As soon as Winter entered Canis, and the cold air began to decrease, she came a little more to her senses. Instincts had been yelling at her to set her head down and sleep peacefully instead of go forward with gusto towards whatever the Trials held in store. She glanced back, feeling a little unsure of herself. Was this really a good idea?

She sighed. Well, too late to turn back now. From the look of the hooded figure, she doubted that he'd just let leave after she'd said she'd go. And anyways, he'd said that it was a way to prove worth. It'd been a long time since she felt like she had any real meaning to anyone. Especially now that she was alone. Kielo nowhere in sight. Vesna and Lyra off somewhere else. There were dangers in the caves that were still present and very real. She needed to be strong so she could protect those that meant anything to her.

But wait...how long was I asleep? Things had obviously changed - there was a darker air to the whole of the caves and this new tunnel, this new cave...how long had those been there? She wondered if her family even remembered her.

If they were even cared anymore.

Lyra had heard every word. Hiding in a nook near the gathering, listening to what the gathered were saying. And what this “Merchent” was instructing them to do. Go into Hydra and...do what, exactly? It hadn’t been clear - some kind of Trial? But what she gathered was that it was dangerous. Deadly. And others had been through it before.

And some had died.

She shivered. She’d only followed Winter here because she hadn’t seen her in a while. Lyra had been off exploring, staying low, generally keeping to herself, but now that she knew her mother was awake, that she was still alive, she wanted to stay with her. Keep it that way.

But why was she going off to these Trials? What was the point? She ground her wolfish teeth together and turned and fled through Canis. The Trials weren’t happening yet so she still had time to stop her. Hopefully, Winter would take this path out. She’d come this way.

And Lyra was right - Winter came sliding through the tunnel, not noticing her pressed against the wall. When she paused, Lyra stepped up behind her, not bothering to keep her presence concealed. ”Mom?”

Winter whipped around when she heard a small and very familiar voice whisper behind her. She turned, eyes wide, as she gazed upon Lyra for the first time in...a very long time. She looked almost just how Winter remembered her, although her age and maturity was obvious in her eyes. She’d changed these past cycles, while Winter slept them away in her gemstone prison.

”Lyra,” she whispered, moving forward. ”You...I...I’m so happy to see you!” A smile twinkled in her eyes as she reached forward to press her nose against Lyra’s muzzle, shivering with happiness as her daughter pressed back, a small rumble of joy in her chest.

The moment held for a while, a mother and daughter at last reuniting after so many cycles apart. Warm fur pressed against scales and their bodies trembled with the force of their emotions. Both soaked up each other’s company as if they’d never experienced love until now.

Winter backed away a moment later, gazing up at her daughter with overwhelming love and affection. She had wondered if she would ever see her again, if she was even alive after all this time. Her time since reemerging was spent in constant worry and fear that Blackberry had found them, maybe. Or some other creature with a thirst for blood. Or some great threat to the caves that Winter had not seen coming before had struck and split her family apart.

She would ask Lyra - perhaps not now, but certainly later. For now, the only question on her mind was “What are you doing here?”

Lyra pressed against Winter’s snout with the smallest groans of joy. She had missed her so much in the many cycles that they’d been apart. It had been so long that she didn’t even know exactly how long it had been since she’d left the family home. How long it had been since she’d seen either of her parents. Or Vesna, wherever she was now.

She hadn’t had as much fear as Winter, however - she knew that they were both still alive. She didn’t know if they’d gone into hibernation, as Winter had, or if they wandered the caves still, but Lyra knew that they were safe and still kicking.

She pulled back just as Winter did, long tail wagging happily behind her. “It’s so good to see you, mom,” she whispered. Her concerns about Winter’s actions and decision about joining the Trials weren’t important right now. They were back together, at last, and that was all that mattered.

Until...it did matter.

She blinked and looked down. ”I...I followed you. I went to check on your chrysalis and realized that you had broken out. I’ve gotten pretty good at tracking lately so I followed your scent until I got here. Through the tunnel...over there.” She paused as she wondered if it was wise to continue, but Lyra had never been very good at lying. ”And...also...I heard what the guy said. What all of them were saying. You’re joining some kind of Trial, right? A dangerous one?”

When Winter didn’t respond, she grew panicked. ”You...you’re not serious, right? You can’t! The Trials...didn’t you hear the others? It’s dangerous! You could probably die!” She pressed forward and licked the top of Winter’s head frantically. ”Please don’t do it, mom. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Winter didn’t say anything as Lyra pressed forward her questions. Her heart was tugging in her chest at this point, but her mind was set on the task at hand. ”Lyra,” she whispered as the wolf-snake began to groom the scales on her head. ”I’m going. It’s been a long time since I did anything good. I raised you, sure, but the caves are more dangerous now. I have to be strong enough to protect you and Kielo and Vesna and everyone else I love. I think the Trials will be the right thing for me.”

