Night had fallen over the lake, and true to its name fireflies seemed to swarm here. The rust marked Nightingale boy strode forward under the light of the almost full moon as bright flashing bugs illuminated the trees around him. Despite the dryness the lake was still flourishing. His heavy form shifted soundlessly along the edge of the lake, close enough to scare frogs into the water as he went by. Far enough away that his silver paws wouldn’t get wet.

Slowly he found his way through the east, studying each land as he passed through into the next sight. The tall boy paused as a fresh breeze shifted over the water and blew through the trees. The cattails swayed as the surface of the lake was disturbed. Iron toned tail swayed to the beat of the night’s song as Oxide found himself breathing in the freedom of the darkness.

Garnet gaze returned to the path ahead of him and Ox continued forward, rust ears perked forward. He was quiet as he went, and it seemed not another soul was awake when he heard a noise in the forest. He stopped again, feeling his hackles raise as he searched for the interloper.

As always, Riva was easily distracted and time passed her by before she realised it. Her travel sack was bulging and full, and the scent of herbs was a pleasant aroma about her. She blinked her eyes, realising just how much she was straining, and looked up to see the light was beginning to fade. She looked around her with obvious reluctance, before sighing and pulling the cover over her bag. She would always come back another day, now that she knew this island existed. She re found her path across the lake, somewhat difficult with the dawdling light. Taking great care to keep her bag dry, and her ribbon was carefully stashed in her bag until she reached the other end. She pulled herself to shore near firefly lake, shook out her coat, and tied the ribbon back to her paw. She gave it a quick lick, but didn’t otherwise dwell on the heirloom and only reminder of a mother she didn’t know. Feeling a little chilled from the water and night air, the small wolf made her way around the lake. She was far from home, and wondered if perhaps she could seek a night in the pack that lived near here. They were allied with Kesali, where they not? She was just considering her options when she caught sight of the fireflies that had come alive before her. Her mouth parted open and a grin overtook her as she looked at the sight. It was like the very air was alive with dancing, twirling, golden lights. Her distraction meant she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and would stumble over a root and knock her head against a tree. She shook it out, a touched embarrassed, but secure in the knowledge that no one else had seen her. She continued on, moving past the trees, past the golden wolf, and the -- wait, what? She stopped, and looked again, and sure enough, a white-gold wolf stood there in the shadows of the trees, silent. “Hello?” she called out to the stranger, cautiously. "Speech"

Deep ruby eyes remained glued to the forest as his silvery paws stilled as the rustle continued. Rust marked ears perked as he watched a tiny she wolf appear from behind the trunks. She was obviously preoccupied, bright blue gaze just barely skimming over his form before she halted as well. His eyes widened as he took her in, even in the moonlight he wouldn’t have been able to mistake her. ”Hello?” If he didn't know any better his fluttering heart would have turned into a full blown heart attack.

Nysa. This was Nysa. She wasn’t though, she was much too tiny and young. Her voice was different to, and the way she looked at him. It was so much more kind than his mother, not that he would prefer the she wolf’s warm features.

”Who are you?” He asked, voice much harsher than he intended. His large frame moved closer to her, unabashed in his interest in her. She had to have been the same age, but who was she? His mother’s perfect clone, he didn’t have any siblings though. He was his mother’s one and only, her life’s obsession.

She blinked at the sudden harsh words that slipped from the strangers maw. They sounded like an accusation, not a question, and she looked him over once more. Did she know him? She was certain she didn’t, his golden-white combination would easily be rememberable, along with bright amber gaze. She shivered at their expression, at the utter lack of warmth she felt from this total stranger. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you?” it came out as a question, uncertain what she had done wrong. As soon as the timid words came out, she straightened herself, standing a little taller. She was a high ranking wolf of Kesali, she was no longer a rogue with no backing. She had to show a little spine, even if healing wasn’t involved. The man came a little closer, and well she was totally innocent in her belief of others, she didn’t like the hostility she felt from him, nor his closeness. “I’m Riva Nightingale, do I know you?” his clear gaze was too focused, he didn’t look as though he saw a stranger when he looked at her. Yet she knew, she knew she didn’t know him. He was close now, and she raised her head to the air, and took a scent, and was filled with vague colors and imagery, a time her mind had all but forgotten. He smelled like home, but not the one she had grown in. suddenly fearful of what he might say, her voice asked so quiet it was a whisper. “Who are you?” an echo of his earlier question. "Speech"

She seemed to study him for a long few moments, eventually he realized she didn’t know him. She didn't even feign recognition as she looked offended at his tone. Not that Ox cared about how she felt about him. He didn’t care what Nysa thought anymore and he certainly didn’t care what her smaller clone thought. At first the girl seemed unsure, her words making her surprise obvious. She seemed to gather her wits and her bravery and she lifted herself as Ox closed the distance between them. “I’m Riva Nightingale, do I know you?”

