He'd slept for a few days, the rest was well needed and he was surprised for how long his travels had put him out of commission for. It was unlike him to just laze about and recover, he hated it frankly. Perhaps that was the dog in him, always needing to do something.

His bones itching to move and yet he was under strict orders to stay put, he had no visitors, no wandering eyes to see the new guy or anything of that nature. It had been quiet besides the occassional attendant passing through to bring him food and ask him how he was doing.

This was going to be his home now, Kodi's mind wandered back to when he'd told the Vicory that. The shock Merc probably felt and at the time he couldn't tell her why. She'd seen a fool and an idiot before her then, a broken man, and knowing full well he wouldn't be able to keep it from her. Fuck.

The wolfdog rolled to his side, inhaling deeply and exhaling slow and tired. Bi-colored eyes opened just as slowly and he'd peer out of den to the world outside. Winter had come, at last. The snow had begun to fall and all the world outside was coated in a blanket of white. Slumbering and quiet till spring.

An attendant walked in then, herbs in her mouth and she motioned to him with a warm smile and she'd open her mouth to ask the same question that had become repetative these past few days. "I feel fine, thank you." He'd answer before she could ask, his deep voice still a tad hoarse. She'd eye him with a raised brow and snort in spite of his answer. "But, could you find Mercury for me?" He'd roll to his stomach, laying up right now. Kodi's ears would pull back and a feeling of tired dread washed upon.

The female blinked and nodded, leaving the area with little more than that. No doubt, Tikaani- No, Mercury, wanted to see him as well. The attendant returned, stepping aside to make room and then left entirely, and the male felt a prickle of cold run up his spine. "I've sure got some... explaining to do, huh?" If you could even call it that, Kodi. A sigh. "And you deserve the proper answers."

It had been agony to wait for Kodi to heal.  She had done her best to leave him alone, to let him rest.  The Halos had given strict instructions about his quarantine, and had turned her away when she had come too early to check on him.  He was recovering, she was assured, and they would send for her when he was ready for visitors.  She kept coming back anyway, often in the mornings and evenings.  Her days were spent learning her duties, and while important, she was distracted by all of the "what ifs" that came with Kodi's arrival.

Finally, an attendant came to fetch her, stating that Kodiak was well enough for visitors and was requesting to see her.  That was good.  The Dark Moon hastily followed her back, and was led to the den where he had been staying.  With a nod to the leaving Halo, She took a deep breath, and stepped across the threshold into the den.

"I've sure got some... explaining to do, huh?"

He still looked less than well to her.  He was skinnier than she remembered, less muscle and more bone.  It had been the same for her when she arrived.  Traveling alone, especially for a time, did that.  Canines, dogs and wolves alike, were meant to have a team, a pack; others to rely on for support.  It didn't seem like he was very pleased at the idea of the conversation.  Mercury had considered not coming straight away, had debated with herself how much she wanted to know, and it had created an endless string of scenarios playing out in her head.  It had become dizzying, and it ate at her already nervous gut.  She still didn't know what she was going to do about Kodiak, who would certainly be a loose thread in her life here.  She, too, would have some explaining to do; to Alana.

"We both have tales to tell." She agreed.


"And you deserve the proper answers."

"As do you.  I did not explain myself very well when last we spoke."

Ears pulled back as the dark female stood before him, he'd try to meet her gaze, but found it all too... unsettling to say the least. With a quick cough to clear his throat his bi-colored eyes fell back to the ground and he shrugged his shoulders. Where the hell would he begin with this one? A deep breath to steady himself and help in clearing his thoughts, but he still felt like it was a monumental task.

"I was.. I was still with them, even after you left. They were distraught by it, you remember. We were all so close." Kodi finally said, his claws drumming against the cold ground of the den. Merc couldn't have left at a worse time, their human being taken and they'd been left to fend for themselves. "We never found Him." Or at least, I never did.

Another breath and his eyes narrowed and his claws dug troughs into the ground, he'd winced lightly at the sudden ache of pain. Yeah, she was right in thinking he hadn't completely recovered. "Some of them, a lot of them, couldn't survive on their own. They were weak, it was no fault of theirs. It's just how it is, you know?" Looking up to her then, his expression unreadable. "No one died, at least when I was there, no one was dead. They joined a rogue group of dogs. I clashed with their leader's ideas and methods. Told them I'd be going back to looking for our human and left it at that." Gruff voice going hoarse once more and he'd cough again.

