((Super liquid timing to idk, like a week or two after Sou has landed on Auster))

Souzan had steadily been making his way northwards. The place he'd landed on had been just a little too warm for him. Despite the kingdom he'd hailed from being decently warm he'd always suffered under the weight of his northern bred pelt, a gift from his mother. So it was a relief that as he moved northwards, first crossing the land bridge and then plodding along in a generally northerly sense, and the weather grew colder, though it was still relatively mild. As he continued he found himself growing more and more comfortable in his pelt, which was starting to thicken even more as autumn was creeping in. So he'd kept moving, occasionally stopping to soak in an interesting local. He may have kept going, hitting the northern most shore if not for a familiar scent catching his attention. Ig? He wondered, stopping and taking a deep breath to better breathe in the scent. And Sephira! His eyes widened in shock, he obviously hadn't seen his brother in quite some time and after she'd left to follow their brother Souzan hadn't been certain he'd ever see his sister again either. Of course there had been no way to know that the land he'd found himself upon had been where his lost siblings had also arrived. So he followed the scent, brow furrowing as it grew stronger and he got the second shock of the day, his surprise evident on his face, to discover that not only did his sibling's scent exist they seemed to have laid claim to a whole forest. He stopped just beyond the clear boundary line and for a moment he was wracked with uncertainty. But in the end Souzan's curiosity won out and the man tipped his head back, releasing his voice in a call for his siblings. He had so much he wanted to ask them, so much he wanted to talk about, but more than anything he couldn't help wanting to see with his own eyes that they were alright. "Speech" think "You"

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Familiarity had been a rare thing for Ig up until recently, but it was growing increasingly more common as the weeks rolled by. Meeting more and more new wolves was naturally bound to mean he'd eventually meet some twice. Today though, today the voice that pulled him from investigating one of the fallen giant trees that was riddled with holes was one that he'd known his whole life rather than having met recently. Freezing, he turned his head to look in the direction of the call, his heart was suddenly racing and his head was swimming with uncertainty. That... That was Sou-

A mix of guilt, hesitation, pain, mistrust, and other unnamed emotions came flooding through Ig's mind. Initially it'd been difficult to avoid worrying about the other member of their litter. Sephira's relationship with Ignatius had always run deep, always been steadfast. Before, he'd thought that Sou was the same, in a different, quieter way sure, but still his brother and still someone that he could count on. But then, he hadn't shown. Ig and Sephira had wandered the continent and no one else showed up. Naturally, Ignatius had mixed feelings. He certainly didn't want more wolves to become targets, but he'd also been foolish enough that more would believe that he wasn't the sort to commit such a heinous- No, he had to stop sinking into the thoughts that were threatening to swallow him whole, otherwise he'd be stuck here forever. If he wasn't careful Sephira would beat him there, and he wasn't sure he ought to allow that to happen on a first reunion.

Making his way towards the place where the call had come from, Ig marched over the frosty ground, huffing a cloud of foggy breath into the air as he tried to figure out how to... even begin to know what to do. He paused by one of the giant trees and gazed up at it, trying to compose himself. It honestly made him feel a little dizzy at times to stare up at the trees, searching for the tops that would feel like they were a million miles away when he stood on the ground, dwarfed by massive thing simply when compared to their width, much less the impossible height they achieved. Once he felt properly dizzy and regretted the choice, Ig drew in a breath, held it, and began walking again as he let it out.

Striding over to the blue and red form of his brother, Ignatius regarded him for a long moment. He looked the same as always. Maybe a little healthier now that he was here in the land of plenty. Normally Souzan wasn't a big talker, it was something Ignatius had been able to appreciate growing up with the constant babble from Sephira and Avis' sweet but borderline needy nature. Someone had to balance it all out. But now, for once, Ig was the one who had no words. He didn't really resent Sou for taking some time to get here. There wasn't a way to know why it'd been a while until they'd spoken... Guilt slammed down on him like a hammer, unyielding and merciless. Why?

