Por Savi-Savi. <3 500+


Home at last. It had been so long since Ehno stepped foot onto Crimson Dreams soil. The Italian male quietly slipped out of the lands what seemed like ages ago, determined to spend time in another pack where his children would be born. The time spent with those four little ones in the Valley seemed to go by so quickly, but he knew he could not remain there forever. The Marino journeyed almost non-stop from the eastern pack to get here and the weariness from his travels only now seemed to be catching up with him. He was excited to be on familiar soil once more, but anxious at the same time. He hadn’t spoken with his siblings in so long, part of him was almost afraid to encounter them. But this was home, and the familiar sights and smells comforted him somewhat. Yet he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place with how strongly the scent of the Valley pack clung to his fur.



The sun had fallen past the horizon shortly before Ehno arrived, darkness covering the land with the caress of a soft blanket. The land drifted into an eerie silence, as if all had hushed to witness his return to the pack of Dreamers. The male hated the silence, hated how it seemed to amplify each of his footsteps to echo far into the night. He simply wanted to slip in, wraith-like, just as he had left. He only wanted to steal up to his room, close his eyes and rest his weary mind and body. Despite how the night seemed determined to trumpet his arrival to the pack, Ehno slipped into the manor unnoticed. As he stepped into his room and dropped his worn travel bag to the floor, he noted that it remained unchanged. Only a thin layer of dust coated the room to reveal that time had continued to pass here without him.



He collapsed onto his bed, muscles tired and nerves abuzz with worry and anticipation. The Marino did his best to dismiss the worrisome thoughts that once again assuaged his mind. He closed his eyes and willed himself to drift into a peaceful sleep. It didn’t come. Instead he tossed about on his mattress, wide awake and no closer to sleep than he had been while he journeyed back home. The silence was deafening and the room was too empty. There was no Naniko in the room, or the four little puppies he had grown to love so much. He could not fall asleep without the gentle sounds of their breathing. He suddenly realized how very alone he was. But he shouldn’t have felt that way, not here in Crimson Dreams. Not here in his home.



Before he knew exactly what he was doing, he had already rolled out of bed and stole out into the hallway. His feet picked a familiar path to tread in the dark, gold eyes glinting in the dimmest lighting. Ehno reached his destination effortlessly, pausing in front of the closed door to the room his sister shared with her family. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but he suddenly froze, and after a moment his hand dropped back to his side. What the hell was he doing?

Silly boy just wants a hug. 300+


Ehno finally scrounged up enough common sense to reprimand himself for his impulsive actions and stood staring at the door, thinking himself a fool. Just as he managed to pull himself out of his stupor enough to turn and leave, the door opened. It was such a simple, everyday action, but still his heart raced in his chest and he froze in place for an instant, amber eyes locked onto the doorway. Miraculously, as if she had heard his crazy thoughts calling out to her, Savina stood there, staring back at him with as much shock as he was feeling. Silence hung over them with the suddenness of the moment, and it stripped him of his ability to move. He had convinced himself so thoroughly that this little middle-of-the-night venture of his was pointless, that now that he was proved wrong, he couldn’t seem to remember what it was he should do.



After a moment passed and the initial shock began to wear off, those old feelings of loneliness and longing came rushing back to him in a sudden, unforgiving wave. His shocked limbs found the ability to move once again and they took advantage of it without haste. Before he knew it, he had taken two quick steps past the open doorway, arms reaching out to embrace his sister in a hug. “Savina,” he muttered, barely above a whisper but so full of emotion. The pair of siblings had left things off on a sour note before he departed for Phoenix Valley and he hated it. Ehno did not know how heavily those feelings of betrayal still hung in her heart or whether she would pull away from his touch in disgust. But he didn’t care. He needed to feel her there in his arms, to know that she was real. Because only then could he allow himself to hope that they could try to fix things. Only then would he feel like he was truly at home.