He couldn’t help as his deep garnet gaze widened, their names were the same. He didn’t know what to make of her, she was obviously his mother’s offspring. Nysa had lied to him, all of those years she’d lied to him. There was no other option, she couldn’t be anything but his sister. She seemed to sense the change in him or felt the deeper connection in her earliest of memories. Oxide had always wondered what that feeling of someone missing in his life. He’d always thought it had been his father, but could it have been this girl? Her words were a soft whisper as she echoed his earlier question.

For a brief moment he thought about lying to her, telling her the opposite of what he couldn’t help but believe was truth. However, this time he had a feeling the truth would be more amusing than fiction. ”Oxide… Nightingale.” He told her, deep rose eyes searching her blue one as he revealed himself. Ox remained silent, searching and waiting to see what kind of conclusion this girl came to.

She sat down, hard. She had accepted that she would never know her past, she would never understand why her mother had abandoned her. She wouldn’t know her mothers name, she wouldn’t know her face in her memories. Her mother was a piece of her past that she could never access, because how could she find someone she didn’t know? Yet here was a young man, about her age, with cautious eyes, and a name… a name they both shared. She took a deep breath, her sides compressing with as the young wolf sat in the dirt of the forest, and forced herself to face her past. Would she like what she heard, or hate it? “You smell.. Familiar. Its.. it’s a jump, but are we siblings? Were you abandoned as a newborn too?” she winced as she spoke her past. The first time it had really passed her lips in so long. She admitted to being raised by a healer mentor, but not why. She had never told anyone why, yet here she was telling this stranger. Her bright blue gaze looked up at his larger form, almost a liquid sea with emotion. "Speech"

He had to fight to hide his reaction to her reaction to his name. He remained stoic as her hindquarters fell and her play at pride crumbled. She seemed to stare into the distance as she processed what he’d told her, slowly coming to her own conclusions. Surely her emotions were just as chaotic as her own, but she didn’t keep herself as composed as her brother. Accepting that this was his sister.. the concept was so foreign. He had cousins, but a sister.. Nysa had a child besides him? How would his life had been different if…

Riva spoke again, her blue eyes finding his garnet gaze. ”...are we siblings? Were you abandoned…?” The huge insight opened up his eyes as everything fell into place. Nysa only wanted him, and had left this tiny girl to die in the wilderness. As far as she was concerned Riva didn’t exist anymore. Again the boy decided to remain truthful in his retelling of history.

”No,” His voice mingled with a chuckle. He wasn’t exactly amused at Riva’s abandonment, more the fact that even after Nysa had raised and devoted herself to the preferred child Ox still managed to leave her. She abandoned one child and was abandoned herself by the other. Just desserts in Oxide’s mind. ”Nysa. Your mother’s name.” He’d tell her, making her guess that he agreed with her hypothesis. ”She raised me, loved me more than she loved herself some days.” Did it hurt the girl to know how highly he'd been valued. Despite what he would never admit to be abuse Nysa had given him everything. ”She never mentioned, you.” His voice was more accusatory as he backed away, as though he was disgusted with her mere presence.

He had no reason to feel affection for his sister, they didn’t know each other. They might have been blood but Ox had no reason to align himself with her. She’d just be baggage, an anchor to try and hold him down. Just. Like. Nysa.

She stared off into space for a while, trying to realign her thoughts to a new world. She had thought of her past as a dead thing, gone and buried. Oxide surfacing now brought back everything she thought she had conquered. Her sense of abandonment, her longing to know. Her need that her being left was not out of spite, but terrible circumstances that couldn’t be avoided. Oxide ripped open the bandage, and tore out her healing wound. His voice, bringing her attention back to him, held a chuckle in it. What did he find amusing, about hearing how she was abandoned? It was a self-mocking sort of laugh, through she couldn’t quite identify what it was. Nysa she almost choked at the name. She had a name for the phantom woman in her mind now. The stranger, that had.. Abandoned her. Truly abandoned her. Oxide spoke of having a mothers love, and how Riva had never so much as… been mentioned. She looked up at Oxide as he backed away from her, tears in her eyes as she struggled with everything he was telling her. They broke free from her and slipped silently down her cheeks as she tried to contain her sobs. She had not been lost, she had simply never been wanted. What was so wrong with Riva, that her own mother would forsake her, wish her dead? For she would have been dead, if not for the healer that had adopted and raised her. Who had fed her milk, taught her to hunt. and trained her in the art of healing. All without a shred of love, for she had considered Riva to be tainted by her heritage. What she had done, she had done out of a sense of duty as a healer and a giver of life. She had not let Riva call her mother, not once. She choked on her tears as a big intake of air overtook her, before she struggled to push past it all. She was stronger than this, stronger than her past. She was a healer, and she lived for others, not herself. She struggled to her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes. She forced the warble from her voice as she pushed words passed the lump in her throat. “Thank you. Thank you for telling me, you’ve cleared up a great many things.” she said softly. She didn’t know why Oxide had chosen to speak so cruelly, but she forgave him. "Speech"

