the future had once been glittering, a shining point in the distance guiding every one of El’s elegant, deliberate steps. it was everything she lived for, breathed for: a throne, a circlet of jewels, a kingdom laid out at her feet. she’d been born a princess, and she’d felt the truth of her birthright singing in her veins. her blood was the stuff of rubies, the culmination of a strong and enviable family. the Kleins. but now, that future, that legacy, lays in tatters at her feet. even her mastiff, Princess, feels like a mocking reminder of that life, a remnant of everything that was stolen away before she was even old enough to defend it. injustice. it simmers low in her bones, a bitter siren song urging her to do something - though what, she doesn’t know. sometimes, she feels like a disgraced princess victimised by the cruelty of life. other times…other time, she feels like a silly girl with only a dog for company.

Gem is making her way from The Col to go investigate the waterfall nearby. Winter has spread across the north, leaving a fine blanket of white ice and snow all around her. Trees are bare from leaves, the brush not quite as bare, just enough to provide shelter for the small woodland animals that called it home. Northern birds with their thick, downy feathers, fly overhead, honking loudly as they go by. Trails of tracks from different animals, prey and predator alike, zig-zag and criss cross every which way. Her own dainty paws leave a trail from the classroom she'd been calling "home" lately toward the rumbling waterfall that refused to fully freeze over. She approaches it with high steps (both from mood and to avoid ice clinging to her toes) and a wagging tail until her dog, Hem, lets out an alerting bark. Gem stops, turns her heterochromatic gaze to look, and to her surprise, finds her sister standing there with her own companion. By the look on Hem's face, her companion recognizes his own littermate as well. While Gem was already in a good mood, it turns even better as she bounds through the snow toward Elara. "Elara!!" Gem nearly screeches, her lips pulled back into a wide grin. Her paws have to skid to a stop, snow spraying everywhere before she collides right into her sister. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Her soft, delicate tones echo over the shimmering lake, a tad louder than she normally speaks. It's clear from how her body wiggles from snout to tail tip how relieved she is to find a sibling. Gem Klein

El’s head snaps up, whipping around so fast her neck cracks. her eyes widen as she drinks in the sight of her sister, heart kicking into a rapid thump, thump, thump. her sister, here, after all this time. her face splits into a wide, beaming smile, breaking through her sullen disposition like the sun breaking through cloud coverage. El’s entire body shudders as she wraps her paws around Gem, pulling her into a fierce hug. her sister is so blessedly familiar, her scent and her warmth and the feel of her fur harkening back to those simple days by wolf paw lake. nearby, Princess is dancing excitedly around Hen, tail slapping her thigh with enthusiasm. “Gem,” El sniffles, blinking back a few stubborn tears. she buries her nose in Gem’s fur, squeezing tighter, unwilling to let just yet. a piece of home, right here in her arms.

”i’m really had to see you, too. it’s been too long.” finally, she withdraws, gaze darting over her sister’s face. she looks older, adolescence peaking through soft puppy features, but she’s so quintessentially Gem it makes their heart ache. ”how are you? where’ve you been?”

The disturbance of their voices scatter even more birds into the air. She notices how squirrels and chipmunks scurry up trees and into hiding at the sight of wolves. At the base of the mountain, the waterfall booms with ferocity, commanding everyone in its vicinity to look at it. She wonders for a moment if there was a cave hiding behind it. Gem itches to explore the area even further, but first! She has to reconnect with her sister!

Gem is quick to reciprocate the hug. Her arms wrapping back around El with a ferocity that she didn’t know she was capable of. Digging her snout into El’s shoulder, holding back her own stubborn tears and sniffles, Gem doesn’t want to let go. If she did, maybe El would disappear again. Her last remnant of home and comfort slipping back through her paws.

When they finally lean away from their embrace, both teary eyes and itchy nosed, Gem refused to let go. Snuggling up to her larger sister, Gem molds herself against El’s shoulder so that she can share the warmth and comfort she’s missed so dearly. “Far too long,” Gem whispers in return. Words could not describe how elated she was to be back with her feisty, spunky, and overly confident sister.

“I’m tired and lonely, but surviving,” she continues to whisper, soft gaze turning up to meet El’s. “And you? How’ve you been faring?”

