Life away from his father and other siblings, and the queens of course, had been taxing on him though he seemed to hold his composure well. His time with Albion and more often Ruse had helped significantly, but he always felt like there was a part of him missing. It may have been expected.

He and Albi had gone out from Elysium to look for some large game to hunt and take back for the stores, but it seemed their search would come to an end as they made their way into the desolate lands of the volcano. As they usually were, Cerberus just looked towards Albion silently, turning to skirt the edges of the dreary land, not that he wanted to avoid it or anything. But they did have a task to do while they were out here, so they might as well head north towards the sound and loop back around hopefully finding what they came for. It would seem that soon they would find what they weren't, or at least not what they were expecting.

"Cerberus Kline"

When he wasn’t working with Avacyn he always defaulted back to Cerberus or Ruse. They were a connection to the past that he just couldn’t give up. They were still young wolves just learning their way in the world and not having their family surrounding them anymore had caused much turmoil. So the young man did what would best help him to forget and disassociate. He threw himself into his work. Though however passionate he might be, it didn’t help anything if they couldn’t even find their prey.

Albion huffed in frustration as he moved to follow his brother back to the pack after their failed mission. He lost hope that they would find their quarry now after searching for so long. Still, Cerberus was determined so Albi wouldn’t give up quite yet. Massive ivory paws carried the equally silent boy alongside his brother.

His senses were on heightened alert, much more sensitive to the sounds of the desolate lands and the scents on the air. There was one that was so familiar, and yet not their quarry. Albion did his best to ignore the smell he knew so well, surely his mind was playing tricks on him now. There was no way Scylla was so close. Wishful thinking.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

She was on her way to Elysium now that she was back on the continent. Scylla's first order of business had been to inspect the former Fenmyre lands. She'd had a bit of fun there. Then she made her way north, intent on informing her remaining siblings of their father's improved condition. The journey was long, but it didn't phase the small fae much. She was light on her paws and had no issue with taking her time, stopping often to do this and that. Her path was wandering, depending on sights and smells. She wasn't unproductive in her journey and had collected many herbs, plants and fungi to add to her stores.

The young woman was stretched out on some nice, smooth rocks when she heard the faint sound of claws scratching along the stone. Mismatched eyes opened, head shifting so that she could look in the direction that the sound was coming from. Much to her surprise, the very two wolves that she loved most in the world were coming straight towards her. Cerberus and Albion had grown just like she had. They were fine young men now and it was a little odd to see. Not in a bad way. Quite the opposite, in fact. Both were big and handsome and it brought a smile to her face. They hadn't seen her quite yet, so Scylla decided to give them a little surprise.

Quietly shifting, Scylla hunkered down flat against the rock, watching silently and unmoving until both of her brothers walked by on the path beneath her. Once they had moved off a few steps, she dropped down behind them and began following as though they'd been together the whole time. "Where are we going?" She asked pleasantly from her place at the back of the line, eager to see their reactions as they turned to see her.

"Scylla"

There was a part of him that was a bit spooked by the sudden surprise, a little jump as he went to turn maybe as if they could have been attacked or something, but his mind immediately turned over to that familiar voice, and mostly familiar form.

There was a big grin across his face as he had the sight of her, a little bit of an eager step forward towards her though she wasn't far behind them at all, "Scylla!" He did stop before fully jumping forward to take her into a hug, instead looking over at Albion to give him the option to do so. He remembered how hard it was for him when Scylla had been in Elysium and they were still in Fenmyre, harder than it had been for himself. Still, he felt like the three of them had nearly been like littermates. He was just one step ahead of them when it came to physical age and maybe some responsibility too.

"Cerberus Kline"

Albion waved off the scent as nothing more than his mind playing tricks on him. Scylla was miles and miles away, he had no idea the next time he might see her. The young man missed her deeply, and he wondered frequently if she felt the same. She had left his side so easily a year ago, and hadn't even given a fight about it. He’d been blindsided, and hadn’t felt the same since. Avacyn was a good distraction, but she wasn’t his littermate. Having Cerb and Ruse around helped, but they weren’t Scylla.

