and i'll fight to survive Rurik was silent as he made his way through this rather lovely place, what was it that they called it... oh yes the Orchard he thought to himself. There was a small smirk on his maw letting his limbs stretch as he moved along. He was in search of his sister Isidora for he was worried about her, last he could recall she was the troublemaker of the four and he made it his duty to make sure to just be there for her and protect her when he could. The gentle breeze of wind made his charcoal grey fur ripple a bit as he lowered his head to take in the breeze. Darkened sun colored eyes scanning the area as he tried to figure out a spot to rest a little. He came a long way thus far into Alacritis to find his sister and must have lost his other two siblings in the meantime which worried him. He finally found a particular spot that was rather safe to be until he could regain his strength once more to move on. The sooner he found his beloved sister the sooner he could stop worrying about her. However he would then also begin to worry about Artemiy and Liliya and would find himself again in search of those two then but hopefully with Isidora in tow. Until then though there would not be a peace of mind for Rurik while he fretted over not being with his three siblings whom he loves ever so dearly. For now though he would stay here for a bit under the cover of what the Orchard had to offer him. Plotting out his next few moves before going on his way to try and find those he was looking for. Perhaps he'd find Isidora or maybe he would meet his brother Artemiy and sister Liliya. Rurik didn't know about this little adventure of his but one thing was certain was his current objective and that was to find Isi, she brought worry to his heart and mind. What kind of brother was he if he found her and she was hurt, he'd certainly blame himself if that were the case. through this thunderous life

Isi for once also had a goal in life. So it was probably a little unrealistic, some magical cure for Raisa or a wonderful person with one wasn't simply going to appear in front of her no matter how much she wished for it. Unfairly it wasn't going to work for her but looked as though it was going to work for her brother. He wanted to find her and oh look, here she was. "Rikky?" She would question, barely able to believe her eyes as she caught sight of him. She certainly hadn't expected to find him here. Old Ebony was far from the greatest pack in the world she had now realised new Ebony wasn't much greater at the moment though it once had been a good home for her. All the same, her siblings all steered clear of punishment from the Azarov family and their high ranking cronies. She had too but through luck not behaviour. "It is you!" She declared happily as she lunged forwards to greet her brother. "What are you doing out in the big bad world? They didn't kick you out too did they?" Of course Isi hadn't technically been kicked out, she'd ran from a potential punishment and had gotten lost. Very lost. Why the hell was she wondering around as a rogue again? Probably wasn't the greatest idea in the world. Definitely wasn't the most fun one. She wasn't the most skilled or tactful hunter in the world and had lost count already of how many meals had gotten away as of late. Where had the days gone when babysitting was her biggest worry? Oh yeah, with Raisa's mind.

and i'll fight to survive Rurik sat there for a bit continuing to plot out his next few moves until a very familiar voice and then before he knew it familiar face was before him and then lunged at him. Swiftly he splayed his toes and bent his knees to try and embrace her if she were to come to be on top of him from her lunge. Either way he was glad to see his beloved sister was not physically harmed at least from anything. "What are you doing out in the big bad world? They didn't kick you out too did they?" he listened to her intently before speaking himself. Thinking of how to word things he finally grasped what he wanted to say "They didn't kick me out, I chose to come out into the big bad world in search of you dear sister, how I missed you so very much but it seems I have been separated from Artemiy and Liliya but I'm sure they're alright... I was worried about you and I'm glad your safe" He stepped closer to Isidora and tried to gently brush his muzzle against her's. He chuckled to himself, oh how she foiled his many moves already but it didn't matter to him. Rurik knew Isidora was safe from any current danger but truly wouldn't ever understand some of the things that Isidora did. All that really mattered to him at the moment was that she was here and he didn't have to go out looking for her anymore but a new objective would begin to rise in Rurik's mind and that would be to get them to reunite once more with Artemiy and Liliya. Family was everything to the brute and their safety was of top concern despite the fact that he was shorter than Isidora not but much but just enough to possibly be teased. Rurik would speak once more as his inky lips parted making way for a smile as well "Please, do tell me what you have been up to Isi, you don't have to tell me everything, you know me though even if you don't tell I'm still going to love you and support you as the caring brother I am". Despite asking his question Rurik was honest for he would always love and support his beloved sister, she was his family and well Rurik was overjoyed to see Isidora again. through this thunderous life

