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The change in the weather had left the Lt. General of Crimson Dreams feeling rejuvenated. It had been all clouds and gray for so long that she had almost forgotten how wonderful the sun felt on her dark body. While the temperatures hadn't changed too much, the heat that her fur trapped was enough for her to feel comfortable taking a stroll outside of the borders today. The mother-to-be knew that it would not be long before such little trips would be impossible so she wanted to get her fill before that time. While still not overbearingly obvious, the lump hanging beneath her legs was unmistakable now. The svelte femme could easily feel the weight of it on her form.
As paws traipsed without purpose through the trees and over hills she hummed a soft melody to herself. It was one from back in Italy, one her mother had used to sing to them. Savina wasn't usually one for singing aside from howling, but she wanted to for her pups. Walking over the snow-covered ground she imagined taking them for walks with her. When the grass was lush and green and wildflowers were everywhere. How she and Kansas would teach them all they needed to know. He could read stories and poetry to them from his books and she could tell them of the Roman emperors. She couldn't wait to see their little faces and learn everything about them.
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They were no where to be found it seemed. Ever since Firefly’s announcement that the puppies had turned up missing Cercelee had spent every spare moment searching. Whoever had taken the children had hid their trail well, there would be no simply tracking them down. It was as if they had vanished without a trace. Cercelee knew she was not the only one scouring the lands, but so far no luck. And so it was with little hope but determination all the same the white lady left the pack lands again that day, eyes, ears and nose alert for anything, anything that might bring Conor and Emwe home.
The weather was warming, and while Cercelee was grateful, if only because it made her searches more comfortable, she had little motivation to enjoy the warmer temperatures. Full blow spring had not yet sprung, but it was on it’s way, that was for certain. Only weeks from now plants would begin renewing themselves, thriving with the spring showers and sun. Not yet, and what did it matter if the pups did not return? Everyday she moved further away from her pack lands, and today she came to Shiloh Hills, but it wasn’t the pups she found.
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Savina! Cercelee spotted the female from a ways off, it could have been any other black wolf ambling through, but her scent was distinct. With a bound she came up, quickly, happy to see her friend once again and a little guilty and her search would be delayed. Still it had been days and no one had found anything. They were gone. Maybe that was it, and a few moments to acknowledge her friend wouldn’t be the reason they did not come home. Savina. How are you?
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Once again Savina was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that there was someone else in the Hills today. That wasn't such a bad habit at home, but out abroad it could prove dangerous. While she doubted Hybrid or anyone else from Inferni aside from Ryan would come this close to Crimson Dreams she couldn't be certain. Now it was more important than ever for her to be alert. Her's was not the only life at stake right now. The ones inside of her were even more fragile than her own. Even a simple trip and fall on her stomach could prove devastating. She needed to be constantly vigilant now. She would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to her and Kansas' children because of her daydreaming.
Thankfully for her, this was no enemy walking through the forest. Head shot up as her name was called out and when she saw the bright form of Cercelee coming towards her lips curled up into a wide smile. "Cer! It's been so long!" Months in fact. The Crimson Dreams wolf hadn't seen her friend since escorting her back to Dahlia after her recovery. That had been before the new pack had even been formed. Turning to face the other leader she nuzzled Cer's muzzle as her tail wagged happily. "I've been doing well! And yourself? I'm sorry I've never been up to visit, things have just been so busy." Surely the ivory fey would understand. After all they both had large duties to their packs on their shoulders.
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Indeed, it had been a long time. Cercelee certainly could ramble off a very long list of what she had been up to, but none of it seemed appropriate just yet. Her search was still fresh, she hadn’t given up completely yet, and maybe, just maybe, Savina knew something. Or at the very least, from this point on, Savina could keep an eye out in her pack lands. Though Cercelee doubted, very much, that the pups were hidden in any of the pack lands. Inferni maybe, they had taken prisoners and hostages before, but surely no leader would allow children of another pack to be kept within their borders?
