Hushed Willows Sweet disaster

Somewhere along the way, Larkspur lost @Starbuck. Hell, she lost herself. Although she finally knew who she was again and knew where she belonged, getting there was an entirely different beast altogether. After emerging from the deep woods, she attempted to run east only to find her path blocked by the scents of a pack. Terrified of repeating history, she doubled back. Running back toward the coast was not an option, so Spur fled south, then tried going east again at some point. She was far from anything even remotely familiar, however, and thus she spent most of a week wandering lost in the wilderness.

But then she found a river and after slaking her thirst and soaking her weary paws, she glanced right and left along its bank, then arbitrarily selected a direction: north. Exhausted and frightened, she walked alongside the water for a long time, eyes staring unfocused at the patch of ground in front of her feet at any given time. Occasionally, she glanced upward to gauge her surroundings. During one such inspection, her big blue eyes clapped upon a familiar landmark and Larkspur's heart leaped into her throat. She immediately burst into tears.

From Horizon Ridge, she began running, ignoring her exhaustion as the lands grew more and more familiar. Then, finally, she spotted Hushed Willows in the distance. "Mommy (@Harlyn)! Daddy (@Mordecai)! @Silas! @Pippin!" she screamed breathlessly even as she galloped toward the borders.

Harlyn had not believed it when the voice came to her. At first, it was so faint she had barely noticed. But then it continued, and her heart began to pound a wild rythymn in her chest. Before she was aware of it, the druid was up onto her feet and running. She disregarded the ache in her ankle as it grew more and more angry with her for her use of it. She didn't care. Her paw could have been tearing clean off of her limb and it would not have stopped her from sprinting through the woods to her daughter.

There were tears in Harlyn's eyes the moment she spotted the flash of gold just outside the borders of the pack. With a strangled sob, she put on another burst of speed. She slowed only when she was feet away from Larkspur, and stopped the moment her little girl was wrapped in her embrace. "Larkspur..." Harlyn murmured through her tears as she worried every inch of her with her muzzle, desperately making sure that she was safe and well and whole, and most of all - really, truly there with her at long last.

She plunged into the familiar forest, never once slowing. But she didn't get very far before a form emerged from the willow trees, a familiar face that wrenched a sob from Larkspur even as she tumbled into her mother's arms. She immediately buried her face in the side of Harlyn's neck, gasping for breath and crying simultaneously. It was so good to be somewhere familiar, so sweet to be greeted and held by her mother, so wonderful to be home—and she had never before thought of the Keep that way but she realized, even in that instant, that home truly is where the heart is.

"Mommy," she sobbed the moment she caught her breath, slowly drawing back to stare into her dam's familiar face. Tears still leaked from her eyes, streaking down a slightly gaunt face filthy from traveling. "Mommy," Spur said again, unable to articulate anything else at the moment as she threw herself against her mother again, just clinging to her desperately.

She was real. Harlyn's flooded her cheeks, but she smiled broadly through them. Her daughter was home. Her daughter was safe. Her little sundrop was back, and it truly brightened Harlyn's world.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Harlyn asked, even though she could sense no afflictions on her, "What happened?" She couldn't help the question as quite suddenly, she realized that Mordecai was missing from this gathering when he ought to have been there.They had left together, and her mate would not have left Larkspur's side unless something had happened. Clearly something had considering how long they had been away, but now Larkspur was here and Mordecai was not. Her gut clenched, but she remained close to her daughter, smoothing the fur behind her ears with her tongue affectionately.

Spur nodded when asked if she was all right, then shook her head at Harlyn's next question. She was thin, tired and a little traumatized but she was more or less in one piece. Of course, her mother wanted to know what had happened. The youngster sucked in her bottom lip and drew in some shaky breaths, trying to find her voice to explain.

Soothed by Harlyn's motherly touch, Larkspur said, "Daddy and I trespassed on a pack's territory by accident. The leader, Skellige, threw us both into the ocean." Her eyes, already impossibly wide, grew wider and shone with tears. "I washed up. I didn't remember anything at first. They lied to me." She bit her lip, feeling guilty for ever believing Skellige to be her father. It felt like a betrayal, in hindsight. "But I ran into Deirdre and she cast a spell so I'd remember." A second, stronger wave of guilt washed over her. She felt like she had betrayed both Deirdre and her family in one fell swoop, first by agreeing to stay in Donnelaith, then running out on her friend. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

She couldn't speak for several minutes. When Spur finally collected herself enough to use her words again, she asked, "Did daddy come back? What about Pip?"

Harlyn's heart clenched in her chest as Larkspur explained what had transpired since her and her father's departure from the Keep. Rage burned hot through her veins as the druid reared her head and screamed for the blood of this Skellige beast. Her hackles raised along her spine, but that was all the quarter she gave to the vengeful anger. For the moment, at least. For now, Larkspur needed her mother to comfort her after such a terrible ordeal. The druid would have her say later.

