As the days passed Garius did his best to strengthen and organize the pack for travel back into the area of great trees. They would stop along the way to gather Nibelski and their pups. He hoped she was resting well and he trusted Augustus and the humans to take care of her. Soon they would be reunited and his new family would become part of his old family. It gave him a hope he never had before. Until Nibelski had come along, Garius felt he was just doing the same things over and over without a purpose. He watched his parents die, he watched new life arrive, yet he always felt alone. He thought that was how it was supposed to be when you are a leader. He was strong and there were many who showed interest in being with him, but he preferred his time alone. At least he did until he met Nibelski.
Spending such a long time with her he found a rare bond and he realized that she filled a place of need that he did not realize that he had. Now he was a father as well and he spent his time in reflection of his own youth and how his father raised him. Now that he was older he could see the wisdom in the choices that he disagreed with in the past. His father was tough, but he was always there when it mattered. He wished he was here to see his pups. Garius felt that maybe in some way, out there in the great eternal mist, he had seen and was very happy. He could not wait to see Nibelski and the pups again, but first things must be tended to here.
Werson was recovering well and the plants they had fed him were giving him back the strength he had lost. It was through much discussion that they realized that Siphel had obviously poisoned Werson and a few other of the stronger wolves. Werson was lucky to survive it, but two others had perished and had been eaten by the bear. Garius sat in silence as they told him about the horrors they endured while he was away. He realized that Siphel was a greater monster than the bear. How could a wolf do this to his own kind? Garius reflected on events in the past with Siphel and he cursed the fact that he did not deal with him sooner. Even he could not see the self-serving monster that Siphel had become. He was weak and Garius felt that he was too kind to him since he was an older wolf. He felt it was the pack's duty to look out for each other, yet that is not what Siphel saw.
It would take weeks for the pack to fully recover and Garius would make trips back to see Nibelski and the pups. They were getting larger and soon would be ready for some short travel to a den he found nearby the place where he and Nibelski had conceived them. There were places for the pack nearby and they could travel further north into the woods where Nibelski had come from. He felt it important for her to rediscover that place and Augustus knew all the details to get them there.
Augustus had also traveled back to his family and brought them close to the wolves cave so that they could help them hunt and prepare for the journey that they would embark on soon. Augustus had let Garius know how good the humans had been to Nibelski and to the pups. They were almost like family and Garius would never forget their kindness for helping them both. Garius taught the pack about their kindness and made sure they understood true family. The crows, the humans, we must learn to live together and help each other whenever possible.
The world had changed so much and it all felt like a new beginning for everyone with many adventures still out there awaiting to be discovered.