Arty and Lily had left too? Now that was an even bigger surprise for her. As various other conclusions leapt to her mind she wouldn't respond to Rurik's nuzzle. Surely it couldn't simply be that they had missed her, there had to be some ulterior reason, more to the story than he was explaining. Mind would settle on her parents. The least likely wolves to get themselves into any trouble, but had something still somehow happened to them? Active brain would consider many fates, the recent sacrifice she had witnessed perhaps influencing her thoughts. "Mum and Dad? Are they ok? It was the Azarovs wasn't it? What happened? No, no, don't tell me I don't want to hear it do I?" Ever the drama queen it seemed at times. None of the imagined horrors would be true, her parents were as safe as they had always been simply far more reluctant about the idea of leaving the only home the family had known. Rurik surprisingly wouldn't enquire why she had left a year ago but instead simply what she had been doing. Perhaps some story had been spread in her absence. The fame she potentially still had there was a rather thrilling thought. Did she still haunt the minds of some of the members with her irritating ways? What would truly hold her mind however was Rurik's declaration of love for his sister. Though she loved her family too, Isi simply wasn't the type to go around proclaiming it all the time and a small smirk would form upon her features for her responding reaction; tease him. "You soppy little thing. Anyone would think you'd come back from the dead. Wait?! Have you? I know you couldn't actually have died, but did you nearly? Are you ok? What happened?" She would grow more serious rather suddenly, starting to look over him for any signs of injury new or old. Maybe this was why her siblings had left, had someone attacked poor little Rikky?

and i'll fight to survive Mum and Dad, were they ok? The thought never crossed his mind as they always kept their heads down and were silent.. He struck out on his own in search of his own answers but for now it seemed that quest was to be on hold. "Isi, its me, do not fret over me as I'm fine and so were Arty and Lily before we got split up... I haven't died for if I did wouldn't I be standing here before you and well there's a lot to talk about but I think it would be best to speak of such matters for when we meet up with our brother and sister so the whole story can be told" he spoke softly and quietly only loud enough for his sister to hear. Rurik noticed his sister looking over him, curious as to what she may be looking for on him. Was he ok, Rurik was one to never share any pain he felt or how he might have obtained a injury for fear he would burden the ones he loved with such a thing. Rurik was quick to assure her that he was indeed ok "Isi, I'm fine, no one in their right mind would attack me let alone attack Artemiy especially not Liliya... you know I wouldn't allow them to come to harm if physical confrontation is a must" his voice became rather serious and didn't hold his more playful tone. His gaze became rather stern as he spoke up again "Isi, are you ok, that I must know and please don't hide it from me, if there is something bothering you please tell me because you know I won't be upset with you at all" his voice continued to be serious and devoid of his more gentler side. Straightening himself up, He sat down on his haunches and let his tail cover his snow white paws as he looked over Isidora to check for potential injuries. Rurik never knew if she could be hiding a injury and wanted to double check now that he was a little bit closer to her. Rurik came to the conclusion that something wasn't right though with Isidora, what could have her way out here of all places and why the sudden bombardment of questions... what exactly happened during the year she was away? the brute wondered to himself. He'd just have to wait for those answers to come as he would return his full attention to Isidora. through this thunderous life

Well of course she could see he hadn't died, words had a habit of coming out not quite as intended sometimes with the girl or even misinterpreted when she got on a roll with her quickly fired questions. Not one with a large enough gap for anyone to actually interrupt and answer until she stopped. What she had meant with the latest round was simply concern that he might have been badly hurt. From his response and what Isi could see it seemed that there were no existing injuries and perhaps no previous ones either. He sensed that she needed a little more persuasion however it seemed and would go onto to explain that no one would dare to attack the Kovals. Even Isi knew it was more a case of the majority of the family simply didn't present annoy anyone enough for an attack to be necessary it was certainly not that they were a tough bunch as Rurik was perhaps trying to persuade her now. "Even I know it's not a good idea to go around shouting that out, Rikky." Isi would point out bluntly. "Anyone will think you're after a challenge. And let's be honest, your like half the size of a lot of wolves!" Half was perhaps a slight exaggeration to be fair, but that didn't bother Isi. As for her, well physically she was perhaps a little hungry but nothing else was wrong with her. Mentally though, yeah she was just a little worried. "Well my alpha's gone cuckoo. Ex-alpha actually, she vanished and I found out why. The current one ain't a lot of cop either which was why I had to find the first. So I'm on my own until we can fix her." Isi explained, voice still rather chipper all things considered. Fortunately she knew better than to make her brother worry even more by pointing out she'd been in the pack of a presumed murderer which was the real reason said alpha 'wasn't a lot of cop'. "I'm alright other than that though. Nothing wrong with me." Others would perhaps beg to differ.