I understand, I do. They both had been busy, leading was no simple task and often Cer found she barely had time for herself and Slay, let alone anyone else. Everything has been so hectic and well... especially lately. There has been so much tension in Dahlia and Savina... Cercelee eyed the female’s growing underside, not completely at ease sharing the fate of Dahlia’s newest litter with her friend expecting. But the truths of life were harsh at times. Firefly’s and Haku’s children have gone missing... they aren’t anywhere. All of Dahlia has been searching! Cercelee’s voice was desperate. In her heart she knew Savina knew nothing, if she had she would have sought the Rosea out, but all the same she couldn’t help but asking. Have you heard anything?
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She had come into contact with the other leader of Dahlia not too long ago. It had not been a pleasant meeting and really the first time she had had to deal with such a matter. Naniko had wanted to give the husky male another chance, though Savina had just wanted to throw him from their lands. In her mind what he had done was unforgivable and considering they had adolescents and soon more pups to worry about she would be watching him like a hawk. Even the slightest slip up from him would get him chased from the land. The Lt. General would not tolerate someone messing around with children in ways they shouldn't and she wasn't going to risk any conflicts between packs. She wanted her pack to be safe and her children to grow up in a peaceful environment.
She could see how uneasy her friend was and could tell that something was weighing heavy on her mind. Having such tension inside the pack must be maddening. But at the news her ears flicked back against her head. Who would steal children? And wasn't Firefly Kansas' sister? Did he even know that he had nephews? "Oh...gods...Cer that's awful..." She felt horrible for their loss but now she was scared for the safety of Naniko's pups as well as her own. Would they be safe? Was there some monster out there snatching puppies? Sadly she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything. If I do or see any pups I don't know I'll come straight to you though. Or at least send someone if I can't make the trip." The Italian fey shifted on her feet. That had been quite a shock and she wasn't entirely sure how to rebound from it.
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Cercelee nodded solemnly and smiled best as she could at her friend. Savina was trustworthy, and she did not doubt the second Savina heard of anything she would come or send someone straight away. Thank you... It was all she could manage and all she really wanted to say on the subject anymore. If Savina had questions, Cercelee would share with her friend but the children’s disappearance was a mystery. Apparently no one had been in the cabin with them and they had just been snatch up, Cercelee couldn’t explain it. Even with the parents out, the pack should have been safe, who would be stupid enough to cross their borders and steal children? Whoever it had been had a great deal of pain coming their way if they were ever discovered.
Letting out a sigh, as if to release all the stress and fears pent up, Cercelee let her navy eyes wander over Savina’s belly again. Perhaps now was not the best time to bring it up, after just confessing the disappearance of Conor and Emwe, but Cerc desperately wished to speak of more cheerful matters. It had been too long since good news had come her way, and even longer since she had seen the sable Crimson Dreams female. So then, whose the father to be? Cer smiled, Savina had not been attached last time they spoke, or if she had Cercelee had been oblivious. And with Savina in such a state, there had to be a male, Cer only hope he was a good one.
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The woman felt bad that she could offer her friend nothing else in the search for the missing pups. Perhaps she could send some scouts out to look for them, but it would all just depend. She had already asked the pack to hunt more and stock up on food for the forthcoming litter. And if there really were someone out there stealing puppies she would need to keep her members guarding their own borders. "Of course. I hope they're safe and found soon. I'll keep them in my thoughts." Even is someone had taken them she couldn't imagine them wanting to do the children any harm. She was by no means naive and knew that there were horrible creatures out there, but what purpose would they have for such an act? Whatever had happened, she knew that the ones responsible were in for a world of pain when they were found.
Savina was thankful when Cercelee turned their conversation in a more cheerful direction. Even with this news of Dahlia's pups she couldn't help but glow about the news of her own. She could feel her cheeks flush even though her ebony fur hid it incredibly well. Her tail began to sway from side to side again. "Kansas Sadira. He's my mate," she answered in warm, accented tones. She had no idea if the ivory alpha knew her love or not. Considering how long it had been since the two had talked there were two announcements in her response. Her romance with the Sadira male had only just been budding when she had escorted Cercelee home.