"Been a while, brother," he mused at last, sounding oddly tired as he lost any semblance of a strong facade. There was wariness there, almost imperceptible, but still there. That was the source. Ignatius found that it filled him with anger to realize that not only had he been stripped of his home and title, but also any ability to trust those around him completely.

Souzan waited patiently, though to say he wasn't anxious would have been an obvious lie. He shuffled from side to side, unable to really keep still as he waited. He was a flurry of emotions, each one clear as he felt it anew before mixing with the others on his face. There was relief, that his brother and sister still seemed to be alive, maybe even thriving. Then there was guilt, at having not gone after Sephira and Ignatius himself, what would his brother think of him? Was he a traitor for not immediately flying to the former heir's side? But there was also anger, slow and simmering but there. Anger that he should feel guilty at all. Was he not allowed to grieve? What good would it have done to abandon their family in the face of such a tragedy? Some of that anger was directed at Sephira as well, for forcing him to lose a second sister in as many days. That anger was mostly reserved for something else though, the possibility that his biggest fear could prove true. And of course there was that fear itself, that he should discover that his anger was well founded. That it had been true all along. If that was the case he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold himself back from tearing his brother apart himself. But of course that he believed it was possible at all only fed into his guilt more. And under it all, flowing like an unending current was the pain. He'd spent the last few days on this continent distracted from it but it was always there, flaring up whenever he woke or was left alone with his thoughts at the end of the day. He'd cried so many times some part of him was sure he'd run out of tears, but that simply hadn't happened. Souzan slowly rolled into conciousness each morning, screwing his eyes shut and begging, pleading to open them and find everything, all the terrible things he'd heard or seen; the destruction of his homeland, the tearing apart of his family, had been a long nightmare. And each morning when the world coalesced into solid images and he found himself in this veritable paradise, it felt hollow. By all rights he should have been stunned to find the realm around him was real but each morning he couldn't help but wish he was back home, being woken up by Sephira or Avis, or even their father. He'd have given anything to have it all back. And indeed while he'd never been a particularly pious man Souzan had found himself pleading each night to whatever gods could be found in this place to take him if it meant giving her back, and each night they ignored his pleas, unmoved by his cries. Souzan shuffled again, uncertainty rolling over him as he waited. What would Ignatius do? What would he do? Did he even have any right to call on his brother like this? But did he also not have a right to know, a right to the truth? These thoughts swirled in his mind when his brother finally made his appearance. Souzan watched him, following him with his gaze. Ignatius looked as he always had, no even better, sleeker, better fed and a wave of relief washed over the man, flashing across his face as it did. "Been a while, brother," Ignatius spoke and Souzan felt his eyes prickle, those pesky never ending tears once more threatening to spill over. He could only nod, suddenly feeling nostalgic. He wanted to rush over and scoop his brother into a bear hug, ignoring that Ig was the oldest of the bunch he wanted to feel like if he simply never let go again he could protect the fiery man forever, but then he also wanted to hit Ignatius, wanted to growl and snap at him, wanted to make his brother tell him everything. So he stayed put and that internal conflict played out in him like a war, clearly raging in his eyes. He hadn't wanted to open with it. He certainly couldn't help but feel like he was about to push ways his brother after only just getting him back but there could be no moving on from here if he didn't know, he imagined it hadn't even crossed their sister's mind to question him but Souzan was different, he had promised himself he'd protect them all and then had clearly failed to do so, and with the one everyone seemed convinced had done it standing before him he simply couldn't pretend it hadn't happened. "Did you do it?" His deep voice was a soft rumble, barely above a whisper. His tone carried all the pain, all the anger of his grief, but also carried the guilt he felt for accusing his brother at all. This too was reflected in his eyes as he watched his brother. "Speech" think "You"

