It seemed like a long time since Apollo had laid eyes on the lands that constituted ‘Souls. Nova Scotia had long since been pushed to the back of his mind, while he and his father explored their roots in Maine. He had learned a lot about himself in the months of his absence. He had returned now, older and changed. He didn’t carry much with him, just a small pack on his back hidden beneath his cousin’s guitar, the ever present bandana around his forehead, and a new surname replacing the old.

He had traveled through the Trenches to Shiloh Hills. It was here that Crimson Dreams had been situated when Apollo left. Would it still be there now? Would those faces, the ones he knew he loved, still be there? How much would have changed? He stopped before he reached the borders of Crimson Dreams, settling onto a tree stump for a rest. He was ready to reunite himself with his past, but he needed a moment to acknowledge the reality now set in front of him.

He slung the strap of the guitar over his head, gently setting the instrument down on the ground soggy with the morning dew. He easily shrugged off the pack and let it drop down as well. Apollo filled his lungs with a deep breath, rolling his shoulders now that the weight was gone. It wasn’t much, so he could easily carry it, but it had started to make his shoulders sore from weeks of travel. Four legs would have made the trek easier, faster. Apollo just couldn’t bear with leaving his possessions behind, though.

He raised his mismatched eyes as a breeze came. He caught her scent, that sweet perfume he missed so much, just before she came towards him. "Sguardo radiante come mai," he told her, wrapping his arms around her as well, openly welcoming this embrace. "Come sono le cose?" He asked, pulling back just slightly so that he could see those pretty emerald eyes.

He grinned when Savina realized he wasn’t so little anymore. It was true – Apollo had celebrated his first birthday just a month ago. As it was, he had been traveling. The actual day itself was no different than any other. He didn’t mind though. The only thing that really mattered was that he was old enough to be considered an adult now. "No, I guess not," he replied with a chuckle, forgetting the Italian for a moment. It had been a while since he had had a good conversation with someone. It was nice to have some interaction again.

He listened to her assessment of the time passed, mismatched eyes twinkling. All was good here, that was great news! And then his jaw dropped open at Savina’s next words. "Una madre?" He muttered, grin widening along his muzzle. "Distorsione di velocità, congratulazioni Savina!" He knew she would be the most tender-hearted mother in all of Nova Scotia.

"Of course," he replied, smiling pulling up at one side so that it was crooked, while Savina ruffled his hair. This was something he had missed, he realized – an affectionate gesture that was common of the Italian woman. He didn’t mind so much. After all, his hair was already in a disheveled mess, falling over the royal blue bandana.

"Two girls and a boy, huh?" Woww, it all just seemed so unreal. Apollo beamed happily at Savina, glad to hear that things had gotten along well during his absence. "I’d love to come by and see them sometime," he told her, grinning when he thought of the mischievous things he could teach the boy.

"I went with dad," he revealed, subconsciously leaning his head into her hands as she ran her fingers through his hair. "After the fight," he went on to explain, pushing back the memories that came of Hybrid, "you know I went to check on Pilot. And well, he told me about his brother. He has a brother living right here, in some pack called…" he paused, trying to remember the foreign name. "AniWaya? Lannen. Lannen Haddix. And so I went with dad back to Maine, where the rest of his family still lives. Lannen and dad realized that dad had gone missing when he was just a pup, and everyone had thought he didn’t make it." He wasn’t sure if that explained things clearly or not, but oh well. He had plenty of time to share more details eventually. "Oh, and we realized that our last name is really Haddix. Dad's surrogate family - the squirrels - ironically their last name was only two letters off. But I'm going by Haddix now." He made this decision because of the fact that he had not been raised by Leah Haddon, and so, felt it right that he should carry on the true, wolf-blooded surname.

"Yup, neither of us knew about them until Lannen told dad. Actually, I haven’t even met him. Lannen, I mean. Dad and I left before I had the chance to go see him. But I met dad’s sister’s children, and everyone else. It was a really good time. Strange, though, to know that those strangers were my family." Apollo paused for a moment, reminiscing on the memories he had created the past few months. If only their mother had been there to enjoy them as well. Apollo sighed audibly, before realizing so, and offered a smile to the Italian girl. "I missed this place though," he told her, as if that was enough explanation for his return.

Apollo laughed at Savina’s one word question. "Yeah, you didn’t know that? When dad was a little pup, he was found by a family of squirrels that raised him. He first came to a wolf pack called Storm, and learned all about being a wolf. He didn’t eat meat, yah know? I guess he was real skinny and sick when he came. That’s why he’s still kind of small." Apollo too was small, considering their arctic heritage, but that was because he and his brother had come prematurely. He wondered if he would remain that why like his father, or if he would surpass him with age. "Anyhow, I learned quite a bit about my family."