Gem returns the hug, and El can feel something within her settle, like a puzzle piece slotting back into place. the truth is simple: a girl needs her sisters. “me too,” she murmurs, nuzzling against Gem’s cheek. sweet Gem, creative and kind and curious. she’s been suffering, she’s been alone, and it’s not fair. Gem, the purest soul to grace the planet. El wants to weep at the injustice, but instead she just clutches her sister tighter. “i didn’t know what to do, when everything fell apart. and our home…i couldn’t just go somewhere else. not when the wounds were still fresh.” she wipes at her cheek, thinking miserably of that terrible day. Ashen had fallen, and she had fallen with it. “but i always meant to find you all again.”

she stares down at their feet, toes working into the ground. “i’ve missed you.” how is the rest of their family faring, she wonders? they’d been such a rambunctious bunch, a large family bustling with personalities. the memories feel distant, as though through a cloud of fog. “Gem…do you think Daddy is mad at us? for not coming with him?” it’s a prospect that’s been haunting her, keeping her awake some nights with images of her father’s disappointed face. Chi’s approval has always meant the world to her, and even now she can’t shake her instincts.

"Elara Klein"

Ashen falling had been a different experience for Gem. Unlike the scenery around her that seemed frozen in time, the Ashen Empire had fallen with ease and disgrace. As she pulls lightly from her sister's fur, she looks around once more. Why had no one laid claim to this place? There was shelter, food, water, everything a wolf would need. Gem was sure to come back during the summer for a swim. Her nose could even pick up the scent of deer which was hopeful! More hopeful than finding her own family... She had had the full intention of following after her family and joining them wherever they had ended up. Getting lost had been an accident, one that she wished had never happened, but such was life. Her own dreams were plagued with disappointed faces from both of their parents. Nightmares full of chastising and their siblings never speaking to her again. To have Elara be so ecstatic to see her again sent waves of relief through her. "I've missed you too. I've missed everyone," Gem whispers, tears beginning to soak her cheeks as she buries her face into Elara's fur. She tries to hide the snuffles, holding her breath and reminding herself that it was okay if she really did need to cry. When Elara speaks of Chi, it is the rock that broke the dam. Sobs rack her chest as she grips onto her sister. "Oh Elle," Gem whimpers through her watery sobs. "I don't know if I can face him or mother ever again," she cries, finally allowing months of emotions to stream out of her every pore. "I can't imagine how they're feeling," her voice is choked, attempting to be coherent through her upset. Gem Klein

maybe it'd been naive, but a part of her had been hoping that Gem, somehow, would have some kind of insight into their family's reactions. into Chi's reaction. Gem has always been close with their father, after all, and there's something a touch wise about her beneath the wide eyes and girlish wonder. but El had been seeking atonement in that hope, too, as if Gem had the power to absolve her of her abandonment. it's wrong to place such a heavy expectation on Gem's shoulders, and it's unfair to their family, too. El sags against Gem, shoulders drooping, unable to suppress the despair coursing through her. she feels impossibly young beside her sister, just two scared girls aimlessly adrift. "me neither," El whispers. she lifts a paw and attempts to brush some of Gem's tears away, still feeling that spike of protectiveness toward her smaller sister. although, if these past months have proven anything, it's that El isn't in a position to protect anyone. not properly. "perhaps..." El hesitates, the thought so terrifying she's loathe to even say it. but maybe, with Gem at her side, she'll have the courage. "perhaps we should go visit them. together."

"Elara Klein"

Gem doesn’t stir when Elle wipes away her tears. Instead, her cheek turns, finding comfort in the way her sister’s paw swipes gently across her cheek. It allows her a moment to calm, steady her breath, and think. The closeness she had had with Chimera had been different than her connection with the rest - even with her mother. Maybe he would understand. Maybe he and their mother wouldn’t be angry if they did go together… Her eyes brighten as she leans back to look at Elle. Hope shines in her heterochromatic eyes as she searches Elle’s expression for the truth. Did she mean it? They could go together? “I-I think that’s a good idea,” Gem whispers after a moment, a shaky smile appearing on her two-toned lips. “Do you know where they went?” She inquires because she had yet to find out the answer herself. Gem Klein