After returning to The Hallows and spending a few days with her younger siblings, Iolaire had been informed that Zee had taken ill and had died. It was a bit of a shock to the crochety old fae and, knowing Sirius as she did, she knew that he would be beating himself up and wallowing. Iolaire didn't judge him for that. They'd all seen how she'd been after Roan had taken ill and died. She had died for a while herself. Now that she was alive again and mostly sane, she intended to find her brother and keep him from turning out the same way.

Honestly, Iolaire couldn't remember if she'd been to this place or not with as addled as her mind had been before. She knew how to get to the Col though and that's exactly where she went. Border markers be damned, the small, slender woman tromped right over it and made her way into the heart of Armada territory. If the wolves of the Armada were doing their jobs, she would be intercepted. If not, she'd find Sirius all on her own. Brow furrowed, a look of determination hard on her face, Iolaire trudged on.

"Iolaire"

With a standing order to allow Io into the Armada, she wasn't stopped at the borders. But a bird found him with haste, and the Warlord got to his paws, and glanced in the direction the avian had flown. His sister? It had been a while since he had thought of Io. He knew she had been living near the Hallows. That Art had kept an eye on her, and nothing anyone said could convince her she was still with the living. He remembered why, and his heart twisted. Roan. Zee. He pushed aside the sorrow. It was as familiar to him now as an old friend.

He started out at a trott, Marshal soaring through the sky's above found his sister before he did. He followed the path of the bird, and stopped before Iolaire. He studied her a moment. Searching for signs of grief and madness. Her eyes seemed surprisingly clear. "Io." He said gently in greeting. Uncertain at the state of her mind.

No one intercepted her and, catching the edge of Marshal circling up above, Iolaire knew that Sirius was on his way. The small woman kept on trudging along, making her way deeper into Armada territory. There was determination on her face as she went along. What would she find when she did come face to face with Sirius? Zee had 'died' once before, but this time it was real. There had been proof. Death followed her more closely than it did the Warlord, at least. The tiny woman had lost many in her lifetime. As Sirius finally came into view, he seemed to approach her hesitantly. Really, she couldn't blame him. Their last meeting had been... interesting. She'd been dead then, her mind a whirlwind and her world a fantasy. Well, she was whole now, though she would forever be a little eccentric. He spoke her name and Iolaire arched a smoky brow. Sitting on her haunches, Io sighed and beckoned her adopted sibling into her arms with a wave of both sets of dexterous digits. It didn't matter that he was a million times her size, he was the one in pain and she was here to comfort him. "Speech"

She didn’t speak or return her greeting. Seating herself in front of him instead. He studied her with a puzzled frown as if she was a curious puzzle. The small woman sighed, and beckoned him forward. He gave her a small smile, and obeyed. Closing the distance between them and sinking into a careful crouch before her. It wasn’t easy to shrink his bulk, but he managed somehow. Hunched over as he nudged his way gently into the space between her paws. He leaned his head carefully against her shoulder. His muzzle over the edge as he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. “Hey, little one.” He said gently. He still didn’t know the state of her mind. But she was here, and she was his. His family, if not his blood. He wrapped his own paws around her "Speech"

The man's confusion only lasted a moment before his toothy maw cracked a smile and he lowered down to his belly before her. Sirius' greeting brought a soft chuckle from the tri-colored fae and, as he embraced her, she embraced him back. "Hello to you, you big lug." She'd always called him that and saw it as a term of endearment between them. He was indeed big and he could be rather stubborn and thick skulled.

With her forelegs wrapped around him, Iolaire placed her cheek atop her brother's blocky skull. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly. He would know what she meant simply by her tone. She was sorry about Zee. Sorry that he had to suffer. She was also sorry that she hadn't been here. Perhas she could have saved the woman with her advanced skill. Regrets served no purpose other than to bring one down, so Iolaire chose to live in the present. She was here now. "I came as soon as I heard." The minuscule woman would hold the giant dire for as long as he needed.

