Artemis had taken the day to roam the lands beyond Crew's borders. She was eager to learn more about her new home's surroundings, and figured that taking stock of the East was at least a good place to start. That, and the ocean called to her, promising relief from another day of unrelenting humidity. Soaked to the bone, she hoped that she might not notice the muggy weight of the air if she could at least be somewhat cooler. As such, she had spent much of the day lazing about on the beach, even managing to snag a sufficiently large fish who had been just a bit too curious about the strange blue pillars seeming to protrude from the sand. She had gorged herself, leaving nothing but a head and bones behind. The sun was now setting through the trees behind her, and illuminating the puffy clouds which drifted over the sea in rose gold light. The sea was calm, it's rhythmic beating against the shore lulling her into a tranquil state. It was rare enough for the usually energized woman to seek out moments of peace, but the evening seemed to demand it. Before long the sun would set entirely, but she had no qualms trekking back to the Steppe in the dark, having left herself a neat path to follow back. So for now, she lay in the sand and allowed the stiff breeze coming off of the water's surface to take the heat out of her damp fur. Before long she might get up and submerge herself again, but... Well, for now she was just feeling plain lazy. "Talk" "You" Think

Sauntering her way across the land, Iskra had traveled far and wide, a borderline mischievous smirk always tugging at her inky lips. It had been what seemed like a lifetime since she’d seen anything she could really refer to as a familiar face. Sure, there’d been more than a few introductions, interesting conversations, yet all the same she rarely saw the same wolf twice. While she kept herself busy, the nebulous girl had the sense that she should go in search of more. Better. She needed to find anything, anything at all to keep her from getting so dreadfully bored.
Dancing to the tune of a song only she could hear, yes, that was Iskra. When the beach came into view it seemed to call to her, and she wasn’t one to deny a call. Descending a slope on hurried paws, the red wolf scanned her surroundings with ill-concealed interest, smile spreading. Her paws sank into the sand, laugh bubbling up from the depths of her chest, the girl set off, running by the water hard and fast till she was breathless. The mad dash would likely have continued if she hadn’t caught a wisp of a scent. A stranger? For some reason she was inclined to think not. Who could this be?
Her heart was still racing from her running, which combined with the excitement of seeing someone on this fine, warm as hell evening left her feeling amped and ready for anything. It took some searching, prancing and pacing across the sand and to the water, making her way in a zig-zag down the beach until she saw it. The form of another nestled in the sand. She was off, loping her way closer without caring for a slow and cautious approach that others might opt for. Sliding to a stop – and kicking up a fair amount of sand in the process – Iskra beamed, ”Well, do my eyes deceive me? Has the night sky fallen from the heavens? Or could it be, a fellow star child… One I know at that, but, oh, what was her name…” Isk found that her tail was waving behind her of its own accord. It really was good to see family.

Artemis almost didn't recognize the sound of her sister's voice when it broke through her tranquil evening. Her head whipped to the side, at first expecting an enemy of some sort. Perhaps the last wolf she expected to see was Iskra. It took her a heartbeat to recognize that Iskra was here and not just some fancy of her imagination. Artemis surged to her feet with a gasp. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, the crass words spilling from her without a second thought. Artemis charged forward, planning to overtake the smaller wolf in a running tackle-turned-embrace. Her scent had been gone from the land for so long that Artemis felt the need to reacquaint herself with it. Her sister smelled of travel and many places, but few other wolves. Had she really been wandering alone all this time? Did she know where the others were? "Where have you been?" The question poured out, taking precedence over her other curiosities, though not for long. "Are Mom and Dad with you? Or Leto?" Artemis had long ago given up hope of seeing any of them again, wondering if maybe she had simply been... left behind. However, Artemis found not a one of them amidst the few wolves who did linger on Iskra's fur, so she thought not. She gave the small, ruby woman a firm but affectionate headbutt. "If you ever wander out of my sight again, I will hunt you down and line my den with that pretty pelt of yours! I've missed you so much." If her sentence started out brazen and teasing, it ended with her emotion choking her, making the words a bit difficult to force out. She clamped her jaws shut, content to survey her sister for signs of battle or hardship while she awaited a response. "Talk" "You" Think

