Her footsteps slowed the closer they got the Island of their parents. Her breath fluttered in her chest, uncertain and pained. Their father had been sickly, their mother had barely left his side. So easy would it be to imagine both of them, fading away to nothing in the absence of their children. please, if there is a good, let them live she pressed close to her sisters side, through not enough to upset the balance of the smaller girl. They trudged through the water from the mainland to the island, Shaye directing Vail as they swam. Her sister had never been one for swimming, but they made that short journey in one piece. They reached the island, and she stood, wet upon the shore. Shaking out her coat, she moved closer, and faster, until finally she was running. “Mum! Dad!” Her voice seemed to echo over the quiet island, but she continued on, searching more frantically as she came upon the den their parents had chosen. The scents where stale, and with fear, she stuck her nose in side. She trembled when she realised there were no bodies, no bones. What had she expected? “They aren’t here” she whispered to her sister. ""

Vail leaned against her sister as the bigger she wolf pushed against her lightly. The touch was comforting during her emotional turmoil. They hadn't seen their aging parents since they left, their father had never fully recovered after they settled in the south. He and Motif were never far from each other's side, if they found one surely the other would be close by. Vail missed her parents, and though she wished desperately to see them again her hope was not as strong as Shaye's. 

The albino girl found her way into the sea, swimming wasn't her strong suit but she managed better now than she had when she was a pup. Shaye was beside her the whole way and Vail felt no anxiety as they crawled out of the water. The taller woman took the opportunity to speed off, but Vail still knew where she was going. 

Albeit much slower the pink she wolf followed behind her sister, already trying to pick up the scents of the pair that had brought them into the world. As Shaye realized the den was empty Vail would come to the same conclusion using her nose. They were gone. Vail closed the distance between her and her sister, finding comfort in the one constant in her life. She nuzzled the taller girl's shoulder, already feeling the loss heavy on her heart. "What do you think happened?" They could have been gone for years or weeks for all they knew. "Do you think they missed us as much as we miss them?" She knew the answer to the question, but had to vocalize it anyway.

Vail was by her side again soon, as Shaye stood just outside the den, a little shell-shocked, through it shouldn’t have caught her unawares. Her sister nuzzled her shoulder, and Shaye lowered her head, resting it against her sisters cheek. At last they had each other. They would always have each other. < “I don’t know, Vi” she whispered back. She took a deep breath. She was the older sibling, and she had to be strong. “They could have moved anywhere in that time. They could have moved back to Abaven, they could have moved to Auster - maybe in search of our fathers family.” They didn’t have to assume, that just because they weren’t here, they were dead. Still, somewhere in her heart, she thought it might be so. “Of course they miss us, fluff” she breathed on her sisters ear, making it flutter. “Well, we won’t find our answers today. We should set up our den and find a bite to eat.” she had to pull herself back to the practical things in life. ""

Shaye was devastated, Vail would not be combined otherwise no matter how hard her big sister tries to hide it. The albino girl felt the same gripping loss, but she also hadnt really expected to see them here. For all the giant he was Vail's father's health had always been fragile. Deep down she knew she would never see him again. Vail pushed into her sister's touch, taking as much comfort as she was given. The older girl held fair points as the younger asked about the possibilities. Maybe they had traveled south or sought out their uncle. Maybe they went to live with ain't rhythm in Imperium. 

She knew they missed them, and Shaye encouraged the feeling. Their answers would not come today, and for a long moment she wondered about them while Shaye tried to distract her with more practical matters. 

Vail had never been a great hunter on her own, but she could track and with a partner had an almost impossible success rate. She and Notch were a perfect pair and though it took more than a couple hunts to feed them both they never went hungry. "You are right. Night will be upon us soon." the darkness never bothered the albino girl, even now she still preferred night over day. She hated sunburns, an could feel her sensitive skin affected by the high exposure of the day.

Although there was no practical reason they couldn’t, Shaye didn’t want to take over the empty, abandoned den of their parents. There was no lingering scent of them, not after so many years. It would only remind Shaye of their loss. She backed out of the den, tail wagging slowly behind as she tried to think of the good side of life. She still had Vail, and they had a new chance at life here. They would find their purpose in life and thrive in Abaven, and maybe one day their parents would come back to them. “Do you want to find scent for us to track?” she asked of her sister, keeping Vail busy even as she looked for what needed doing herself. She found another den not far from the first, this one held no memories for the dark-coated girl. She checked it out, brushing out some dust, and dragging in fresh moss and grass for a softer place to lie. ""

Vail found herself quietly relieved as Shaye led them away from their parents old den. The albino has no desire to linger here, there were no bad memories but it didn't feel right. They didn't know what happened to their parents, any number of things could have taken them away. The disappointment of not finding them lay heavy on Vail's heart, but she allowed herself to take comfort in Shaye's presence. The older girl led the way to a new place to make camp for however long they decided to stay on the island. Shaye alluded to a meal, asking the talented tracker to find a meal. If Vail was on her own with Notch she might seek out a squirrel or a rabbit warren, but with Shaye they could go slightly bigger. 

She guessed the flock of turkey still lingered here on the island, and already planned how to find one. "I will." her voice held a confidence her younger self only dreamed of. Many skills had developed within her while on the hermit's mountain. She could track with the best of them. 

With only a flick of her ear she sent Notch into the air, while she scouted the grounds he would be her eyes up above. Finding prey was the easy part, catching it could be difficult. While Shaye prepared their temporary den Vail slipped into the undergrowth. 

She was silent, slinking through the woods like her life depended on it. While she was not too thin Vail didn't do as well after missing meals. The sound of Notch's cry made her stop. He had found something. Vail remained still and silent, waiting for Shaye to catch up to her. She knew the sound of Notch finding prey.

She had just chucked in the last of her padding when she heard the faint cry of Notch above. She gave the moss a last push, securing it into place, and backed out of the den. She followed the direction of the cry, at first quickly, and then stealthily as she got closer. She followed the scent of Vail from there, which was fresh and easy, her sister hadn’t gone far. She wriggled her larger body into the undergrowth, flicking her tail at her sister in silent greeting, eyes already intent on their prey. A careful sniff around didn’t reveal what Notch had found, but a gaze upwards showed the hunter where the bird was. She and Vail wriggled a little further, and would see the plump turkeys that scratched the earth before them. “Left” Shaye’s voice was barely a breath, but it was enough. the two had worked together all their lives. Her sister shot from the trees at the left, the turkey flared its wings and burst into flight, going right - and directly into Shaye’s waiting jaws. Before it could gain any altitude, she smacked it down with a paw, and latched her teeth into its feathers. It wasn’t a killing blow, but if she let up it would escape. No matter, Vail would understand in a second and do the deed. ""

Shaye quickly joined her, both she wolves acting in silence as they stalked their prey. Like they had many times before. Their practiced grace brought them before the flock. Vail heard her sister's command, while their quarry did not. Her lips turned up in an excited smile. She wasn't great at the catching part but she could scare prey like a professional. She burst from the undergrowth with a snarl, startling the flightless birds into the direction of her waiting sister. Who, with expert care, caught one mid flight. Notch and Vail descended upon predator and prey. The small screech owl raked the turkey's eyes as Vail went for its throat, breaking its neck and ending it quickly before it could escape Shaye's grip. With a triumphant howl as she dropped the animal's neck she looked to her sister with pride. There would never be a team quite as perfect as the two of them.