Walk | Talk | Think Autumn seemed to be lovely on this end of the world. While she saw little of the season change along the shoreline of the Obsidian Beach, the east was a riot of colors as the trees turned and the leaves began to fall. It was near impossible to tread in places as quietly as she could back home, but Gale took the challenge and was managing to pick a somewhat quiet path through this section of woodland. It made her smile to think she had undergone a similar type of trial already at the hands of her brother Voltage, a tiptoeing game of sorts, but this took it to a completely different level. Perhaps with more practice, she mused, she could learn to traverse the place without a sound, but right now she felt as if everyone could hear her coming. But that, ultimately, was fine too. She was actually trying to get the attention of others who might have been wandering about. Her whole point in being here was not simply to take in the colors of fall, but to locate a particular missing individual. She knew next to nothing about him save a very basic description and a name, but despite the enormity of the task Gale remained optimistic. In a way, she felt she had to be. If she returned without this missing wolf, she was going to have a very disappointed child to face and let him know that she had failed. And as much as kids were awkward on their good days, she could not bear the thought of seeing one in tears. Traveling this far did take its toll, however, especially when speed was the priority. Gale pushed herself to travel as far as she could to cover as much ground as her short legs could cover before she stopped, and already she felt herself growing parched. There had been the sound of running water for some time as she navigated through the forest, and now instead of running parallel to it she changed her path to bring it closer. The waterfall that she eventually found was lovely and created a delightful sound, earning a smile as Gale stood back a moment to admire it. "Not bad," she remarked to herself with a singular nod of her head, though she ended her moment of admiration quickly. There were far too many places to investigate to get distracted at every one. Seeking a shallow, calmer pool in the cascade of falls that traveled down the hillside, the grey and lavender wolf sought a place to drink.

The beach's seasons didn't vary so much. In the summer there would be the odd couple days when the sand was so hot it could fry his very paws and the sun would beam down on him, baking his fur, and in the winter there would be blustering winds and frigid water - the perfect recipe for a cold. Then there was everything in between - autumn and spring. The seasons appeared quite different outside of the beach, where he found many fallen leaves of fiery, sunset hues crunching under-paw. Was that a negative of his home, having the beach remain the same over the course of the year except for the rise and fall of temperature? Well, it's not like he was locked to the shore; there was the prairie as well, which surely boasted a spectacular display throughout spring when all the flowers bloomed. Like today, he had chosen to venture out, travelling a bit further than usual. With winter on its way, he'd have to forage for what remained of herbs before the snow crushed them, even if that meant trekking far. Hopefully the upcoming winter would soon pass; he just couldn't wait to smell the strong aroma of flowers in the fields. His paws had brought him to a woodland with a magnificent waterfall being the highlight of the region. From the falls lead streams that flowed into smaller and calmer pools. There were many, though the first one his bronze gaze spotted he decided to drink from. Lazily, he lumbered towards the chosen pool of water, admiring the waterfall as he passed by it. When he had reached the bank, he gave his body a stretch, allowing a quiet sigh of relief to slip from his lips. Slowly, he lowered his head, briefly jiggling his hindquarters and swishing his tail randomly. Perhaps it was the coolness of the water that energised him, like as if the cold shocked him each time it entered his mouth. He took his sweet time getting a drink, savouring every gulp that slithered down his dry throat. Mid-drink, he heard the light pattering of paw-steps approaching him, and he momentarily registered their scent. "Sister," he greeted with a small smile, turning his head around so he could gaze at her silver and lavender form. "Have you come for a drink as well?" "Terrae speech" "Silvius speech"

*Family are allowed to enter any of Terrae's threads whether they're private or not*

Walk | Talk | Think As she trekked, Gale alternated between watching her feet and scanning ahead for the next place to step. Pretty as the waterfall was, she did not quite trust the unfamiliar territory not to try tripping her up during her first moment of inattention. She had far too many places to go yet to let something as silly as that happen. She was on a mission, a very important one, the first in her role as Aertus, messenger of Donostrea, and she had no intentions of calling it quits before she found her target. One particular glance ahead distracted her and almost did make her slip on a particularly slippery bit of rock. That figure... She thought she recognized them, though that was probably absurd. They looked strangely like her brother, Terrae, the earthy healer of their family. But this is so far from home, she thought, convinced it could not be him. It couldn't possibly be... But as she neared, not hiding the sound of her approach though she could have, the figure turned and smiled at her through the warm, friendly face of her brother. "Rocky!" she greeted animatedly, a wispy wag of her tail accompanying the crooked smile that immediately spread across her lips. "Didn't think I'd see you here." Carefully but hurriedly, the little lavender and grey wolf picked her way down the edge of the waterfall to where he stood, and as he brought up the drink, she nodded. "Yeah, but just really quick though. Glacier sent me on a mission, and I haven't finished it yet." She said no more than that as she stopped and lowered her head to drink, though as she watched him from the corner of her eye she wondered if maybe he had heard. How fast did word travel through their familial pack?

