C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Clouse had a wealth of options lying before him, and his lengthy journey from the Bay to where he'd agreed to meet back up with his cousins had given him plenty of time to consider them all. By the time he found their scents, he'd made up his mind, and he felt rather resolute about it. A breath of fresh air for the boy, whose worries usually kept him mired in indecision. Scully was the first for him to find, on his own chewing on a fresh kill. He'd rather hoped he'd run into Avella first, but Clouse knew now would be as good a time as any to burst the man's bubble. Regardless of when, he knew his cousin wouldn't be happy with the news that the younger Archer had for him, so he might as well suck it up and get this over with. "Hey Scull?" he asked, voice already tentative in timber. "I... talked to sis." Word Count: 159, for Scully & Avella only.

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Scully's eyes were closed with contentment as he gnawed the muscle off the dead hare's bones. It had been a good day so far; the weather was calm and the sun had been out every hour to beat down on his fur. The hunt for his meal had been quick and easy, and so far nothing had disturbed him. Until damned Clouse appeared from wherever the hell he had been and spoke. The young man had sensed the kid coming, but didn't move a muscle to acknowledge him until he dropped the word 'sis.' Scully's eyes snapped open and his muzzle rippled with swift ire. "She better of had you by your throat," he growled, hackles creeping higher with every word. His silver eyes snapped up and down Clouse's frame, looking for any marring and found none. Why had Ellery let him come back to them? He didn't smell like her, so she hadn't come with him, right? Did Clouse actually out run her? Word Count: 164

Avella wasn't very far from where Scully was gnawing on the bone of a rabbit they'd caught earlier. With everything seeming to be calm she'd taken the opportunity to nap in a patch of sun. She was comfortable and felt safe enough to relax with her brother close by. For awhile the only sounds around them were that of the forest and Scully's gnawing. Suddenly the peacefulness was broken by Clouse's voice announcing he'd talk to his sister.

Avella didn't move as Scully spoke though his tone was threatening. She had mixed feelings at this news though was ready to step in if needed, she knew her brother could have a temper. Still Clouse speaking to his sister after they'd been trying to avoid her. The pup better have something to tell them that would make this better. "How could you go behind our backs Clouse?" She did ask from her place nearby.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Yeah, that was about what he expected. It was Avella's words though, floating over from a small distance, that actually caused Clouse abashment. His ears snapped down against his skull and his resolution wavered, but only briefly. The child stuck to his guns. "I wasn't looking for her," he defended himself against them both, "I tried to run but sand sucks and then she was all--," he hesitated, realizing Ellery might not want them, Scully in particular, to know about her rare moment of emotional weakness. "Look, she's not gonna make us go back. She said we could stay and... and they'll even come with us. Elle, Uncle Ram, dad," he looked between them both with earnest eyes, trying to help them see that this was good news as quickly as he could. "It'd be easier to get through Winter all together, right?" This last appeal went specifically to Avella, a nod to their conversation about how hard things might get for the three of them when the season changed. It was getting close, even Clouse could feel it; something in the weather was about to turn. Word Count: 187

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Scully's anger remained clearly manifested across his body as he waited for an explanation that he knew would not satisfy him. Whatever happened between Clouse and Ellery was not good for the older Archer's plan, and he did not do well with others foiling his plotting, especially something this involved. Was it even salvageable? Avella's words followed swiftly after his own, and he appreciated for the umpteenth time that she was here; he'd never had anyone outside of his parents so often on his side. Scully would feel a lot less secure and a lot more crazy without her to help validate him. Of course Clouse couldn't outrun Ellery, the boy confirmed as he hurried to explain. Scully's eyes narrowed, and none of the aggression in his features changed as it was claimed that the blonde know-it-all wasn't here to take them back to Nineva and the witches. While that might very well be true, hell maybe Clouse cried his way out of trouble, and Scully did miss traveling with his uncles, he saw his opening to keep the upper paw and went for it. "Tsch," Scully scoffed as he rose to his feet. Even without rising to his full height, he cast a shadow over his small cousin. "Ellery can say whatever she wants.  Use your head, kid; she didn't follow you this far just to hang out. She just wants to deal with us all together, with her backup." Word Count: 241

