In the land of vivid pink trees, the dark form of a wolf lounges on top of a tall rock. A gentle wind rustles the woman’s fur as she keeps her cinnamon eyes turned toward the land that neighbors the one she is in. One day, Zenith had awoken to find that she remembered very little of her life before that very day. Everything was hazy, as if covered in a thick fog, and she has been on a mission to figure more about herself. She is lingering near the border of this pack because she had spied a wolf that had sparked something in those murky memories.

The idea of uncovering more information about who she is too tempting to pass up, so the woman has spent her days waiting for a chance to catch another glimpse of the fire marked man. From what she had seen, he was about the same age as her and Zenith would bet her next meal that they are related. Still, the idea of approaching a pack’s border to speak with someone who may or may not be related to her had the woman hesitating. A sigh rolls past her dark red lips as she weighs her options once more.

It is getting kind of old, sitting here, waiting and hoping that he will appear while her life remains on hold. Finally, Zen decides it is time she take the bull by the horns and the woman stands. Shaking out her coat to smooth it down, she then approaches the border with confident steps before stopping a respectable distance away. The only information she really remembers is her name and that of her sire’s. So, tilting her head back, she sings a call for anyone who is related to Ignis. It is an invitation to come and talk with her.

Butterflies flutter in her stomach for a moment as she lowers her head and settles lightly on her haunches as she waits.


"Zenith Praetor"

Ciná grumbled softly as he stretched in the half sleep he was going in and out of, wrapping his forelegs a little tighter around Tira as he settled back in and tucked his head into her soft, fluffy fur. He was terrible at taking mid-day naps like this and more often than not just laid with Tira while she slept, but he had gotten up extra early that day for a full patrol before breakfast so it felt more needed than usual. He still drifted in and out of sleep for a while, thinking of things that needed to be done or things that he'd like to do. At least that was the state he was in until a distant howl from the border roused him and pulled him from his nap. At first it didn't register that the call was for him. It wasn't a voice that he immediately recognized and it didn't feel directed at him specifically, but after a beat of listening he realized it was directed at someone like him–someone related to Ignis.

That got his attention and his golden eyes opened, tensing slightly as he laid there uncertainly while he decided if that was a call he even wanted to answer. Tira knew who his father was, but it was a secret he kept fairly close to his chest. He wouldn't deny it if someone asked, but he did his best to avoid identifying himself as Ignis' son when he could. It seemed like someone at least had a hunch that one of his children was here at least so he was sure he couldn't avoid whoever it was forever. Tira stirred a bit and he glanced down at her, waiting until she resettled before he began to gently slip his foreleg out from under her so he could quietly slip out of the den and back out into the sunlight. Giving himself a quick shake to smooth his fur and to break out of the last of his drowsiness, Ciná reluctantly turned toward the border and began to head in that direction to see who it was.

As he neared the edge of the territory that rested up against the Redbud Nook, he spotted the distinctive dark red, black, and tan markings that he hadn't laid eyes on since he parted ways with his family at the fall of Incindium. Zenith?" he questioned with disbelief as he got closer, looking at her uncertainly before quickly glancing around to make sure Ignis wasn't with her or that there wasn't more of their siblings accompanying her. Certain that she was alone, he refocused her gaze on her as he came to a stop in front of her. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, though his expression and the tension in his shoulders started to visibly relax a bit now that he saw that it was only his long lost sister. As much as he avoided association with his father, he held no real ill will toward his siblings and was truly more confused as to what brought her here or why she had called him just by their relation and not by his name if she had known he was here.

"Cináed"

Waiting is difficult for Zen as the butterflies swarming in her stomach try to convince her, more than once, to just turn around and run away. Yet, with the possibility of answers so close at hand, the woman knows this is an opportunity that she cannot pass up. Thankfully, she does not have to wait long for the similar marked male to appear and, when he says her name, the woman cannot keep the shock that raises on her features. Tension is evident in the stranger’s posture as he approaches her and the shock gives way to confusion as she wonders why he is on edge. Had she done something to him in the past?

Dormant memories attempt to stir within the depths of her mind, raising up toward the surface before falling back down in the inky darkness that hides them from her. A frown pulls her lips down as he questions why she is here and all Zenith can do is look at him with bewilderment and, lingering in the back of her eyes, hope. He seems anxious that she is here yet, to the woman, she has no idea who he is expect the man who might have some answers. The only solid things she does remember is her name and that of her sire’s. A wave of dizziness strikes her as the world seems to tilt underneath as the fear and doubt try to steal away her resolve.

But she is here and the woman knows that, if she leaves now, she will leave with nothing. Throat works as she swallows past the nausea that the dizziness brought with it and she gazes into those ember eyes. Again, memories begin to stir, a thin veil between her and them but, again, they fall away without bringing her any explanations. Minutes have passed as emotions play across her features and, when she finally opens her mouth to speak, her voice is feeble and wobbly with uncertainty, “You… you know me?” A question answered with a question but one that Zenith cannot seem to stop herself from asking.

A few beats pass before she shakes her head, as if to rid herself of the hesitation and Zen straightens up as she realizes that she had shrunken into herself as the emotions had played through her. Clearing her throat, voice gaining strength now, she says, “Uh, I’m sorry but I’m afraid I don’t know who you are. I woke up a few weeks ago without any memories. Well, actually, I have two. My name and that of my father’s.” Taking a breath, she gazes at the man with a calmness that had yet to appear until now. No matter what happens, she knows that answers are not far from her reach.

