Briar returned from another scouting mission that she had gone on with Artorias and Lia, searching for more herbs and supplies to continue restocking what they had lost. It was late in the day now with the sun beginning to set. They had gotten caught in a bit of a rain storm at one point, but now the sky was clear. She sent Lia to go put away the things and food they had gathered and Artorias had gone to put away his armor and rest so she found herself walking toward the den she shared with her brother alone. She knew at least Lia would be a while since she needed to gather firewood as well while she was out so Briar settled herself in a patch of grass outside the den with a content sigh, looking up toward the sky where the colors all shifted and faded through deepening oranges and reds.

The days were getting cooler as the inched closer and closer to winter. She already wasn't looking forward to the return of the cold that they had only just recently escaped, but that turn of the season would mark the point when Artorias would have to leave her. Her ears flicked back at the thought, a little frown pulling at her lips. She of course knew it was coming and having Lia here with her helped somewhat, but imagining what it would be like to not be able to see him every day and having her routine with him uprooted again hurt more than she cared to admit. She glanced down at her paws, fiddling with the grass between them. She did her best not to bring it up around Art or even think about it when she was with him because she didn't want to worry him while he was gone, but it weighed on her and made her want every day to go ask her father if she could leave with him.

"Briar Fatalis"

Hikaru was still breathing hard as he made his way back to the den, he was going to grab soap and a fur to dry with and head down to bathe before he got comfortable. He felt like he had dirt covering every strand of fur on his body. Instead of white he looked at the very best sand colored. He worked hard today, he’d taken a couple extra patrols and stuck around the training ground for whoever stopped by. He’d had a really nice time training with Ophelia again. He was sore and tired, but that was all the better for relaxing later. He’d earned a good night’s rest.

It was nice when he was tired, he didn’t think about what Mortis said to him the other day. The winged heir never asked him to leave, didn’t even hint that he wanted him to do anything different. He would do whatever Mortis asked, even if that was to give him distance. If Mort wanted him to leave the Armada he would if that was what made him happy. He hoped it wasn’t though, Hika didn’t know what he’d do without those soft feathered wings around him at night.

As he was approaching the den he’d find his eyes fall to Briar’s form as she lounged comfortably outside. He liked all of Mort’s siblings that he met, but he was closest to Ophelia which made her the favorite. Not that he would ever speak word of that aloud, especially in front of Briar who was much more intimidating than he was.

"Good evening, Briar.” He greeted her softly as he strode up. A thought struck him, he’d never really been alone with this younger sibling. Hikaru tilted his head curiously, "Hey, would you want to go down to the water with me?” He didn’t really expect her to say yes, but maybe she would. "I’m kind of a mess.”

"Speech"

Her turquoise gaze lifted with surprise when she heard someone greet her, her eyes landing on the very dirty and dusty form of Hikaru. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the smaller male approaching her. "Oh, good evening, Hikaru," she replied with a soft smile. She had kind of assumed that might be the end of it since they only ever really saw each other in passing going in and out of the den they collectively shared, but to her surprise he invited her to go down to the water with him while he cleaned himself up. For a moment she didn't really know how to answer, wondering if she was even in the mindset to be good company, but since this was the first time she had ever really gotten a chance to talk with Mortis'... friend? Partner? She wasn't even really sure what to call him - she didn't want to pass it up. She smiled a little wider after a beat of thought and gave him a nod, rolling to her paws. "Sure!"

She waited for him to be ready to go and then walked down toward the water's edge beside him. It hadn't really occurred to her how it was strange that they had been living in the same den for most of a season without actually talking to each other. Although, if she was being fair to herself, she hadn't really spent that whole season staying in the den since she had often slipped out to go stay with Artorias instead. "You and Mortis are pretty close, huh?" she asked conversationally as they walked, trying not so subtly to figure out what kind of relationship he had with her brother and start learning more about him in the process.

"Briar Fatalis"

Briar smiled and offered her greeting in return, he’d never really done anything or invited her anywhere in her time within the cozy den. She paused for a moment after he asked his question and he thought she would probably deny him, with a quick turn of her body and affirmative nod she agreed. Hikaru was pleasantly surprised that she accepted. With a shocked grin he wagged his dusty tail. "Excellent! I’ll return in just a moment.” He added with a quick dip of his head as he rushed into the den. He knew where every little thing was kept and swiftly went to the nicely stored absorbent furs. Hikaru grabbed a couple in case Briar wanted to get in, and his favorite soap before returning to her. (No he didn’t forget to wipe his paws when he went inside.)

He trotted along beside her, though her stride wasn’t quite as difficult to keep up with. They had been living in the same den for a while, though it seemed most of the time she was far too occupied with the Hallows boy. He hadn’t really tried to bother her up until now. Though she was welcome whenever he set up a dinner that might have been out of the ordinary. Still, he didn’t really know this sister of Mortis. She asked about his closeness to Mort, something that had become natural for him.

Hikaru shrugged in response, his confidence had been given quite a blow after Mort’s well intentioned suggestion. "I’ve been all up and down the two continents with him. I’ve never had a better friend.” He offered a half grin as they neared the shore. He laid the towels over a low hanging branch and scrubbed a smaller one with soap. He left the bar under the towels and turned back to the water. "You have such a caring brother,” Hika reminded her with a soft smile as he waded out into the water.

