Walk | Talk | Think Gale stood at the base of Mount Volkan, staring upward at its soaring heights with a thoughtful, rather confused little frown set upon her brow. It was...odd, being back here. Being the first home her family had claimed, even if unofficially, Gale had expected to feel something for the territory once she returned to it, a little bit of nostalgia, a bittersweet longing. Something. The mountain had served its purpose well while the Elementas clan had claimed it as theirs, but it seemed those months she had stayed there Gale had not formed any sort of attachment to the territory, not the same way she had to the Obsidian Beach that was still currently flooded and inaccessible except for the cliffs that overlooked it. Strange how that all worked out. With a sigh, the grey and lavender wolf rolled her shoulders. Oh well. She was not here to stir up old memories. She was on a mission. It was not quite the same as the previous mission she had taken at Glacier's request - the mission for the long-absent father - but it was similar in a way. A relative was missing and they needed to be found. The only problem this time around was that it was her own brother that was missing, the moody storm cloud Arcus, and rather than just wandering away he had very purposefully chosen to stay away from them. Which meant there was a chance he might actively avoid her if he caught her scent first. It irked her even to think about - they were family, there was no excuse for this! - but she tried to keep her temper soothed with the occasional deep breath as she marched onward in search of her brother Rumble. I can do this, she reminded herself as she released another forcibly calm, deep breath, I can find him, have a nice talk with him about the weddings, and convince him that being there when they happen is just what he wants to do. Assuming he played nice and kept his personal rain cloud to himself. Gale desperately hoped he would. Gale

Arcus was a very unhappy fellow, and he was reminded of it every single day. It had taken quite a long time to get used to life with only half his vision, and he had ran into far too many trees to even be funny. Hunting was even harder because his perception of depth was hindered. Every moment of every day he simmered in his anger, feeling it course through his fur like electricity. There were many times that he wanted to eat Pest because it was all the stupid bird's fault, but when he got the little thing under his paws and looked down at it with his only good eye, he just couldn't do it. This bird bridged the ever widening gap between him and Shaye, and he missed her so dearly. He couldn't just lose that too. So he kept moving to keep himself busy, trying to find that stupid man that pierced his eye, but no matter what he couldn't find him. The wounds had long healed into thick, twisting scars, sealing his eye closed. Fur grew sparcely, and really..he looked just wrecked. When it had happened he had a very small but noticeable urge to go back to Donostrea, because he knew that his sappy brothers would take him in in a heart beat and he wouldn't have to go hungry because he couldn't hunt, and Terrae would probably have been able to make it so the wounds didn't heal in such a grotesque way. But he managed to squash the thought quite easily in his raging storms. He had said that he would get eaten by his Storms. They got an eye, who knows what else they might take. With a huff he moved along the stupid mountain he had been brought back too so long ago, squinting for something to eat when he saw her. Freezing, he stared at the back of his wind blown sister, lone blue eye widening as he stared at her. It had been so long since he had seen any of his siblings, and something small inside of him panged. But he ignored it, and a sense of nothingness took over. He huffed again and stepped towards her. "Well," His deep voice drew the word out as he looked at her, chin tilted up, and his void of even a speck of emotion. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." He growled, titling his nose down now so he might get a good look at her, blue eye narrowing. "What are you doing here, sister?" "Burn Baby Burn"

