@Becfromthedead group
"Definitely worth checking into," Septima said.
"Oh, for sure," Aurelius agreed.
"You were going to go anyway, even if they were a ragtag group that had no idea of what they were doing."
"Hey, maybe I was…"
"Definitely worth checking into," Septima said.
"Oh, for sure," Aurelius agreed.
"You were going to go anyway, even if they were a ragtag group that had no idea of what they were doing."
"Hey, maybe I was…"
Skye laughed, happy to hear it.
"Well, should we get going?" Septima asked, "I figure the sooner I get back home and let everyone know that we're okay, the better."
Aurelius started to stand up. He felt a little weak still, but certainly better than before, now that he had eaten and slept well.
"That's probably for the best."
Silver nodded, getting to his feet and shifting to wolf form. Skye got to his feet also, "I don't suppose we can offer you two a ride?" he asked padding over.
"For him, yes," Septima said, "but I'm fine."
Aurelius grumbled something indistinguishable, but ultimately agreed it was probably better that way.
"It'll be faster if you both ride," said Silver padding up beside Aurelius so he could get on. "There are two of us"
"That's fair, but if you get tired, it surely will not hurt me to walk a distance," Septima replied, "Looking at the terrain, I think we might be closer to home than I thought before, so honestly, the journey shouldn't be difficult or long."
Skye nodded padding up to her side, "Just point us in the right direction" he said,
"I'm not gonna hurt you Aurelius so get on" said Silver watching him calmly.
"I know," Aurelius said, "It just feels wrong, but whatever…"
Septima got on Skye and explained, "I'm not sure exactly where we are, but if we keep moving, then I can probably tell you."
"It's always awkward" said Silver, "But it's better then just walking"
Skye nodded then waited for Silver and Aurelius.
Silver waited till Aurelius was settled before padding up just behind Silver, Skye barked once and they set off at a light lope, letting their riders adjust before speeding up to a comfortable pace.
As they moved on, Aurelius got to thinking. Everything here was very familiar.
"We used to hunt in this forest," he said to Septima, "This is the one, right? It's been years."
She nodded. "Yeah. We did."
Skye and Silver listened in, their pawsteps united. Loping along they waited for any direction from Septima or Aurelius.
"You see how the land is starting to slope upwards and become hilly? There should be a mountain range to the northeast, where the hills are most prominent. We live in a large valley with a stream flowing through it. It feeds into a river flowing southward," Septima explained.
Skye growled in response, barking twice to silver he picked up the pace, Silver catching it up right next to him.
Septima glanced around as they kept going, taking in the scenery.
"I think we're less than twenty miles out," she said.
Silver growled once more in response, barking to Silver again in turn.
As they kept going, Septima could hear the rush of running water.
"Hey, maybe follow the river? That'll give you a clearer path," Aurelius suggested.
Silver barked up to Skye, and Skye pulled back to let Silver take the lead. Following the river they ended up running along the top of a cliff heading down into the valley below.
As they eventually drew into the valley, Septima saw the line of familiar houses and buildings scattered around the valley. She smiled.
"This is it."
"Yeah, sure is," Aurelius muttered, "I kind of miss it, to be honest."
Skye nodded, leveling with Silver as they put on a burst of speed to reach the village like area.
When they finally did reach the area, Septima and Aurelius started towards one of the houses, where Septima and Taurin were living.
"You can come with us," Septima said, "I'm sure Taurin and Lee will be happy to meet you."
Silover and Skye both shifted, and followed the two.
Septima was the one to knock at the door first. She waited a few moments, and her brother opened the door. His soft gray eyes widened as he looked from her to Aurelius, and he only hesitated for a moment before seizing them both in a big hug. Behind Taurin, a much younger woman appeared. Rosalie, their half-sister, stood and watched.
"Aurelius… you're okay," she managed.
Skye and Silver waited outside, sharing a knowing look.
Taurin released his grip and looked over to Skye and Silver.
"Who are they? Did they help you?"
Septima nodded. "Probably wouldn't have found Auri without them." She invited her siblings to walk outside and meet them. "This is Taurin, and this is Rosalie, but we call her Lee a lot of the time."
"Pleased to meet you" said Silver,
"I'm skye," said Skye as an introduction, "And this is Silver"
Taurin dipped his head. "Nice to meet you too. Thank you for helping them come back safely."
Rosalie inched closer to Aurelius and eventually laid her head on his shoulder. She looked like she might cry, she was so relieved he was back.
Skye smiled, "It was coincidence," he said, "I was actually looking to find Silver here, ended up help Aurelius too"
"Yeah, they imprisoned a lot of magic-users…" Aurelius whispered, "It's disgusting. Not to mention, Val was helping them. She's the reason I was thrown into a prison cell in the first place."
Taurin sighed. "I didn't expect this… but no matter, what's done is done. Anyway, do you all want to come inside for a bit. Maybe rest, clean up, get something to eat?"
Skye shrugged, "I never say no to food" he said with a grin.
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