In reality, Ivy didn’t understand what had happened to their mother. He didn’t get it. No, the boy was in a strange place when it came to his own head. She would be… she would be back, eventually, right? That was the only explanation that made sense. In the meantime, he couldn’t just sit around and wait. He wouldn’t just sit around and wait. No, he was going to get Lotus, and he was going to go… somewhere. On an adventure probably. Never one without the other, Ivy wasn’t going to venture out entirely on his own. No, it was time to goad his twin brother into doing something… anything. “Lotus… Lo, come on,“ The boy grumbled, sticking his head inside their den from where he sat in the early morning sun. The day was young, and there was fuckery to be had.

Lotus knew without a doubt that half his soul was born in another body. An identical body, so he could understand the mishap, even if it did make life a little confusing every now and then. For at the moment, the boys were truly identical. Matching size and colouring, it was almost impossible to tell the two apart.

Ivy (or Lotus 2.0) stuck his head in the den and found the young boy blinking in the early morning sun. He stretched out his dark blue, white-tipped paws and yawned at his other half. Ivy must have gotten all the early-morning energy. He blinked, and shook out his coat, wondering when mum was coming back. The den felt funny without her in it.

“I’m coming, coming!” he promised, getting to his paws and padding over to the other wolf, pressing against the others side so no one could tell where one ended, and the other began.

"Speech"

Ivy would argue that Lotus was the 2.0 version, being the younger twin... but was 2.0 arguably better? Then there was the fact that he was the original, genuine article. For now, they'd match in every single way. Even when they grew and stretched to different proportions, and whatever other weird things were coming down the line, they'd still be two halves of the same whole. Nothing was ever going to come between them, Ivy could promise that much.

"Took long enough!" Ivy grinned, shoulder pressed into Lotus's in turn. The boy moved on too-big paws, trying his best not to trip. "Come on, let's go for a walk, let's find something to do, let's do something." He was antsy. In Alfrún's absence, he'd only developed more of a desire to wander and explore. Maybe they'd find mom out here while they explored... maybe. That, or they could find something cool to bring back to surprise her when she came home. Or they could find something cool to do while they waited. Now that Ivy thought about it, it didn't really matter what exactly they did, as long as they were together.

"Speech"

He felt the familiar softness of his twin's coat as he leaned against him. There was something familiar and comforting about being in contact with his other half. He yearned for it, which meant when the two of them were ever apart, Lotus could be a grumpy sod to work with.

“One of us has to nap” he complained, implying Ivy didn’t do enough of that. He gently elbowed his twin in the side and grinned across at the identical boy. “Okay, okay” he agreed, knowing he would eventually always give in to Ivy. “Let’s go for a walk and see if we can find something fun?”

"Speech"

Familiarity, softness. Ivy was allowed to be tender around Lotus, especially when they were on their own. The smaller twin would always be a tender creature, but that tenderness is not a fault. When apart, the boys would be an entirely different animal. When together? Well, life would be easier for everyone around them, that was for sure. The difference between balance and the lack of balance was nearly night and day. A delicate balance lived between them, and it would only be come clearer with age.

"We can both nap later," he grumbled softly. "When it gets too hot for exploring!" He took the elbow with a grin and a laugh, falling easily into step with Lotus. His tail wagged, and softly he lifted his face to scent the air for anything interesting... for trouble. "What do you think that is, over there?" Ivy gestured with a paw to the copse of trees that lay beyond the border of the Knolls. They weren't technically allowed to venture that far yet... technically. But maybe Lotus had a guess.

"Speech"

“Deal” Lotus agreed with another grin, shaking the last traces of sleep from his fur, and now totally involved in whatever adventure Ivy could cook up. He started to walk when his brother raised a paw, calling his attention to something in the distance. The other boy paused, squinting, before raising his head and sniffing the air. Hmm… He was still exploring much of the world inside the pack, he hadn’t yet started to think about what was going on past it.

“Its like clouds in the trees, that's pretty neat” he said, watching the fog that rifted between the old oaks in the souleless forest. “Think we’d get away with a closer look?” He mused ‘Or, we could chase Tyrian’s sheep” He suggested with a soft snicker.


"Speech"

Always excited for the next thing, for what was bigger and broader. All the things that Ivy could see and do and chase... wait, chase! Yes, the could certainly chase. The world was so incredibly big, and Ivy wasn't about to take things one day at a time. He's too excited. The blue boy leaned on his brother as they walked, grinning wildly. Deal, and it was a good deal. Explore now, nap later. They had all morning, at least until it got too hot.

Would dad really get that mad if they toed the line? It wasn't like they were going alone, after all. That was the thing about them... they were never really alone. It was rare to see one without the other. The sheep though... what a promising endeavor. Ivy's eyes danced at the thought. "We should totally chase the sheep," there was something a bit wild in the boy's voice, and in the way his pace picked up. "I'll race you there!" He crowed, taking one bouncing, leaping step forward.

"Speech"