Oxide managed to pull tears easily from her liquid blue eyes, his grin remained a playful hint on his features. The boy couldn’t have cared less about why Nysa had left her second child. Ox might have just because of her size, but it was hard to tell with Nysa. She wasn’t right in the head, Ox had come to that conclusion before he’d been six months old. Really Riva had probably had a much better upbringing than the rust marked boy. Those words would never fall from his lips though, he felt better about himself knowing how much his words effected his sister.

No, she wasn’t his sister. She might have been in name but Ox didn’t have any siblings. Nysa hadn’t wanted her, Oxide certainly didn’t want her. Too much like their mother. He remained quiet as she sobbed softly, he made no motion to offer his affection or support. He watched her with cold indifference, even as she seemed to catch her wits and find her paws. Thankfully she cleaned herself up enough to speak with him clearly.

She thanked him, thanked him twice as she looked at him again. She didn’t seem heavily phased by his earlier words, there was no malice or blame in her eyes. Good, the bridge wasn’t totally burned. She had the scent of a pack on her, one day he might be able to use it. He grinned as he answered her.

”My pleasure.” He offered with a bit too much glee. ”So how did you survive?” ”Shouldn’t you be dead?” He didn’t say, but maybe his features alluded to it. He wasn’t particularly interested in her life story, but if she’d been abandoned at such a young age how was she still around now?

The healer who raised her had long since hinted that her mother.. That, Nysa, wasn’t a positive influence upon the world. Riva often felt like she was attoning for her mother's sins. Hearing Oxide speak, hearing the glee in his voice, and the sneer on his muzzle, she had to wonder how much of that was true. As she looked on at her brother - for there was no doubt in her mind that they were kin - she wondered how much of that was true. Had he been raised in a harsher environment then she? The healer might not have given her love, but she had shown her kindness, and taught her what it was. She had given Riva a craft that she might love, and a reason to be in this world.

What had Oxide been given?

As she looked to him, her brother, she worried at what his childhood might have been. She forgave for having their mother, forgave him even for the cruel words he had spoken. She wasn’t so certain she could forgive Nysa as easily.

She continued to look at the gold boy, and vowed that she would show him what love was.
“I was taken in by a healer who found me in time, and raised me to her craft. The only thing I had from our mother was this ribbon.” she said, nodding her head to her paw where it was carefully tied. “Do you.. Do you guys live nearby?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know where Nysa could be found.

With his mother Ox had known from a young age to give her what she wanted. Though he wasn’t the perfect little boy always, and when he couldn’t perform with a much more mature wolf’s precision he had been punished. Many times severely. Of course the boy had blamed himself for the shortcomings instead of realizing that Nysa’s expectations were much too high for a pup of his age. That hadn’t stopped him from trying, and time and time again Ox fought for his mother’s praise and approval. Rarely he got it, but when he did it was enough to get him through the harsh criticisms until he’d manage the next one.

He took much too long to realize the detriment to himself his mother’s treatment caused him. Only a season ago had he really started to realize how much she prevented him from being free. Now he didn’t have to worry, he’d escaped her and he was his own man. Oxide against the world. He’d been raised to believe there wasn’t anyone in his corner but his mother, didn’t realize that she was the one who put him there. Now that he was rid of Nysa.. he’d live with the effects of her until he died.

Riva had been picked up, after Nysa had left her to die. She had a bright blue ribbon to match her eyes and a name, and that was all. She hesitated before asking about their whereabouts. ”Here and there.” It wasn’t a real answer but they never lingered in one place for very long. ”We traveled mostly, taking what we needed.” Often from lazy packs instead of from the land. He’d always been a vagabond.

