Vale & Tahiyah

This place was such a wasteland, Vale was finding it ironic how long she'd made her stay in this place. It smelled. It looked dead. But, most importantly, it was relatively quiet. And, for that, Vale loved this boggy home.

The aging coywolf finds herself curled up at her typical homestead, upon a damp tree stump. The sun manages to filter through the branches of the leafless trees, making her perch a perfect spot to sunbathe. That's what most of Vale's days were filled with. Minor hunting -- very little filled the old coywolf's stomach. And sleeping. Lots of sleeping.

It was a drearily lonely lifestyle, but, at this point, for the better. One of her daughters was still alive, and thriving, and for that, Vale was filled with enough happiness to get by. But the void of what her family had been still rotted in the recesses of her mind.

~~

Scrambling over slick, dead branches, Tahiyah leads the way into the bog. The air here makes Tahiyah cringe. He hops over a myriad of skeletal remains with a huffing snort, glancing back towards Nightshade and Athana following him. "There's trace smells," He reports hopefully, "She has to be here."

The remnants of their family, and the future reunification of them depended upon Vale. While Vale detached herself from ties with her family, Tahiyah knew she couldn't keep her nose out of their business. She was too compassionate to be completely removed from them.

Nightshade

The rancid air assaulted Nightshade's senses. Here, there was only death. How anyone could withstand this muddy grave was a mystery to the coywolf. But Nightshade, like all of Tahti and Windsong's brood, was adaptable. She took challenges to her survival head on, and to this day, her perseverance hasn't failed her.

Through the stench of decay, Nightshade too picked up on Vale's scent. It was faint, but it was there. "She's been here for certain," she agreed, taking a whiff of a faded footprint and wincing at the putrid scent of decaying matter that mingled with Vale's trail. "Do you think she'll want to see us?" The question was posed with hesitation; Vale could easily turn her family away and leave them at a dead end. Nightshade hoped that her long-lost relative would take pity on the plight of her scattered family and their dwindling numbers.

Vale & Tahiyah

Tahiyah tilts his head towards Nightshade, a wave of uncertainty passing through him. There was no judging the actions of his aunt, but a small part of Tahiyah knew, or at least hoped, that Vale wouldn't turn her family away. She had proudly managed the Refugees alongside Isabel and the others when Tahti and Windsong passed. Change in lifestyle or not, Vale was still family. Surely, she wouldn't turn away family.

"I...I'm not sure..." He murmurs, brow furrowing. Tahiyah adds more confidently, "I don't think so. At the end of the day, Vale wouldn't forget what is important: family."

The brute takes a pausing moment to consider their next move. Trying to chase scents in this land was naive. Instead, Tahiyah lifts his head to the sky and lets out a deep, mournful howl of searching. Vale response, or lack thereof, would be the answer to Nightshade's question.

~~

Ears twitch as a new sound fills the air. The aged coywolf blinks her golden eyes open and squints into the vague, hazy landscape with a lash of her tail. For a moment, Vale listens to the song before a little skip steals away at her heart. It was a song of a Manahcob member. Family.

Joints seem to creak as Vale rises to her paws upon her stump, her head throwing back as she returns Tahiyah's call. I am here, her voice sings back, followed by the soft joyous addition of, Family.

Nightshade

Nightshade's golden eye met Tahiyah's glance, and there was apprehension in her expression. Was this really a good idea? Surely, the only reason anyone would willingly stay in this bog is if they were hiding from something... or someone. Why did Vale distance herself from her family?

Tahiyah's howl tugged at Nightshade's heart, so mournful and longing. There was no guarantee that Vale would respond. Yet, she did. Nightshade's ears would have perked at Vale's returning cry, had they not been cropped. She met the reclusive coywolf's howl with one of her own, this time lacking the tone of sorrow that reunited her with Tahiyah and Athana.

Without hesitation, Nightshade waded in the direction of Vale's howl, nothing in her mind but finding her family. A yip was given her and there - a relic of her coyote blood - to keep in verbal contact with Vale in order to locate her.

