It seemed a lifetime ago they had departed the Sound, and before that, many lifetimes since Raleska had last been on Rusalkan soil. As they neared the territory her pace increased despite her limp. When at last she saw the familiar rise that marked the Moors' perimeters Raleska slowed her hobbling, and threw back a howl for all within.

Would @Erzulie still be here, or @Rosalyn? Had @Aningan kept his throne, or been usurped? Would @Nieve be here to see her welcomed back into the fold? Had anything changed at all? She blinked back exhausted tears as she took in the sights of the Moors, realizing that at last their trying journey had come to an end.

She turned to @Stryx and @Sugar Glider, feeling a new emotion overtake her. They had spent time together; they had journeyed, adventured, sojourned -- it was a bittersweet sorrow that filled her now, realizing the much anticipated arrival to Rusalka meant their small fellowship was coming to an unanticipated close. She smiled breathlessly, but a quiet sadness tinged that smile. "We're here."

The scents of wolves filled Sugar's nostrils and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief around the wedge of fur folded in her mouth. It wasn't long before Raleska announced, "We're here," and the young medic was able to stop and set down her load. Her neck, shoulders and back screamed in protest after carrying the little bundle of joy for days on end. But she hadn't made a single complaint and now she was simply happy they had arrived safely.

Shooting Raleska a genuine if weary smile, Sugar settled on her haunches beside the pup, little "Elwood" as she called him in her head. She licked the top of his head and fussed over him a bit, her heart pinching a little when she realized they would be parting ways soon. She had grown fond of him, his sister, their mother and Stryx too. Sugar swallowed this sigh, trapping it in her chest and reminding herself that her job here was done.

The trail led them to the moors, with Stryx silently, doggedly, following the other women. She kept her eye on Raleska's pace as they went, noticing various weeds growing in their path only to curse herself for having a full maw already. The babe was an obstacle. When they took breaks Stryx was nervous to set them down, clean them, care for them, and pick them up again — but then they came to the mother's hearth, and for that final time Stryx placed the hefty child down.

Raleska's summoning call broke the quiet, and Stryx moved protectively between the puppies as a result. She remained there for the brief interlude as the sound terminated, and bristled slightly when a strange man came striding over to the waiting group. She glanced at Aningan and then down to the children when he began speaking to Raleska; he clearly knew her.

When the call came, Rosalyn's heart rose... and then plummeted, gripped by the icy hold of anger.  Her time was near, and her emotions a tumult even on the best of days.  But hearing the daughter she'd assumed dead call on the borders, back after disappearing without a word, made the pirate want to turn her back and force Raleska to come to her.

But as @Erzulie rose, Rosalyn followed suit.  She exchanged a look, then they set off, slow at a pace she could manage.  If she did not hold a grudge against her own children's coming and goings, how could she against Raleska?  But something was different.  Reyes had never confided in her... never treated her like a mentor.  There was a betrayal here that the others lacked, and it was a difficult shard to swallow.

She leaned on her wife for support as they arrived, but she paused as Erzulie rushed forward to meet them.  She hung back... for now, she didn't have much to say.

Things were fine until Raleska saw Aningan.

Her composure had been fine - excited, maybe a bit nervous -- but fine. And then Aningan was here, and it was like someone pulled out the glass door bottom from all the marbles. They just came tumbling down in clattering disarray.

Raleska bit back her lip and looked away quickly: to Stryx who stood protectively between them, to Sugar who was affectionately licking the head of one of the nameless children -- then back to Aningan, her eyes welted with misty tears.

It had been such an exhausting journey -- suddenly seeing the boy she grew up with, Raleska felt terribly old and out of place. And then Rosalyn came, Erzulie supporting her -- and the coldness in her mentor's gaze was enough to shatter Raleska's confidence like dropped glass. Had she deserved that? She wanted to bolt into either of their embrace - she wanted, needed that loving hold of family -- and instead, she felt only an iciness radiating from the matriarch.