Nothing could grab his interest quicker than her mention of a mission - an unfinished mission as a matter of fact. To his dismay, she didn't elaborate, just left it fresh in his puzzled mind. His brother hadn't told him of a mission, and now that he thought about it, he hardly spoke or interacted with his family so no wonder. Then again, it had been some time since the last pack meeting and although it wasn't his responsibility to call one, the least he could do was check in with his elder brothers. It seemed the world's spirits had been angered and were taking out that rage on their very lives, pulling a beloved child away from them. If only their lives could run smoothly, free of any distress or fear though he knew all too well that wasn't how it all worked. At least he was doing that now, engaging in a conversation with his sister, even if she had brought a confused state over his thoughts. Curiouser and curiouser he grew, wondering if it was worth asking what she meant. Maybe the reason why he hadn't ever heard of this mission was because it was meant to be left confidential - something only his sister and brother could know about. What a disappointment it would be if that was the case; his interest happened to be piqued as well as his nosiness unleashed. Well, she did bring it up, so he couldn't help inquiring. "A mission?" he echoed in a subdued murmur half to himself as she lowered her head to drink. In a louder, clearer voice, he queried, "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, but what is this mission?" Was it something everyone knew? Gosh, where had he been lately? He would never forgive himself for not knowing an important piece of information, if that was what it was. If everyone knew and he didn't, well, he'd never get over the guilt. "Terrae speech" "Silvius speech"

Walk | Talk | Think Gale's perked ears heard the small muttered phrase her earthy brother made, and grinned quietly to herself even as she lapped at the water of the falls. Ah, so he had not heard yet. Maybe word did not get around the pack quite so quickly as she had originally thought, though that was no wonder. She had been sensing a bit of a rift forming within their pack, a bit of distance that pulled each of them in different directions along paths that they had either chosen for themselves or that had chosen them. Work and relationships alike seemed impossible to ignore, and just a bit Gale wished they might have been closer, or at least close enough for this mission she harbored to have gotten around through the chain of her siblings. Licking her lips, the little wolf backed a step away from the waterfall and lifted her head to peer at Terrae as he nosily inquired about the mission she had been sent on. Well, that was a relief at least. He was still curious, which meant he still cared. Her smile was just a touch prideful, the lift to her chin echoing the casual self-importance of her tone as she answered, "I've been enlisted to find someone. You've probably seen the kid around the pack lands, yeah? Young guy, brown fur, real spunky?" Or maybe he had not; everyone was so busy these days. "Anyway, he's missing his dad. I'm supposed to track him down and bring him home to his son." So far, she had had little luck with it, but it was still early in the mission. There was time yet to succeed.

So her mission was to find someone - who? He couldn't help but to be so nosy. When she mentioned a child and described his characteristics, the man's brow furrowed in confusion. How did he not know this? How had he not encountered this boy already? Where had he come from? Was he an orphan? Some of these questions were answered as she explained that it was the father she was after. Poor kid. Unless the father was also searching for him, the chances of finding him seemed slim. These lands seemed broad in their expanse, not to mention the possibility of leaving the land and finding another continent. Though that wasn't that startled him entirely. Sure, it had ignited his surprise, but it was the fact that he was so behind with the pack's happenings. First a mission, now a child, what else? There was probably so much more he knew little of. In fact, she might as well tell him everything that had occurred as of recently to save him the trouble. With eyes wide, he examined, "I must be living under a rock!" Which he kind of already was, seeing as the caves were constructed out of stone, but that wasn't the point. "Terrae speech" "Silvius speech"