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Time seemed to freeze for a minute as the brothers stared at each other, their eyes meeting and a slew of emotions playing out across both their faces, most mirroring each other despite having very different origins. The pause between the end of Ignatius' words and the start of Souzan's seemed to stretch into infinity. A lump was forming in Ig's throat already. While Sou was the silent protector, Ig had - after a lengthy rebellious phase - grown to be a largely stoic and dutiful man. Sometimes he'd been so swamped, forced to take all these stupid lessons and do so much unnecessary princely crap he ended up having no time for friends or his siblings. He always regretted being the more distant one, often coming off as aloof despite his best intentions. Despite his distance and the difficulty that they'd had as they aged connecting and spending any time together, Ignatius had never imagined a world where their sweet baby sister would be killed and he'd find himself with only Sephira left at his side and Sou standing opposite him, asking him- A look of hurt flashed across his face, then indignation as he leaned only an inch or two closer for a moment before drawing back. Sitting, he composed himself and found himself struggling to do better than shout something angrily along the lines of 'of course not and fuck you for thinking I ever would or could'. That might make him feel better for a moment, but then things would escalate and explode unnecessarily and Ignatius couldn't add fighting with his own littermate to the list of things that he regretted. "Absolutely not." His voice was firm and unwavering, face still betraying the agony that lay just beneath the surface. He couldn't entirely resent Souzan for wondering. Of course the framing had been convincing - otherwise Ignatius never would have been exiled. Breathing a heavy sigh in an attempt to reduce that weighty feeling settling over him all over again, Ignatius continued, "You know we'd spent the previous day together? I took her to the market because I finally had a free day, and she was so excited to finally go with me for once," He tried not to choke on that rising tide of emotion that threatened to drown him as he fought to keep his features under control and his eyes from betraying him and spilling the flood of tears he so rarely allowed himself to release, "It was a good day. I knew she was still sad that we never saw each other. Her eyes told me that and more every time she thought I wasn't looking. I was going to make it up to her." Normally he wouldn't fall apart like this. Not even with Sephira unless things got really bad. But they were the same, they needed each others strength and it wasn't the same. This was Sou. Strong, hardly ever outspoken or even really talkative but still always dependable like no other. Always the shoulder ready to support others. Thoughtful in ways only his siblings could ever appreciate. Even if he decided for some reason that he wanted to be closed off, the habit was too established. "Only a monster could think to harm someone so pure. I'm a lot of things, Sou, and I have my bad qualities, but that could never make it on my list of sins." Tears he'd held back for some time cascaded down the fur of his cheeks. If it'd been darker, maybe the light from his soft glow might've made them sparkle with an ethereal shine. But as it was, they simply fell and were lost on the icy ground. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

Souzan watched as a look of pain, of betrayal flashed across his brothers face and his guilt flared again. He found he couldn't look at Ignatius, couldn't bear to see the sort of pain he'd put his brother through. His turned his head away quickly, eyes screwing shut and his protruding fang joined in the sunlight by other sharp canines as Souzan pulled his lips back into an open grimace. "Absolutely not." Souzan turned his gaze, back towards his brother, seeing him having settled upon the ground. His voice was firm, controlled but his face betrayed the emotion behind his words and Souzan knew, irrefutably knew, that Ignatius was telling the truth. And he had been a fool for ever once believing that his brother could be capable of the malice needed to kill someone as sweet as their sister. His brother spoke of that day, and Souzan nodded slowly at the question posed within. Listening intently and with growing trepidation. Ig spoke of Avis and the day they had spent together, the simple image of his fiery brother and sweet, small Avis talking a walk through the market; clear as if he himself had been there that day, was enough to draw forth the tears that had been threatening this whole time. Souzan wept, openly and silently, listening. It seemed his brother was becoming swept up in his emotions and for a moment he rocked on his toes, the desire to once more embrace his lost sibling washing over him but he was still unsure. He'd doubted, hadn't he? But as Ignatius finished speaking, tears now also falling from his eyes Souzan couldn't hold back the instinct any further. He'd move, slow, deliberate, over the border line. He'd take any physical punishment Ig wanted to doll out but for now he would simply seek to wrap his smaller brother in his embrace. He'd gently settle before his brother, offering a literal shoulder for Ig to cry on and aiming to rest his chin on the top of his brother's skull, a foreleg extending to wrap around his brother and encourage him closer. Unbidden a song rose in Souzan's throat and he gently began to hum, a slow solemn song, one that he did not know the origin of. Maybe a lullaby their mother had shared with them before she left, or maybe something he had picked up years ago in a trip to the markets but regardless it surfaced now and he allowed it to flow out of him. Emotion, it had always been his biggest weakness. His more reserved, protective nature had served him well in many situations but whenever he'd found himself overwhelmed by the emotions of a situation he'd always worn it like a second pelt. Mars had never liked that. Souzan had faced more than his fair share of lectures after he'd found himself broken down to tears, he was a prince, he had to remember where he was and who was watching him. His father had done it best to pound it into Souzan's mind that his emotions were holding him back. But he'd never really believed it, how something so natural could be so horrible he'd never understood. No instead he'd always embraced that part of him. And as he sat here, crying with his brother he couldn't help but wonder if his emotions had also always been his biggest strength. If maybe; being willing to be so vulnerable meant others felt safe to do so in front of him. If that was the case he silently vowed to be there for his brother; to support him in the ways only he could. And he sat, eyes sliding closed as he continued to cry, his voice wavering with sadness as he hummed, gently trying to lull his hurting brother into whatever peace Souzan could offer him. "Speech" think "You"

