I t was not exactly where she thought she would be but she could never imagine wanting to be anywhere or anyone else. Time had surely changed her and after having a moment with Morrigan, it only made her that much more certain about where she was positioned currently. Life had changed over and over again in the last two years and it wasn't going to stop, so she would need to change with it.

So when thinking about the turning of a new leaf did she venture to the wilds that had been scorched by fire. A place that could use a rebirth just as she could. A place that would understand this leaf that was beginning to turn over. So Talisa pinched her eyes shut and bowed her head, nestling her right front paw on the base of a burnt tree and tried to feel its spirit. Tried to feel that connection to the very earth they tread on in the hopes of knowing how its transformation was coming.

@Nymeria

ART BY MOOGLE, CODE BY LARS

it was curiously that nymeria followed after her sister's trail, ears perched atop her crown as the familiar perfume guided her body eastward and towards the thralls of the jungle. it felt undeniably good for the druid to get out and stretch her legs, given the fact that she had been rather quiet as of late, business and perhaps a twinge of stagnation having clouded her mind over the past several weeks. the mist and the anguish it had caused had given her a lot to think about, but today felt different -- she felt renewed, if not somewhat optimistic about what was to come, and so it was greedily that she sought out the company of her sister as a result.

@Talisa had always been such a constant, after all, and like most of their family members she was a stable pillar for nymeria when she needed it most. which was a duty that she tried to return at every possible chance, of course! instinctively, her gait slowed as the brunette's figurine came into view, immediately prompting a small chuff to release itself from nymeria's chest. she had not realized, however, that her sister may have come out here seeking solitude, and though she felt somewhat guilty for intruding, it was evenly that her voice called out across the scorched terrain, peaked with a softness that did not match the drabness of the landscape. "talisa?"

Whenever she was feeling out of the ordinary and not with a set mind, the company of @Nymeria was always a warm one. Even if she might have deigned to be alone, her sister (or Morrigan or her kids) were always a warm welcome. With Lena having disappeared it had hurt her quite a bit. Especially since she had only just admitted her feelings to the pale woman right before she had gone. Talisa had thought maybe the mist had gotten her but still the lioness had not returned.

So as her sister drew near a deep sigh was swiftly exhaled feeling glad that it was someone she knew well. That it was a lion that she didn't have to put a guard up for. Hey, she called out in somewhat of disbelief that Nymeria had traveled so far from the Brook. Talisa was surprised that she had managed to get away this far but hadn't imagined that her older sister would come after her. Had to leave for a bit. Take a breather. Not that she needed to excuse herself for needing a moment away from Vermeda but at least this way Nym would know that she was alright where it counted.

ART BY NOVI, CODE BY LARS

fate was a funny and fickle thing, but nymeria always found that it gravitated to those she loved when she needed it most. Perhaps now was one of those times, the druid thought — or perhaps it was just her luring sense of curiosity at play, as it often tended to do. irrespective of the answer, the druid took pause a few feet from where @Talisa had planted herself, pale eyes warm and her shoulders tilted forward in a casual posture. she could not think of the last time that the two of them had been alone, but looking at her kin, now, nymeria could not deny the sense of ease that washed through her bones at the sight of her.


"is something troubling you?" she found herself asking in response to talisa’s words, brows furrowing in a gently downturned expression, as her tail swept once across the ash-coated soil. but there was more to that statement that she could not keep at bay, tumbling instinctively, and sincerely, from her tongue before nymeria could even think to stop it. "or would you rather be alone?" do not let me stifle you further, dear sister.

T a l i s a

Never would the young Valour request that her big sister leave her. No matter the instance, Nymeria could never be bother or an inconvenience. She was always welcome and Talisa made sure to emphasize that she was heavily wanted beside her. I don't know if troubling is the right word but I do have a lot of thoughts. Some were good and some were bad, and some still needed to be worked on but the great thing about having a big sister like @Nymeria was that Talisa felt comfortable sharing everything with her. I know that I don't owe any explanations and I know that you won't ever tell a secret. Especially not from me. Mordane, Leto and Cesaria... they are Seneca Miroslav's. Of Andal. A deep almost threatening inhale swallowed her as she could only hope that with the release of this information that she would feel just a fraction less guilty for holding it in.

I... hadn't intended on having another litter. Especially not someone that wasn't Morrigan. And especially not someone that she didn't know super well but all it took was one moment of being alone and away from home to fall prey to needing someone. I haven't decided if I wish to tell him of their existence yet or ever. As much as she valued honesty, she came up with the ruling that it wasn't as though they had ever been friends or that he would feel inclined to knock at their door and call for her. Why would he?

nymeria nodded gently as @Talisa indulged further into the status of her thoughts, slender frame shifting to draw her forwards, closer, to the embrace of her kin. she listened thoughtfully as her sister detailed what exactly was plaguing her — and even though the druid was inevitably surprised by the revelation, it did not show across the contours of her complexion. instead, she would attempt to sweep a paw across talisa’s shoulders, brows lifted into soft lines as she shuffled in closer, hoping to swaddle the other woman in all of the warmth and reassurance that she could muster.

