Starling padded through  the rather mushy lands of the plains. He could tell it was beginning to soak up into the earth, which was good. He didn't know how much longer he could live in the mud, how much more of this he could take. But really mud was the least of their worries, wasn't it? They had so much else to focus on... He would sigh softly and shake his head before continueing his search. He needed to find his wayward sister. The more time he spent with her, the more he knew that something wasn't right. That look in her eye...he knew it well, because it often reflected back at him. Starling was probably one of the least confident wolf in all of Abaven, but he had been lucky. It didn't take him long to find his niche, to find the one thing he was good at, and that he enjoyed. His entire life was devoted to his craft, his everything. He knew Sparrow wanted to heal as well, but he had been so focused on his own that he hadn't helped his sister flourish and bloom. He seemed to be the first to know, only because he was usually the first to know things. He had known of the seige, and of Sin, because he had been the one to warn his father of the man. He had known of Finch, only because Bass had thought he had disappeared along with her. Lark seemed to know, because he was being groomed to be the heir. But oh, what about the other siblings? Finch...was so nervous, so anxious, she didn't know much. She was still a child at heart, and he knew she hadn't found her craft just yet. Shrike was so energetic and everywhere, but Starling knew that he would be a wonderful field medic. But Sparrow...he was concerned. So he was looking for her now, searching in the packlands first to see if he could find her here, before he sent Stella out to find her outside of the lands. "Burn Baby Burn" | "Italian"

She was out now, laying about, half in and half out of an unmarked den. She didn't feel like she could move. Her mind was spinning. Sparrow's heart hammered heavily in her chest, her stomach turned, though she didn't throw up. Since Finch had been brought back, her mind spun and spun. Finch wasn't stupid. Finch was raised around healers. Finch was already cautious and flighty. Who could have done this? Sparrow breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. She counted, timing her breaths, breathing long, drawn out breaths.

Who hurt Finch? Who could have gotten to her?

A sound. Minty eyes lifted, looking for the noise. Starling. He had been with Finch. Maybe he knew how she was doing. What had poisoned her? Were they able to find a scent on her? After so many wolves piled on to help her, she was sure it was impossible to distinguish a scent. Had Finch remembered anything? Could even her memories be trusted? Sparrow opened her mouth to hall out to her brother, but her maw was dry. When had she eaten last? When did she last drink anything. With a small, defeated huff, Sparrow eyed Starling as he drew closer, maybe for the first time, not bounding to him in greeting. She just lay there, though her mind was racing away, she laid there.

She didn't seem so hard to find, luckily. There she was, laying half in her den, staring at him. He paused for a moment, blinking over large blue eyes as his lips drew in a line. The last time he had seen her, he had felt so hurt by her, even if she hadn't meant to, and now he was here to do to the good brother thing and help her with that look in her eyes, with her insecurities. And for a moment, he wanted to stop and turn back. But he didn't. They were close, they had to be. So slowly, he took a deep breath and stepped closer to stand infront of her. Large paws shifted awkwardly as he stared down at her before he let out a slow breath. "Sono un buon guaritore." He said slowly, looking at her. "E 'l'unica cosa che posso fare, l'unica cosa che trovo a mio agio con. Non posso combattere, non posso proteggere la nostra famiglia, io non sono livello, guidato abbastanza da portare. E 'tutto quello che posso fare." His voice was slow, steady as he stared at his sister. "E ' tutto quello che faccio, pure. Ogni secondo di ogni giorno, anche i miei sogni sono dedicati alla guarigione. A causa di questo, ero stato a distrarsi per aiutarvi con la vostra, e mi dispiace." He paused then, feeling his legs shake. But he had to talk to her. This had all been up in the air for far too long, and it wasn't good for the pack, or for their relationship. He adored his siblings, and he wanted them all to flourish. He took another deep breath before letting it go, just looking at his sister. He needed to get this all out. "Mi sento come... tu non mi rispetti come un guaritore, perché non avete trovato appena ancora la tua nicchia. Mi sento come se fossi secondo tasso nei tuoi occhi." He whispered, his eyes shifting away. He couldn't look at her now, but he'd continue on. "Voglio aiutare voi... come posso aiutarla" "Burn Baby Burn" | "Italian"

Starling approached and Sparrow found herself sighing. She didn't feel like talking, so she just listened. Starling used Italian to speak to her. He said he was a good healer. Sparrow's ears flicked back. Okay, cool...? She didn't know where he was going with this. He talked about how dedicated he was to his craft and then ended with how that had made him too distracted to help her. Since she was feeling snarky, she thought to herself, "Yeah, as if I need your help." The girl breathed softly. Okay, she was being rude.

Wait. No. He was being rude.

Sparrow felt like her trust was dividing. Did he just say that she didn't respect him because SHE hadn't found her niche. He said he wanted to help her, but Sparrow felt like she was a bit beyond that point. She didn't even want to speak Italian right now, "No, you're wrong. I DO respect you as a healer. I ALWAYS have. When I came back with Dad and saw how advanced you are, I was SO INSPIRED. I was SO PROUD. I DON'T respect you making everything about how you feel at the moment. I'm tired of trying to stop wars and explain situations just to have you, my brother, get all emotional and run away. You want to say I don't respect you, but you don't respect yourself." Sparrow let the silence fall for a moment. She thought about every meeting where Starling left. She thought about how he always shied away from her when they would try to find herbs together, "I didn't need your HELP growing up, I needed your companionship. You're too busy acting like I'm after your rank and disappearing for a season to even act like I'm your sister anymore."

Sparrow readjusted, slowly sitting up, "Listen. With Finch, I wasn't sure, and when everyone asked me what happened, I tried to give an objective view. I knew what herbs you used and I could smell them- even though I'm sure Aunt Harmony could too. I was trying to keep everyone in the pack informed since it didn't seem like anyone else could talk. You yourself say you aren't levelheaded. I was trying to be. I was trying to help. Who else could even name the herbs? Sorry I didn't hand out compliments and honors, I thought saying you were the one to treat her would be enough, but you turned and left our sister as if I had attacked you. Nothing I said was out of malice, Starling. I never would try to undermine you, but you had already done your part and I thought it was time for us to rest since our travels had been long and we had pushed our limits. I said we were tired, and you, acting the way you did, proved me right. We were all emotionally strained, but I was just trying my best." Sparrow stopped now, panting softly. Her eyes covered slightly with tears, but they didn't fall, "You think I don't respect you, but you never once respected me. Because I wasn't a healer. Because I wasn't Lark or Dad... or Lillianna. I might not have a niche, and I may not be an amazing healer, or Dad's favorite, or anything, but damn it I'm TRYING." Sparrow shook her head and stood, "I'm just so tired of everyone acting like I'm some dumb creature who just opens my maw to insult people. And now you're even trying to take pity on me. You really have no faith in me, do you?" Her words felt empty. She felt like she should be shaking, but she wasn't. She felt bad, but also almost like she felt nothing, "Come possiamo fidarci l'uno dell'altro? Ti amo, Starling. Voglio essere in grado di aiutarci a vicenda. Voglio essere come fratelli di nuovo, non concorrenti." Sparrow finally slipped into their family language. She was so tired.

Translate: How can we trust each other? I love you, Starling. I want to be able to help each other. I want to be like siblings again, not competitors.