His sister had shown an interest in some of the artifacts he and Asla had found on the island off the shore of Lovers Mangrove. He packed them some supplies. Some honeyed food, one of Io’s fire-starter kits, and a water flask, tied in a coat, with the fur facing inwards, and the rough exterior oiled against water. He ensured there was an abundance of material, both to the coat, and the ropes, so he could add to it once they found things to collect. He tied the lot to his shaggy neck, and settled it behind his head. Deeming it the best place to survive the swim. He trotted towards the border, knowing his sister intended to meet him there. "Speech"

Excitement thrummed through the tiny woman as she packed her supplies for the day and made her way to where she and her brother were supposed to meet. It was one of the last times that they would be able to spend together before she and Roan left for the spring to go on their fertility quest. Iolaire didn't particularly want to go, but she knew that if she and Roan were ever going to have a chance of having children, they didn't have much choice. Heading towards the island, Io spied the gigantic form of her sibling waiting for her on the beach. Still still laughed inside at their size difference. He was so massive and she was so small. Other would be more inclined to believe that Resin was the mother of Sirius rather than her own mother. Coming upon the big man, Io bumped him and gave his shoulder a loving nip. "Excited to spend some time with your awesome, oh-so-amazing sister? Of course you are." Io snorted at her own jokes then extended her neck to place a kiss on the end of Sirius' nose. "Ready?" Without waiting, she began to pad out into the water. They had to swim to get where they were going. Io loved to swim, so this was no sweat even though the water was a bit cold. "Speech"

His tail gave a welcoming wag as the smaller woman approached, and nudged what she could reach of his shoulder. “Of course I am” he agreed, without a trace of sarcasm, but his eyes sparked with amusement. When she reached towards his nose, and obligingly lowered it, so his sister could place a kiss. He returned the affection with a nuzzle. He had never been shy about displaying his love for the petite girl. The two of them traversed through the territories together, getting themselves to Lovers Mangroove, and the closest landmark to the island. Sirius would rather not extend his swim if he didn’t have to. Unlike the Warlord, Io was a comfortable swimmer, and the Warlord gave a grunt as she asked if he was ready. He was as ready as he could ever be. Luckily, like last time, the water was just shallow enough that Sirius could walk from landmass to island. His back would also offer a break to Io if she needed to rest at all during the journey. "Speech"

Paddling along was easy for the light weight woman. She felt as though she floated over the water. Sirius, she knew, wasn't very fond of the water and so she appreciated his accompaniment all the more. It was very nice of him to put himself through this torture again for her sake. Swimming was so easy for her that she talked as she swam. "Thanks again for taking me. I wonder what sorts of useful things I'll find." It was a pity that the place was on an island. Knowing herself, she'd bring everything back if she could. Io found uses for damn near everything. It was a fairly long swim, but eventually her toes touched sand. Climbing up onto the beach, Iolaire shook out her waterlogged coat, sending the onyx, snow and ashen fur standing out in spikes. She cast her green-gold gaze towards Sirius, making sure that he made it onto dry land. If he didn't... well there wasn't much she could do for him. He was heavy. Maybe he wouldn't be as heavy in the water? She could probably pull him if she had to. Maybe she'd just make him swim with her periodically so he could get used to water. It'd be a nice bit of torture for him too. "Speech"

The Warlord’s concentration was keeping his paws firmly on ground, and in parts where the water dipped, he either avoided, or arched his neck to keep it above ground. Io swam tirelessly beside him. She seemed as comfortable in the water as a shark, and her grin was just as deadly. “No problem, consider me the glorified cart” he teased back, offering her a brief smile before his attention returned to the task at hand. It was a relief when he began to rise from the water, the sand loose beneath his paws as his full height climbed free of the ocean. For a time, the two wolven heads had been side by side. He wondered if Io tricked herself into believing she was as tall as he was. He grinned at her spiked hair, and licked it back with one quick motion - the opposite of his normal trick. He shook out his own fur, and checked his tight bundle. The edges were a little wet, but for the most part, it had stayed dry. “Would you like to wander around the perimeter, look through the grassess? Or head down into the tunnel we found?” "Speech"

Sirius licked her head and, as per usual, Io gave a squawk of protest before giving her head another shake. Her pack was mostly empty. The items within were wrapped in oiled cloth to keep them dry. The pack itself wasn't so lucky, but it was old and worn and didn't absorb much water. She shrugged it off and hooked it over a nearby branch to make sure that it did dry. She loved the old bag too much to ruin it. When asked where she'd like to start, Io canted her head slightly. "We have all day. Let's explore outside until we're dry, then we can venture inside, eh?" Who knew what kinds of dirty things were inside the old structure. If they were dry, less of it would stick to them. If they went in wet, they'd be nasty magnets. Deciding to leave her pack hanging on the branch, the unencumbered woman began to move through the long grass, nosing at this and that. She came upon some strange basins that looked as thought they might float on water, but there were holes in the bottoms. "Look at these," she motioned Sirius forward to look at the long wooden bowls. "I'll bet I could make one of these. Then you wouldn't have to swim anymore." "Speech"

“Good plan” he agreed, hanging his own makeshift ‘pack’ beside Io’s, so it could properly dry. He followed her by the ancient structure, avoiding the occasional bits of broken glass or stray pieces of metal. She found some strange, curved thing in the grass. He leaned forward at her request to take a look and a sniff.

He snorted at her assessment. “I doubt anything could float with my bulk inside” he commented. He weighed at least… slightly more than a feather. Two or three times the weight of the smaller wolf beside him. He was a giant, and well he didn’t mean to doubt his sister, he couldn’t fathom anything big enough, strong enough, and also buoyant enough, to carry him.

Io snorted at her brother's assessment of the floating wooden bowls. He didn't have a very scientific mind. She certainly did. An idea struck and Iolaire flashed a sickly sweet grin to Sirius. "I'll make you a deal. One of these days I'll make one of these contraptions. If you sit in it and it doesn't sink, you owe me a prize." She didn't really want or need a prize. Knowing that she could do it was prize enough. She was a smug little jerk at times. Leaving the wooden bowls for now, the little woman continued on. While they walked, they might as well talk. "How are things on the Fatalis home front? Better, I hope?" She knew that he had formerly been having trouble with seeing eye to eye with Zee. Then there was the trouble that was his children. The responsibility of a pack was a heavy thing, so she felt it was her sisterly duty to allow him to vent and get his feelings out in the open while it was just the pair of them. "Speech"