BEWARE! > (Backdated to April 1) (Nootau: Visible)

Leaving the previous month had been hard, and quite honestly, Ralla had not expected to return as soon as they did. Not that she wasn't happy about the return--far from it--but only that it heightened her excitement to be back as early. The gypsy luperci had been in a hurry themselves to take advantage of the thawing ice, and so had been ready to travel eagerly across the salty sea. Taking them to their homeland in the Moon Tribe had been nerve wracking to say the least, but everyone had come out more than alive and well...with a few added perks.

Upon their arrival, Noss and Ralla had gone to meet their father, introducing Kemo with them. Calum, Chief of the Crescent Moon Pack, had been plainly relieved to see his children return...until they were alone and could talk as such. When even Noss had informed their father that they were not there to stay, Calum had turned stern, his own green eyes mirroring Ralla's, although she was afraid to see the reflection. But she stood firm, despite her trepidations, and fought to convince their father to let them leave. He had sighed deeply, and in a rough voice he had told them that he could not keep them there against their will. While this had been significantly good news, he then continued. They were never to come to the Moon Tribe again. The order stung, but somehow...Ralla could understand. Even their father had enough heart to look away then, and before the two of them left, they had said their final goodbyes with all the feeling of a family. Ralla cried because, with a small hope, she thought that she'd somehow be able to still see her father again. But it wasn't meant to be. Calum would live and die the Chief of the Crescent Moon Pack, and his children would be elsewhere, in another pack, and he would let someone in the council step up to be the next chief. It was the end of his line, yet... As their short visit ended, he and a few others watched them--two fallen tribes mates, a chief-to-be and a shaman--go, sadness in some that this was the last time ever that they would see them. Noss had seen Naka on the ridge and talked to her very briefly before they were effectively exiled, told her about the lives waiting for him and Ralla back home. She had understood and stood strong, promising to lead the warriors in his place. Comforted he had gone, joining the small troupe to continue to the next pack; the Blood Moon Pack. Yet...even as the winds howled in the late winter skies, the three were sure that they could hear their family's cries.

Through the mountainous and snowy lands they had traveled that past month, arriving to the Blood Moon Pack in a dark valley. This had been Kemo's pack, and Ralla and Noss left him well to himself as he confronted his own demons. When he had emerged from his meeting with the chief, he had been stunned, silent, and Ralla had comforted him and consoled him throughout. They were, even unofficially, a mated pair; a fact which Ralla had to her own surprise noticed in the other form of the sentence along their journey. In a particular fit of humor when she had realized the fact--although she barely showing at all--she had looked up at the sky and blamed the moon, laughing in her head, her suspicions about its own sense of humor confirmed. And that wasn't the only change, although the others were quite minor. Everyone had come back from the trip a little more...mature, would be the best word. Ralla's hair had grown longer, now reaching past her lower pack, and she could no longer feel the burden of the brand on her forehead as greatly as before. Noss, to her, acted more...humble. It was a great accomplishment for the prideful and headstrong wolf, but she saw it and recognized it for its growth. Like her, Ralla's brother was also eager to return to the land of Souls. But as to what Kemo experienced? That was his story to tell.

Plus, there had been another perk. After leaving the lands of her birth and family, Ralla had wanted a few moments to be alone, apart from any form of comfort or company--which was quite contradictory, should she contemplate the original reason she abandoned the tribe... And so she went farther from the Crescent Moon Pack borders into the deep forest, letting its darkness cover her and the snow enfold her until she could not be seen. She just felt...a pull, as if she were supposed to let the forest and nature from the land also say goodbye. Looking towards the treetops snow had been falling, covering her face with the flakes, disappearing into her already pure white fur.