Um, so, there's some pp in here. Let me know if you don't like it or if ya want anything changed, k? 300+


Relief seemed to wash over him as soon as she slipped into his arms and wrapped her own round him. The desperate way in which she clung to him made him suddenly aware of just how long he had been gone, and how it had been even longer since the pair of siblings could find comfort in the arms of one another. He hugged her tighter in response, burying his face in her curly mane as he tried to steady the swirl of emotions stirred up within him. As he became aware of her tears, something within his chest seemed to tighten, making it harder to breathe. He had made her cry again. He hoped that these tears were different from the last ones he had caused her to shed. "Sono spiacente... L'ho mancata," he whispered, afraid to speak any louder lest he wake the sleeping family nearby or betray the tears that threatened to form in his own eyes.



He finally managed to bring himself to pull away, though not fully. He was too afraid to put any distance between them after how far they had been separated. The major offered his sister a weak smile, barely discernible in the night's darkness. All he wanted to do was simply sit and enjoy the presence of his sibling, tossing idle chit-chat back and forth. Just like they used to do. Though after their bout of separation, their chatter would be filled with more substantial topics. "Venire con me. Lasciamo non sveglia la sua famiglia." Ehno slowly pulled himself further from their embrace and reached to clasp her hand in his, still reluctant to break their contact. The chocolate-hued male slipped back out into the hallway with Savina in tow, following the familiar path to his own room. He wanted to selfishly steal her away for one night. He wouldn't be able to calmly sit alone within the manor until he knew that everything, and everyone, was fine.

300+


No sooner had the door to his room been shut when Savina reached out and clung to him again. Ehno returned her embrace, just as reluctant as his sibling to keep any sort of distance between them for very long. Her shaky words stung at him, causing guilt to well up within his chest. Yet another reminder of how foolishly he had behaved. What was worse, no matter how many times he replayed everything over in his head, he could find no alternative way to handle things. "Sono spiacente," he whispered, too choked up with emotion to manage anything else for a moment. "Sono così spiacente che l'ho causata così molto crepacuore." He had never intended to bring such a trying situation to come crashing down around them, but he could do nothing to change the past, and dwelling too heavily on it would not do either of them any good. Of course, having such an outlook on the situation did nothing to ease their pain and distress, either.



"È stato così lungo," he commented, a hint of that guilt in his voice. Well over two months had passed before he returned. He had hardly noticed the time pass him by most days, too wrapped up in raising the four lively little bundles to even realize it. Then there were some nights where he would lie awake and it would suddenly hit him that he was so far from home. It scared him, how uncertain he had been whether everything back home would be alright when he returned. Thoughts of his family here had been the worst when he was away; he longed to see them, to make things right, yet at the same time he was afraid to face them after leaving as he had. He would be lying if he said that uncertainty of his had nothing to do with how long he remained in Phoenix Valley. But he was glad that he finally made the trip back home and that everything seemed like it would work out, however emotional the pair of siblings may be. Already Ehno felt relieved, like a weight had been lifted off him and he could breathe again.

500+


He knew his apologies could never fully redeem him from that act of betrayal. His actions could not be undone, and those emotional wounds inflicted upon his sibling could not be healed so easily. Ehno feared that the only way he would be able to fully make things up to his sister would be to shun the D’Angelo woman from his life completely, and that was not something he could do. He had chosen to live with being pulled from two sides, two loyalties calling for his full attention and he would have to live with it. For the moment he had come to accept this decision, and he could only hope that both women would at the very least be content with it. Savina spoke up and it relieved him greatly to hear those simple words from his sibling. He had been so worried that she would never forgive him, but hearing those words out loud alleviated those fears. "Io… sono così contento," he spoke, needing to convey his relief in words. "L'amerò sempre, Savina."



He could only nod at first when Savina voiced her desire for this situation to have occurred differently. The Dreamer male longed for life to be simple, for events to have played out in a completely different manner. At times his thoughts would drift to another reality where his entire family was together, a place where Naniko had never toyed with drugs and accidently gotten Cambria hurt. He felt like so a foolishly hopeful child when he thought of such a scenario. It was so pathetic of him to wish for such a paradise after all that had happened. Still, such a paradise would not be without its faults, as Ehno was still completely oblivious to how far back his sibling’s mistrust of Naniko went. "Desidero che potrei riparare delle cose. Tutto," he said after a moment. Such a foolish thing to say, but it was the truth. If the Marino man could reach through time to change things, he would do so in a heartbeat.



