Rum guessed that his born pack Valhalla would have been his place in life, but lately everything seemed wrong. He only came back for his mother,and his sister was lost. Maybe making a run for it would help him find pepper. His paws sat at the border by the ocean where he had entered Valhalla about a season or two ago. Syrinx had been here and gladly let him back in. Rum stood up on his legs and started pacing back and forth not quite sure what to do or where to go. He hoped no one would interfere with him, he could have gotten into serious trouble with the pack. And Morgan... She would be so disappointed. But everything was so awkward between them, why should he stay? This would be the second time he would leave home and this time, he couldn't come back. They would be sure to punish him, he was older and more responsible. But he left Valhalla for a reason. "Damn why is this so hard!" It wasn't like he was connected to anyone here, he wasn't scared of what they would do to him. So why couldn't he just leave? His paws stopped and looked back across the rouge lands. He looked as far as his eyes could see. And his head turned back to Valhalla and his mind was set. His white paws crossed over and he looked into his freedom, and he was now leaving what he once called home. Walk "Talk" Think

Her mother, their mother, had called to her only days ago...telling her to come say hello to Rumble. To Her brother the peppered lass would come, to the white woman herself...she would not. It was to Rumble that Morgan had always shown extra care, extra attention and all because he was quiet and preferred to listen then to be noisy. Pepper, as a result, was practically ignored. Even after her brother left the girl was still basically ignored. To Valhalla's boarders she came, never coming closer than five yards. She would find him. If he came out at the exact place she just happened to be sitting it would be pure luck. She only planned on finding a trail he left as he exited the pack. Today seemed to be in the woman's favor as his scent reached her nostrils. Her brother was close. Pepper remained silent as her ears swiveled atop her head, listening. The woman was hoping he was close, to save her the trouble of literally tracking him down. "Damn why is this so hard!" The words struck her ear drums...the voice was deeper than she remembered but was unmistakably his. But, what was so hard? Then the sound of crunching leaves reached her. Quickly and silently, the woman weaved through the trees. Hidden she remained until he passed her by. Within seconds she had moved silently into the open and called to him "My dearest, what, may I ask, is so hard?" Her voice to had changed as she had grown, all she could do was hope that he recognized her. Speech,

He hit some trees exiting the view of Valhalla's lands, but he was still visible to anyone at the border. Once he passed the first spot of trees, a voice came from them. The voice seemed oddly familiar, but who's was-- No...It can't be... Rum refused to turn around, he refused to know of who the girl was after he had just left to find her. Rum left his left paw in the air, he didn't move. Finally his head turned just a little bit to see only a corner of the girl who spoke out, "P-Pepper?" He still didn't move, his eyes wide and his jaw closing tightly after he spoke. His eyes struggled to see more of the girl whose voice claimed to be his sister's, but his head would not let a movement escape. "I um... I'm leaving." His eyes then rested looking down at the grass underneath his paws. Autumn was when the two were born, and here they were. Three years old, two years older than when Rum left her. He stood in wait for a reply, hoping it really was her and this wasn't some cruel lie that his mind or this girl was letting off. His paw then tapped the ground relax his muscles but his body sill stayed placed away from the woman, and he waited. Walk "Talk" Think

A smile crossed her lips as he stopped yet refused to turn around. His head turned slightly and he stuttered out her name. With an eyebrow raised she listened as he stated he was leaving. She watched him for a moment, as he placed his paw on the ground and then looked at the ground. It was when he too fell silent that Pepper's soft voice escaped her "Who else could it be Rumble?" She knew he hated his full name but it was her way of punishing him for leaving her with no one but uncle Luke. "Finally returned home...and now your leaving again." this time her voice held a teasing tone. She loved her brother, but the boy had left her there with no one to talk to but their uncle and he was rather boring at times. Speech,

Who else could it have been? Anyone. His head tilted up to the sky, it was almost clear this day letting the rays of the sun warm the beings that roamed the west. "It could have been my mind.. Playing tricks on my heart. It could have been someone that knew who i was and how i felt about this moment. It could have been a complete stranger only my heart promised me it was you." His voice didn't really show anger, but it was sharp and deep. His head then turned to the peppered girl, what if his mind really was playing a trick on him? His body turned to face her and his nose reached out to her, this really was far more different than Morgan's meeting. "I know...I..." He almost felt like having a break down, but he was too strong to do such a thing. "I was coming to look for you...but then I realized, why would i come back to a place I abandoned?" It was the most rum had probably ever talked, and there was still more to come, "Looking for you was only an excuse to tell mom. Though I would have found you and brought you back." Most of his words actually meant something, they were almost poetic. He had never spoke so much in his life, but Pepper just brought it all out. WALK "TALK" Think

She watched to see if he would ever look at her, rather than the ground or sky. His sharp words didn't change the tone she was using, slightly teasing and full of sibling love. "My dear brother, your not near crazy enough for your mind to play those kinds of tricks on you quite yet." the grin on her face only grew a bit with her words. Finally he looked at her and her eyes searched his face. When he reached out to her she met him in the middle, nuzzling his cheek. Again he stuttered the beginning of his sentence like he was afraid what he had to say would offend her. Her face softened as he spoke and she listened. She could read him better than any and she knew he needed her to understand. Her voice went from teasing to soft and caring "Rum, you just answered your own question. You came looking for your family, I...we, will love you no matter where you live." Again she silenced herself to listen and this time her voice grew serious and stern yet held its soft essence. "I wouldn't have come back. Our mother has been calling to me every night...the only answer I give her is the sound of my voice telling her that I'm alive and well. Look the only reason I knew you were hear is because when Morgan called me she told me you were hear, Uncle Luke verified that the next morning." she stopped a moment, only long enough to attempt to read his body language and facial expression and then continued again. "Rum, Uncle Luke told me yesterday of your...reunion, with Morgan...our mother. You know she loves you more than anything on the planet right, she's...she's just lost." Clenching her jaw and growling at herself internally, she couldn't believe she was sticking up for Morgan. The lass even had problems calling Morgan her mother. She looked away a few moments to regain her composure before speaking again. "She spent all of her time ignoring and neglecting to spend anytime with her daughter to teach you, to make sure you would be ok, to find you." a small smile returned to her features, pitiful as it was it was all she could do to keep from crying. She had never actually admitted to anyone that she wished she had gotten more care from her mother, she liked for people to think she was strong and independent. Speech,