and i'll fight to survive Rurik couldn't help but smile, at her teasing him about being half the size of most wolves. The simple fact was actually rather true but it didn't stop him from being protective of his family though. Isidora certainly had common sense though and he had to agree with her "You know I wouldn't ever actually go out and say it though, not that I would actually want a physical confrontation with anyone but still sometimes it can't be helped particularly when it involves you, Artemiy, and Liliya, you know its true as well Isi" what she had to say next though was what grabbed his attention. "Well my alpha's gone cuckoo. Ex-alpha actually, she vanished and I found out why. The current one ain't a cop either which was why I had to find the first. So I'm on my own until we can fix her.". Rurik looked into her eyes before his voice came about "You know you can count on me to aid you Isi... I'm here now so don't ever feel like you have to do this alone now and maybe even Arty and Lily if we come across them which I hope we do". Oh how the brute wished they could find the others soon as he grew ever more worried about them. He felt a little better knowing she was alright from what he could tell for now anyways. He didn't know many wolves outside of old ebony and some of the outsiders of it however other than that he was completely blind to who Isidora was referring to. For now Rurik would make his priority to aid his sister as best he could despite as she pointed out to him that he was indeed half the size of most wolves. There was a small smile forming on his maw once more, if there was one thing Isidora was good at it was getting him to brighten up even if it was just a little bit "What's so bad about my size anyways? Surely there are advantages to being small while there are advantages to being tall... its just a matter of what you do to balance the advantages and disadvantages which does me no good when you tease me... but oh well, nonetheless that's what I love about you, somehow you teasing me tends to almost always make me feel a bit better" Rurik was truly honest about that. Despite getting teased about his size he knew that she was for the most part messing with him but not in a cruel way. What would be next on her agenda now that he found Isidora and accomplished the goal he set out to do besides to find the other two so they can be together. True to his word though he would aid Isidora in her search to fix someone which to him seemed rather interesting. through this thunderous life

Isi had common sense. That wasn't a phrase that was often spoken or even thought for that matter. It was more through luck that she had thought better of the fact on this occasion than blurting out the truth to Rurik. She hadn't even told Raisa and Koros, though that was perhaps something she should have done to hurry the fox along before Katja had a chance to go on a killing spree. Telling Rurik wouldn't do anything however apart from possibly get her banned from eve returning to Ebony. Of course they had all arrived here from the rather dangerous old Ebony but who needed logic? He would offer his assistance and company in her challenge. Maybe he knew some solution, he wasn't a healer but Koros hadn't thought that any plant would really help them out here. "Any idea how to get someone's mind back?" She questioned. "She's pretty much forgotten everything. Who she is, even how to react to others. Just sits there staring and shaking. It's weird Rikky, never seen anything like it. She was a proud Queen and now is a mess." Her brother probably wouldn't know either but he'd offered his help and it was worth a shot. He was definitely overanalysing her teasing comments. Spent too much time apart it seemed, he'd gotten too used to the far more serious personalities of the wolves they'd been surrounded by. "Keep telling yourself that shorty. And lighten up brother." She would respond simply with a grin.

and i'll fight to survive Lighten up, what a strange thing to tell him, after all not seeing his sister for a year and all of this crazy talk, how was he suppose to lighten up as his mind wanted to yell at him. He took in a deep breath as he tried to think of any plants he might have heard about for this sort of problem however sadly he would come up to no answer for it. He would open his maw as he spoke "I sadly do not know of a plant that could do that but then again I'm no healer... and sorry, I should lighten up... I've just been worried about you and worried about Arty and Lily... I've just been under some stress that's all and you must be under quite a bit of stress as well dear sister... regardless I shall still aid you as best I can" however he felt like he should be able to do more, after all its Isidora he's helping. He was indeed short but seeing his sister grin did help him lighten up a little. Rurik quickly realized that he wasn't helping any if he didn't lighten up after all he was here to help, not hinder. The brute's lips parted making way for his voice "Anyone you might know who could help with this problem?". Rurik didn't know that many wolves outside of old ebony so thus it would be difficult for him to think of anyone who could help them. Surely he'd come to meet those talented in the healing arts eventually now that he was outside of what was his old home. Rurik knew that Isidora would always tease him particularly because he was shorter than her but that never stopped him from being the best he could be. There was a saying he was quite fond of big things come in small packages and surely that described him in terms of his personality. Where would they be going if she did know someone who knew the answers she sought after. No matter where it was, he was bound to follow her and once again be the good little guardian he was despite not being a pup he was smaller than Isidora. through this thunderous life