Ehno felt a bit of relief soothe him when Savina asked of his children. He was glad to know she was still interested in them, despite how she felt about their mother. The Italian man was smart enough to avoid any mention of the snowy lady, knowing that it would only turn this situation in a horrible direction. He had the chance now to patch things up with his sibling a bit and he would loathe ruining this moment. Slowly, a smile came to his maw as he thought of the children. It felt so out of place on his features while he still battled with his swirling tempest of emotions. It was so strange for him to be able to smile while feeling so guilty, but he couldn’t help it. Those little puppies always made him feel so joyous. "Fanno meraviglioso." His words were hesitant at first, but he gained confidence as he continued, unable to keep an excited edge from creeping into his voice. "Ci sono tre belle ragazze, ed un bel ragazzo. Caprica, Lucia, Rio, and Harlowe."

400+


His sibling’s hesitant request saddened him. Suddenly his separation from his children was more real and he missed them greatly. After spending so much time with them around, he knew it would take some adjusting to the quiet of his home in Crimson Dreams. Yet he had his family in this pack to take their place around him, and he knew he wouldn’t be completely alone. Savina’s eyes drifted from him, adding to the potency of her hesitant words. With this entire convoluted situation, he could understand why she would be so uncertain about meeting her nieces and nephew. Ehno certainly wanted his sister to be able to get to know his children. The situation was difficult enough as it was for him without imagining the possibility of the two sides of his family forever being separated. "Certo," he said gently, almost soothingly. "La voglio li incontrare." He smiled then, a little shakily at first.



Finding a way for his onyx-hued sibling to meet his puppies would be quite the task, he could sense it already. Bringing Savina to the Valley pack to meet them was absurdly out of the question; the two women would have no choice but to cross paths, and Naniko would never allow his sister into her home. The same could be said for a reverse situation. While Savina had never outright exiled the D’Angelo woman from the packlands, he knew she would still be quite unwelcome in her old home. Simply put, the only possible remedy for this situation would be for Naniko to remain at home while Ehno temporarily brought the little ones on a trip to Crimson Dreams. But to simply take them from their mother and their home, for even just a short trip… He would have to discuss it with Naniko whenever the time came for him to venture back to Phoenix Valley. It couldn’t be that hard to persuade her, right?



Ehno’s thoughts were quickly removed from trying to solve this predicament when his sibling suddenly pulled herself away to sit on his bed. The first thing he noticed was how shaky she had been, but he simply dismissed it as being from nervousness about the outcome of their little ‘reunion.’ Yet as she sat there and rested her head in her hands, be begun to notice that something was a little different about her. She looked ragged and worn down, so much thinner than she had been when he’d last seen her. The only explanation he could come up with for her appearance was the stress he had placed upon her with his two-month departure. Guilt began to dominate his thoughts again, and without another thought he moved to sit beside her. "Savina, tu..." he began, but when the words failed him he sighed and simply shook his head.

Woo, semester's over! Kinda rushed, though, sorry! wc: 405


There was that twinge of guilt fluttering within him again. This whole ordeal had been unimaginably tough on him, that could not be denied. But he wasn’t the only one being affected by this situation, and Ehno could only feel selfish thinking about his own pain. It was clear to him now just how much this had hurt his sister. He knew her well and because of this he knew it would worry her greatly. Yet seeing her like this now only emphasized the sorrow he knew she had faced. Savina found the words to explain that there was something more that had plagued her in his absence, and Ehno began to fear what that could be.



He held her hand gently, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. He listened carefully as she began to explain the situation their family had faced. Amber eyes widened in shock and a potent swirl of emotions stirred up within his chest. He could only imagine how tough it must have been for them. Ghita must have been deathly afraid of loosing that litter as well, and Savina would have been plagued with such worry for his sibling. He could see now why his onyx-hued sibling would have run herself ragged in his months away, with all of this weighing down on her. Ehno felt that guilt envelope him again. He should have been there for them. It was his job to protect his sisters, and he had not been here to do that. It felt like he had failed them. But what was he to do? He had a budding family of his own to protect now. It was impossible for him to be in two places at once, but this was the decision that he chose.