When she said that she didn't want to come back, he felt almost relived. But he felt bad for Morgan, she was their mother after all. Pepper spoke of how she knew he was here, and that she didn't really want to come back.Mom's...lost? Everything seemed jumbled and confusing to him, but when Pepper's nose hit his cheek he held it in. "Yeah... I know..." Of course Rum knew that Morgan loved him, but he was right about meeting Pepper. He could actually talk to her, nothing was left unsaid. All of a sudden Pepper had spoke of how Morgan favored Rum more than she did her. And his eyes widened as he stood up tall pulling away from her and into himself. "Pepper...I..." He didn't quite know what to say. He never saw that he was getting more attention, more love than his sister. "Why do you think that? I mean, why do you think she would show me more attention?" Then Rum thought about his last couple years without them, he had thought of his recent coughing and respiratory problems, his thoughts. What had Pepper and Morgan missed? There really wasn't much left back on old Alacritis, but everything that happened there really did change Rum. Even though he seemed to be the same quiet, independent pup; something really bad changed in him. "Pepper, in these past years, I've had to watch things I hope you never see. It was fend for yourself out there and I don't want you or Mom to ever experience what I had to go through. I'm really messed up, in the head, on my body physically. And I don't want you two to be around when things go wrong." The way he had spoke he was serious and with a worried tone. "I'm not blaming you or mom, it was my choice to leave. I don't want you even think any of it was your fault. I'm not sure what is going on anymore and I have to get away from the both of you." WALK "TALK" Think

"Good." was her only answer to him knowing that they loved him. Pepper even stood still, motionless, as her brother pulled away from her. She had guessed at the reaction she would get so he hadn't surprised her. He was larger than herself and it showed the moment he stood up tall, so much so that she had to look up at him. His words were even less surprising. "When ever I would get into trouble she would send Uncle Luke...but the moment you needed her she was there. That's how I know..that and when you disappeared she didn't even notice I had left Uncle Luke had to tell her I was gone." Her voice had managed to hold its softness. Pepper's blue and red eyes never left her brothers face. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she had been way more worried about him than she had ever been about her because he was so much quieter...and she wasn't going to tell him unless he asked. She was finished with the subject of their mother, it was a bit of a touchy subject and probably always would be. When Rum spoke, she listened. When he was finished they stood in silence for a moment as she chose her words carefully. Then her voice came again and it was completely different from the soft sisterly tone she had been using. The tone in her voice was strong and serious. "A little messed up in the head or scars on your body it doesn't matter your always gonna be my brother. The things you have seen the fend for your self...I've been there, I left home too remember. And Rum, I truly am sorry to burst your bubble, but your not leaving me again. You are all I have aside from Uncle Luke...and I don't see him very often because he doesn't leave Valhalla much. her jaw clenched she wasn't quite finished but she couldn't put all of her thoughts into words quite yet. A sigh escaped her and her tone softened again, as did her facial expression. "And trust me, i never blamed myself for your leaving. Live were you want j...just...just promise me you wont disappear again. I lost everything when you left, I found it again and I fought for it...won and then lost it again. I have scars hidden beneath this thick pelt of mine, I'm messed up too...maybe not in the same ways you are but I am." It was the first time she moved since he had pulled away from her. She took several steps backwards and looked away...putting a yard or two between them. She didn't want him to see her cry. Speech,

Pepper didn't really show anything when Rum pulled away, but she continued to speak with out a change of voice. She told Rum that he couldn't leave her, he was almost all she had left of what she could call family. But as much as Rum really hated it, he needed to leave. She spoke of how she knew what fend for yourself was, but really she didn't. On the old Alacritis, there wasn't anymore wildlife. Anything that survived had migrated. So Rumble had to watch other rip someone apart and he waited until they were done with their meal so he could finish it for them. He had never killed another wolf, but he had gone cannibalistic. Sure she was hurt from what Morgan did, but this was all something different. After eating his on species, fighting to protect himself, and breathing in the toxic ash that fell from the sky night and day, Rumble had all kinds of problems. He knew he was getting sick, and he knew if he were around the only ones that loved him when he was being destroyed, it would be worse than leaving them right now. "Pepper I'm sorry...But I can't stay with you or mom." He looked at her as she stepped back trying to hide tears that may have come, and his eyes started to water in return, but there was nothing to help him now. He had to go. And so he turned around, away from his sister and started to walk. He was leaving her and he knew it would break her heart. -Exit Rumble (Unless Stopped)- WALK "TALK" Think

Tears were quickly held back as they were quickly replaced with anger. Something that seemed to be happening a lot lately, and it was turning her into a different woman all together. Another thing that seemed to be happening lately is that her family was making her wish she didn't have one. Being unable to turn around and run away to keep from hurting him, she had to go in the same direction. A growl ripped through her as she ran by him. At this point in her life she didn't care if she ever saw any of her family again, none of them really cared about her any way...they kept leaving her. The peppered woman ran as hard as she could, for as long as she could. If she couldn't take her anger out on the one who caused her to be angry...she would just have to run it out. (Exit Pepper) Speech,