The scent of wolf was all around her, as strong as sin, and yet there was not a one to be found. Aranya sat down hard on her haunches, puzzled. She had followed this scent upriver for days, hoping to find a pack of some sorts. By the looks of things, she had just missed them. Her ears fell flat against her skull in sorrow, and her shoulders drooped. It had been many moons since she had seen her family, and never since had she found a band to call her own. No mate, no pups, not even a den she could feel safe within. Being a rogue, she had decided, did not suit her at all. She missed warmth, and safety, and comfort. Aranya, ears drooped and tail tucked, walked further into what she assumed had been the main camp. Bones of varying age lay discarded where a meat stash had once lain. Dens, abandoned now, were filled with strange scents, whose owners she could only imagine. Big wolves, slender femmes, pup. As she thought, once or twice, unbidden, she even pictured her mother and father. Oh yes, she missed them all very dearly, and it struck her that she had never been quite this homesick. Speech,Thoughts,

Time had not been kind to the brute. Separating from his family had been the hardest thing he had ever done. When he found the pack in Aethelis he joined he was hopeful that he would be able to make a new place for himself. But... it wasn't meant to be his home. The pack fell apart, leaving Birch alone again. The brute set off again, this time determined to do what he should have done in the first place. He was searching for a member of his family. Anyone from his family. There was a sense of loneliness without them that never seemed to go away... and Birch wanted to fix that. He didn't care how long it would take.

Thus far his journey had brought him to a new land. From the brief conversation he held with a loner he had learned the name of this land, Alacritia, and had also learned that several packs were located within the land. He would check within each pack to search for his family, as well as talk to the loners to see what he could learn. He would stay in these lands a short while before moving on.

The lingering scents of a pack had caught Birch's attention. It wasn't exactly the wisest to wander into a pack without even alerting them, but something about the scents seemed... off. Like the whole pack had been moving off at once.

A casual pace lead Birch deeper into the pack territory, until he caught a familiar scent. The brute halted, breathing in the scent again. There wasn't a doubt... it was Aranya. The realization set Birch's tail wagging a mile a minute. His sister! She was here!

Birch set off at a run, barely noticing anything else as he followed Aranya's scent trail. His light purple eyes were shining with excitement. As her form came into view Birch let out a happy and excited bark, hurling himself at her in a sort of tackle-hug.

"Aranyaaaa~"

DON'T KNOW WHATCHA GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE The sudden cry made Aranya's hackles stand up, alarmed as she was. Her paws splayed, bracing for some sort of assault. She whipped her head towards the cry just in time to see a russet furred blur hurtling towards her, accompanied by the sound of thudding pawsteps. All she could think between the time her peaceful sorrow was interrupted and this very instant was, That voice... And then, in the next, he was upon her. In retrospect, Aranya was certain she would have reacted much the same, but just then her only assumption was that she had somehow managed to make an enemy in her travels, and that they had hunted her down. The form barreled into her, tossing her to the ground with a thud and an, "Oof!" Savagely, she snarled. Aranya tried to roll out from under the form, but could not wriggle free. She focused in on the face, trying to find out just who it was who wanted her blood on the soil, but she was met instead with pale purple eyes. Aranya froze, as piece after piece clicked into place. The purple eyes, the russet mask, the moon-like mark. It had been so long, he had grown so much, could she truly be sure? Had the gods answered her prayers at last? "...Birch?" she whispered, almost afraid to voice her hopes. With agility she did not she possessed, Aranya wriggled out from her brother's grasp, rolling upright to eye him better. Her sense of hope bloomed, blossomed, burst in her chest until she could not help but be filled with a warm, golden joy. "Birch! It's really you!" She flung herself at him, though less aggressively than he had. Instead she pressed her muzzle into his neck and began twining herself all around him, nipping playfully and pawing at him. She could not believe this had happened! He was so different, he had changed and grown, but his scent was the same, one of the earliest ones she had ever known. "I can't believe you're here," she crowed. "Where have you been brother, oh I've missed you so dearly! Where are the others, are they here as well?" It seemed almost too much to hope, after they had scattered to the wind so long ago. "Speech," Thoughts,

The snarl that erupted from Aranya's mouth went ignored by the russet and snow colored wolf. He was so happy to finally see his sister, after all this time. His tail wagged wildly behind him as he looked down at her form. My how she had grown into a stunning wolfess. How he had missed her so terribly, and now that he had found her he was overjoyed, body bubbling over with happiness. As she wriggled out from under him Birch took a step back, a large grin on his face as he looked upon her.

Once Aranya was able to see that it was him she likewise flung herself at him. Nuzzling, nipping, and pawing happily at his form. Birch lovingly returned the attention, playful nips aimed at her ears and face. Their happy reunion was certainly one to be celebrated. He only wished that he was able to give her more good news on their family.

"I'm afraid that I come alone, Aranya. You're the first I've met up with again." He gave her a loving nuzzle to the neck before he spoke again. "I've missed you all terribly too... especially you, Aranya." His smile had faded for a moment. "I had found a pack to join for a short while... but I didn't truly felt happy there. It was only my loyalty to the alpha that kept me there for so long. But his pack fell apart around him. I stayed with the poor brute until he died... and then set out to do what I should have done in the first place. Try and find the family again."

