A somber return{tag clan}

[Evie Loup Garou]

I had been traveling, not that new for me, I liked being on the move, seeing the world. As I traveled across the country, stopping for rests and food before continuing my way, I felt the sudden pull, twisting my insides as the munin called to me. Instantly, I stopped my journey to make my way back to the clan. My brother, who was the Freki, had been hurt when Zane attacked. It took me a few weeks before I reached the clan, night had fallen and a campfire was crackling as I entered the perimeter. "It is I, Evie, sister to Devin." I called through my mind, hearing the sound of paws over leaves and golden eyes peering through the night, like ghostly, haunting orbs. "Good. We take no chances right now. With Zane and the Fenrir having attacked, we are on high alert." Ah so Nicholai was patrolling, he was a good kid. But I wondered where the others were, especially my brother. "Thank you Nicholai." Petting his head, I made my way through, my clothing torn and in dire need of cleaning, as all my others were left when I took off back to the clan.

"Where is my brother?" I demanded, wincing at the tone my voice had taken on. Glancing about, staring at Syren and Cole who had stood up to welcome me, they stayed back, knowing that I wouldn't want anything until I saw my brother. As his form appeared in the firelight, his face grim, wearing nothing but jeans as his torso was heavily scarred. "Devin." I whimpered, running to his side and wrapping my arms around his larger frame, digging my head into his chest. "Thank Mother Moon your alive." I ran a hand down one of the scars, glinting pale white in the moon. "Guess I missed quite a bit huh?" Hearing him chuckle, I was relieved he still had his sense of humor. Though I knew, he was no longer the Freki. Fine by me as long as he was alive that was all that mattered. "I have news, by the way guys." I turned my head, as Devin moved off to grab something to eat, looking about the clan. "The werewolf pack Mick had fought a few months ago? Their headed this way, I doubt they know this is your home Mick, but be one your guard. They may have denounced their Alpha which is possible, they knew my scent but didn't attack. Bodes well for us considering what has happened while I've been gone."

[Devin Loup Garou]

I hated being captive, and I felt like a captive now. I couldn't guard or watch the perimeter, nor carry out any of my other duties as Freki. Fucking Zane, that rat bastard! If it wasn't for all his dark magick, I could have taken him. But he blindsided me with a spell, blocking me from accessing the Munin as he tore me to shreds. I growled, kicking a stone to vent my frustration, grimacing at the pain such a simple motion caused. I now bore more scars than ever, including one that traveled across my right eye. Fucker tried to blind me too!

I needed to eat far more than usual, and rest damn near the whole day. At least they let me out of bed finally, 4 days after the fight. I was unconscious for the first 2. Rubbing at a stitch in my side, I played it off so that those watching me didn't know how bad I truly hurt. I was still in pain, and even the smalled motions hurt like a son of a bitch. Halo had reluctantly taken over as Freki for now, and I assured him he knew the job well enough. I was just pissed I'd been taken out in such a fashion. But, if I healed, I'd be reinstated as Freki, and Halo would not lose the position. Instead, we'd function with 2 Freki's, something that's never been done in the clan before. That I didn't mind. What bugged me was that I couldn't fulfill my duties right now. I'd spent my whole life training and working as Freki, without the position I felt....useless.

Since I wasn't 'allowed' to wander off too far, in case my injuries worsened, I putzed around camp, stopping dead in my tracks when I caught her scent. Evie, my sister. Gods I missed her. I turned and made my way, albeit slowly, to her, following her scent. I was coming up behind her as she asked after me. "Right here little sis." My defunked army surplus jacket hung open, my new scars glimmering in the moonlight. I surpressed a grunt as she hugged me, relaxing into her grip and wrapping my arms around her. "Easy sis, I'm fragile now." I chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that." Frankly, I'm glad she missed the big fight, and that she didn't have to see me at my worst. I wouldn't want to subject her to that. "Hey, I'm gonna go rustle up some grub. Gotta eat damn near constantly. They're afraid I'll relapse." I smirked, jerking a thumb at Cole and Syren. I knew they had my best interests at heart, it just didn't mean I had to like taking it easy. The eating I could handle. I've never known a Loup Garou that didn't like to eat.

[Evie Loup Garou]

As I had all eyes upon me, I winded off my words and started moving through the dark grounds, the light coming from the camp fire enough to light my way. "Hey, how are you? I mean, truly." I whispered, reaching Devin as he was getting food, snickering as I thought about it. Us Loup Garou loved our food, and I felt a little bit jealous he got to eat nearly all the time, though that was due to his injuries. Peering closer, I saw his scar over his eye, glinting, resisting the urge to touch it, see if it was real. "Man, Zane really did a number on you. No offense. It wasn't even a fair fight was it?" Zane used any tricks and dark magicks he could to win, otherwise Devin could have easily taken him out and I wasn't just saying that because he was my brother. As the others in the clan started talking again, I moved closer to the table, grabbing a chunk of roast meat and popping it in my mouth. After my long, and rather fast journey back home, I was quite hungry myself.

"So let me get this straight. You are still Freki, just taking it easy. Halo is Freki while your, erm, out of commission? Then be back as Freki when your all healed. Meaning two Freki's? I really should not leave the clan so often." And why do I know this you may ask? The munin. Each one of us were tapped in with our ancestors, it was easier to get information from them especially in subjects that the clan member may not wish to speak, so soon after a nasty battle. Thanking the munin again, I turned to face my brother, worry lined my eyes as I watched him eat. "Two Freki's, its unheard of. Makes us that more unique." That wasn't what was bothering me, and taking a breathe, I had to ask again. "Are you okay? I know you were severely hurt, and don't downplay anything." I could be very stubborn at times, when it came to family, I wanted to know everything. I was not a child that could easily be hurt by such news. It wouldn't do much to speak of such injuries, but it could help me especially if he was hurting and I needed to help him.