"Thought about going back, but the more I was out there on my own.. the harder it was to get back." His heart wasn't in it any longer, and he'd know that Merc would probably see through his reasoning in a second for being selfish, but he couldn't even begin to feel sorry for the choices he made. "You can imagine the surprise I got when suddenly you're here too." He wouldn't blame her for leaving, he wouldn't judge her. It was her choice, sometimes you need to take responsibility for your own happiness.

Eyes focused on her and he shook his head, they were so far from the days of pulling sleds and sleeping by warm fires under a sky filled to the brim with stars.

I was.. I was still with them, even after you left. They were distraught by it, you remember. We were all so close."

They had been, had to be.  They were a team, a machine that worked together only if it was well oiled.  It was Mercury's turn to look away.  She'd been the first to abandon them.  They had wanted to go after the man, had wanted to save the only life they had ever known, ever wanted.  She had another, and had instead, answered the call of the wild.  When the team needed to be whole, she had fractured it.  Just like she had failed Nardir, she had failed them with her selfishness.

"We never found Him."

"I am truly sorry."  Inadequate words that could not even begin to repay the debt.

"Some of them, a lot of them, couldn't survive on their own. They were weak, it was no fault of theirs. It's just how it is, you know? No one died, at least when I was there, no one was dead. They joined a rogue group of dogs. I clashed with their leader's ideas and methods. Told them I'd be going back to looking for our human and left it at that."

She knew what he meant.  They were pure dogs, and didn't have the drive to live without a Master.  A strong leader would have been enough for them. Had it been Kodi to desert them? Or had the other dogs deserted by giving up on their Master?  Mercury could not say.  The team was fractured, gone.  But Kodi was here, and had spoken of staying to Puffin.  Perhaps he too, was tired of chasing something lost?  She was still trying to come to grips with it herself.  Not just of their Master, but of the Nardir she had known.

"I found my sister."  Mercury said quietly, beginning her own tale. "Some of the old pack yet remain, but much of what I remember of home is lost."

There was no going back, no recovering the past.  Time was a river that only flowed in one direction, and they were powerless in the current.

He'd felt bad, in the back of his mind there came a nagging thought of how it might have seemed like he was guilting or blaming her for the decision she had made. When it wasn't his intentions in the slightest. I am truly sorry. "Hey, I don't want you blaming yourself for what happened to the team, or our human. It's just something that happened, out of both of our control."

There wasn't much to say other than that, it was never about passing blame, but learning to just accept the things that you couldn't change. He'd exhale a heavy breath, his features did little to hide the exhaustion that still clung to his body.

Had it been any other place, but this one. Would he have stayed? He wondered if that was what was going through her mind. Was he grasping for familiarity and finding comfort within it? To be honest, either way he would've stayed. There was nothing left for him back in that place he had come to know as a home, it was gone.


I found my sister. Some of the old pack yet remain, but much of what I remember of home is lost. Brows raised, she hardly shared much of her past with the group and he never exactly was one to pry it out of her. She had given them few small details, he knew there was a sister and another home, that was about it. "Oh.." He said softly, a silence falling between them until he cleared his throat. "Ahem.. That must have- That must have been very strange for you... the both of you that is. It's been a long time since you last saw her and this place after all? It wasn't meant to sound like a question, but there was just the whole uncertainty and awkwardness of the situation.

"I'm sure she's glad to have you back, you're family after all." Regular families missed each other, that's what they were supposed to do. "But what about you? This place, did it change? Are you assimilating back into your old pack life well enough?" There was genuine curiosity added with a pinch of  'I'm asking because I care'. He wasn't the only stranger to Nardir now, and he wasn't sure which was worse, being completely new or being a longstanding member only to return to a completely different home. They were both so used to being displaced after all.

"Hey, I don't want you blaming yourself for what happened to the team, or our human. It's just something that happened, out of both of our control."

Mercury shook her head.  "I could have stayed. I could have helped you search."

The team had been her new family, despite the some of her stubbornness.  She had never let go of the fact that she had been a wolf among dogs.  But coming home, she had wondered if it had been better to be a dog after all.  She carried the guilt of knowing that her dual families would only end in disappointment.  That she would be letting at least one of them down.  Mercury had been so focused on righting the wrongs of Nardir, she hadn't realized how much she would regret not staying with her team at their greatest time of need.  She recognized that she had repeated her mistake.  She had run when she should have stayed.  Perhaps it was her own arrogance that made her think that she would have made a difference, but mostly, it was just her left to wonder if she could have changed things by being there.  She was forever bearing the burdens of what if.