Caught between her desire to very much feel loved, and her desire to remain strong in the face of her new friends, and perhaps ever so slightly barbed by her pride, Raleska kept her neck stiff and the tears that threatened to spill across her cheeks did so diminutive and quietly. "I'm home," She whispered in coarse disbelief, stepping back so that the group might see her entourage. "These two saved me. Stryx --" She motioned towards the healer, a gratitude filming her gaze -- "and Sugar Glider." Here she smiled sadly, for they had shared more than a journey together. They were orphans, and she felt a kinship between them. "I owe them everything."

Three wolves came to greet them: a brawny male with pale fur, golden eyes and an inquisitive air arrived first and, soon after, a mismatched pair of she-wolves came along. Sugar momentarily studied each of them, her black eyes lingering on the darkest wolf in brief fascination at her scars, before her attention returned to the pups.

"Elwood" seemed enchanted by her legs, while "Finley" clung fearfully to her brother. Sugar glanced at Stryx, then at Raleska and her welcoming party, before bending to apply a comforting lick to the little girl's forehead. She was curious about the wolves—particularly after what Huā had said about them—but ultimately this was Raleska's family and her business, not Sugar's.

Gently draping a foreleg around the two little bundles, Sugar took a moment to ascertain their surroundings. The Empress had called her island home a paradise and the young medic supposed that this place could be considered as such too. There were dunes sprinkled with trees and rocky outcroppings, all overlooking the sea. It would be a good place to grow up, she thought, supposing the wolves who inhabited the territory were decent.

Her attention snapped back to Raleska when she was mentioned by name. Sugar returned the sad smile and ducked her head, saying, "You owe me nothing." It seemed like the proper time to scruff little "Elwood" and carry him forward, placing him beside his mother. "It's been my pleasure helping you and your family," Sugar said earnestly. "You take care of them—and yourself—all right?"

Stryx watched as the wolves gathered, keeping her eyes trained primarily on @Aningan until the other women began to speak. One held themselves back, appearing withdrawn. A golden woman with a lilting voice spoke to both the healers, and as Stryx turned her attention to her, she caught her eyes - the appreciation in them. A parental love. Stryx was silent, but she nodded, and then turned to the children who had become a pair of lumps.

The pale man that had come to them appeared to be in charge, at least judging by his posture, but it was the women that spoke and the women that showed appreciation. Stryx wondered if he was the father - but Raleska did not appear as invested in him, her focus on the red and gold pair. Stryx did not know what to do next; this was not her family and she had no place among this group of strangers, but she didn't feel inclined to leave in the same manner that Sugar Glider extricated herself.

The younger girl was saying her farewells. All that Stryx could do was wait and listen, trying to make sense of each individual and their connection to the new mother. Finally when there was a moment of calm amid the voices, Stryx added: If it is alright, I would like to stick around for a few days and make sure Raleska - and her kids - are healthy and safe. She did not mean to imply the coastal pack was the opposite in any way, though her tone was a bit clipped. She glanced to Raleska and then the two women, seeking their approval rather than the young ghost. I will feed myself and find some place to rest, so you won't have to worry about your supplies and caches... If that is appropriate.

An ill feeling, and a sudden weariness, settled on her as she watched.  She should have been glad, perhaps, and gone as swiftly to welcome as her wife and Aningan.  But Raleska had made no move over the past weeks to tell her she was desired... and the pirate was proud.  To her detriment, she would allow others to choose their fates, and in her eyes Raleska had revoked her.  She would not tread where she was not welcome.

But she was here, and she couldn't ignore either.  Her time was any day now, and she perhaps shouldn't have come, but it was too late to regret.  Welcome home. There was a hollow lack of warmth, but still the words were firm and clear.  Just because she struggled did not make the words any less true, and she was glad to have Raleska back.

For now, Raleska ignored her children. Her gaze carried from Aningan to Sugar as the nomedic prepared to leave. There was a pang in her heart to see the yearling go, but she offered a soft smile and a hopeful glance her way as Aningan offered her a momentary place to rest if she so needed it.

Erzulie's grateful tone caused her to look back to Stryx, who offered graciously to stay longer on Raleska's behalf. She hated being the source of attention this way, but she was eternally endowed to both of her medics, and gave Stryx a quick nod of acceptance and thankfulness as it was decided she would stay.