Walk | Talk | Think Nothing in her quick tale seemed to click within the bronze-y brown of her brother's eyes. If anything, he continued to look increasingly more confused as she went on. As much as she tried not to be, Gale felt a nugget of disappointment settle somewhere in her chest. Her mission had felt important to her, the first of its kind and her big opportunity to prove herself as Aertus, messenger of Donostrea, but her family did not know it. Of them all, she felt as if her job was the least called upon, the least important in a sense because of how infrequent she was sent out to do things. She had hoped her family might share her enthusiasm for her new task, but it seemed they had not even heard about it. Did any of the others know, or were they just as in the dark as Rocky? The falling look of her smile was given new life as Terrae made an exclamation, earning an honest smile from his lavender-marked sister. She could hardly be mad at him for not noticing her big mission. His job was important too, tending to the health of all of them and ensuring he was ready for anything medically that might be thrown at him. But just because she knew he was a busy wolf and needed to keep his priorities straight did not mean she could not tease him for it. "Maybe if you'd take your nose out of your plants for a while, you'd notice these things," she mocked, sticking her tongue out childishly and grinning again as a means of lessening the sting of her words. "Though if you did, we'd probably all pay for it later. Your job's too important to get distracted from."

Concern moulded into his features as he observed the lavender-marked woman, who appeared to be disappointed with his response. There was no other sight he dreaded seeing more. Like as if the disappointment was contagious, he hung his head low with shame, depression sinking him down. Guilt buried itself deep down inside of him. In fact, he felt embarrassed for not knowing. Everyone else probably did, but unlike him, they mixed and socialised, spreading the news. He should be aware of what's going on, ready on his toes to help out as opposed to giving a confused look at the first mention of it. How un-brotherly of him to be in the dark - yes, what a fantastic brother he was. His head rose with curiosity when she finally spoke, bronze eyes meeting those of an olive hue. For a moment he took her joke quite seriously, though her teasing grin assured him otherwise. She then admitted that his role was still important, though the healer remained unconvinced. An important position didn't allow anyone to neglect their family. Regardless, it was a wake-up call for him to truly balance his time between healing and kin. "No," he mused slowly, cracking a small smile. "I think you're right. I'll allocate more time for family...and keeping up to date." "Terrae speech" "Silvius speech"

Walk | Talk | Think She had seen the disappointed look cross her brother's face, darken his already dark features into something melancholy and introspective. Gale did not like it in the least but could do nothing but look on helplessly until he finally caught her gaze with a smile that struck her as sheepish. It helped to keep her own smile in place, and made her glad that he understood she had not meant anything spiteful by her remark. Whether there was truth to it or not, Gale loved her brother, appreciated what he did for his family, and understood how his own love for plants and nature could consume him so fully that other thoughts would fall to the wayside. It was a similar feeling that she got when she sat and closed her eyes to bask on any windy day. "Just as long as you can keep up with your plants too," she amended, reaching out to nudge his shoulder in a playful gesture. And speaking of... "You know, I don't think you're the only one out of the loop," she confessed, and felt a similar embarrassment creep up on her as she said it. Gale inclined her head to the side just a bit, looking at Terrae anew as she asked, "How are you doing with your plants, anyway?" When was the last time she had thought to go peek in on him and his collection of green things? Had it grown? Had he gained new knowledge recently? Was he prepared for the impending winter? Maybe he was not the only one who needed to set aside time for keeping up with family.

ooc: so sorry about the wait!

It seemed like a feat he couldn't yet perform, juggling his time equally between all priorities. Eventually he'd focus more on one area and without realising it, his interest and fascination in the field would block out other thoughts as he found himself enveloped in his own little bubble. Not like that was a negative thing, no, it was great to a certain extent. Allowing his curiosity to flow and to be swallowed in the wonderful world of learning - it all helped him enjoy his work. Why, it would be no fun if he was constantly worrying about other responsibilities, so he just needed to know when enough was enough and pull his nose out. Her confession of being in a similar situation brought some relief to his troubled thoughts. Maybe it was natural for everyone to fall behind occasionally, just as long as it wasn't all the time. "Oh?" he queried with surprise, brows raised. "Perhaps I don't feel so guilty anymore." Grinning, he listened to her inquiry about how his plants were doing. Nobody asked him that! "I'm just trying to stock them before winter. Once the snow comes all the remaining herbs will be ruined." If only he could share more positive or exciting news, although replenishing his supplies was just as important. "Terrae speech" "Silvius speech"