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........It seemed that, in all Beppe's travels, the sea was always close by. When the wolves had settled down, their throats full of ash and their mind still filled with the crackling of the flames, it was the gentle rise and fall of the sea that lulled the Italian boy to sleep. The constancy was a comfort, and he was glad that they had found another shore. The rhythm of water was something so ingrained in him that he figured if he spent too much time away from it his heartbeat would go astray.
........When he awoke, his eyes ached, and clumps of sleep clung to his eyelashes. He wiped them away groggily with his finger as he sat up, looking at his friends as they slept around him. It seemed like so long ago that they were back in the flames, and like centuries ago that they were living happily in the lands that had been destroyed. With a sigh, he tried to push those thoughts away, though the smoke drifting across the mountains made it difficult to forget what had happened.
........This new place seemed like a dreamland, with its dusky lavender sky and the water that seemed a light turquoise color under this light. As Beppe took stock of what laid around him, he noticed shimmery points in the distance. Knowing he would be unable to go back to sleep with all the curiosity that was settling in his bones, he stood up quietly, trying not to wake his friends. As he wandered off towards the glinting in the distance, he tracked a path of footprints through the grainy sand.
........The lights were window panes reflecting the sun, set in the sides of grand mansions. They lined the edge of the bluff, standing like luxurious fortresses looking out over the sea. Beppe stopped as he was growing closer, turned towards the ocean, and sat down against the growing cliff face. Thoughts were still rushing through his head in way that could only be described as chaotic, and he needed a bit of calm to sort them out.
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Maria had not come back to the group since seeing Giuseppe. Instead, she stayed with him on the coast and spoke about different things without hitting any topics that were too tender. She was all too happy to see him and he appeared to be the same way, not wanting to spoil there reuniting. The night they spent together, just holding each other, made Maria realize how much she wanted him to stay here with her and not return to Italy. While she knew it would be a challenge here, she knew it would be even worse if she returned to her home land. Even the thought of seeing her family tore her apart, being hammered with questions on her disappearance (and why they would care, she wouldn’t have a clue). She was sure they would question her parenting skills, even if she explained everything.
When she returned to the group, she noticed Beppe was not there with the others. She left Giuseppe there, for the time being, while she went to look for him. His scent was thick and easy to follow and she wanted to tell her son that his father was here and here to stay. The trail led her to a large house on the coast and she quickly followed it but her leg was hurting from the physical stress she had gone through over the past couple of days. Maria pushed onward, waiting out the pain, in order to find her son. His scent did not lead inside the mansion, but instead she saw his form sitting nearby and a smile accented her features. She came up to him and sat down on his left side while giving him a big hug. At first, she did not say anything, just basking in the thought that her family would be together again.
[html] ........The boy's mind was prone to getting lost out to sea, and even in this strange new place it was no exception. With last night's sunset and this morning's sunrise, he had determined which direction it was to Italy from this new place. His internal compass always seemed to be pointing towards his homeland, though it was even less familiar to him than his new home. As the portion of his life he had spent in Italy grew smaller and smaller, he tried to cling to the few memories he had. Golden hour in the woods, the fog in the winter. Somehow, despite how hard Beppe tried to focus on other memories, the feeling of the wooden dock on his paws always came up, followed shortly by the feeling of stepping on that boat for the first time. The end of one life, and the beginning of another.
........He saw his mother coming up the beach, and watched her walk for a while. Against these pale beaches and light skies the two Italians would be hard not to spot, darker than their fuzzy shadows. She was limping, and he remembered his promise to find someone in Clouded Tears who could help her. It was all the running, though, and the worrying, that must have made her leg bad, and a peaceful new life here would let it heal like it was meant to.
........As Maria sat down beside the boy and gave him a hug, he merely smiled, poking his nose into her shoulder before drawing away gently. Leaning against the face of the bluff again, he sighed. It was a form of communication, more than anything. Despite the night's rest he still felt physically tired, as well as mentally fatigued, and he didn't feel like using words to say it.
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This is short, I'm sorry... but I wanted to have something up so we can get this underway![html] "Prenderà meglio," she said and held him close before he pulled away. It was good to be with him again. As she sat there, she left one hand idly rest on her leg as it throbbed but kept her mind off it for now. "Ho alcune notizie," she said quickly, excited to get it out. "Lei è il padre è qui e starà con noi," she explained, a smile gracing her features and she hoped he would take it well. And they can talk about settling somewhere, on their own, without a pack to depend on them. They did well in Italy as a family and they could surely do it again.
Beppe merely nodded at his mother's statement. The leg would get better. He knew it. Time heals all wounds, stuff like that. It also opens new ones.
"Davvero?" he asked, softly, looking towards her. He couldn't remember much of his father, and in his mind the male was a giant black shadow that only had a defined face from certain angles. Now that he was back, the boy would be able to fill in the blanks. He felt nervous, though, and his stomach swirled as if he was walking a tightrope strung between two mountain peaks. He had not seen his father since he was so little; what expectations would the older wolf have of him?
Eyes falling across the lightening sky, he added, "Dov'e`?" Was he back with the pack right now, was everyone meeting him before he did? It was almost a feeling of alienation that was lingering in Beppe's veins. He knew he would not get all of his mother's attention anymore, and though he resented himself for it, he felt a little rejected.
Yrrr I can't remember how to do the hoverything and I don't have time but he says...
1. Really?
2. Where is he?
This would be a good place for Giuseppe to step in.
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"Sarà qui presto. L'ha mancata," she said. She reached over and took her son’s hand and smiled. She was hopeful and expected things were going to get better. If she knew about the rough spots she’d be hitting with her lover, she might not have the same smile on her face but that didn’t matter now. She was content with things and maybe she’d have a family again. For so long she had only Beppe and before that only Giuseppe but once more they were together again and everyone could be able to rekindle what should have been. She wanted her son to be happy more than anything, though, before for so long he had been all she had. She had left him for months and owed him that much.[/html]
[html] apologies for the delay on this, guys. for future reference, moving + finals = (epic)fail
Maria had insisted on having a head start on the day, which Giuseppe had been reluctant to agree to. He'd never been known for his patience, and the current wait had him pacing like a caged feline. Still, it made sense enough. Maria would prepare Beppe for his father's arrival, and meanwhile the father had time to compose himself - under the pretense of cleaning up the night's campsite, of course. The smoke-toned male went about his task with deliberate slowness, less he inadvertantly rush. Still, it felt like scarcely any time had passed at all before he turned and followed the trail Maria set.
He found them easily enough. His family. The word was strange - a foreign blessing. Maria was much as she always had been, lovely and sweet. But Beppe he hardly recognized. His son had been a pup when they'd last seen one another; in front of him was a young man grown. "Lei è cresciuto." Cliche, certainly -- Giuseppe had never been the best with words -- but through the commonplace, overused saying shone a warm light of parental pride. Giu had thus far been an absent father, a fact he desperately desired to change. [/html]
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