[JRP?]You're the Home My Heart Searched For (Eva & Silabh)

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva closed her bright blue eyes for just a moment, saying a silent prayer to the Goddess of Souls to safely see Katori to Paradise, and give the young lioness the joy in death she could not have in life. Lifting her paw, the Master Healer closed the juvenile's with a gentle touch. The weight of her failure on her shoulders. It was foolish to think she could save them all, but Katori had been so young, the same age as her Saoirse, and as beautiful.

She sighed heavily, and turned to one of the others in Eva's healer's den, " Janel, please send for one of the Secret Keepers."

The golden eyed lioness nodded, her own eyes veiled with sorrow, " Yes Eva." She slipped out on silent paws as Eva moved to the back of her den and the small spring that bubbled up there. She dunked her paws in it, washing them free of the phlegm and blood.  

[Tanakako]

The low evening sunlight that illuminated the healer's den suddenly dimmed, leaving the inside shadowed as a shape blocked the entrance. After several moments the figure ducked inside, causing the interior to darken yet further. The bulk of the visitor was far bigger than any of the secret keepers, a fact perfectly clear as he stood outlined by the setting sun behind. The shadow was still for a long moment, neither breaking the silence or moving from the entrance, but eventually he took a step forwards, the low, husky voice finally breaking the silence that had descended on the den.

"Eva..."

The single word, uttered in that familiar husky low-spoken voice, carried in it a wealth of longing and tenderness, yet also the faint thread of nervousness. As another step brought him further inot the den and away from the entrance, the light illuminated her visitor, picking out the vivid white of his markings and the blue skull mask against the pitch blackness of his fur. Weary but tender amber eyes watched her, full of love and relief though they were held back, restrained as always by the guard's natural polite reservation. Though this time there was far more to his hesitation, unsure if he would be welcomed as warmly as he had been hoping for.

Sliabh stood in the den, quietly watching her, the emotions there in his eyes if one knew what to look for. He was the same lion who had left and yet, he was completely different, there was an air to him that hadn't existed before. It had been a long journey, the miles that had passed under his paws had been many and hard and they had left their mark on the dark lion. New scars overlaced old ones, a body that had always been large and well adapted was now rock-solid with the strength of the earth itself. Amber eyes once so innocent and accepting, now held a wealth of experience within their gaze, joy and sorrow.. pain and sadness, the harsh reality of life alone out on the plains. He had matured out in the rogue lands and it had left him older and wiser. The weight of experience sat across his broad shoulders but instead of dragging him down, it only made him seem more competent, more able to do as he must for the good of his pride, and his family.

Finally, he offered a soft tentative smile, taking one more step forwards towards his beloved Eva'raja. "I have returned..."
 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva went still at the sound of that achingly familiar voice, her paws resting in the water, her heart fluttering against her rib cage like a frightened bird. Silabh... her mind whispered to her, while her body remained paralyzed, hesitant to turn around should that beautiful, earth toned voice just be once more in her mind.

I have returned... the dark colored lioness turned her head, a lock of her mane falling over her blue eyes as she looked over her shoulder toward the front of the cave. She stared at him for several long seconds, drinking in the sight of him, noting the changes in his body, in his eyes. No, he was no longer the young lion he had been...but then again, she was no longer the lioness she had been a year ago when they'd stumbled over their confessions to each other and made promises neither one of them could have kept. Not after so much had happened to them both, but maybe...maybe new promises could be made....she hoped so.

Turning around she watched him with an unreadable expression, her hope in her eyes for a moment before she manged to get herself under control. She did not wish to make him fell obligated over a few words spoken in haste a handful of times over the past year.

Besides...what if there was another, it was something she had always had to keep in the forefront of her thoughts. Silabh had loved her than, he may not now. He'd been with several females, given them cubs...it could be the mother of any of her adopted children was whom the guard desired. He was immune, not even a carrier. He could leave anytime he wished to see whomever he wished. It was something she could not afford her heart to forget.

, " Welcome home Silabh." Eva's voice was low, the tone gentle. They were in her healer's den, the sick here were truly ill and she did not wish to disturb them unduly. The master healer moved back over to Katori's body,covering it with the ibex pelt to wait for the Secert Keepers to come.

" You look well." she whispered to him, keeping her gaze on the young life so quickly gone.  

[Tanakako]

For what felt like an eternity, he simply watched her, drinking in the sight of her sleek, dark form, those bright intelligent eyes and the gentle spirit they reflected. How he had missed her, his soul had felt as if it was missing a part of itself for the past year.

It was the very quiet of the den that allowed him to gather his courage. Had she said anything more, had there been others around them well enough to pay attention, then his heart would have leaped in fright, fearful that she would no longer want him.. He who was now not the innocent he had been, but a father of many cubs, a male who had been with those that were not his mate. He was stained by his own choices, no longer pure, and he knew he was not worthy of the beautiful lioness that had always been in his heart and who now, at last, stood before him.

But there had been one lesson that he had learned on his long journey and it was that which he now drew forth. So, gathering his courage and the hope that had lived within his chest since the night of their fumbled confession, he padded across the shadowed den to where she stood, refusing to meet his gaze.