Back to Rosalyn, Raleska could not ignore the absence of warmth in her mentor's tone. Deserved or not, it stung her worse than saltwater, but she too was a proud specimen, and she too felt pride rankle her being.

She looked to the ground, for what she was about to say next took no pride at all. If anything, it dragged her down to the level of clams and mollusks; down to the level of grub and creatures with no spine or soul. "I can't take care of them." She half-mumbled, counting the glittering specks of sand which rimed her feet. She felt smaller than ever, but she knew one look at her would be enough for anyone to collaborate -- Raleska's body simply was not in the condition to keep nursing. "I'm not well, and I'm not ready."

Raleska's head turned to the sky and she felt tears she loathed to shed crawl freely down her face. A tiredness seeped into her tone that was so desolate she could scarcely keep it from thickening her words: "Please -- can you take them, and raise them as your own?" She met Rosalyn's gaze suddenly, the tears in her proud eyes filming them over with shame. "When I am better, I can help feed them and babysit them and care for them.. but they need a mother. They need someone who can love them... And I can't --"

Even as Sugar prepared to take her leave, Stryx stepped up and volunteered to stay nearby to keep an eye on Raleska a little longer. The younger medic shot her cohort a smile, glad that she could provide this service for their patient. When one of the leaders (or so Sugar assumed) agreed to host her, he extended the invitation to the yearling as well. This gave her pause as she weighed several things in her mind.

"Thank you, but I should be on my way," Sugar said, shooting an apologetic glance mostly at baby "Elwood." "You're in good hands with Stryx," she added, speaking to Raleska before sweeping the gathered wolves with her dark eyes, "and your comrades, of course." Huā had said these wolves were some sort of terrible, yet they seemed like a family to her.

"Take care, all of you," were Sugar's parting words before she dipped her striped head and retreated, turning with some reluctance to face the road ahead. Her job here was done but there were other missions she must now attend.

It surprised her to be welcomed by these strangers, and she felt vaguely fraudulent in the moment while Aningan spoke, stemming from her immediate distrust of him and the faintest stirring of guilt for accepting his kindness despite her initial assessment. It passed swiftly. When Sugar spoke her farewell and began to leave, things got a little bit strained among the other women and Stryx took the chance to slink alongside the younger medic. I'll walk with you, she offered (or rather, casually inserted herself to avoid the tension surrounding the quiet red-toned woman).

She'd go a short distance with Sugar and once they'd gone far enough, Stryx would turn back and rejoin the group; but for about twenty minutes she would not be present, and upon returning she noted the strengthened tension with some trepidation. She had not heard what Raleska had mentioned - about her children being adopted by her superiors - but the expression on each woman present was conflicting; the golden woman looked elated, the other just as grim as before. It felt incredibly awkward for Stryx.

Rosalyn was silent for a moment, aware that all eyes were on her after Raleska managed her question.  The struggle was obvious... and yet as much as it begged her to break, she couldn't.

They'll have two, Rosalyn answered.  Just like their mother.  This she said more quietly, but then she rose, turning.

Come.  We need to get them inside.  She should be inside too.  Though the meeting itself was fraught, it was more than that setting her on edge.  She did not like being here, so far from her den, right now.  It drew her, and she would not wait to ensure they were following before beginning the trek back.

Raleska's fears, her heart, her soul -- all sat precariously on a narrow shelf, awaiting Rosalyn's verdict.

For a time, not Sugar nor Stryx nor Aningan nor Erzulie registered; it was only Rosalyn -- Rosalyn's single eye, her austere face -- only her.

She nearly broke into a soft sob as Rosalyn spoke, agreeing -- and better yet -- offering that subtle nugget that said she did not hate Raleska for what she had done; that Raleska was still family, still welcome despite all that had transpired.

She tried to straighten her spine, to smile to hide the guilt that broke her -- but all she managed was a wearied, relieved aspect. "Thank you." Raleska breathed, realizing now her body had been shaking and her heart was pounding within her ears. "I promise I will help."

She followed obediently after Rosalyn, nudging along her children and carrying where necessary. In the days that came, Raleska would come to learn how truly lucky she was -- and how she owed Rosalyn and Rusalka everything.