There were not many instances in her life that Isi had been anything but light. When she had first realised she was lost there was a small amount of worry then. When she had gotten ill she had convinced herself she was dying and well, no explanations needed as to how worried she was then. When she had seen the sacrifice and believed Katja was a murderer, there was hardly a calm and rational thought process as she ran from Ebony. When she had discovered Raisa was mad, well she had no idea what to do next and that troubled her a little. That was basically the summary of her truly dramatical moments, the few occasions the girl had genuinely worried for a period of time. "No, Kory wasn't sure that a plant would work either. He thought that some sort of trigger, but a good one would be needed. My only idea has vanished, no one has any idea where he's gone. Man called Vaughan, was one of her best friends. Mind you, if her companion ain't bringing back some decent memories, not sure that'll really work either. Got to be worth a try if I can find him though." Oh look, Raisa's companion had a new nickname now as well. How would the fox take that?

and i'll fight to survive "No, Kory wasn't sure that a plant would work either. He thought that some sort of trigger, but a good one would be needed. My only idea has vanished, no one has any idea where he's gone. Man called Vaughan, was one of her best friends. Mind you, if her companion ain't bringing back some decent memories, not sure that'll really work either. Got to be worth a try if I can find him though." Rurik listened to what his sister had to say, Vaughan? who was this man that she spoke of. Rurik was trying to think of what he wanted to say to Isidora, to learn a little bit about this Vaughan person so he wouldn't seem out of place so much if they did find him and speak to him. Thus words began to slip from Rurik's maw even though they weren't completely thought over before coming about "Isidora, if were to look for this, Vaughan, I want to know a little bit about him so I know what he looks like and if there is any name or title I must address him by..." He wanted to ask more but for now he would settle with that much information. Rurik wanted to help Isidora and well that meant he had to ask his own questions and go off of what she would tell him. Never had he met this Vaughan fellow but if this was who Isidora was to go look for he would want to know about him. Letting his eyes scan over the landscape he was beginning to ponder other things besides having come out to find Isidora. Rurik also came out to Alacritis to find answers to his own search. For now the objectives were to follow and protect Isidora while they figure out a plan and to possibly find Vaughan however since he got split up from Arty and Lily they also became another objective he couldn't simply ignore. Rurik didn't even know where they got split up at and would search the ends of the earth to get his family back together for a little while at least. "Speech" through this thunderous life

Title, well he was a rogue now so had no title so that one was easy enough, as for appearance well Isi could safely say she hadn't seen another wolf quite like him in terms of looks so that could help make things simpler too. "He's tall." That trait wasn't a hard one to achieve really when you compared him to the Koval family though she'd let that one slide for now. "He's mostly black, but half of his face is white. One of his ears is too, but he's got a brown paw and his eyes are different colours. He was always scruffy looking too." The fighter certainly wasn't exactly the most elegant looking men, not that Isi herself could really be called a princess. "He's a rogue now so no title but I think his name was Vaughan Xa-something-or-other..." She gave up pretty swiftly with that one, no variation at all sounding quite right within her mind. "Nah, I can't remember it." She would declare simply. "Hopefully he knows it, would be a right mess if he's forgotten who he is too."

and i'll fight to survive The fact that they were going to someone that might not even know how to help this women who was his sister's alpha get back to her own state of mind. However he would make sure to help Isi look for Vaughan as this seemed very important to Isidora and well his own search for things would certainly be put on hold for now. However he had to express how he felt about all of this and thus his lips parted for words "Isi, say we find this Vaughan, if he can help the person who was once your alpha get better what then? and what if he doesn't, we should have a backup plan in the worse case scenario". Rurik was always trying to think a few steps ahead of what was going on and to be prepared if the worst scenario of things occurred. He did have to take into consideration what she said if he was indeed a mess as well. Then fate would seem to be against them and that wasn't something Rurik ever intended to see. Now the fun part would begin, to formulate a plan for if what he feared was indeed the case. He began to take in simple thoughts of chance for a knowledgeable healer to be met along the way or someone who also knew a way to handle this. However those chances were very slim to none and it seemed to be a chance of them finding Vaughan or not finding him. The odds seemed stacked against them to figuring out ways to get the used to be alpha back to normal. There was a small chuckle that escaped his maw "I bet you we will find Vaughan and he may be able to get this person you spoke of back to normal, hopefully". "Speech" through this thunderous life

