Where are you, dear brother? The thought drifted once more through Starling's head. It had been seasons - seasons and seasons of searching, and he'd never found his brother. In fact, he was returning three seasons later, of futile searching. He had searched high and low, met all sorts of amazing wolves, learned so much more about himself, matured, and even began to truly appreciate himself and what he's done... and he still failed in finding Pipit. It left the wolf contemplating three thoughts: Either Pipit was so lost that he'd never be found, he didn't want to be found... or he was dead. The last in particular was one that had been haunting Starling's mind for the past season. He had been nothing but hopeful, but now... now nearly a year had passed. He left late summer, early autumn of the previous year... and it was now the beginning of summer. It was time he had went home. He'd made that decision in spring, and took the two week trek home slowly, still searching, though only half as determinedly as he did before. he didn't have much hope, really, but he... as much as he grew, as much as this time was to find his brother, he knew it was also for him; he just wasn't settling back home, really, the previous year. Now, though, he just wanted to go back to his family. He missed them, in a way that only being gone a year could do. He just wished he was bringing Pipit home, or at least knew where Pipit was. Starling paused as the lands of Abaven came to sight, and the scent grew strong. All the journey home, he ventured into lands that were more and more familiar. It was nostalgic, and he wished he could have just... miraculously arrived home, but when he reached the border of Boreas, he knew he still had a long journey ahead. That journey was now over. He was home. His weary paws quickened, and he spent those last few minutes - that dragged on and on - bolting over to the border. Then he paused, uncertain. Should he call for his father, first? Or should he just... go home? Or just call any of his family? Screw it, he just wanted his family. His brothers, his sisters, his father. He wondered if Bass told them where he went, but either way, he was back. Tipping his head back, he called out for the Destruction family, a much stronger howl than it was the previous time they heard him. It spoke of his newly found self-confidence, though it also held a note in sorrow - he didn't have good news to share for their lost brother. "Talk" | "Italian"

It'd been quite some time since Lark had caught even a whiff of Starling's scent. The last time he'd seen him, their conversation had gone.. surprisingly well, given how they'd left things off. His brother had practically had a breakdown -- he'd been afraid to come home after how he'd abandoned his family, but Lark had assured him he was both wanted and needed here. Still, he hadn't returned. He'd been disappointed, as he had hoped Starling had turned himself around, but he hadn't been all that surprised either. Life went on, with or without his siblings, though he greatly would've preferred to have everyone home again as they had once been.

He swore it'd been nearly a year now, if not more, since he'd seen Starling but his scent was no less familiar to him. As soon as it hit Lark, he felt a surge of uncertainty churn through him. His scent was accompanied by a call not long after, and Lark hesitated. What could he possibly say to him? A slight frown touched his lips at the thought of the reunion, but deep down he loved his brother and cared for him deeply, and wouldn't ignore his call.

Curious as to what sort of news he had, Lark slowly started in the direction of his call. His face was guarded, unreadable in expression, though he couldn't help but feel relieved when he verified that Starling was alright. He looked well and healthy, and he swore he stood a bit taller than usual. His head lifted a bit higher as he closed the distance between them. "Brother," he started, voice low and wary. "Cosa ti porta qui?" His voice betrayed the slight surprise he felt, and his ears flicked in slight curiosity as he stood before him.

Sparrow heard the call and debated on ignoring it. She hadn't seen her brother in who knew how long, and before that, the animosity she had let build up between them felt like a mountain. Had it been long enough for those feeling to die down?

She scolded herself in her mind. Of course she needed to go greet him. If it was her in his shoes, she'd want to be welcomed back by her siblings. Didn't she hate the mentality of being family meant sticking to the same pack aimlessly? Shouldn't she be happy Starling had gone off for a while and that he had come back?

She had to be, she decided. No matter what had transpired between the two long ago, it had been some time. They were adults right? She needed to act like one. Sparrow groomed over her coat quickly before giving her fluffy pelt a good shake and heading in the direction of the call.

Lark had beat her to it. He looked surprised. Sparrow swallowed the lump in the pit of her stomach. She needed to be how she wanted to be received. The small girl walked up and bumped Lark's shoulder before making her way a little between her brothers, sporting a casual smile, "Welcome home. Bring anything interesting back?"

