He’d been searching for Motif for a long time now, with everything changing in the pack he’d craved the presence of his dear friend. He’d been to Abaven’s borders and everywhere in between and there was no sign of the girl. To say Ocean was worried was an understatement. He hadn’t seen her sweet face in so long, and her scent was practically gone from Abaven’s borders. The boy had become even more hopeless as he struggled with her loss and the lingering sorrow of his mother’s death.

His mental state wasn’t near healthy by the time he tried to make his way home. Ocean didn’t feel like he cared anymore, his mother was gone, his best friend disappeared, and he had avoided his siblings since they lost Avalon. He hadn’t taken care of himself and that much was obvious and more as his unkempt form limped towards the pack’s borders. His ears were glued to his skull and his tail tucked between his legs in visual evidence of how beat down he felt inside. He'd seen more than his fair share of rogue's that fought him for any food he could manage and more than once he'd been chased out of a warm den. Ocean was at the end of his rope. Fresh wounds littered his tattered fur, and he looked like a shadow of who he had been.

It was a very rare occasion for Chrystelle to leave the pack's lands, especially these days as the harshest weather continued to rage in the northern parts of Boreas. She wondered if the rest of the continent was having the same issues they were, but it was hard to imagine these bitterly cold temperatures anywhere else. The only reason she risked leaving the ship was the fact that at least the snow storms had calmed down today and the clouds had parted for a moment, letting the sun shine through. It made for some blinding conditions out in the snow, but it was better than fighting the wind.

The very slim hope of finding some boneset brought her out to The Wall. After some digging around in the snow within the pack's lands she had managed to find a few herbs that had nearly frozen in the sudden drop in temperatures so they weren't in great shape, but they were at least salvageable. She had been able to bring them back to the ship, warm them up, and finish drying them so they could be added to her stores. She remembered that boneset in particular would sometimes grow around the crumbling rocks of The Wall so it felt worth the trip out to the location to search for the useful herb while the weather was slightly more mild.

However, before she could begin her search, a familiar scent mingled with the smell of blood caught her attention and her worried amber gaze lifted from the snow and started frantically searching for her brother. With her herb search abandoned she started trotting through the snow until she spotted his large, dark form slowly limping across the empty plane. Her ears fell back against her head with worry and she picked up her pace to run toward Océan, fighting against the drifts of snow as she went. "Océan..." she whined as she reached him, immediately beginning to carefully comb through his tattered coat to get a better look at the wounds she could see all over him.

Guilt squeezed her chest as she checked him. She had been distant from her siblings since their mother's death - as most of them had been - but now she realized she should have at least been wondering where they had been. She didn't ask him if he was okay because it was very clear he was not and it would have been a silly question to ask. "We need to get you home," she commented as she came up along side him, hoping to help give him someone to lean on if he needed it. "What happened?" she asked as they walked, her concerned gaze searching his face.

"Chrystelle"

The young man didn’t even see her until she called out his name he was so out of it. Ocean could have easily been taken advantage of if a wolf with less savory intentions found him instead of his sister. That thought didn’t cross his mind though, as he was more asleep than awake as he limped forward. Silvery eyes lifted to find Chrystelle’s concerned amber gaze. As soon as they were close enough she was at his side, preening his fur as she searched for every wound on his massive body.

His sister must have deemed him worthy of survival, at least until they reached home. What was home anymore though? Now that Avalon was gone, and Ocean no longer could find Motif and her sweet face. His heart twisted in a familiar way, the same it felt when Felicien died and just as Avalon had left them too. He felt the loss keenly, and he was contemplating giving up. Chrystelle brushed his side, holding herself strongly against his shoulder as she offered herself to help hold his weight.

The char and silver man sighed as he thought through his sister’s question. Too much had happened. ”I’m not as good at caring for myself as I thought.” He hadn’t had any trouble going back and forth to Abaven and back before, but when he couldn’t find Motif he had gotten desperate, and started making bad decisions.

All Chrystelle could really feel as she slowly started heading back to Incendium was guilt and worry. She knew logically that it wasn't her fault and that she didn't need to be responsible for her siblings when she seemed to barely be able to be responsible for herself, but she still did. She hadn't been able to care for anyone for so long - in fact she was the one being cared for through the whole first half of her life while sickness kept her bound to the den. But now that she could contribute and help she felt guilty for not trying to find him sooner and for not keeping tabs on her siblings in general. Now that both of their parents were gone, they were all she had left. She hadn't really connected with anyone else in the pack as of yet so if she lost them she would truly feel alone.

She felt like there was so much more that he wasn't telling her when he only said that he wasn't good at caring for himself. He was in such bad shape that just "not caring for himself" didn't quite cut it. Also just from knowing her brother, she knew that something would have had to driven him to his point, though she wasn't sure what that something could have been. Either way though, she knew she had to make up for lost time and start caring for him now, she same way her family had cared for her when she needed them. Not knowing what else to say, she kept pushing forward toward the pack's lands so that she could get him back to her room and out of the cold. They could talk more after she made sure his wounds were treated. Right now all she could think of was making a mental list of what little herbs she had and a plan of action for when they finally made it back home.

"Chrystelle"

The boy leaned heavily against his smaller sister as she began the journey back towards their home. Ocean was quiet, his head low. An ache brewed in his skull as his thoughts became a whirlwind in his mind. He’d travelled so many miles, sacrificed himself, and it had been all for nothing. Ocean had nothing now, barely in a place within the pack he’d been born, no relationship with his siblings after the death of his parents, no Motif to console with.

Chrys was quiet, not that he had given her much to work with. Somehow the silence felt better than speaking. He wasn’t ready to talk yet, he hadn’t fully accepted what he found until this moment. Ocean couldn’t bear to say the words aloud. Ocean lifted his head slightly, enough that he could reach over to nuzzle into his sister’s soft fur as they walked. She was here, and one of the few reasons he hadn’t given up yet.

Chrys lifted her amber gaze from the ground to his face when he nuzzled into her, pulling a soft smile to her features. She certainly wouldn't push him to talk about whatever had happened in his absence if he didn't want to and right now she was just glad he was here. The pack had felt increasingly lonely since their mother passed away, especially since she had spent so much time with her while she recovered from her illness through the whole first half of her life. She knew her siblings had felt her absence just as much as she had and she didn't think that any of them had fully recovered from losing her yet.

She quietly nuzzled against his cheek as well before refocusing on getting him home... or at least the only place they had to call home. "You can talk about it later if you want... but you don't have to," she told him as they walked, glancing his way with another smile. "I'm here for you." She had no doubt that if she needed him for anything Océan would be there for her as well, but she felt like she had to make sure her brother heard that from her.

"Chrystelle"