Branches on a tree

It was so rare that anyone called for him, the wraith almost dismissed it as a trick of the wind playing through the ivory boughs of the shrine. Old spirits calling his name, trying to trick him into the aether. However, Hallux had heard it to. She knew the voice well enough, and she instinctively moved to the dainty male's shoulders in preparation to leave the outbuilding where he was tending to his stores of wine and checking the stocks. Pollux, for his credit, quickly scampered along to join the pair. With a muted hum, he abandoned his task and meandered towards the borders. It was his sister, then. Not a trick of the wind or the lingering effects of the drugs he used to commune with the world beyond.

By the time he caught sight of Modesty, he was wearing a lazy half smile and gliding forward with a comfortable ease that was quite rare beyond the familiar grounds of his home. "Modesty," he crooned softly, an ear flicking back as Hallux took flight to leave the siblings to their business. The emperor tamarin, however, chose to linger. He hadn't met the rest of the family, of course. Mismatched eyes drifted over the changes to his sister's form. She'd been blessed in more ways than one, continuing to prove her favour. Grown into a strong woman with a proud bearing, and the smell of many others clinging to her pelage. The horns that sprouted from her skull were framed by soft tufts of dark fur atop her oversized ears. His smile grew warm, and he tipped his head to one side. "I see God has been kind to you since the plague, I am happy for you." he murmured, taking a few steps closer to her in hopes she would allow him to butt his cheek gently against hers. They hadn't seen each other in so long, but she didn't seem to summon him in anger. Perhaps they remained on good terms despite the span of time and distance that had lay between them.

He lowered himself onto his haunches, tucking his tail neatly around his hip and casting a curious look her way. "What brings you to the old borders? Come for a tour of the Shrine for old time's sake?" he asked with a light chuckle, his eyes crinkling around the corners. Though his own changes hadn't been quite as dramatic as her own, the two of them were very different from the young wolves they had been when they'd been cast out with their mother before the Long Night's terrors had beset the lands. A small part of him prayed that they could regain that same closeness, with this moment as a bridge of that gap.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "Pollux"