“I saw you while I was passing through the land and… something tried to surface. That is why I am here. I was, uh, hoping you could help me.” A weak smile is offered as Zenith purposefully leaves out how long she had been lingering in the Nook for fear of turning him away.


"Zenith Praetor"

Cináed had of course expected some kind of response or reason for why Zenith was standing here in front of him now after not seeing her for two years, but instead he was met with silence and what seemed to be shock written on her expression. He looked at her with confusion and again glanced around at the Nook behind her to make sure she was alone and that this wasn't some kind of strange ambush. The woods were empty and quiet though and as he checked her scent he didn't find any trace of their father on her coat. He had every reason to believe this was just a meeting of circumstance or maybe some strangely timed attempt to rekindle some kind of relationship, but the longer she just stared at him the more nervous he became. "Zenith? Hello?" he questioned again, a frown pulling at his lips.

When she finally spoke it only gave him more questions. "What?" he muttered with disbelief as she questioned if he knew her. "Seriously, Zen? I mean, I know it's been a couple of years, but..." he grumbled as he began to assume it was some backhanded way of commenting on how long he had stayed away from her and their family. Just as he was considering walking away, she finally seemed to find her voice and actually explain herself and why she was here. The truth was almost more shocking than her being here at all and at first he wasn't sure if he believed her, but looking at her expression and how she was acting that doubt didn't last long. It did make him wonder what happened to her to make her lose all of her memories, but she clearly wouldn't know that if all she knew was Ignis' name and her own.

He let out a slow breath as he processed this new information before he replied, "Well... Something in there recognized me, I guess, so I suppose that's a good start." He lowered onto his haunches across from her while he tried to decide where to even begin. "I guess I should uh... introduce myself then. I'm Cináed. I'm your brother." It was such a strange sentence to say, but the situation itself was strange. "Before you ask, no, I don't know where Ignis is," he added, a noticeable frown tugging at his lips. "I saw him over a year ago for the first time since he let the pack fall apart and he attacked me and tried to rip my tail off so... Unsurprisingly, I have no desire to seek him out."

"Cináed"

The man seems suspicious of her and since he knows her name, the woman wonders if she has done something horrible to him in the past. A frown pulls her mouth down as her brows knit together, the way he speaks her name seems so familiar yet foreign at the same time. She admits that she has lost her memory and he seems to… not believe her. Confusion mixed with shame settles over her frame as Zenith watches the complete stranger and silently begs him to understand and take pity on her plight. He lets out a slow breath and she can almost see the gears in his mind turning as he digests the information she has given.

Finally, he seats him across from her, the invisible border becoming a strong boundary as he begins to explain about her and him, revealing his name to be Cináed and the fact that he is her brother. Even as he speaks of a pack and their father, the woman’s confusion only deepens and a sense of hopelessness washes over her, dizzying in its intensity. Yet nothing sparks in the haze of her past and, at the news of how their father had tried to rip her brother’s tail off, Zen cannot help herself as she lets out a disbelieving scoff. Worry suddenly colors her gaze as her eyes widen slightly and she asks, “Am I am like him? Am I… mean?”

While she has felt the hot burn of anger over not understanding or knowing things, the woman likes to think that she would not try to rip off the tail of a family member if she ever saw them. Suddenly, realization slams into her like a fist against leather and the woman visibly wilts as she asks, “Have I done that before? Did I hurt you… before?” Zen doesn’t know who she is or what she was like before but, standing here in front of her brother, the woman abruptly feels the need to apologize for every bit of the life that she does not remember. Mouth pumps but no words are forth coming as her shoulders draw inward, head lowering as she pulls into herself, suddenly afraid to hear any more that Cináed has to say about her old self.


"Zenith Praetor"

Cináed watched a whole myriad of emotions play on his sister's face as he shared their relation to one another and his harsh information about their father, but he hadn't expected her to question him over weather or not she was mean like Ignis and whether or not she had hurt him before. He blinked with surprise and for a second he was so befuddled by the idea that he didn't know how to respond, but as he saw her begin to pull into herself he quickly scrambled to reassure her. "No! No, you never did anything like that. I uh... Fuck," he muttered with a sigh, rubbing a paw over his face. He got up and moved a bit closer to her, sitting close enough for him to put a paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Zen, I don't been to be short with you or seem off put by you being here, I just... I was so desperate to separate myself from Ignis when everything crumbled almost three years ago now that I hid myself from everyone–even you and our other siblings. Not because you did anything, just because I didn't want anything to lead him to me. Running into you all of the sudden like this it just puts me on edge. I'm sorry."

Sighing again, he lowered his paw, but he didn't move away. It was exceedingly obvious that she had no recent connection with Ignis, at least not that she could remember, so he didn't feel the need to be so on guard. Not that he should really be so concerned when he was on the border of his own pack with plenty of help within ear shot, but he didn't trust the man any further than he could throw him. "It's good to see you again, Zen. I'm sorry you're struggling like this," he said more gently. "Are you okay? Other than the memories thing, I mean," he asked and started to look her over to check for any other injuries or anything that might show what might have caused her to lose her memories. "My uh... roommate is a really good healer. I can go get her if you want."

"Cináed"