"Oh.. Ahem.. That must have- That must have been very strange for you... the both of you that is. It's been a long time since you last saw her and this place after all?"

Mercury gave him a wry smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I had never seen this place until I was led here. The pack has been here for many moons, but this is not the territory where I was born."


Was not, even, the territory where they had settled when she had still been with them.  She hadn't gotten a chance to hear the entire tale, but her pack had been through quite a few moves over the years.  It had been part of the reason she was having so much trouble.  She had to relearn the land as well as the pack.

"I'm sure she's glad to have you back, you're family after all.  But what about you? This place, did it change? Are you assimilating back into your old pack life well enough?"

Apparently, her disharmony was obvious.  Mercury winced, and shook her head.

It is... unsettling to feel a stranger in one's own home. There is much that remains as I remember it; my sister is as she has always been..."

She did not mention the fact that she felt Alana straining under the weight of her crown.  It was something that was to be discussed between them, not as idle gossip.  As much as she trusted the Kodiak from her team, this was a free creature that lay before her.  Without the yolk, or in their case: harness, of duty, would he prove to likewise remain the same?  Mercury felt badly for doubting him, but she felt the reflection of her own actions would have strained their bond.  After all, she had been trustworthy too.  Up until the moment she had chosen her family over their life together.   She left the team behind and didn't look back until she knew she would never see them again.  Except now he was here, and she had been reconsidering her choice.

I am... adjusting." she finished, lamely.

He looked at her dryly, what more was there to do? What more could she have done, that they hadn't done themselves? An extra body wouldn't have tipped the scales of their search, not the way she thought. Kodi was nothing if not a realist. His shoulders dropping with a shrug and a shake of his own head. He wouldn't try to convince her any further, he knew in she had done what she needed to, just as he had.

Bi-colored eyes glanced at her curiously as a quizzical brow was quirked in her direction. "This place moved?" His voice grumbled thoughtfully, that too happened. Packs picking up and moving if land got bad or something, or at least he assumed it happened. Kodi's entire knowledge of packs extended as far as a dog sled team. Soooo, not very well. His father was a wolf, yes, but not a guy he had ever met. On a team with a human, he was always forced to move around, location changed faster than the seasons. It was hard to feel homesick for one place, when your didn't have enough time to spread your roots. "Well, you were with us. We bounced from one place to the next, I mean... It's kinda hard for me to relate, but I can see why that would be... uh... difficult." Life had a lot of hard pills to swallow, one of Merc's would be that her home was vastly different than how she left it.

"Uh huh...right." His ears would pull back as his eyes scanned her, lips forming into a fine line. He wasn't sure if she was being totally honest here. Barriers were always up, even after all this time, and honestly Kodiak was guilty of keeping them up himself. "Full disclosure here, right?" It was said with a tilt of his head, and a flick of his tail. "I'm not gonna chew your head off, this your home and this is your family. I honestly don't know why I'm here, but I am." The male said flatly, looking down at his paws absentmindedly. He'd lost what he was going to say, or perhaps thought it was best not to say it at all. Not yet, anyway.

"However, you've got a lot of time to make up for. It should help you get back in the good graces of your family." Not like she had much to worry in that aspect, from what he saw at face value, people here seemed friendly enough. "As for me, I'm gonna have to learn how to do pack things. Shouldn't be too hard, I mean pack life is in my blood right? Hah."

"This place moved?"

It was Mercury's turn to chuckle.  While Kodi meant the pack, his phrasing led her to poke a little fun at his expense.

"The mountains?  Surely not. Life has been hard on my people." She joked, then more seriously; "The pack has been forced to move several times since I was young. "

"Well, you were with us. We bounced from one place to the next, I mean... It's kinda hard for me to relate, but I can see why that would be... uh... difficult."

Mercury shook her head, less sure of how to phrase what made her feel restless.  She had told him and the team very little about her life before, only that she had a family and specifically a sister who would be missing her.  She never said what her job used to be.  Before, it had never mattered.  She was a part of a family pack and had a sister, she'd been a warrior who had fought for her people.  Then she was a prisoner of Man, and made it clear to them that she intended to go home eventually.  Now she was free, and she had no idea what to do with that freedom.  The whole world lay before her, and all she wanted was a job.  Oh, how she was squandering her freedom.