Walk | Talk | Think The singular, deeply spoken word stopped Gale in her tracks and caused her lavender-tinted ears to perk and swivel upon her head. Grey-green eyes stared intently ahead, but all of her focus was on that voice. Arcus. Had his voice always been so deep? She could almost remember the softer, higher tone of it from when he had been a child, the year before she had been forced to leave her parents' home and join up with her elder brothers. For a second she hesitated, not wanting to turn around and begin the conversation that she had promised Voltage she would have with their runaway sibling. You have to, just get it over with, her irritated inner voice instructed, and with another quiet intake of breath the grey and lavender wolf turned in place to face her sibling. Immediately, she was startled by what she saw. The stubborn set of her expression blanched as she got her first good look at Arcus since before he had left, and, mouth gaping slightly, she stared. What the hell happened? He continued to address her in his typical rumbling tones, looking both annoyed and angry as he stared down his nose at her. "I think you mean eye, brother," she corrected, though the emphasis she tried to place on the last word to mock his address of her was entirely lost. The irritation she felt initially was all but gone entirely now, fully replaced by concern, confusion, and worry. "This is a new look for you." She surprised herself by managing to keep her voice neutral, even casual, though her thoughts were easily read upon her face. He looked awful. Like he needed to eat more, needed a soft bed on which to sleep instead of wherever it was he was currently holed up hiding from the world. And his eye...or, rather, the absence of it. The scars looked improperly healed, ragged and too far gone to make right. "What'd you do, lose a bet?" The joke was probably in poor taste, but in the moment, frazzled by the unexpected sight of her storm cloud brother, Gale found it hard to be witty. Gale

He watched the arch of her ears, the tilt of her head for something, for anything that showed recognition. There was something almost primal inside of him that he continued to try to squash every day. He didn't need them, because he didn't want them, and yet he did...sort of need them. But he didn't. This was getting nowhere. He was brought back to reality quite rudely as she turned around, and he blinked his only eye which was a fraction wider as he looked at her. She had gotten older, but then again hadn't he? She had always been older than him. Shorter, but defintally in the role of big sister. And as much as he tried he couldn't pull any real hate towards her. Or really, most of the Elementas family. He disliked their morals, their lying, disliked how "family" they were and yet this was the first time he had seen any of his siblings since he had left. Besides Astrea, of course, but he had left with her. When she spoke, enunciating his lack of an eye, he felt his narrow and a scowl return to his face. He didn't say anything for a moment, just watching his sister. His gaze flickered between her two eyes, her face, watching the concern he didn't need, and the confusion. Despite the evenness of her tone, he could tell that she cared. And he wanted to scoff. Why care?! He had abandoned her, he had done nothing to help her in any way. He raised a brow then before he snorted, unable to help himself. "No," He said deeply, tilting his head. There was a significant lack of bitterness in his voice than had been previously as he just stared at her, finding so much familiarity and yet so much was...different. He didn't like it, but what other way would it be. He had left, after all. "Someone tried to eat my bird. Guess I let them eat my eye instead." He rumbled before his lips slowly rose into a smirk. It was a joke, really. "That stupid Pest. I tried to eat him after but he'd kind of useful." He chuckled, a sound deep in his chest as he looked off to the side before he sighed. "Were you looking for me, Gale? Or is this just some bad luck?" He asked, a strange softness to his tone as he turned to look back towards her. "Burn Baby Burn"

Walk | Talk | Think She forgot how good he was at keeping up a sour expression, though as he spoke she noticed his tone lacked much of the bite it had initially taken on when he addressed her the first time. Was his anger waning? Was he possibly cooling down from whatever tempest was currently raging inside of him? Maybe I can steal the wind out of his storm clouds, she wondered, curious whether it could be possible for her to actually have a semi-decent conversation with him after all. It had seemed unlikely to start, but now that she was here it was not outside the realm of possibility. The talk of the bird completely confused her. Her brow furrowed and one raised questioningly, but she made no attempt to ask for clarification. If he wanted to be cryptic, that was fine. Her interests were not in birds anyway. Though that eye...she hated to think of having to explain that one to the family before he arrived. If he'll arrive. She still needed to ask him about that, and as he offered her a question and the perfect means to bring it up, she did so quickly and in a flat, blunt tone. "Both." Or at least she assumed he would see it that way. She sat, curling her wispy tail around her side and eyed her taller sibling with a cool look as she tilted her head just a little to the left and continued. "Voltage and Glacier are getting married," she began - and immediately had to pause as soon as she heard what she had said. Well, their brothers were very close, but she figured she ought to clarify. "To ladies," she added, fighting a smirk, "and Voltage wants you there. Though maybe once he gets a look at you he'll change his mind." Harsh teasing, she thought just a tad guiltily, but she figured Mister Grumpy McStormcloud could take it. Gale