News had carried over the land of yet another alpha taking over Asteraia. This one, a queen much like Tick Tock in her ways of ruling. Had she taken over the plains a year before, Halcyon would have rushed to his birth pack and stolen the throne from her. However, now, he did not care. Let Asteraia burn if it meant seeing his children again. It had become his only goal, an obsession that would not leave him be. For months, the father had been trying several different ways to sneak in and spirit his children away. Each time, he was met with teeth and claws as he was promptly chased away. The cubs were so heavily guarded it had become impossible to see them, let alone get near them. But that wasn't going to stop Halcyon.
In the months spent alone, he had become a shell of his former self. His fur was ragged and covered in smaller cuts and bruises from his scuffles with the determined swamp guards. There was little time to hunt for himself so he made do with the scraps he could find, leaving his lithe form scrawny and weak. If Aster saw him in such a state, she would be appalled. Of course, he thought sadly, she already was. He had not spoken to his mate since their fight in Taviora. Her words, or lack thereof, had bitten deep into his heart. He was doing this for her as much as he was for his children. He just wanted his family back together and happy again, like they were in days long past.
Today, he was going to attack from the riverside. After days of watching, he had learned that the patrols didn't move all the way to the ocean side, leaving a large gap for him to sneak through. It would take him the better part of a day to get from there to where they were holding his children, but that wasn't the hard part. Picking the remains of a doe that had been killed days before, Halcyon was preparing himself for the infiltration when a figure moving towards him made him pause. Hackles raised, defensive stance, and deep growl let the new comer know he was not in the mood for idle chit chat. It wasn't until the familiar wolfess got closer that his wall dropped and he allowed his tail to wag for the first time in months. "Zelda!? What on earth are you doing here? You shouldn't be this close to Iromar. It's dangerous!"