"It is...  the pack's dynamic.  Outside influences and new faces... positions with names I do not know or understand.  It feels more that I am starting again anew.  My place here... no longer exists."

Alana ruled with a mate, she no longer needed Mercury.  Or so the Dark Moon thought.

"Uh huh...right."

He didn't sound convinced.  Mercury wanted to growl in frustration, but stayed silent.  She wasn't just ready yet to be like "I'm a Queen, alright?!"  It just wasn't in her nature. Better if he didn't find out... if she could avoid it.  He'd never let her live it down.

"Full disclosure here, right? I'm not gonna chew your head off, this your home and this is your family. I honestly don't know why I'm here, but I am. However, you've got a lot of time to make up for. It should help you get back in the good graces of your family. As for me, I'm gonna have to learn how to do pack things. Shouldn't be too hard, I mean pack life is in my blood right? Hah."

"You truly intend to stay?"

Was it wrong for her to be hopeful?

He glance at her sourly, ears pulling back and sneering at her as he gave a bit of sarcastic laughter. Hahahahaa, really funny, you smart aleck. The two were notorious for picking at each other and making jokes back during their days with the team, it was nice to see that at least that was the same.

Kodi sympathized with her, as best he could, he'd always known one home, meanwhile Merc here was leading a dual life. Believing she had closed the book on one chapter of her life to return back to her home, her pack, and ended up with something following her back from a former life. It kinda made him feel guilty.

But he too was closing that book, finishing off that chapter, and starting anew.

"It's easier to move when you're numbers are small." He mumbled, that's what made it so easy for their little group. "I can't imagine having to move a pack. All those members you'd have to look out for,  sounds like a nightmare." Hectic, stressful, and chaotic. No, thanks.

Tattered ears would perk up and he'd side eye her with a raised brow, his expression stern yet miffed by her words. This was her home, sure it was different, but there were usually jobs for everyone. (Oh boy, were there ever, little did he know.) "I'm pretty sure you said the same thing about being on a team with dogs. I honestly don't think it's any different, just takes sometime? You'll find your place with your people, you're worrying too much." The wolfdog would give a shrug, he never thought of himself as the voice of reason or clarity, but he told it how it was.


Ears pulled back and his brows raised, a smile pulling at his lips. "Wow, don't sound so surprised. When you say it like that, it almost sounds like you don't want me here." He'd chuckle, snorting derisively at her comment. "In all seriousness, yeah. I do intend on staying, I've got nothing to go back to. No real reason to go back." His mind thought of the team and staved off the need to frown. "Like they say, one door closes and another one opens."

"
"It's easier to move when you're numbers are small. I can't imagine having to move a pack. All those members you'd have to look out for,  sounds like a nightmare."

She scoffed, as though affronted.

"The pack does not need to be leased together and dragged along."

Which really didn't mean that it wasn't a nightmare.  One she had no idea she would have to deal with ever again, let alone very soon.

"I'm pretty sure you said the same thing about being on a team with dogs. I honestly don't think it's any different, just takes sometime? You'll find your place with your people, you're worrying too much."

Mercury was always worrying too much.  That was one of her biggest problems.  Even at home, as free as a bird, she worried.  Worried about what she was.  Kodi, ever the practical sort, didn't seem to concerned.  But then, what did he have concerned with besides sore paws?  Mercury inwardly chided herself.  He was in the same place she was, among strangers he now had to fit in with.  Perhaps it was why she had felt she could speak to him when she was unable to talk to Alana.  Alana didn't know what it felt like to be an outsider.  Mercury did.  Now so did Kodiak.  They were a pair, and she realized she was happy to have him with her.


"Wow, don't sound so surprised. When you say it like that, it almost sounds like you don't want me here."

"That is untrue!" Mercury interrupted, which earned her another snort.  Kodi knew how to get under her skin.

"In all seriousness, yeah. I do intend on staying, I've got nothing to go back to. No real reason to go back. Like they say, one door closes and another one opens.."

She just watched him, her face relaxing from the snarl but her brows still furrowed together.  She was so caught up in her own moping, she hadn't really given much thought as to what it meant for Kodi to leave the team.  She, at least, had a foothold here.  He only had... her.

"I will talk to Alana. Nardir has always welcomed those who need a new start, I am certain she will know what we should do.  "

We?