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Kansas Sadira. The name swam through her memories, trying to match a face. She had met him once before, long ago, her and Ember building a sandcastle on the beach. The memory was a good one, though she recalled Ember more clearly than Kansas. However she knew that Kansas was brother to both Ember and Firefly, whom she knew very well. Perhaps she should have made the effort to get to know him better. Had she not bothered, simply because he was family and Cercelee held onto her belief, family was of little consequence if they were not immediate. Cousins, aunts, uncles… Cercelee did not have time to know them all. Yet perhaps Savina would take delight in the trivia. “He is my cousin.” She smiled. Maybe this was another reason to get to know the male, now that he was a mate of her friend.
Cercelee gave in and impulsively nuzzled her friend, mates were a good thing and puppies even more so. Despite the constant nagging of worries back in Dahlia, she was happy for her friend. And couldn’t help but share her own news. I too have taken a mate. His name is Slay. How many people had she blurted this out to? Cwmfen, Kol, she’d even told the whole pack outloud at their last meeting. Yet happiness should be shared and she was glad both her and Savina had reasons to celebrate lately.
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From the world of having so few family that she could count them on one paw, now that she was mated to Kansas she had a relation to so many throughout these lands. It was strange for her. She was used to her family being small and close and now there were wolves everywhere that her children would have blood ties to. Already she had met Kansas' mother, his sister (though she had known Ember before), and his rude half-brother DaVinci. Her eyes widened and smile broadened as Cercelee revealed that she was a part of the Sadira clan as well. "It seems I meet a new relative every time I leave the packlands," she said with a light laugh. Iskata had warned her.
Savina leaned into her friend's nuzzle and gave the light wolfess a friendly lick. It was so good to see the Dahlian leader again. She couldn't even see the scars anymore. The sudden thought of scars made her glance at her own forelegs. Her fur was now covering the nasty pink lines, but if one looked close enough they could tell that they were there beneath her midnight fur. Thankfully Cer's own happy news brought her mind back from those dark thoughts. Her tail waved high in the air. "Cer that's wonderful! Congratulations! I'll have to come visit sometime and meet this Slay," she teased with a wink and a nudge of her nose. "And I'd love for you to come see the pups once they're born. You could bring him with if you wanted."
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Cercelee laughed at Savina’s comment. “You really have no idea.” Names floated vaguely in her mind, she couldn’t quite explain the family ties but she knew they were more extensive than anyone had probably gone into with Savina. Laruku perhaps could have explained it best, he had been around for most of it and he retained knowledge and names better than most. Iskata should have known but even for she the family seemed to daunting to keep track of. “Haku and Mew from my pack are also Kansas’s cousins. There were more but they left these lands some time ago.” Yes her aunts and uncle had done well procreating, Cercelee had to give them that. The Sadira line wasn’t dying out anytime soon.
Cercelee beamed, her own personal family, which only consisted of Slay and herself, was much more interesting and important then the plethora of cousins. “Of course! He would love meeting some of my friends, perhaps though you saw him when you brought me back home from Twilight Vale?” It seemed ages ago that day, and Cercelee remembered the swarm of faces, how happy she had been to be greeted so enthusiastically. Slay had been in the crowd but Cercelee couldn’t blame Savina if she didn’t remember. “I would love to come see them. How much longer until they are due, do you know?”
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She did not doubt Cercelee's honesty in that. She had been told the family was large and extensive, but one could never know how true that was until they started meeting all these relatives. She was surprised to hear that Haku was also a part of that family. She had only met the male once and it hadn't been the most pleasant meeting, though it was no fault of the brown male's. The Lt. General wished that Naniko would have conceded to kicking Leroy from the pack. She couldn't understand how the mother could stand to have him amongst their ranks. But the Commander's word was higher than her own so she had to grin and bear it. The sable woman would never trust the husky again though and if he ever tried to lay a hand on her children he would deeply regret it.