After Birch finished speaking his smile returned. "But it doesn't matter about the past now. We're together again! This time nothing is causing me to lose you again." Birch bounced a bit on his paws. "How long have you been here? Have you settled in anywhere yet?"

We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts when we're holding too tight For all that Aranya yearned to see her brother, their mother and father, she would not curse this meeting. Birch was more than she ever could have hoped for, and she felt like howling her joy to the heavens. She pressed herself close to the male and said, "We will find them again someday, brother." To hear of his joining a new pack piqued her interest. A thousand questions fluttered through her brain, one after another, like leaves swirling down a raging creek. Where had they been, and why had he joined them? Had he found a mate, did Aranya have nieces or nephews running about in the world? Birch's sadness was her own as he spoke of his misfortune, and she offered him what silent comfort she could. "There are many packs here in Alacritis," she said, having met quite a few wolves in her travels. "But I haven't gone to any with the intent of settling yet. I've been wandering mostly, for the past three moon or so." Aranya wavered, wondering if she should tell her brother about the young wolf she had been working to recuperate practically since she'd arrived. If she told him everything, how they shared a den and hunted together and everything, he would surely turn it into something more, if he was still anything like his younger self. We're just friends! Aranya thought, defending her actions to herself, fur heating the smallest bit. Just friends, right? Maybe she shouldn't tell Birch, just yet. Just in case! I mean, there was no rush, right? They had a lot of catching up to do and she wasn't even sure where Nuka was right now. So that settled it, Birch didn't need to know just yet, because it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. Just friends. "So," she said quickly, to cover up the awkward silence. "Where do we go from here?" "Speech," Think

While Aranya went sniffing for the pack she had scented, Nuka had been staying behind, following the scent of prey. The two hadn't been traveling too long, but it was a few days now, and already he was looking much better. While on his own the male had found a small flock of geese, tracking them carefully, trying his best to not spook one that would alert the others before he could even make a move. Nuka would be gone for about twenty minutes before finally looking for his companion. He held two decently sized geese by the neck in his jaws, strolling through the plains, copper gaze looking for Aranya. Just a few yards and he would spot her, standing with another wolf. Immediately he would give out a low growl, his pace quickening. From the distance he was at the boy couldn't tell whether the male was friendly or not, but he wouldn't take any chances. After Aranya had helped him, Nuka felt like he had to repay her somehow. Protecting her would be one at the moment. But after he got a few more yards closer he would be able to tell that there was no aggression between the two, more of a calm atmosphere which would make a brow rise. He would come up beside the woman, dropping the geese at their paws, his gaze falling on the male. "Whose this Ara?" He would ask curiously, tail slowly wagging behind him, a look of suspicion in his gaze. Speech, Awesome table by Arwen <3

Aranya's ears flickered as the subject of her thoughts appeared into reality. A small smile flashed on her face as she looked over her shoulder and found him approaching. She assumed her brother would take this with suspicion, but could not put the emotions away. Instead, she attempted to mask them, especially upon hearing Nuka's pet name for her. She pranced a bit, as he asked who she spoke with. "Nuka, you'll never believe what's happened!" She pranced over the the copper male, and nudged his shoulder with her snout, trying to vent some of her excitement. "This is my older brother, Birch! I haven't seen him for years!" Aranya could not decide which male she wanted to be closer to, and found herself pacing between them. She whirled on the russet male, and jumped upwards, draping her front paws over his back. She nipped at his ear and laughed, exuberant. "Birch, this is Nuka! I met him not long after coming to this land, and we've been traveling together since. Oh gods, this is so amazing! I can't believe you're actually here!" She hopped down and skittered back to Nuka's side, bumping his hips with hers, beaming, passing her glimmering gaze between them. She was eager to see what they'd make of one another. Speech,Thoughts,

Someday. Someday their family would be reunited. Aranya's words gave him courage that this would someday come to be true. Aranya would continue on to say that she had been wandering for about three moons in Alacritia, finding many packs. But she had not yet joined one. Joining a pack was something that more often times than not should be carefully considered. Especially when there were many choices to choose from. As she asked him where to go from here the brute would from, tilting his ears back slightly. Truthfully he wasn't too sure. He really wanted to spend some time wandering around Alacritis himself just to get a feel for the lands...

But rather than having the chance to respond to his sister a stranger would arrive. He would carry prey in his jaws, approaching them at a fast speed. Birch would flick his ears towards the brute. He would come up to his sister's side, asking about Birch. He would raise a brow, light purple eyes reflecting the same question. Yes, who was this brute, Aranya?

And so, with a very excited Aranya explaining, the two brutes were introduced to each other. He would chuckle as she nipped at his ear, ducking his head a bit. He had been wary about Nuka at first, but now he was just glad that his sister had found someone to keep her company. The brute would let his gaze flick to the other male, and he would dip his head in respect.

"A great honor to meet someone who has obviously been keeping my sister in good company. Well met, Nuka." If Aranya trusted this brute than he would as well. He had no reason not to. Besides, the duo was a trio now, because Birch wasn't about to go anywhere and leave Aranya behind... and he gathered that Nuka was a two in one package deal so he was going to be getting used to him as well.