"You might as well howl, standing like that," a voice had said, pulling her from her spiritual reverie. It was a deep voice, but Ralla could smell no one around her. In lupus form she twisted her head, trying to find the origin of the noise, until her eyes came upon the only other animal in the clearing. In the branches of a sleeping tree perched a bright, golden barn owl, as if his feathers were set newly aflame. Black as night eyes stared at her, but otherwise the bird remained still. It puzzled Ralla that a bird should be able to speak high-speech so clearly. "Who are you?" she asked. At first the owl had not answered, instead looking like he was deep in thought. Then he spread his wings and glided down to a closer, lower branch, so that Ralla might at least walk up to it and get a closer look. He was a fair-sized bird, if not a little queer. "I am Nootau," he said plainly, making it obvious he was not going to explain further on the matter. "Nootau? As in 'fire'?" The word was in her birth language rather than the AniWayan one, which made it immediately recognizable to her ears. "Well, Nootau, why are you here?" "I could ask the same thing," he responded, preening his feathers neatly. A bit baffled, Ralla continued her questioning, always getting short, precise answers without much detail to embellish. At one point Nootau had looked off from where Ralla had come and flitted a little ways that way, his long wings flickering light as he went. "Your travel companions must be worrying," he said, the message plain. Not dumb to the conversation she had briefly shared with the bird, Ralla had realized that, with no scent of a normal owl--rather there was a sort of scent like the Great Fire, which no bird should carry--and with such clear speech--and now he was trying to lead her--that Nootau was a spirit. Her spirit guide. The fact gave her such elation that she had smiled and bounded off after him, following beneath the shadow of his wings and returning to Noss and Kemo. It was even more obvious that he was a spirit when Ralla asked if Noss and Kemo could see him and they replied that there was nothing there, and so she felt...as if she were truly free. She was accepted by the ancestors of AniWaya, for them to give her a spirit guide.

But that was then, and this was now.

Kemo and Ralla had dropped Noss back off at Cour des Miracles on their way back to AniWaya, and Ralla hoped that all went well when he asked to join. But she and Kemo were truly returning home, despite the sadness that had befallen them, and would soon start with clean slates for their futures. The chain link fence, the most prominent border of AniWaya, was their first indicator of home, and--after howling in greeting in elation, each their own signature melody--the two sprinted the rest of the way, crossing over the bubbling brooks and through the evergreens. One of the best things that Ralla was noticing was that winter no longer plagued the land, and bright green grass was already becoming lush in the early spring. The trees would soon be budding, and she was so very grateful, because the fact that they were home in time for the spring equinox--a day of new beginnings--was most auspicious indeed.

The smoke billowing from the Great Fire was their beacon in the clear day, and they bounded past Ralla's hut in the red maple tree straight to the village center, where when Ralla saw the Great Fire alive and well, burning high and strong, she felt revitalized with strength. On a totem pole Nootau sat, watching quietly, having also returned to his homeland. I'm home...

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

People can still jump in if they want~ And yes, Nootau is visible.

All of a sudden, from behind the ever-high hands of the fire, came a white fluff-ball that wasn't quite as little as she remembered. "Ayasha!" she crouched down as her adoptive daughter came running, ready for a hug, disregarding for the time that Ayasha had been playing too near the fire. It was minor in comparison to coming home. She took the little girl into her arms and hugged her tightly, holding her out from her undrearms once she had gotten a good squeeze in. "You've grown so much!" Which was true; crouched down and holding her as she was, Ralla could see that Ayasha's legs already touched the ground. "We went to our old tribe for a while, Ayasha. But we're here to stay now; no worries."

And then Ayasha looked past Ralla to Kemo, asking a question. Did she already forget their other meeting? Perhaps so; most pups didn't remember everything of their puppy hood. But all was well either way. She smiled at Kemo as Ayasha puttered up to him, answering. "Of course," she said in response to the question. At the proud exclamation from the child she had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle from the enthusiasm. Not that it was a bad thing at all; rather it was almost silly to see the young pup so chest-heavy about it. "Well, I'm sure when you've done that we'll have our hands more full than ever." With a pause she wondered if she should tell Ayasha about the new pups, deciding that, yes, she should. "Ayasha? We have more news. You're going to be a big sister." She looked lovingly up to Kemo and patted Ayasha on the head. She wondered how the young girl would take it, hoping that'd she be excited. I certainly would've been excited for a little brother or sister. But I got Noss, she thought with mock dread. He had been a good brother to her, despite his faults; she was sure that Ayasha would excel at being a big sister.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.