He had taken his time to get to the call. The fact that he couldn't hear Pipit's voice with Starling was news enough for him. But ignoring his son at the borders wouldn't really be the best thing to do, would it? He of course had missed the white marked male, but how would he be recieved back into the pack now that his task was done? Sighing, he pushed himself to his paws and dragged them towards the thicket. By the time he got there, both Lark and Sparrow has arrived. It came as no surprise to him, but what shocked him was that Finch was no where to be seen. She had been distant at best with her brother since... one of his many returns. But to ignore him was something he wasn't expecting from the sweet girl. Pushing it away, he walked up to Starling and nuzzled him behind his ear before taking a seat on the other side of Lark. He said nothing, just waited for the inevitable news. "Talk" "You" Think

He was greeted first by his siblings, and a slight smile appeared as first Lark appeared, then Sparrow. He'd just been about to answer Lark's question - frowning - when Sparrow came up and asked near the same thing. He greeted Sparrow first, because she was closer, bumping Sparrow with his nose on the shoulder, and then bumping Lark's shoulder with his own. The smile was still there, but it had become sad. "I'll answer that question once Dad is here," he answered softly. Because... it appeared that his siblings didn't know of Starling's mission. That was fine, of course, but it still mildly hurt that he knew they thought he'd run off again. It's not like he'd given them anything else to believe. Sighing quietly, he waited... and waited... and waited... and eventually, his father showed up. Pain flickered in the tan male's eyes, and he greeted his father in an equally affectionate way as his siblings, leaning his head into his father's touch ever so briefly. He met Bass's eyes before speaking quietly. "I couldn't find him." His voice nearly broke at the end, and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes before looking at his siblings. "I was searching for Pipit. These past seasons... all have been searching for some sign of him. He'd just... disappeared without a trace. we were worried." The we meaning him and Bass, as he'd shot a look at Bass. "I was feeling anxious in the pack, and so I was sent out to look for Pipit... and I didn't find him." It hurt, a lot, thinking that his brother could very well be dead and they didn't know. Not one bit did they know. PRETEND HE SPOKE IN ITALIAN IM LAZY "Talk" | "Italian"

It surprised him somewhat that Sparrow had arrived, not long after he did. In a way, his sister reminded him a bit of Starling in that they never seemed to stay in one place for long. His gaze followed her as she approached, nodding in silent acknowledgment before his attention shifted back to Starling. Sparrow's greeting was lighthearted, which he was grateful for, especially in comparison to his own relatively stiff response. He caught their father's presence at his side, though his gaze didn't stray from Starling much. He felt his posture slacken, just slightly, at the fact that he wasn't going to have to face his brother alone. He explained that he'd been looking for Pipit, after he'd disappeared. Lark nodded slowly, understanding. Even if deep down, he hated that Starling always came and went, just like he hated how Sparrow did it. Leaving seemed like part of life now, something that couldn't be avoided no matter how hard he tried or hoped. His brows furrowed slightly as he considered. "Maybe Pipit doesn't want to be found," Lark offered tentatively after a moment, his gaze falling after a touch of silence settled over them. "You can't solve everything, Starling. You should spend some time worrying about yourself." It was hard to keep the pain from creeping into his voice. It sucked really bad that Pipit was gone, but in the process of trying to find him, Lark hoped Starling hadn't been avoiding his own problems..

Bass nearly flinched at Starling's words, even though he had expected them. Letting out a troubled sigh, his gaze fell over to Lark as he mentioned that perhaps Pipit didn't want to be found. The reality of it all hit him like a ton of bricks, the alpha fell to his rump and leaned heavily against his taller son. He couldn't imagine why, but... it would make sense. Starling wasn't able to find any trace of him at all, maybe it was that way on purpose. It made his heart ache, his stomach twisting painfully. "Lark is right," he said finally, his voice cracking for a moment as he paused. "Welcome home once again, Starling." With a somber node of his head, the alpha rose to his paws and turned back towards his den. He needed to deal with this heartbreak later, he didn't have time to be brought down any more than he already was. Bass was sure that he would finally break, but there was no room for errors any longer. Rolling his shoulders, he turned sharply towards his left and went to patrol the borders instead. No use in moping around his den, not when he had duties to perform. "Talk" "You" Think