He tried to hide his heavy sigh as he bumped his shoulder into Cerberus’ for comfort. However his attention was swiftly caught by the sound of Scylla’s voice. Were it not for his brother jumping slightly at the sound he might have dismissed her as his imagination again. But he turned swiftly to find her petite form before them.

Cerberus reacted, but his slight hesitation was enough for Albion to surge forward. Wordlessly he wrapped up his sister in his ivory arms, surrounding her and silently vowing to never let her go again. He ated how much time and distance had been between them, and those horrible emotions filled him and overflowed. He squeezed his eyes shut and held her to his chest. "Don’t leave me again.” He whispered softly.
"Albion Baskara Klien"

The instant that her brother's turned around and she saw the shock on their faces, Scylla grinned. Cerberus took a step towards her, saying her name, but Albi beat him to her. Her giant, pale brother scooped her up and whispered through his emotions. Scylla wrapped her forelegs around Albion, holding him close to her. The young woman managed to look over the fluff of Albi, her gaze falling on Cerberus. With one paw, she motioned him over to join the group hug. Scylla often appeared cold and unfeeling, but she truly loved her brothers. The fae's eyes drifted closed and she simply enjoyed having them here in the flesh.

Scylla didn't release Albion or Cerberus from her grasp until they were ready. Only then did she begin to tell them the news. "Our father's health has improved. It seemed like some sort of reoccurrence of what happened during the Long Night." Scylla's dexterous digits combed absently through the thicker fur of her siblings' manes. "He's worried that this may happen every year, so he's decided not to reform Fenmyre. Instead he's going to join our aunt in Ashen." Again Scylla gave her brother's a squeeze. "But I'm staying with you. I missed you both so much."

"Scylla"

Feeling that bit of relief from Albion even when he hadn't really sensed as much tension before that may have been let out in that moment, it made Cerberus relax internally as well. The three of them together again was like a dream come true and what felt like an age since they had been. As Scylla had motioned him in, he stepped forward with an all too familiar grin, pushing his shoulder gently into Albion and wrapping a paw around Scylla's back where Albion had a hold as well. A tender hug that may have been expected from him in the eyes of his family.

As Cerberus had pulled away just by a step or so, Scylla had mentioned that their father was doing well, but furthermore that he would be returning to Ashen. Even with Scylla insisting she would stay, and Albion seemingly being tied up with Avacyn, Cerberus found himself in a difficult set of mind. A part of him struggling to find a path in his head, one where he'd be with his father in Ashen or one where he would be here with his three closest siblings. The answer of what he wanted was obvious, but there was an unexplored side of him that had set these sort of expectations on himself being Chimera's first son and heir to Fenmyre. The pack not being rebuilt at that moment had little to do with the way he thought, in which he just stayed silent to the news.

He turned up a gentle smile again as Scylla had said she missed them, nodding his head in agreement, "We've missed you too." Not that Scylla would have thought any different, he hoped not at least.

"Cerberus Kline"

Scylla let him wrap her up in his arms, returning the affections as he felt her hold to him tightly. He felt a deep pang go through his heart when she didn’t say anything to his demand. No promises as he held her like his life depended on her presence. Really, Albion hadn’t realized just how much he missed and needed her until this moment. Her missing presence had been so swift and jarring, he hadn’t been quite right since that moment. Despite having her now, there was no relief to the anxiety, no reassurance that she would be beside him. No evidence that she had hurt with the distance like he did. He felt more complete when Cerberus joined them, relieving his worries enough that he could relax.

Albion did his best to cover the uncertainty as she let them pull away of their own volition. When she finally spoke it was not of his highest concern. He hadn’t really settled his relationship with his father, so he was surprised that Chimera was the first topic to be addressed between them. Fenmyre wasn’t going to be rebuilt. Their family would be rejoining Ashen and she was going to stay with them. That was the most comforting phrase she could give him, more so even than her little affections. He sighed softly, trying to reign in his emotions as he struggled with his rampant crazy feelings.

