It's not the same
He had explored all of Southern Alacritis over the last few months, and having little excuse to remain had drifted back to the main parts of Alacritis. He had spent a great deal of time there wondering back and forth, but the smart mouthed youth-hearted creature had lost a great deal of his spark. He was coming to the realization that Faun was nowhere to be found. He couldn't explain what had happened to his sister, she was suppose to be here and yet he had found no sign of her. When he returned to the Southern lands once again it was with a more rejected nature. He did get a little joy out of tormenting his young blind friend, and of course he was occasionally sweet enough to sit with her in the silent cavern he had discovered.
But there was a lackluster quality about him and he started to seek out Vail less and less, taking to spending his time alone in the quiet cavern, contemplating his life and what to do with it. Faun had been a direction for him all his life, having been raised with her and teased her and helped her and been helped by her in turn. Even searching for her had given him purpose, but a lack of hope muddied that water. He curled up in his favorite spot on the heated ground, with fireflies flicking soft light above him, and simply... despaired.
Finally the woman would be given some kind of lead she could actually follow. A young girl, who had somehow found her out to tell her where she might find Solor. She might not have believed the child, but she knew his name. As she made her way into the cave though she wasn't quite so sure. Was she being sent to her death? Then she saw the fireflies, and realized her brother's presence. A soft gasp left her, struck with the beauty and the realization that she was finally going to be reunited with her litter mate. "Solor?" She couldn't help but call out as she continued to crawl forward, eager to feel him against her fur again. A soft whine would leave her lips, she too had started to give up hope that she would ever see her brother again. "Solor!" She'd cry out again, knowing he was here waiting for her to find him. Then she forgot about the water and fell right in. |
It the near total silence of the cave he would hear the footsteps of another. He didn't so much as lift his head, expecting the familiar presence of Vail to sit beside him a few moments after he heard the first footfall. Instead, he would be caught unawares by a single word falling from the lips of the girl was not Vail at all. His head shot up so quickly it smacked into a small outcropping on the wall in front of him. As he swore, the lights of the fireflies flickered out on by one, plunging the siblings into darkness.
In the still cave air the sudden splash was crisp and loud and unexpected. He scrambled about in the darkness as he tried to find the water. At least he didn't have to worry about Faun drowning, she had been raised on the beach beside him all their lives. All the same, he couldn't help the surprise, affection, exasperation and confusion rocketing through his brain. Perhaps he had gotten so use to Vail, who was plunging head first into every kind of danger imaginable nearly every time he saw her. Perhaps that was why, when he found the waters edge he leaped, and came down into the pool with a splash. He followed the sounds of the water, that lead him to her. When he found her, he swam lazily towards her, and leaned his head over her shoulder, needing to know she was real and not imagined. At least the water was warm.