She’d spent the early hours of the morning grooming herself. Had she known her dear sister would come along and ruin her hard work so quickly, Iskra may have decided to forgo all that effort. It was all made pointless when her larger – when did she get so big, like, damn – sister came charging over and tackled Iskra who would be sent flying towards the ground and somehow end up on her side, laughing like mad while occasionally spitting out some sand. Her appearance may have gone downhill, but such was not the case for her mood. Holy shit indeed! What an astounding turn on events, from an uneventful boring morning to the thrill of seeing a face she’d missed for longer than she cared to have.
Planting a few enthusiastic kisses on her siblings’ cheek, Iskra was soon distracted from her new position on the ground by the feelings that washed over her entire being. Exploring was fun, seeing new faces was nice, learning from interesting wolves never failed to intrigue, however, there was simply no substitute for the company of family. Still laying in the warm sand, she rolled to an upright position so she could gaze at Artemis to fully appreciate that this was real. As far as she was concerned, Iskra was home now. Maybe not in their old home, not that it mattered where they were. Then the questions came. Sitting up a little taller she’d dutifully answer all her sisters’ queries, ”More like where haven’t I been. Actually, don’t ask that one, I’m sure there’s far too many places,” she chuckled, speaking just a bit quickly and with just the slightest bit of extra emphasis for added dramatic effect, ”In all honesty… Well, I don’t know. I don’t think I have a future as a navigator to say the least! Mostly I was, regrettably a bit lost at times. Maybe most of the time. We can’t know for sure.” Her tone turned sheepish at the end. She hadn’t had a clue as to where she’d been at times, and no amount of trying to chat up the locals had gotten her anywhere. It  was mostly unfriendly loners anyways, they’d been no help and those that tried to give directions were, frankly, awful at it.
Her smile dimmed for a moment as she responded, ”I’m afraid I can’t help there. I mean, I was with them, but at some point we just got separated. Not exactly certain how it happened.” What a downer. Thinking about the whole thing was terribly depressing. It was easier to focus on being glad they were together again at last.
Hopping up to stand, Iskra smirked, returning the headbutt by bumping gently against Artemis’ shoulder, ”Is that a promise?” she responded cheekily, white-tipped tail swishing, fur ruffling in a slight breeze she found quite refreshing. Maybe things were looking up.

Artemis was pleased, and not at all surprised, to find that her sister had been doing much the same as she had. Artemis had missed her, sure, but she also knew the value of finding your own way. Personally she felt stronger for it, and she was glad to see her sister had come back to her in tact and (for all appearances) sound of mind. They would have to catch up over the next few days, but the nebulous femme decided that this knowledge alone was enough for now. "Same here. We'll have to trade boasts, I think," she added with a wink, already fabricating an expanded tale of boar hunting and rescuing damsels in distress, the whole nine yards. The bad news came in the form of Iskra dimming, telling her that she had no idea where the rest of their family was. Well... Oh well. There was still hope, right? After all, if Iskra had stumbled across her by chance what was keeping the others from doing the same? She gave her sister a tentative smile. "Oh well. We'll find them! And it is absolutely a promise, I don't make idle threats." She tossed her head back and laughed, giddy with the entire situation. Iskra was back! She was here, right in front of her! Artemis still had a hard time wrapping her head around that simple fact, even though her eyes were giving her all the evidence she needed. Overjoyed she pressed forward again, aiming a lick at Iskra's cheek. Suddenly, Artemis gasped. "Oh! I'm part of a new pack now!" It had taken her a moment to recall that she couldn't exactly take to the winds and seek out the rest of the Aeris clan at Iskra's side. She had a duty to her Crew, and to Chaos. She grinned widely, wondering if her sister and the odd male she now followed would get on. She suspected they would. "My alpha is no Mithras of course, but I think you'd like him. I'll show you to our territory, so you can come calling whenever you like." Secretly, Artemis hoped Iskra might want to stick around on a more permanent basis, but she also knew that committing yourself to a pack was a hard choice for a wolf more used to aimless wandering, and taking orders from no one but themselves. Oh yeah, she was well acquainted with that, and not keen to impose that life on Iskra if it wasn't what she wanted right now. She'll know where to find me at least, Artemis thought to herself, content with it. "Talk" "You" Think

A wicked grin flashed across her features, "But, of course! I'm eager to hear all you have to tell, and I might have a thing or two to share in return." Maybe a few things. Mostly mischief, exploring, a few odd interactions here and there. She might have to embellish some of it for kicks, as she hoped her sister would do. Tall tales were the most fun to spin, after all. Nothing like a good story of someone catching a fish twice their size and the like.