"morrigan knows?" nymeria inquired at first, though she could only assume the greyflood warrior had picked up on the fact that the litter had not been her own. she could not blame them for keeping all of this a secret, either, considering they were speaking of the progeny of another king — and one they barely knew, no less. "you’re a good mother, talisa - one of the best - and though you may not have planned for it to turn out this way, you had three beautiful children come from it." she would look to reassure her sister further that it was okay, that it would be okay no matter where this winding path took them. "i don’t know much about seneca, but do you think they would want to know?" a heavy question, perhaps, but it was one that nymeria felt inclined to ask. because, at the end of the day, they were the ones who had to come first.

T a l i s a

Yes, it was a topic that she had quickly brushed over with Morrigan because she hadn't been all that confident in how it would be handled. Don't get Talisa wrong, of course -- she knew that her wife was understanding and considerate, loving beyond measure but it was always that seed of doubt that had her worrying about the consequences of the actions she had taken upon herself.

The leg up and over her shoulders eased her concerns and doubt by margins as she sunk into her older sister and best friend's embrace. @Nymeria had always been her go-to whenever she needed anything and was always a good shoulder to turn to. I.. I want to tell them at some point. When they're old enough to understand.. though what she wanted them to "understand" was vague in her own head. Perhaps what it meant to have a father that wasn't present or understand why she had chosen to keep it a secret for as long as she had. A part her hoped she could simply brush it off like they had been born to her and Morrigan all this time.

I just don't want them to choose him over me... and it was with that that she released another ache in her heart. The growing selfishness that she had when it came to her own children. How she had ached when Cassandra had chosen to go with Morrigan. How her own first daughter had wanted Morrigan more than the mother that had always been there for her. The love that she had had with Farrow had jeopardized a lot of her relationship with her first daughter in the beginning and even if she showed no signs of lingering pain, it had still hurt to know that he had been cast as a villain for having her heart.

another nod, as she was relieved to know that it had been a topic already dealt with between the women. and though she could not gather much from the simple answer, she knew that @Talisa and morrigan shared a rare and beautoful bond — one that had stood the test of time and trials, again and again and again. this was why nymeria knew, in the deepest part of her heart, that they could get through anything Together. this included.

seeking to keep talisa swaddled in her embrace, nymeria’s expression shifted into one of sadness upon registering the next sets of words and realizing what heaviness weighed upon her shoulders. "oh, tali," she murmured, ears pulling back as she tilted her muzzle towards, nose hoping to brush along the width of her sister’s cheek in the process. "they will always be your children. they are halves of two wholes - there is no choice for them to make, no matter what happens." children were dynamic little things after all, spurred with endless emotions - but talisa and morrigan would always be their mothers. no sense of biology would ever change that, surely. "they may struggle to understand, but if you act with love, the rest of the journey is for them to figure out. i know your heart is good, and they do too." we all do. "is there something i can do?"

T a l i s a

Even without speaking, it felt like she knew what her sister would say. Knew that she would have her back time and time again no matter the situation at paw. Talisa did not wish to be passed up and brought out to be the villain for not sharing the other half of them but she continued with the idea that it was better to know your full self than only your half. That Cassandra had come away feeling more confident and more sure of herself after spending time with Mummy. It just didn't soothe her worries that Mordane, Leto or Cesaria might not come back to her or love her anymore if she chose to tell them when she did. Maybe... just help me protect them? If something does happen? She did not know Seneca very well and it was for this that she was concerned that if he knew about them he might choose to take them. Andal was becoming a closer ally which was good for Vermeda but especially good for her. Though, it didn't ease her as much as it should.

"the only thing that you may want to do is tell aquila, before sharing the news with them - it will be good for him to know, for the sake of the pride and our alliances." she added on after a moment more of thought, mulling the situation over in her head as moments passed between them. though she did not want to assume anything about seneca or the oasis, these were rather uncharted territories for vermeda (and for nymeria herself), and it would be important for everyone to be on the same page. though, hopefully, there would be no need for any of this to escalate, and nymeria could jest later about being over-prepared.

the druid’s eyes twisted back towards @Talisa as she offered an answer to her question, an answer that prompted her lips to flutter as the images of those three, perfect little faces flashed across her memory. "with my life, talisa." and, oh, how she meant it, pale gaze seeking that of her sister’s as she made that solemn, tender vow. everything nymeria had ever done had been for her family, and that would not change, now or ever.