She pulled back when Lyra stopped her licking and gazed up at her daughter warmly. ”Don’t worry - I’ll be fine! I’ve handled worse then a little snow.” Well, actually, she didn’t know how bad snow was, considering she’d never really experienced it before. But she wasn’t about to tell Lyra this - she had to be strong for her sake. And she had to be stronger, so that nobody would ever harm her family.

And, perhaps, she could finally start liking herself.

Lyra stopped when Winter began to speak. She took a step back from her mother, shivering on the spot. She was...was she an idiot? Did she know anything? Obviously not, since she had no idea that she would fall right asleep immediately when she entered that cave. Lyra doubted that she had even seen snow before now.

Ironic, considering her name.

She shook her head. ”Mom, listen to me. I’ve been on my own for a while now. I’ve heard a lot of rumors floating around about the Trials and about that Merchant guy, and about...just...what’s going on. And you gotta listen to me - you can’t beat the Trials.” Her eyes drifted across the numerous scars covering Winter’s body. She’d certainly gone through trials of her own, but Lyra didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt.

After all, she had some of her own. Some that went as deep as Winter’s.

Winter sighed. ”Lyra. I love you. I love you more than I can say. But please...go back home. I’ll come back to you there when I’m out of the Trials. I promise, I’ll be fine.” She was confident in this, even though she knew that she shouldn’t be. But she had to put on a front for her daughter. She had to protect her. If the Trials would make her strong so that she would never have to fear for her family again, then she would do anything.

She had to force herself forward, because she’d spent way too long sleeping selfishly. She’d spent way too long being a pacifist. And while she hadn’t seen her family get hurt during that time, the was too afraid, especially with the state the caves were in now.

Lyra didn’t understand. She was an adult now, yes, but Winter had seen more than her. She sighed again. ”I’ll be fine,” she repeated, quieter. ”You don’t have to worry about me. Go home - find Kielo if you can, and I’ll see you back there.” She pushed quietly passed her daughter back towards the tunnel.

Lyra felt like she was falling. Why was she being like this? She knew that Winter was stubborn, but this...this was for her life! She wouldn’t be fine, she wasn’t listening. She was treating Lyra like she was just a tiny child again and the wolf found herself growing angry. She had once thought that it would be impossible to get her worked up, but throughout the cycles that she’d been alone she’d found that it was nearly impossible to avoid negative emotions.

So when Winter pushed past her, she whipped around and stepped in front of her, lip curling. ”No. I won’t let you go, mom. I’m not a child anymore, you don’t have to protect me. If anything, I have to protect you - you’ve been asleep for too long. You don’t know what you’re getting into. If you go into Hydra, you’ll die.”

She tried to put on a determined expression - she tried to look angry and dangerous so that Winter would back away, but she couldn’t keep the fear out of her eyes. Not for herself, but for her mother and what she was beginning to realize she’d have to do if Winter wouldn’t stop.

Winter’s eyes widened when Lyra stepped in front of her. A spark of something rolled through her - anger, just a little bit, and frustration. She was blinded - she hadn’t been there for her daughter for cycles and cycles and her assumption was correct - she wasn’t seeing her as an experienced adult but a child, shy and nervous. She didn’t realize how much her daughter had changed over the past cycles.

She raised her head from the ground, hood beginning to spread. ”Move out of the way. You can’t stop me from going. You can’t hold me here by force.” She felt her fangs itching to strike - she was angry that her daughter was defying her like this. All she needed to do was remove her from her way...but she couldn’t hurt her. She wouldn’t hurt her. Ever.

Still, she made it known that she was still dangerous - she was a fighter and if Lyra didn’t step out of her way, she was in danger too. Not that there was any real danger behind the implied threat. ”I’m doing this for your sake, Lyra. Yours, Vesna’s, and Kielo’s.”

Lyra flinched when Winter stood to her level, the flaring of the hood alerting her to how emotional she was getting. Unfortunately, she knew that the threat Winter was displaying was empty. Lyra knew her too well - she was kind. She was gentle. She wouldn't hurt her or anyone she loved. Lyra began to tremble, tears collecting at the corner of her eyes. She knew what she had to do - but did she have the strength to do it?

She had to. For her mother's sake. A surge of sudden bravery and strength that she had never carried before flooded through her veins. She stepped forward, the fear in her eyes intensifying and the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. I don't want to do this. But it was necessary.

"I'm sorry, mom," she whispered. "But I can't let you go. Please...forgive me for this." Without warning, she lunged forward, a paw raising to smash down on the top of Winter's head, pressing her head into the ground in case she was wrong and Winter decided to attack her.