Arlette couldn't hide her disappointment but then accepted it. She nodded quietly. She would still hope that her children were alive somewhere. Hopefully they were happy. It still hurt, she felt like she failed them. She watched Nyra step aside. Arlette gladly walked with her. Luckily she was familiar with the territory and she was more than familiar with following Ny--Fury.

"How is the pack? Ursus? Anyone I should watch out for?," she asked. Arlette would probably recover first, inside the territory, and get settled before venturing out.

Fury chuckled softly and went ahead with the story between her and her mate.
"I met him when i was trying to form on the Coast. First he was simply a subordinate, then a close friend, and after we relocated here, after a time, he confessed to me. I realied then that I shared his feelings, and we have been mates since." 
She chuckled softly at the end, waving her tail.

"As for Ursus, well...They and Ramesses's pack, Akashingo, were the ones to force me, Xynos and War out of the Vale. I haven't seen any signs of them since then." 
Fury wanted to explain further, and pieced at the information as they walked. 

"I went to see how Ramesses and Satsu's claim was going, and it was upon revealing Kynareth abandoned us that he stated they were separate from the former Saints. Seeing his betrayal and a show of his true colors, I tried to kill him. Injured one of his own in the process and bolted when he called for backup." 
Fury didn't hide her disdain for Ramesses, nor did she hide the regret she felt for not being as diplomatic as she could've been.

"After that, Kynareth returned briefly to round me into killing Merrick's blackbird. I'm assuming somewhere in the timeline, Ursus found Akashingo and were gathering the numbers anyway. In between killing Merrick's mate and our disbandment, I suspected this one young man who tried to join us to be a spy. I wasn't certain, but i admit my paranoia got the best of me. It was soon after I mauled this suspected spy that Ursus and Akashingo invaded the Vale." Fury paused for a few moments to give Arlette time to process everything. 

"We lied low with Moonglow for a little while, then i pulled a stupid and mated with a man the first day of my heat. Killed him too, but he was so aged he was likely on his way out anyway...Kukutux chased me out, War and Xynos followed me, we eventually found the Druids of Blackwater, who took us in for the winter before I was granted permission to try and begin a claim on the beaches. That...didn't go well. Another pack lived on the cliffs and didn't take well to me trying to form on the Sound right next to them. The Listener of Blackwater - their...Leader, Priestess, you get the idea, came to my rescue and offered me a choice. I could stay on the islands in secret, or leave to begin my claim eslewhere. I chose to leave, as you can see." Fury added, looking out to the Valley she and the current Saints claimed. 
A small sigh brisked her lips. 
"I gave birth to four pups immediately after Arashi and I arrived here. No medics, no nothing. But they were all healthy. Two of them, Elias and Panacea, are currently with Blackwater. One of theirs found my boys along a river. They haven't been sent back to us yet. Panacea is ill, or so my Spiderling reported. I had my two daughters left, Credence and Sovereign, but Credence somehow disappeared too recently. Much like you and your pups did - without a trace. Sovereign is my only child with me now. She is my firstborn, my mini me. I just hope my other three are alright..." Fury's gaze saddened as she spoke of her kids. She wasn't trying to hide how horrible of a mother she felt like, for losing three of her four kids. 

"We also have a second alliance close by, The Dominion, they are called. They're in the forest on the other side of the valley." She added, as an attempt at a brighter piece of news.

Arlette took it all in, there was a lot to recap. A lot of wolves killed. Arlette nodded, and listened quietly without interrupted her. Arlette let it wash all over, trying to save all the important details. She figured that Akashingo was not their friend at the moment, and that wolves from that pack were to be avoided. Her face twisted, knowing the pain of being separated from your children. "We should get them back. If you want, I can retrieve them." She would do that for Nyra, for-- Fury.

"I love to meet Sovereign, and the other three when they come back to the saints," she offered. Arlette hoped that pups would return soon for their parents' sake. Arlette turned a little quiet. She did vanish, and she didn't even know what happen. "I was with my children and suddenly it went back and I was so many miles from here," she spoke with a shake of her head. "No memories of what happened."

"The Dominion," she repeated. "Alright, good to know. I will introduce myself when I am ready to leave." She kind of wanted to get some duties, just to get in the flow of being a packmate again. "Anything you want me to pick up or do for the pack?"

Fury took on a look of pleasant surprise when Arlette offered to retrieve Elias and Panacea from Blackwater.
"I think The Listener said she'd send someone with them when they were ready to come home, but it wouldn't hurt to check on them." She mused.

"Sovereign is at our den. I told her to stay there. As for your disappearance, I know it wasn't your fault. Because you wouldn't have left without saying something, yknow?" The Warchief added.

Giving thought to Arlette's question about duties, Fury would answer;

"We have one other Medic, Maiken. I would introduce yourself to her and Arashi, then the others whenever you're able. Other than that, just patrolling and such will do for now." 

Arlette nodded quietly. "When you want me to check on them, let me know." She would do anything for Fury. Especially, if that would mean that she could be reunited with her children then the albino would do that.

"I'm glad. I never would have left without a word. Once I knew where I was I rushed here. I had to see you. I had to know." While she was worried she might not be accepted by her sister, she just had to risk it. Now it had paid off. She was glad that Fury knew she would never go without a word.

"Yes, perhaps this other medic and I can work together like Dove and I did." Arlette assumed that the female also had left or was dead. "Alright, I will." First she would take a little rest, and some spare food if they had that. She wasn't sure if she would find her old den, or just make a new one. So many memories.

Fade here? <3

 

Fury would acknowledge all Arlette had said with appropriate nods. 
There wasn't much to do, at least yet...
Excluding stocking herbs, caches, and the list she had given the medic already.

"It's good to have you back." Fury smiled brightly, offering a gentle bump of her shoulder to her sister's own, careful not to use enough force to knock the smaller femme down. 
"For today just worry about getting settled again, ok? I'll be around." The Warchief offered, unsure if Arlette would want Fury hovering.  

Arlette offered a soft smile at the other female when she got the friendly bump. "I'm glad to be back," she commented, the relief was clear in her tone. Arlette had to smile and then nodded. "I will, I promise," she told her sister. She nodded once more, a signal that Fury could go if she wished. Arlette would find her way, though perhaps not go back to those caves yet. She would handle things. "See ya," she smiled. She was tired and could use a long rest.

- fin -