Vale & Tahiyah

The brute's chest swells with excitement as the song returns back to the trio. Hazel eyes dance as he takes off just a stride behind Nightshade, ears pricked as they scramble over the rotting terrain. Breathlessly, he yips along with Nightshade, the barks intermittent with his elated panting. Finally, he manages to pick up her scent amongst the damp earth and the fungus growing abundantly. Tahiyah yips, dashing to the left and into a small clearing. There, standing upon her woody throne was her. "Aunt Vale!" Tahiyah rejoices, his tail waving fervently as he skids to a stop, his paw sinking into the mud.

Vale remains patiently upon her perch as her family seeks her out. Finally, she can hear the earth shifting under their paws and she releases a gentle, short howl of excitement. Tahiyah bursts into her little clearing called home, the coywolf slinking down off of her stump and bounding forward to meet them with a wagging tail.

Nightshade

Nightshade wagged what was left of her tail, overflowing with excitement as she neared the source of Vale's howl. Each step was painful on the poorly-healed break in her leg, but it was easier to bear with such joy rising in her heart. And there she was, on the stump: her great-aunt, Vale. It was true. She was alive.

The midnight-coated coywolf bounded toward Vale, moving in to nuzzle her long-lost relative. "I've missed you," she admitted, her voice quavering. "There's still hope for us now, the descendants of Tahti and Windsong." Although Nightshade's appearance and health changed drastically since her capture - cropped tail, cropped ears, missing eye, injured legs, scars covering her body - her passion for her family was still there.

Vale & Tahiyah

The aging she-wolf's eyes glimmer as she extends herself towards her family, licking Nightshade's cheek before placing a gentle nuzzle to Tahiyah. She pulls away, eyes inspecting the battle-scarred Nightshade with a flush of dismay, but quickly subdues her thoughts with another nuzzle. "I'm so glad that you are okay," she breathes, voice raspy. Taking a step back, Vale considers the words of Nightshade with a quell of sorrow. She, like Nightshade, had once wondered the declining fate of their bloodline. But they were far from dead. "Hope was never lost," she gently reminds Nightshade, "But I'm so happy to know my family is consolidating once more..."

Tahiyah's tail wags furiously as he stands beside his aunt, pressing his head gently into her shoulder. "Aunt Vale...we're actually on a mission to do just that," Tahiyah explains hastily, his brown eyes glittering. "But...well, we don't know where to even start looking for anybody..."

Nightshade

The coywolf gingerly lowered her haunches to the spongy earth, joints creaking in protest. Her clouded eyes remained locked upon Vale, as if to never let her out of her sight. She would not lose her family again. She gave a nod when Tahiyah filled Vale in on the situation. "Tahiyah and Athana knew where to find you, and they knew to ask you for help," she added. "Tainted, best guess, was captured by the humans, and I have no doubt that Astra remains in the human lands somewhere given that she grew up causing grief for the humans with me and Failure." Oh, how she missed those days. She was feared and despised by the humans, and for good reason. She only hoped that Astra kept herself safe, and didn't get into too much trouble.

Vale & Tahiyah

The aged coywolf blinks at Nightshade, her old mind cluttered with too many thoughts and a myriad of memories. She nudges the concerned she-wolf, a sympathetic smile passing across her face. "Well," she states matter-of-factly, a sudden wave of audacity rippling through her, "I'm glad my kin's kin still respect my aging brain." She flashes an amused look at Tahiyah, and then the meek Athana just beyond him. Flexing her shoulders, Vale takes a few steps in a random direction, failing eyes gazing out into the misty, soggy landscape of the bog. "Astra," she murmurs, racking her brain. "She was the black one with that second tail," Vale slowly recalls, squinting a bit. "Hard to miss a creature like her. She's probably that 'unique' coywolf wandering around the outskirts of the human city..." Her tail perks a bit as Vale swivels back around, the joints in her legs creaking from the sudden movement. She winces only a bit, the arthritic bones slowly becoming something the old she-wolf has accepted. Golden eyes land upon Nightshade, then trace their way to Tahiyah and Athana. Her bloodline still thrived, even when she had once thought it was dead. "You might find other scattered near the humans...with the dispersal of packs, many found it easier to close in on scavenging and picking at the smaller prey in the suburbs," Vale advises.

Tahiyah's tail wags with delight as he listens to Vale. "You hear that, Nightshade! That sounds like Astra!" He rejoices.