Sterling hadn't been back to Auster since her injury, and her fateful meeting with Paladin, but worry and desire to see her family had drawn her back. Although she still was not a hundred percent at her best, she had healed enough to travel so long as she was careful. She had certainly learned a painful lesson in being observant, thus she watched her every step, even if she was in thought. Which she was, as always. She had felt immensely torn leaving the borders of Celestial, but she couldn’t stay still when she hadn’t seen her family in so long. She hadn't told her family where she’d gone, nor checked in with them to see if everything was alright.

So it was how she found herself in the God’s Garden, near the borders of Talis lands, but not quite. By chance, was it possible that she’d come across a familiar face while she was here? She hoped so, still unsure if she should go directly to Talis’ borders. She didn’t wasn’t ready to face a lecture for disappearing, and she wasn’t prepared to see anyone disappointed in her. So, she busied herself looking for familiar herbs that Paladin had shown her, all the while hoping she’d come across one of her family members. If she didn’t, then she’d really have to go to the pack’s borders.

Jade, quite honestly, was at a loss for what to do. Returning to these lands, a thing she thought might bring her clarity, only led to her feeling even more restless and uncertain. What she really had been hoping for was a sign of her family, of her father or mother or even of Sterling or Cobalt, though her brother had been missing even longer than the rest of her family. Still, she would remain in the familiar continent of Auster, where she had been since she was but a child. Her wandering was quite aimless, trying to find things to occupy her mind with while she decided on a course of action. The areas surrounding the lands of Talis were not totally unfamiliar to her. Jade had been here before, in this vast field full of strange foundations, which were now overrun with plants and herbs of all sorts. Her gait was lazy as she walked, climbing on one of the taller of the stones and peering out across the field. She saw the familiar figure in the distance long before she scented her, and the sight made her heart lurch in her chest. Sterling? Could it actually be her? Not wanting to get worked up only to be disappointed, she hesitantly leapt down off the foundation and headed in the wolf's direction. Only when she drew closer did her nose confirm what her eyes had thought - it was her sister! Jade let out a gleeful bark as she closed the distance between them, a surge of excitement she hadn't felt in a long time suddenly overwhelming her. Without waiting for Sterling to so much as speak, she rushed and nearly tackled her, rearing up on her hind legs and lifting her forelegs up to wrap around Sterling's neck, unaware of any injuries she might have - she was simply overjoyed to see her. "Where the hell have you been?!" She exclaimed, though she realized quite suddenly that she'd been the first to leave and she probably had no right even asking that of her sister.

She stopped in her tracks, lifting her head and perking her ears when she heard a bark in the near distance. Turning her head, it was moments before her emerald eyes caught sight of a familiar form bounding toward her. Jade! Elation welled up within her chest, and she began to prance gently toward her sister, but slowing down when she realized Jade was coming at her full speed. Uh oh, this is going to hurt... she thought, closing her eyes and bracing herself as her sister came crashing into her, paws wrapping around her neck. She winced in pain - well, it was more like a feeling of pressure and weakness than actual pain in the ribs that had been injured - but joy overrode the feeling. Laughter bubbled from her vocal chords as she greeted her sister, leaning in to the girl's hug. Relief flooded her, and she didn't realize just how much she'd truly been missing her family.

Her ears folded back though as she heard Jade's words. "I'm so sorry, Jade," she murmured, just before pulling back so she could look her sister in the eye, "I've really missed you." Could she really explain where she'd been? Where would she even begin? As she looked over Jade's form, trying to form the right words, she began to notice her scent. Jade bore the scent of a loner. There were no pack scents, and no traces of their parents. Her attention was drawn to that, her brows pulling together in a concerned expression as she forgot about trying to explain herself. "Where's mom and dad?" she asked, worry coming through in her voice, "Have you been to Talis lately?" Her eyes searched the she-wolf's familiar face, wondering what sort of answers she might receive.