Sniffing the air, I began piling up my own plate, eating more than what I was putting on the plate itself, marveling at all those that were back. Ophelia was around more than usual, often alone where no one could annoy her, which was near the river. Halo was often keeping an eye on her which made me smile. Tamsyn had come back fully after her father was killed, whispers on the breeze told me more than what I could keep up. I missed that battle too, I just hoped none of us were hurt in that battle. Tamsyn hated her father, from seeing her talking to Cole years past, acting as our informant, even I knew she harbored such emotions. "I leave for a month and I miss so much." Hang on, sniffing the air, a strange scent lingered, it was of us, so I didn't need to worry. But it was familiar. "Smell that?" I carefully prodded Devin so I didn't hurt him, that was the one thing I didn't want to do.

[Silvia Loup Garou]

Seeing my niece alive was a shock.
Knowing that things have changed allot in the Loup Garou actually stuck more in my mind than it should have.
I kept finding myself remembering my sister, and the family we had before everything turned to shit.
And, as if that wasn't enough, I felt it... I felt Devin get hurt.
Fuck... it hurt... he must have gotten hurt really bad, for me to feel it like this.
I don't have the munin. Not the same way they are with everyone actually initiated into the clan.
I contact a darker side of the munin, and it's not a 24/7 type deal.
The longer I avoid my internal conflicts on issues I don't even want to revisit, and now this pain with Devon's name on it... I feel drawn to the Luna.
I'm not one of them.... but I used to be.
And I only have to follow this pain back to him.
Things seem a bit tight, allot on the look out for danger around the Luna.
But I still manage to get through any perimeters, unseen and unchallenged.
They will feel and smell me soon... being upwind is the only thing that's got me this far...
But I don't care.
I just want to see him... As if looking at him from afar could make this pain go away.
From this far away, I still know which one is him as he walks with his sister.
Seen him, pain's still here.
Damnit!
Why does everything always come back to the Loup Garou?
I want to be free... I thought I was free...
And now look where I am.
I know one of the clan on patrol is passing behind me, and I stop, not moving, as he passes, waiting for a time where it's safe to come out of my hiding place and go back to civilization.
Fuck I want a drink.

[Devin Loup Garou]

I growled. "They better be a friendly pack or I'll..." I cut myself off. What the hell could I do anyway? A whole lot of nothing. Damn it all. Instead of covering my ass by trying to come up with something to finish off my empty threat, Evie saved me from further humiliation. I shrugged. I didn't know how I was really, let alone how to voice it. She noticed the scar that crossed vertically over my eye, and I saw her hand start to raise, as if she were going to touch it. She stopped herself, and I was thankful I wasn't in my wolf form. The scar was much more apparent then, though the others on my body weren't. Go figure. I ripped a drumstick off a roasting turkey and gnawed at it as we passed. "Shit no. Does Zane ever fight fair? I got a couple good swipes in, nearly eviscerated the bastard when he used some of his black magick to bind me. I couldn't move, I couldn't call the Munin. I was stuck. Fucking frozen as he tore into me, taunting me as he carved me up like this fucking turkey." I waved the drumstick in the air for demonstration, gritting my teeth against the slight pain that shot up my arm.

Evie picked a few nibbles herself as we walked and talked. I tossed the remains of the drumstick into one of the campfires we passed, having picked it clean right quick. I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Cole wasn't too keen on stripping me of my title, while I may yet heal enough to take back the reins, so to speak. But Halo's solid. He knows the gig, so he's running the show for now. I guess there's a first time for everything. It wouldn't be fair to the kid to demote him once I'm ready to hop back in the saddle." My guess was that Cole didn't see it fair to take my hard earned title from me either. Two Freki's are better than one I suppose. And it's not like there'll a rivalry between Halo and I anyway. I taught the kid everything he knows. Like my father had taught me.

I grunted. Damn, Evie was persistent, I'll give her that. "I don't know sis. I'm pretty fucked up, you know. Better now, than a few days back. But I'm not 100%. Zane fucked me up. Now it's not just physical, it's mental too. I just....I don't know." It was the closest thing to the truth I could give her, as it was all I'd sorted out myself. I straightened myself and gave her a brotherly pat on the back. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Evie. I'm cool. I'll be alright. I'm tough and shit." I smirked, chuckling a little. Evie went on placing items on her plate, while I snaked a few here and there. Her plate wasn't getting any fuller at this rate, she was eating more than she piled on, and I was helping with whatever bits actually made it to the plate.

I stiffened beside her, but she was so lost in her thoughts and food that she caught the scent moments after I did. It was a scent I knew damn well. Silvia. Never thought I'd smell her again inside the Luna. But things change, and a lot had gone on since she left. "Damn straight. Leave for even a week and everything changes." I smirked again, a jovial half smile, even as I peered around trying to pinpoint Silvia. As for things changing, Lyra, now Stryker, was back, as was Tamsyn and Ophelia. We'd found Amanda, Syren & Cole's lost daughter, stolen from them by more of Zane's evil magick. And even new pups coming into the family. Stryker and Midian had mated, along with Arwen & Mick. So much had happened, Evie nailed it with her statement. I jerked a little when Evie prodded me from my silence. "Sorry. Yeah. It's Silvia." I stared into the darkness, scanning the lines of the perimeter while tracing Silvia's scent.