"Glad dad isn’t dead yet.” He said almost off handedly, maybe someday he would try and repair their relationship, but he still hadn’t accepted some of his sire’s decisions. "But mostly, I’m just relieved you’re here.” He continued as one massive paw held the back of her head and he kissed her forehead lovingly. Despite his misgivings, Albion was beyond grateful she was at his side once more.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

Scylla's digits continued to wind through Albion's fur as he had yet to release her from his hold. He spoke of being glad about their father not being dead yet, but Scylla barely heard him. Dual-toned eyes were searching his face. There was a lot that was left unsaid on his end, she could see it in his guarded expression. Albi kissed her forehead and once he pulled back, the slate and cream fae placed a paw on either side of his golden cheeks. She brought his pale gaze to meet her blue and grey eyes. "I won't leave you again," she promised him before placing a kiss upon his nose.

Not wanting to leave Cerberus out of the love fest, Scylla extracted herself from Albion's grasp and wrapped her arms fully around her copper and black sibling. She placed a kiss on the side of his muzzle, her lips tickled by his whiskers. "Let's try our best to stay together, okay?" Releasing Cerberus, the tiny fae seated herself between the two, curling her long tail around her paws.

They had been without one another for a while, but at least Cerberus and Albion had one another. She wasn't really close to any of her other siblings. While she had been traveling back and forth, she'd felt the absence of her brother's deeply. As she aged and matured, that need to be together again felt sort of... primal. She craved their presence. Scylla wasn't very good at showing her emotions. She never had been. The woman could only hope that they somehow knew how much she had missed them.

In typical Scylla fashion, a grin soon found her maw again. "I suppose I should tell Manea that I'm back and want to stay. And speaking of staying..." Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two giants. "Who am I bunking with?" Whoever called dibs first would get a cuddle buddy. The fae's head gave a mischievous tilt. "Or we could all just puppy pile together."

"Scylla"

Cerberus wouldn't sense that kind of hidden resentment that Albion had for their father. As close as he was to them, there seemed to be a lot he may not have known. His part in family was being there for them when they needed. He always would be. But he wouldn't realize this part of him that was detached from the more personal aspect of their lives. Maybe he had just dove into his responsibility of the pack too far to not sit down and wonder more about them. He knew being away from Scylla for Albion was hard, but he hadn't tried to explore that with him.

Cerberus took the affections Scylla gave him lovingly, smiling and placing another paw down along her shoulder. His gaze moving to Albion as she had asked, he'd start off the answer, "We've all had a large den together, you are more than welcome to stay with us of course." He had dwelled in the comfort that his other sister had given him and what he could give her. He supposed he wasn't really thinking of how Albion was fairing in that regard. Selfish he thought. Not until this moment had he considered what else he could have done for his brother to make him more comfortable here. "I suppose we could start heading back to see Manea."

"Cerberus Kline"

He took comfort in the way her deft finger-like paws traced through his pale fur. Eventually he kissed her forehead and pulled away, but not before she could grab his cheeks and his gaze. Scylla promised him she wouldn’t leave him again, and that little promise was enough to take the weight of the whole world from his shoulders. "Good.” He whispered as she kissed his nose and his cheeks warmed. She offered similar affections to Cerberus and again mentioned trying to stay together now. They were old enough now to make their own choices, with no room for Chimera to make decisions for them. It was either do or don’t, he had every intention of staying right by Scylla and Cerberus.

The topic moved to where they had been staying. Since there was complication in the progression of his relationship with Avacyn it had been easy to share a den with his siblings. They gave him comfort and familiarity that he needed to have the strength to go through with what he was doing. Cerberus took the lead in explaining. They all knew how talkative their pale brother was. He nodded as the agreement turned to finding Manea. Scylla didn’t need an escort, but he wasn’t ready to leave her side quite yet.

"Albion Baskara Klien"