There were no words, he did not know if any would ever be able to express just how much she meant to him. Instead, he dipped his head, resting his cheek against the flat of her shoulder, his breath rushing from his lungs in a soul-deep sigh.

This was home...
 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva startled, her blue eyes widening as she looked down at the male who rested lightly against her shoulder. His scent came to surround her, and the steady feel of his breath against her fur made tears brighten her gaze. She swallowed against them, feeling like she'd been stabbed by a claw in her chest.

He'd never been so demonstrative before he'd left, another change for her to make note of. The Master Healer was sure that over the next few days, weeks, she would make many more. Her silent, steadfast, guard was gone and this stoic, experienced stranger stood in his place. Could she love the lion who had grown out of the cub she'd felt for with a young lioness affection? Or would what they had thought they had have been as much a myth as hope often was in these plague ridden lands?

Eva bit her lip and turned to lay her head across his ruff, but caught a scent...faint, but lingering..female...leopard. The pain in her chest came back, and she looked down at her paws instead.

" Have...have you had something to eat yet Silabh?" she asked softly.  

[Tanakako]

He felt the quiver that slid through her, felt her body shift as she turned to look at him. Yet he kept his own eyes closed, knowing he couldn't hide the too-bright emotion that lived there. The fear, the longing, the uncertainty, the love... If she rejected him, he did not know what he would do. The thought petrified him.

Then he felt her withdraw and his heart shattered. He did not blame her, it had been so long since that night, but even knowing he was being unreasonable couldn't stop the pain that sliced through his chest. Gently he lifted his head, amber eyes lifting to look back at her, nervous and vulnerable. Slowly he shook his shaggy head, his mane falling across his eyes as it always had.

"No... I came directly here..." His voice was even softer, barely a whisper in the quiet shadows.
 

[Lorne_Sionn]

The look in his eyes nearly undid her, her own blue ones filled with emotions there were to many names for. Hope, sorrow, loss, love, need and fear...all of them warred within her. Swallowing she lifted her paw to brush away his mane, like she had always done, the gesture automatic.

" You traveled a far way Silabh....she whispered softly," you've been gone a very long time...almost a year. The cubs have all grown so much, you'd not recognize some of them now..so many things have changed with the passage of time." Her voice was as soft as his, just as guarded, and just as unsure.

Tucking the edges of the pelt under the lifeless form of the kittling, Eva moved away, toward the front of the den, " Come, let's see if there is any of the afternoon meal left. You can eat while I go give my daily report to the Queen."  

[Tanakako]

It was the gentle, automatic caress of her paw against his cheek that shattered the frozen bonds of nervousness that had him frozen to the spot. Leaning into the light touch he watched her, his gaze never once leaving her as he drank in the sight of his true mate, too long parched of the barest glimpse of her beautiful form and honest, caring eyes.

"I know. I have much to atone for, leaving you, leaving the cubs... all the times you needed me and I was not here..." Trailing off he dropped his head, gaze lowering to the floor as he took a steadying breath, sensing that if he screwed this up, he could loose her forever. It was her movement that drew him back, amber eyes tracking her as she tended the body of the plague's latest victim. Nodding silently he turned and followed her, hesitating before moving up along side her and touching his shoulder to her's.

"I have missed you..." He whispered softly, almost shyly against her mane.
 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva gave him a wane smile, the edges of it worn with the toll of the past year. She, like him, was no longer the naive healer, but the veteran of a very long war against Death, a solider in the trenches of a siege she knew she was not going to win. It had left its mark on her, in the slight dulling of the brightness of her eyes, and the weariness with which she carried her shoulders.

His whispered words made her pause and she turned to look at him, a thinly veiled sorrow in her blue gaze, " I missed you too Sliabh, I needed you here...more then you will ever know."

She touched her nose to his cheek, then turned from him and began to lead him down from the sick dens and to the kills below.  

[Tanakako]

A gentle smile touched his maw as she turned back to him, yet even with the joy of seeing her again and the worry of what the time apart meant to them both, he could see how she too, had changed. She was older of course, but there was a sombre weight to her expression now, a seriousness that had been only partially formed when he had left. Clearly the seasons had not been kind on the pride and it showed in his beloved healer. She looked tired, pushed to the limits of her endurance and yet, the trials and sorrows had given her a beauty that he could not begin to describe. The purity of her soul was visible in her eyes, the depths of her care for her fellow pride members and the lengths she went to in order to aid them in any way she could, it was all written in her figure, making her seem both fragile and infinitely strong, tender as well as eternal. Her gentle manner belied the strength he knew lay within her. And he loved her all the more for it.

Though her words caused a deep well of guilt to rise up within his chest, he knew that he would never again abandon her. he had done his duty tot he pride, had done as their Queen wished.... now, at last, he hoped they could finally have that life together that they had so often talked about. Of course it would be hard, they woul need to start from the begining, learning slowly about each other, rediscovering the private inner souls that had been buried deeper by their experiences apart. But he believed it possible, he still loved her and he hoped she still loved him. Together, he knew they could confront any obstacle and overcome it.

The brief touch against his cheek made his heart melt and he willingly, gratefully, turned to follow her wherever she wished to lead him.