"Speech"

Briar smiled at Hikaru's description of Mortis, saying he had never had a better friend. She knew very well how few and far between friends could be and she also knew how good of a friend Mortis tended to be. With as many siblings as she had one might think she'd have someone to turn to everywhere she went, but these days it had really come down to only Artorias, Mortis, Asla, and now possibly Lia. Maybe that was more than others had, but for a long time it had just been Artorias and slowly she was beginning to build more relationships with those around her. She nodded in agreement, coming to sit at the edge of the water with just her front paws dipping in as he added how caring Mortis was. "He really is. He has a big heart."

She chuckled softly as she thought about her brother. He was such a stark contrast from their father and most of their siblings. He was one of a kind among them and that was one of the reasons why she gravitated toward him. Asla had the same effect, but she admired her older sister for her independence and her strength rather than the kindness and sweetness that she saw in Mortis. "I don't know where he gets it from sometimes," she added with a smirk. "Certainly not from our father... Dad is hard and rash about everything and it's like Mortis has to look ten times before he jumps."

"Briar Fatalis"

She let her toes touch the water as he waded out, and the dirt and sand began to loosen from his fur already. Briar agreed, knowing how big Mort’s heart was. Maybe too big, he wanted so bad to help everyone and bring them together. Hikaru sighed softly, even after how much time they spent together he still didn’t know how the young man’s mind worked. He tried not to dwell for too long.

The koi like wolf took to the water like the fish he most resembled. He rinsed his fur and wetted himself fully before returning to the shallows to begin scrubbing the dirt away. The young Fatalis girl continued, unsure how Mort could be so sweet when their father was so completely different. That was one thing he knew about Mort, it was how much he questioned himself. How much he wanted to emulate his father instead of embracing his true self.

"He hesitates too much, I agree. He is so uncertain of himself these days.” Hikaru replied sadly as he scrubbed his yellowed fur. "What about you, Briar? How do you differ, or take after your dad?” He asked her with a good natured smile and tilt of his head.


"Speech"

She nodded in agreement as Hikaru mentioned how Mortis hesitated far too much these days. It made her a little sad at times to see him this way. There was a large chunk of her life that he wasn't around for, but she didn't remember him being so overly cautious about things back when she was younger. Of course she still didn't really know what had driven him away for that period of time or even what was going through his head half of the time, but of course she loved her brother so she just wanted to see him happy. Sometimes it felt like the pressure their father put on them was doing more harm than good - a feeling she knew all too well.

She refocused on Hikaru as he began to scrub off the dirt caught in his fur, chuckling softly at the questions he gave her about how she was alike or how she differed from her father. "It would probably be easier to list the ways I'm the same rather than the ways I'm different from him if I'm being honest," she said with a slightly sad grin. "Which is so strange since I wanted to be just like him so badly when I was little, but now that I'm older and have more context on things I just... I don't think he and I really see eye to eye on things much." She didn't want to feel more at home among The Hallows and Artorias' family than her own, but that was how it felt at times. She still respected and loved her father simply because he was her father, but the days when she had worshiped the ground he walked on were gone.

"Some things are easy to agree with... Like protecting the ones we care about or working hard to better the pack and things like that... But he's just so..." She struggled to find the right words for a moment, her ears flicking uncertainly. "He can be hypocritical and smothering," she finally landed on with a small shrug. Sometimes she didn't really catch how mature her words or perspectives were. She had been forced to grow up fast and even now that things had calmed some she still felt much older than she actually was. Sometimes it felt as if she was actually the adult and her father was somehow younger than her - at least in how he acted.

"Briar Fatalis"

It seemed like Briar was also well aware of Mort’s recent struggles as he tried to find his path in life. Hika and Mort had been in the Hallows for quite a long time, she missed out on a bit of time with her winged brother, but even she could understand what Hikaru mentioned. Mortis was not their only topic of interest though, Hika wanted to know who Briar was, especially compared to their father. He hadn’t had any personal interaction with the man he called alpha, the Warlord had barely spared him a glance.

Hika began to clean his pale fur, the dirt and grim washed from his pelt with ease as he applied the soapy cloth. Kohl lined ears perked as Briar spoke about herself and how she differed from the Warlord. Hika listened as he washed, she admitted her inner thoughts about how she and her father did not quite see eye to eye. She went on, admitting her true feelings and Hikaru felt blessed that she could so easily admit her feelings to him.

It made Hikaru think about his own family and how little he had really had in common with them. How different he always felt compared to the other koi wolves around him. "I understand how that feels.” He offered knowingly as he rinsed the soap from his svelte form. "I couldn’t ever confront my own family, that’s part of why I’m here. I couldn’t conform so I was exiled. I will never be what they wanted me to be.”

"Speech"

Briar let her gaze refocus on Hikaru as he stated his understanding of her feelings, mentioning how he couldn't confront his own family and how he had been exiled because he couldn't confirm to what they wanted. Her ears flicked at the thought, a little frown pulling at her lips. She had put a lot of pressure on herself to become something her family could be proud of, but she couldn't imagine any of them ever sending her away or exiling her if she couldn't. She still wasn't entirely sure she was meeting their expectations. Praise and acknowledgement wasn't really something that was given freely around here. It was always expected to live and work to this level that felt unreachable so going above and beyond that felt impossible.

Even still, she knew she'd always have a home with her family - to the point where she had the opposite problem of not knowing if they'd ever let her leave. "Do you mind if I ask what they wanted you to be?" she asked with a little bit of curiosity. "I just wonder what they could have possibly wanted from you that was so extreme that they felt like they had to kick you out because of it. You seem really nice and I know you work and do stuff around the pack so... what more could they want?" There was obviously something she was missing in the story and she was still getting to know him so maybe there was something about him she just hadn't seen yet, but what could make a family want to push him out?

"Briar Fatalis"