Oh it was very important indeed. Not that Isi would reveal quite how much it meant to her of course, for she suspected her life may well depend upon it. She had, amongst others witnessed the death, no murder, of another wolf at the hands of Katja. So she was actually mistaken, had completely misunderstood the entire situation though she still expected that she would be next upon the crazy Vikings to-kill list especially given the fact that she had completely jumped overboard in order to avoid said-death. Yeah, really was a wise idea not to reveal all of that manic details to Rurik, wrong or not. As for Vaughan she hoped that he would be able to cure Raisa or at least come up with a far better way of healing her if he couldn't do it personally. She was relying heavily upon his history with the former Queen, his experience and far more intelligent solutions to do at least some good and then she had it all worked out. "Well if she's all better she can go take Ebony back and all will be ok." The girl declared simply as if it were the most obvious and easy solution in the world. Of course life may not always run quite so smoothly though she was counting upon it being ok this time, certainly praying that there would be nothing to muck it all up. "Worst case scenario... I ain't got one." The girl declared with only a small pause for thought. Nope, she had absolutely no idea what she would or could do if Raisa didn't regain her marbles, hop back on her trolley and go marching back to Ebony to reclaim what was rightfully hers. "Guess I just keep going." Keep trying to find a cure, keep staying out of Katja's way and in general, just keep living.

and i'll fight to survive Rurik wasn't so excited to hear that Isidora didn't have a back up plan. Well things could end up going very well or very poorly he thought to himself. There tended to be no middle ground for things he didn't understand himself. That's if she's better to take over Ebony, what happens if she doesn't ever get better? what then... Rurik thought long and hard on it. For now Rurik had to think of a back up plan for Isi to use in case the very poor scenario occurred because he didn't want her to be out of options if they got stuck on that road. All would be well though, that he didn't have a doubt because he liked to be multiple steps ahead for things so he could create plans in case one route of the plan failed. Only time would tell for how long they would take to find this person they needed and only then may they get an answer that Vaughan may know or may not know how to handle. Rurik was never one for letting chances be slim in his favor there had to be something he could do to tip the scales of what others may call fate in their favor. What if there was another healer out there that knew how to handle the situation, perhaps that could be another possibility they could bank on but again it was something that wasn't exactly in his favor. Thus Rurik expressed his mind to Isidora unknowingly as his mind tended to have a mind of finding its way outside rather than staying indoors in his head "Well we may have a back up in case Vaughan doesn't know, could there could very well be another healer out there who may or may not know exactly how to handle the situation, perhaps they, that being Vaughan and that healer could work together to figure something out?" Rurik shook his head as if shaking away the thought that was coming from his maw perhaps that could've been his worst plan yet but it was certainly better than nothing if the worst case scenario appeared. However he had to wait to see how Isidora would react to his outburst of an idea that should have stayed in his head. "Speech" through this thunderous life

Isi had never been meant for leadership or a wise choice for any sort of responsibility really. She was rather careless in her actions and certainly had no will for such a role anyway. She was perfectly happy being nothing. She had never held an important role within a pack, allowing her to simply enjoy her own life and now perhaps was the first time she had ever taken any sort of responsibility into her own paws, and it was for a rather selfish gain really, her aim was mainly to save herself so she could return back to Ebony and lazing around under the safe rule of Raisa. Back up plan was needed then apparently and Rurik's suggestion was listened to as he spoke of it. She had no qualms with finding another healer, just as long as they didn't know who Raisa actually was and wouldn't pose any danger to the vulnerable former Queen. "Vaughan isn't a healer." Isi would point out rather bluntly. "Kory said something about a trigger might bring her back. Vaughan's known Raisa for years so if anyone can bring back some memories figured it'd be him." A healer perhaps could help but then there was that other problem. "Kory didn't think a healer would help her anyway."

and i'll fight to survive Kory seemed to know a lot now if he actually did or not was another matter. However they did have to find Vaughan and hope that he could do the trick but was this truly something Isi was wanting to do. He was rather at odds with thinking that his sister wanted to take on a real responsibility by doing this, that was rather odd but hey he couldn't judge her for wanting to finally do something like this. Rurik had to just stand by her side and assist her as much as he could "Ok maybe not a healer but we still have to bank on Vaughan doing the trick for this person otherwise we're going to be in a spot of trouble... I'll have to think about a possible idea of what to do if it doesn't work..." his voice slowly trailing off. He gently brushed up against Isidora to try and assure her that they would find a way to help this person she wanted to help. He did very much care about the reasons behind it though but as a good brother he would follow her until he knew she was alright before doing his own stuff. Arty and Lily both remained on his mind since they got split up so his plan of what to do if Vaughan couldn't help and what he was going to do afterwards got all mixed up. He silently groaned as he hoped that Isidora didn't just hear him do so otherwise he would feel slightly annoyed that he couldn't focus on the current task at hand. Without even thinking his mind decided to proceed with whipping out his thoughts into a more verbal form "perhaps there may be another person who wasn't accounted for that spent quite a bit of time with this alpha that could help... and perhaps I could find Arty and Lily this way as well... no bad... I need to focus on this single task and get it completed first". "Speech" through this thunderous life