He closed his eyes in frustration, trying to gather his rapidly racing thoughts. "Non posso immaginare come duro questo deve essere stato su lei entrambi…" he began, slowly opening his eyes to look at her once more. "Sono così contento che sono bello, nonostante." It was quite a relief to hear that Ghita did not have to face the loss of another litter. "Somiglia alla nostra famiglia è anche più grande di ho pensato," he said with a slight laugh, making an attempt to lighten the somber atmosphere. Then another thought came to him. Ghita could not have gotten pregnant on her own. "Chi è il padre?"

I forgot what I was doing halfway through this post, so it’s a little weird and short. XD;; 311


So much had happened in his absence, he was almost overwhelmed with the news. It was as if their lives all stepped onto some crazy path filled with the most difficult and trying obstacles they could face. Bitterly, Ehno thought about how unfair all of these sudden dilemmas were. He once thought that fate was always on their side, guiding the kind Marino family to a peaceful and happy life. But all of these sudden happenings were too much to take, too painful to continue to face. He supposed that fate hadn’t completely abandoned them; if it had, they surely would not have been so fortunate in the end. They simply had to look past all of the recent hardships to see the good on the other side. The thought gave him hope that perhaps everything would begin to calm down for them now.



Ehno sat back in shock when Savina finally revealed the name of their new niece and nephew. “Jazper?” he repeated the name with a high tone of surprise. He certainly hadn’t expected Savina to name the giant warrior as the father to Ghita’s children, though he couldn’t say that he had any idea of who to expect. He hadn’t been aware that his timber-hued sibling had been seeing anyone within the pack, let alone Jazper. "Ciò è abbastanza una sorpresa…" He shook his head, stating the obvious for lack of anything else to say. Words seemed to escape him now in the wake of all this news. "E sono dei compagni? Neanche ho realizzato che vedevano l'un l'altro." Either Ehno had been too worried about his own predicament to notice what was right in front of him (though he couldn’t really fault himself for that) or there was something more going on here. He sincerely hoped that their recent troubles went no further than they already had.

I should be in beeed... 508


Savina’s comment stung, though he knew she didn’t intend it to. His gaze shied away to one of the barren corners of the room as some of that familiar shame crept over him. Never would have intended for things to work out like this. He and Nani had certainly not been entirely clear-headed when they had gotten together and neither of them could have foreseen what would happen at the time. They had both been blinded by strong emotions that night, and as a result they walked down a path they would not have been so quick to take had they been able to think things through. Despite all this, Ehno could not say that he regretted his actions. That would be saying he regretted his children, and that was a thought that could never cross the Marino man’s mind. The time he spent with those four pups was already among the most precious in his life. He could never regret that.



While part of him (rather hypocritically) was not pleased with the fact that Ghita and Jazper had gotten into that situation, he felt certain that they must feel the same way that he did. Children were dear things, and while bringing them into the world was not something that should be taken lightly, he knew that no one in his family could ever regret the birth of the young ones, no matter how they came to be. So Ehno pushed away that awful feeling of shame, that he had perhaps let his family down, and instead focused on the fact that he was now blessed with another niece and nephew to love. "Vedo," he said simply, any words of possibly criticism for what had happened now lost to him. "Almeno tutto ha risolto per il migliore, nella fine." He garnished the comment with a slight sigh. Such sudden changes in life seemed inevitable to him now, and to wish otherwise seemed like a foolish and dream-like thing.



Ehno finally returned his gaze to his sister, feeling both exhausted and alert in the wake of all this shocking news. He leaned his head against her shoulder briefly, in an act to feel some small form of comfort. He lifted his head after only a brief moment, amber gaze seeking her familiar emeralds. "Mi dice per favore che quelli sono le sole sorprese che lei deve dividere con me?" he asked, another slight attempt at humor, though by now the humor had drained from even his own voice. He didn’t know if he could handle any more shocking news for the night. If there were any more odd twists of fate for the Marino’s to face, Ehno was certain he would have to seek fate itself out to find out why so much had befallen them within them last few months. All he wanted to do now was to sit there with his sibling and imagine that everything was alright. After all the twists and turns the Marinos were suddenly faced with in life, they deserved a reprieve.