Everything had changed. It wasn't fast, and it wasn't all at once, but it was too much. Denver and Magnolia had a family now, something he never would have imagined a year ago. A year ago, he would've still been on that same power trip, hungering for something he could never truly have. But today, today was different.
The end of Sirius' reign marked the beginning of something that the pair had not intended for their children. Sure, Salsola had always been a darker place, but for a while Denver had taken pride in that. Now, though, he remembered his friend Caspa, and how she had been so wary of the place-- why hadn't he seen that?
The ivory mutt's adult brain had gone through some strange metamorphoses, and his thoughts focused on his progeny almost more than himself now. Magnolia's presence in his life was the best thing that could have happened to him; something that, without Salsola, might never have happened. He couldn't forget that, nor would he let himself. But Salvia was a different creature than Sirius or Eris had ever appeared to him. She had none of the same charm that he had so loved about Eris, and she was younger than him to boot. That alone made him cringe, and the thought of this girl ruling over their lives had not sat well with the wolfdog.
They had taken a lot of time to decide what they wanted to do, and although Magnolia had suggested they return to the Court, Denver could not abide. He had left a negative imprint there, and although their visit had gone well, he just hadn't felt a desire to raise his children there, despite it's welcoming exterior and the presence of Maggie's family. She had even brought up the possibility of moving back south to settle with his family, but Denver wasn't so sure of that, either.
In the end, they had decided to just go; their destination would come to them. Even the children were excited for an adventure, at first. The break of dawn came early that morning, and the little family departed from the familiar, crumbling ruins. Pale blues paused to settle on the sight once more, knowing that they would likely not come back here. He squeezed Magnolia's slim silvery hand in response and nodded solemnly. Something about that hurt, but he knew it was for the best.
A few days into the trip and the children had grown noticeably less enthused by the travel. Although Houston was keeping up well, the jingling of his daughters' baubles got more and more quiet as the miles progressed. That night they had made camp beside an unfamiliar lake, and when the morning came Denver's back was stiff from the hard ground. Already he missed his bed, and the warmth of having a roof over their heads. It would all come back soon, though, he had to tell himself. Little did he know that they would be missing something else even sooner.
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