"Oh my girl..." Harlyn murmured as she cradled her daughter close, licking her tears away. Her heart throbbed again as the golden wolf asked after her father and brother, who were still missing. She shook her head sadly. "Stark and our other packmates have been out searching tirelessly for them," she informed her daughter, "I believe he is sending scouts back to the Hollow to look for them. He think Pippin may have returned there."  Silently, she made a mental note to inform Stark of the news Larkspur had brought. Apparently they needed to search the coast for Mordecai. They definitely needed to pay these wolves by the ocean a visit at the very least.

The druid rumbled violently within.

Larkspur's heart sank when Harlyn shook her head. She felt a numbness creep through her. If Mordecai hadn't come back here, then what were the odds he had ever resurfaced at all? Her eyes squeezed shut as a fresh batch of tears spilled down her cheeks and a sob caught in her throat. There might be hope for Pippin—and a return to the hollow was plausible—but right now, Spur could only mourn her daddy's likely fate.

"It's my fault, mommy," she wept. She had left, prompting Mordecai to come after her and accompany her. Then she had led them into the way of danger. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, lips trembling. "And I—I broke a promise to Deirdre and now I can't ask her to cast a spell to br—bring him back..." If there even was such a thing as a spell that could bring back the dead.

Were it not for Larkspur's sobs, Harlyn may not have been able to resist the pull of her anger. But at the words that came from her daughter's quivering lips, she melted with sympathetic heartbreak for the burden the girl had placed upon her own shoulders. Guilt was not an easy thing to bear and it was terrible for the mother seeing her child suffer through it. Particularly when it inspired such guilt in Harlyn herself.

"No, no, my girl," the epsilon murmured, stepping back so that she could look upon Larkspur's face, "This is not your fault. What happens to us is the will of the gods, and that is something we have little control over. It may seem cruel the way they have treated our family, but they brought you back to me, and I have faith that they will deliver your brother and your father home to us as well. And it will not require any sort of spell. It requires faith."

Harlyn had liked Dierdre when they had met, but she could not deny that there was far too much imagination in the girl's head. She believed herself to have powers to bend the world to her will. The gods did not take kindly to those who thought themselves so powerful, and Harlyn worried that they soon would show to her what her true place in the world was.

Her daughter loved the self-proclaimed witch, though, and so Harlyn offered more comfort to her little sundrop. "And whatever promise you broke to Dierdre, I believe you wrong her thinking she would be so quick to deny you her support," she added, offering a smile.

Her mother soothed her and Larkspur let herself be comforted, despite the lingering feelings of culpability. Tears continued to slip down her cheeks as she leaned into Harlyn again. "I love you, mommy," she murmured, hiccuping slightly. She felt the need to add, "I told Deirdre I would come stay with her." She felt her insides burn with even more guilt. She had betrayed her family first, then her best friend second, and she was ashamed. And she wanted to say it was because of the Ostregas that she couldn't keep her promise, though the truth escaped her in a pained whisper. "But Deirdre's friends with Skellige. She—she said he was a good wolf even after I told her what he did."

As a fresh wave of guilt and grief crashed over her head, Larkspur hid her face in the side of Harlyn's neck, clinging to her again. She had done wrongs and wrongs had been done to her. The last month had been confusing and harrowing. She was glad she could remember everything now but the burden of knowledge weighed heavily on her too. Spur was happy to be home but knew that things would never really be the same. A lot of damage had been done in these dog days of summer.

And just like that, Harlyn's opinion of the young female of Donnelaith changed quite dramatically. Deirdre had condoned this man's actions? In what possible way could it have been alright that he had thrown her friend and her friend's father into the ocean? In what way was it to be forgiven that he had caused Larkspur to lose her memory and be out through this misery? The Druid raged yet again, and Harlyn found herself hard pressed to keep that part of her heart quiet on this matter. The betrayal of one who meant nothing to her family was one thing, but of Larkspur's supposed friend? A shiver ran down her spine as the anger flooded black through her veins.

"I love you, my little sundrop," Harlyn responded with a kiss to her crown, stifling any venom the Rose to her lips regarding Deirdre. True as whatever words she may share were in that moment, her daughter was too fragile to even hear them let alone accept them.

"Why don't we head to the Crook and find you a meal?" she suggested with a soft smile, "Silas will be overjoyed to have you home."

Though still tearful and overwrought, Spur actually managed the meagerest of smiles at her brother's name. She was very hungry too—not to mention exhausted in every sense of the word—but she definitely wanted to see Silas before anything else. She thought of Pippin too and just hoped that they would still find him somewhere out there.

"Okay," she sighed simply, slowly climbing her feet and falling into step beside her mother as they ambled toward the heart of the Keep.

Figured you can wrap this up or just ship it to the archives. :) <3