She looked to her brother, and considered how they were both broken in different ways. She was surprised to feel a deep sense of affection for him. She didn’t know him, but she wanted to. She wanted to look out for him, and show him love. Perhaps she was just compressing her pain into a different form, it was hard to say. Either way, she managed to shed the last of her tears and offer him a smile that was surprisingly warm.

“Me and the healer were similar, travelling constantly, searching for herbs, and working our healing craft for what we needed.” She explained. She shuffled her paws a little, uncertain how to proceed, and how to get to know the man. She was still getting use to having friends, and those she knew, such as Birch, where a lot more outgoing then she was. “So, where do you plan on going from here?” she wanted to know.

Oxide didn’t take his eyes off of this estranged sister of his, though her tears dried up and she seemed to regain her composure her expression became uncomfortably warm. He remained impassive, and maybe a little more haughty than intended. His head held high and chest puffed with his tail laying at his ankles. Riva made no note of the thievery, instead continued on to tell him about her time with the healer that had raised her.

He really had no desire to get to know her, or listen to every detail about her life. She looked uncertain as though debating how to proceed. Ox tried to decide how he might best gain advantage of the situation, and debated about walking away as she asked if he had a plan. He stifled a scoff as he peered at her through garnet eyes, unsure what to tell her. The truth, or lie?

”I’m going to challenge for a pack.” He told her confidently despite the statement being as far from the truth as possible. ”You smell like one,” he said while masking his disdain for packs. ”What’s your pack called? Who’s your leader?” He pried with a ferocity he didn’t really feel.

She was still working through her emotions, but she was doing it behind veiled eyes now. She decided that this man who was her blood kin, the only kin she knew, would know love. She would do what he could to convince of that, to show him what it meant to be a part of a family. Maybe she was reflecting her own desires upon him, but she didn’t think she was being selfish.

He did like shocking her, however, and his next words would send a jolt of surprise through her. really? but as she looked at him, at the cruel, proud smirk, she began to have an inkling of who he was. How he wanted to lash out with his words, to shock and hurt. He had been doing so from the start, after all.

She also thought of Branch, of the titan giant who ruled that pack, and hid her smile. She believed he could take on her yearling brother if it came to that. She had faith in her leader, why else would she be following him?
“I am in a pack called Kesali, ruled by a giant named Branch Wreckage.” she explained to him. “You’re not that familiar with the packs around here, are you?” she asked him curiously. After all, the trade pack was already establishing itself pretty well, it her eyes.

He hid his amused grin as she started in surprise at his words, he didn’t mean any of them but the shock was enough to make it worth it. Deep garnet eyes watched her as she regained her composure to answer his direct questions. There wasn’t any hesitation in her words as she tried to play up Kesali and its leader. She tried to make a dig at him, making light of his lack of information on the packs that lived in Boreas.

He hid his disdain, his lips pulled up just slightly as his sister spoke. ”I know as much about them as I need to,” He retorted with confidence. His information was indeed lacking, but in honesty he didn’t care about the packs. He would never join them and would never really entertain the thought about leading one. ”Would you still follow him, if your brother took his pack?”

She looked to him, wondering at his angle, at his choice of words. Was he just trying to make her uncomfortable, or was this something else. It felt like a bullying tactic, whatever it was. It surprised her to realise that despite her rocky upbringing, bullying hadn’t really been a part of it. The healer had been up front and straight with everything she said, and took no nonsense. She hadn’t showed love, but she had showed Riva how to appreciate hard work and perseverance

Now he was talking about himself in second person, and she hid another smile as she considered her words carefully. “I would give my brother a chance to earn my respect. Failing that, I would fight for my freedom. I would fight for it every day and never stop.” she admitted. She could be hard-headed when she put her mind to it. She couldn’t fight, had no experience with it, but that wouldn’t stop her. Of course, she would really try, first, to give Oxide her respect. But.. she was quite certain all of this was just bluff on his side.

He wasn’t sure what kind of answer he had been awaiting but the one she gave him, and her reaction weren’t nearly as amusing as he wished. Oxide wouldn’t let his disappointment show, his features amused if anything. In his fantasy world he wasn’t even sure if he would seek to claim Riva’s pack. He narrowed his gaze slightly, debating his next move for a brief moment. This interaction had lost its appeal.

He turned, huffing internally. ”Just wait for the chance, Riva.” He feigned a good natured voice as his tail flicked up behind him and he started ”Though, I’m sure you will be easier to beat than Nysa.” He didn’t call her ‘mother’ anymore. With that he lifted his silver paws and raced away the way he’d been going before running into his long lost sibling.

-exit Ox?-