"Iolaire"

He grinned a little more at the term of endearment. She sounded… better. Though he was reluctant to let himself hope, from one little sentence, that everything was alright with her. But she was here and with him. And it was so good to see her that it almost hurt. As the soft apology fell from her lips, he physically sagged against her. Though he didn’t mean to lean his weight against her, he couldn't help it. His face pinched in pain. He knew exactly what she meant. And while it meant a lot to him that the news had brought her back to him, relieving that loss with yet another person hurt. He let out a shaky breath. “It’s good to see you, Io.” He said, holding her still. Holding her like he didn’t want to let go. "Speech"

Io could feel the defeat and sorrow that hunched her brother's shoulders and the small fae gave him a squeeze, one paw gently and rhythmically stroking the thick fur of Sirius' ruff. Iolaire knew what it was like to lose the one that you loved. She'd lost Roan and it had broken her. From what she could see, Sirius was doing better than she had been. That wasn't to say the he didn't hurt. That much was obvious. He simply was able to hold on whereas she couldn't be bothered to do so. The big man softly told her that it was good to see her and, at an attempt at humor to possibly lighten the mood, Io gave him a gentle jostle. "It is, isn't it?" She kept her cheek atop his big head, her paw still lightly stroking his fur. "We don't have to talk about anything now if you don't want to," she assured him. Launching into a million questions wasn't what he needed. "I'll be here for a few days if you'd like. There will be time to talk." "Speech"

The Warlord gave a soft snort, struggling not to give in to the feeling of sorrow washing over him. He’d shed enough tears, and he knew how exhausting it was to do so. “Good.” He said simply, gruffly. Talking would increase the chances of him losing his grip, and right now he just wanted to be grateful that his sister was here. “Just a few days?” He wasn’t sure why that surprised him. Io had been gone a long time, and had shown no interest in coming home. Surely he shouldn’t expect it now. But hearing the words, he realised how hard it was going to be to see her go again. He needed and wanted her support, wanted her home. Hadn’t he said enough goodbyes lately? "Speech"

With a gentle pat pat atop his head, Iolaire released the man so that he could sit up once more. Surely being all scrunched up was uncomfortable. Sirius expressed his displeasure at her commitment to stay only a few days. Io met his blue gaze with her piercing green and gold. "Your life is here. I'm not meant for cold places." That bit was just a fluff reason. She could have worn a cloak. "My mother died in that castle," she began in her typical, matter of fact tones. "My brother's bones are there." And if that wasn't reason enough, "They are a young alpha pair and they would benefit from someone wise watching over them." That would be her, of course. Wise old Iolaire. "Besides, there's a child there that I rather like and I've promised her more lessons." Sirius should have been able to understand the desire to protect family. Her mother had chosen to adopt her lover's litter and had given him the family name. That made Artorias her younger brother, blood or no. Iolaire had the desire to see the boy succeed. "Should we head back to a cave somewhere or are we just going to sit out here all day?" Without waiting for a reply, Iolaire merrily pranced past Sirius and started back towards the mountain caves. "I don't plan on dying again for a long time," she informed him. "You can visit the castle whenever you'd like and I can visit you whenever I'd like." Seemed like a fair trade to her. "Speech"

It would never be the same as the constant presence he had once taken for granted. She had been willing to spend her life in the Armada once, but Roan’s presence and death had changed that. It didn’t seem she would be changing her mind any time soon. He took the hurt and shoved it down. Somewhere beside the pain of his loss. He wouldn’t try to change her mind, he knew it would be a foolish endeavour that would only strain the time she was willing to give him. And it was too difficult to work up the energy, he felt drained easily these days. Grief, he knew, did that to a person. She got to her paws, and spoke of reading to a cave. Moving without waiting for agreement. More stiff and slowly, the Warlord followed after. Already, the happiness of her presence had given way to grief. Grief for Zee, and grief for the knowledge that her visit would only be a short one. “Very well.” He said, as they moved into the common area of warrens at the base of the mountain. "Speech"