Savina did her best to push those thoughts from her mind though. This was now a happy conversation and she didn't want to bring it down with the crime of the patterned male. At the prompting she tried to think back all those months to the faces she had met. Honestly they were all fairly vague. The only one that stood out clearly in her mind was Alexey. However then the image of the interestingly marked monochromatic male came through the fog of that memory. "Oh yes! He's the black and white one, right? He was nice." She somewhat remembered an interesting energy between the light leader and that male. Apparently she hadn't been mistaken.
The pregnant wolf though to how long it would be. It had been about a month since she had realized she was carrying pups. "I think about another moon, so I'm about half way there. It's flying by though! I can't believe it's already been that much time." The little paws would be here before she knew it. She couldn't wait though. She only hoped that she was lucky to avoid any complications.
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Cercelee beamed, “Yes, the black and white one.” Slay had such an unusual coat, he stuck out like a sore thumb sometimes. She loved that about him. Her own pelt was so ordinary, so plain, unmarked except for the small, almost invisible grey speckles that climbed up her legs. Slay was an oddity in looks, and sometimes Cer found herself wondering if their children would inherit the strange pelt he had. She hoped they did. Of course, it was far too early to be thinking of starting a family just yet, they had barely gotten started jus the two of them.
“That is soon! Time does seem to go much too quickly.” How long had it been since she left Twilight Vale and all the wolves she met there? Was Savina’s brother still there? “How is Ehno?” What about Naniko? “And so then, Naniko’s pups must be quite old by now? Adults almost?” And before that? Almost a year had elapsed since coming to the new lands, forming Dahlia with Colibri. Where was Colibri, and the others who had come and gone over the months? Why was it the white lady was still here and the other not? Cer didn’t know the answer.
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Savina smiled back at her friend broadly, glad that she wasn't completely clueless about her love. Both she and Kansas had pretty plain coats, but she had never seen another with his particular color. She hoped that at least one of their children would inherit his coloring. It was so unique and warm that it would be sad to see it disappear in their offspring. He had said he hoped they all looked like her, but she thought that would be boring. There were plenty of black wolves running around and she didn't think of it as that special. They both were willing to think themselves so plain and yet the other sparkled in their eyes.
The dark lady nodded in agreement. Time flew by faster than anyone could guess. When you were little it seemed to crawl by slower than a snail, but now that she was an adult it moved fast. Almost too fast. "Ehno is very well! Excited to be an uncle. He's also started up carpentry as a hobby, he's getting quite good at it." She never ceased to be thankful to have her brother around. "Yes, it's unbelievable. They'll be moving into the adult ranks soon. I remember when they were born like it was yesterday." The time she had spent in these lands seemed so short, but yet she knew that it had almost been a full year that she had been here. It seemed so unreal.
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Sorry it took so long, closing this up.
Cercelee smiled and nodded, taking in the information Savina offered up. Ehno was still there, well and alive, and Cercelee once again wondered what it would have been like to have a brother living close by. Haku and Mew had each other, the Koios family seemed close as well. If Tuki and Lisi had lived, would she still keep in touch with them? Would they have stuck together? Cercelee let it drop. They were dead and that was that.
I remember when they were born like it was yesterday. The words fluttered in her mind, conjuring up images of a helpless pair of puppies, of Haku shouting, of Firefly snarling and Cercelee remember why she was out here at all. Hopefully, soon enough, the children would be recovered and Dahlia de Mai would have adolescents in their midst. Bowing her head, Cercelee prepared to continue her search. “I’m sorry Savina, it was nice talking with you, but I really must get back to the task at hand.” Sooner or later, Conor and Emwe would have to surface and Cercelee prayed it was sooner.
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It had been a short reunion, but a nice one all the same. Besides, Savina understood the urgency of the Dahlian's mission. She would not try and delay her from it. The pregnant femme nodded her head. "Yes, of course. I understand. Good luck and like I said if I see or hear anything I'll let you know some way or another." There were many able bodied members of Crimson Dreams. If she couldn't deliver a message herself then one of them could. "Take care Cercelee," she said with a soft smile as she moved to continue her walk through the woods.
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