Avella wasn't as quick to jump to aggression as her brother. Instead she chose to remind Clouse why they were there in the first place, why they had been avoiding Ellery and their uncles. When he spoke she did listen not ready to dismiss him just yet. Though she'd come along to be with her brother because too much time had passed Clouse had grown on her. This trip was about him and whether he knew it or not she was interested in what he wanted. So she was patient as he explained himself. Her mismatched gaze shifted to Scully when he spoke and she couldn't help but agree with him. It was then that Avella rose to her feet and approached the pup. Her tail swept behind her as she came to stand in front of Clouse. "My brother is right. Ellery can say whatever she likes especially if her goal is to bring you back to the Dell. I don't know her well enough to say if I believe what she says is true or not but I know enough to not dive blindly into something." She took into consideration what Clouse said about winter and turned to her brother. "He has a point you know about winter. It's coming and we can't stop it. Having Ramiel and Judas around might be beneficial." She glanced back at Clouse before returning her gaze to her brother, "Its something to think about." If anyone knew how to get through winter without a pack it was Ramiel and Judas she was sure of that.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Clouse's ears snapped back once again at the dismissive sound that left Scully's throat. What his cousin had to say verbally, however, decisively shifted the boy's disposition from abashed to incensed. It was an almost foreign feeling, but he felt absolutely validated in it. That was his sister they were talking about. Avella may have been more fair in her remarks and even-tempered while delivering them, but they were still both essentially saying the same thing about Ellery in Clouse's eyes. "My sister is not a liar," he spoke firmly, brows locked together and mouth pulled downward in a deep frown. His ears remained down and he still looked his miserable self, but the indignance burned within his pale eyes and subtly wrinkled the top of his muzzle. "Or manipulative, unlike you," he jabbed at Scully, and his angered dialogue continued to focus on the grayscale man, months of being bullied by the older Archer reaching a tipping point. As he went on, Clouse's posture began to rise. "N' neither's my dad. I talked to him too, like over a week ago, we only kept this going to give you a taste of your own medicine." Word Count: 196

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Avella remained levelheaded as she traveled from her resting place to the squabbling boys. His ears turned and his silver eyes glanced at her dial as she spoke directly to him, mentioning the benefit of being with their uncles again for the Winter, but his priority was keeping up the excitement, not taking precautions. Then Clouse spoke up with a rare wealth of attitude in his voice, and any consideration he might have done in the moment was abandoned. Scully was surprised that the boy was acting this way at all, but the mention of Judas clearly caused him a bit of shock. Clouse had what?! He didn't want to believe him, but it explained where this little bit of gusto was coming from, and he wasn't showing any of his usual gives. Pissed and embarrassed, Scully did what he knew; he lashed out. Scully lunged forward and closed his jaws around Clouse's scruff. A yelp sounded from the child as he was easily flipped off his paws and slammed hard onto his side by his older cousin. Word Count: 178

It was clear that Clouse had taken offense to what had been said. Which caused the Masked Archer to frown. She wasn't sure what her brother meant with his words about Ellery but she knew she hadn't been calling the Hervok woman a liar.

"That is not what I said Clouse. I meant that she might do anything to get you to be with her instead. If Scully and I were in the same sort of situation I know I would do anything to get him to come with me. I know you love your sister Clouse but you also have the right to make your own decisions."

She wanted to make this better because turning on each other wasn't in their best interest. Her mind fell into conflict when Clouse also admitted that he'd spoken to his father. The young woman stepped back and before she could do anything Scully had lunged at the boy. She knew she should stop this, stop her brother from hurting Clouse but she remained silent until she finally regained her composure.

"I thought we were in this together Clouse," she said the hurt in her tone clearly evident, "But you've been keeping things from us. Letting us believe they would still drag you off back to the Dell. I wouldn't ask you to choose between your father and sister and us but you could have at least told us the truth."

She said her piece and then turned her back and returned to where she'd been resting. Scullly could finish with the boy, she was angry and felt like a fool.