Three sets of eyes were fixated on Sleekwing as soon as the breath of Ailith’s name left his lips. The young female looked on in interest, almost seeming impressed by his sudden arrival. Her brother, however, seemed agitated by his appearance, a youthful snarl released as soon as his eyes set upon Sleekwing. But it was the feral blue eyes that turned upon him in defensive malice that the older male was most concerned about. In some ways, his self denial that this could be her was true, for she had molded and deteriorated into a wolf he did not fully recognize. This wolf pivoted to place herself between him and the pups, and the Ailith he knew had always trusted him to care for her young. He had helped to raise Isaac and Kirsikka, caring for them throughout their youth. A threatening gnash of her teeth makes the message perfectly clear – she would defend her children with her very life. That part was familiar, but having it pointed at him was unsettling. Sleekwing kept his tail low and remained where he was, partly unsure what to do next, and partly wishing to give her a moment to understand who he was and that he meant her and her kin no harm.

And then, before his very eyes, he saw the walls begin to tumble down in her mind, the struggle and strain as clarity fought its way to the surface of her mind. His gaze remained fixated on her, ears flicking to the sides to listen to the movements of the two pups as they shifted to get a better look at him. But they swung forward once more as Ailith began to withdraw, dismay taking over the aggression that had wrought her face. His brows rose as she spoke, denying his presence to herself and devolving into a mess of broken pieces as she clawed at her head, trying to remove the vision she seemed to believe she was having. Sleekwing took a hesitant step forward, unsure of himself and what he could do to help her understand that it really was him. This was not a threat he could fend off with tooth and claw; this was something in her mind, and he had no idea how to fix it. The female pup’s words stopped him, and he looked down to her. Perhaps they were the key to unlocking whatever trap Ailith’s mind was in.

That was when the young male came barreling forward, and Sleekwing’s eyes flashed to him – a rather comedic sight if the situation hadn’t been so dire, what with his stick protruding from either side of his mouth as he attempted to look menacing in his approach. But then the aggressive Ailith was back, jaws flashing to catch the pup and pin him roughly to the ground. As the pup was released, the Ailith that he knew finally looked up at him, recognized him for who he was, and his name slipped from her maw. It ran like cold water down his back and finally he took a confident step towards her as she plummeted into his embrace. He wrapped his neck around hers, drawing her close and feeling every bone in her body as he did so. There was little to nothing to her underneath that ragged pelt. His heart wrenched, dropping into his stomach at the remorse he felt for having left her out here for so long. It took all of his mental strength to focus on the here and now; he had found her before it was too late, there was something he could do about it now that they were together again. His strong grip pulls her closer, tighter to him and his eyes clench shut, thankful for this moment even if everything seemed so broken. She apologizes again and again, and he only draws her further into him. “Ailith, I’m so sorry,” he says firmly, trying to cut off her own apologies, for she owes him nothing of the sort. It was he who had failed her.

Finally they pulled apart, relinquishing their hold on one another and as she stepped back he could see the emptiness that had taken hold of very soul. But the barest hint of a smile tells him she is still in there, some fragmented piece of the old Ailith still existed, he had to believe that even if it wasn’t true. His ears twitched, catching the words of the young girl and he peered over Ailith’s back towards the two pups before returning his gaze to Ailith’s face. He had a dozen questions to ask her – where had she been, who had taken her, who had fathered the pups, was she okay, what had happened to her leg, did she want to come back to Spirane, was she hungry? – but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. So he stuck to something close, something familiar to her even in her current state. “Would you introduce me?” he asked, a small smile pulling at the edges of his maw, trying to reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he would help her, that he would never, ever let anything happen to her again.