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Time began to flow more normally as the pent up emotions of both wolves were released and soon they found themselves in an embrace. Gladness swept through Ig, relief, happiness tempered by the still lingering pain from so many all too recent wounds. It was all overcome int the end by a definitive feeling that he was happy to have Sou here. He forgave his brother for anything and everything. All that mattered was that they were together now. Some time later he at last pulled back enough to offer Sou an impish grin and ask, "Hey, so do you wanna hear about my pack or what?" That felt REAL weird to say to his brother, or anyone still really. Running a pack that was all his own creation was... beyond strange. He loved it more every day though. In a way he was becoming the leader he'd been intended to be, but in another way he felt like he was taking his destiny and twisting it into something he'd made and it made him feel like he had some power over his own life for once. Hopefully Souzan was going to join him and Sephira in creating their own special place in this strange and beautiful land. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

Souzan was glad his brother was willing to let him comfort him, in truth the moments of peace that passed between them were also healing for Souzan, and for the first time since the death of their sister he felt some amount of contentment wash over him. He wasn't done grieving but for a moment he wasn't weighed down by the loss. He felt as though Ignatius was helping him to lift his burden. Finally though his smaller brother pulled away, meeting his brother's gaze. Ignatius asked him if he wanted to know more about the pack and Souzan let loose a barking laugh and nodded, he was here now wasn't he? He wasn't about to run away now and he supposed if he was starting to plan to stay he supposed it'd be rather important that he knew exactly what he was getting into... especially if Sephi had had anything to do with helping Ig set up his pack. "Speech" think "You"

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Ig grinned at the quiet assent from his brother. True to form, Sou was a man of few words. That was never a problem for Ig though, usually Seph did the most talking out of the bunch, so when he was with Sou it was a time when Ig could speak and know he was being truly listened to by someone without fear of being interrupted or losing his chance to talk.

"Excellent," he purred, beaming at his littermate while overcome by gladness that he would not be losing yet another family member today, "It might be a bit of an... adjustment. I tried to take the best parts of what I knew from what mom taught us of the northern ways, and the best of home. We won't be so formal here, the pack is meant to feel like a home and a family to all it's members. Everyone will become capable of fending for themselves, but have the support of the pack behind them at all times."

"The ranks are really simple, generic to begin with and light on the upper ranks. With time, training, and effort spent on developing a good relationship with the rest of the pack, each career will be able to rank up into specialties. Some of them are like the jobs back home; combat medics, trappers, brewers, leather workers, gladiators, and plenty more. Everyone will have a place, and do what they enjoy most. The pack will fight for justice always." Taking a breath after the long-winded explanation, he gave Sou a searching look, trying to determine if his brother seemed enthused or not. Sometimes it was difficult to tell. After a moment, Ig turned and motioned in the direction of the heart of the territory.

"There's more to tell, but, if you're going to join, why don't we walk and talk?"