Silently she cursed her having lost the others. It had been a less than thrilling thing to realize she was so suddenly alone, not to mention if she'd stuck with them this could have been a reunion of the whole family, not that she didn't appreciate seeing her sister as things were. Soon though; Iskra promised herself that they'd find the others, whatever it took. "I don't doubt it! I'm sure they're somewhere, guess we'll be forced to go on a search mission, hm?" oh yes, as if they somehow wouldn't find great joy in exploring far and wide. Perhaps they could have some fun trips out into the unknown, even if it took a while to find the family they could have some fun no matter what, or so Isk suspected. She'd quickly add, "Good, I'd expect nothing less."

Her ears shot forward at the mention of a pack. It seemed things had certainly changed in their time apart. "What sort of pack?" she inquired. Having been busy with her own interests and adventures, the girl'd failed to keep up with what packs even remained in the land. The idea of a pack that would catch her siblings interest was definitely intriguing at the very least. She'd have to find out more at the earliest opportunity. "Naturally. I'm sure he'll be an interesting character nevertheless?" the red girl giggled, eager to see the man for herself. She couldn't help but bounce a little when she cried, "You better count on my visiting! You'll be sick of me in no time." It would be fun to see Artemis as often as possible. Who knew what this pack of hers would have in store. Ideally an endless source of amusement and adventure, nothing less would do. She could bring herself to have any definite plans just now, but she did plan to hang as close as possible to where Artemis was. Whatever happened after that, well that was up in the air, she'd just have to go with the flow and see what life had to offer.

Iskra was on board to detail their adventures over the past year, and Artemis would not even try to hide her excitement. It coursed through her veins, and she was veritably buzzing with energy. She was as eager to find their family as Artemis was, and she agreed to her sister's suggestion of hunting them down with a resolute nod. Surely Chaos would understand something like that and give her a bit of leave for a bit of a quest, right? Maybe she could promise to bring him back some sort of bauble, or recruit new blood while she was away. Ideas tossed and tumbled about in her mind, to the extent that she was completely distracted until Iskra probed her further about the Crew. Artemis brightened, her tail giving a few hearty wags all of it's own accord. "It's brilliant! Chaos isn't like other alphas, where you've got to be all prim and proper and grovel before them. Respectful, sure, but all he wants from us is energy and devotion. The lands are beautiful," she continued to gush, "but we are free to come and go as we please... You know, as long as we're there to protect the borders when needed and don't shirk our other responsibilities. It's an odd bunch, but-" The words caught in her throat. She almost said but it's home, but somehow she felt wrong expressing that to her sister. First, she really hadn't been there long enough for it to become a part of her identity. She hadn't even found the perfect spot for a den yet. Second... Well, where she and Iskra had been born would always be home in her heart, even if the lands were no longer their father's. She didn't want her own bloodkin to think she'd come close to turning her back on their past, because she hadn't. So, after only a brief awkward pause and a small shrug, she smiled out, "Well, it's my odd bunch for now." Iskra claimed that Artemis would grow sick of her eventually, to which she let loose a very unladylike snort of disbelief. "Ha! Good luck with that!" It was a pleasant thought, Iskra being around so often that Artemis would want some space away. For the time being, she couldn't imagine. "Talk" "You" Think

Seeing her sister really was the most exciting twist to her day she'd had in longer than she could recall. The promise of finding their lost family members and all being together again was a thrilling prospect. Not to mention, she had to meet this new alpha of art's. Yes, things got interesting quickly, and she loved it.

Having given up on sitting still from all that was happening both in the situation and in her mind, Iskra found herself jumping around a little. She paused her jumps for joy when Artemis began to explain a bit about the pack. Smirking, she'd comment, "Oh, good, prim and proper can be rather dull. And I do so enjoy seeing lovely sights." Head canting to the side a pinch she gave the other nebulous woman an uncertain look while she awaited the continuation of what her sister had been saying before abruptly stopping. There was something there, but Iskra decided to leave it for now.

Contemplating what Artemis had said of the pack so far, Iskra let it roll around in her mind for a while until she decided that at the very least, it didn't sound too bad. It wasn't hard to imaging it being an 'odd bunch', with a less than prim and proper leader, and her star-painted sister, that made for a colorful beginning to whatever else they might have in store. It sounded nice, rag-tag groups of odd wolves were always the most fun to observe. Thoughtfully she'd remark, "You do make it sound interesting, I'll give you that. Perhaps you can show me the way there soon? Unless you have anything else in mind."