He'd been cooped up for so long in his den thanks to the growing pains from the antlers that had been sprouting from his head. But now that they were done growing, he hesitantly emerged into the open while secretly hoping nobody was around to see him yet. He wasn't sure how to feel about his new antlers...though they did prove to be useful for hunting so far, he felt embarrassed that he even had them to begin with. What would his sister think? He hadn't seen her since they started growing in. The headaches and the pain he had while they were sprouting made it hard to want to do anything but sleep it off. But now...here he was. Slowly peering into each room to see if he could find his sister. After his mother had told him that dad had left...he desperately wanted to seek her out to both see how she was doing, and for his own comfort. He hoped she didn't think he had abandoned her, too. Did mom tell her he was just going through something? That he was sick and couldn't come out to play? He dreaded the thought that she might be mad at him for not seeing her for what felt like forever... He had somewhat picked up her scent, but he couldn't quite tell if she was nearby or not. Instead, he found an old abandoned cabin that seemed to hold a very stale scent of his father, and even some things their father had been working on it seemed. Curious, the youth decided to investigate further. There were some old pelts and bones among other little trinkets sitting on the old musty bed, and as he nosed them he accidentally dislodged something that clattered to the ground and rolled under the bed. Muttering to himself, he stuck his head under to grab it, but when he pulled back, he realized he had gotten himself stuck. He struggled and started to panic, paws scrabbling against the wood and shoulders and head bumping against the wood as he tried and tried to free himself to no avail. Tired, he slumped to the ground and tried to think of a way to free himself. "Speech"

Idalia had been sulking for what felt like forever. Incendio had been cooped up recovering from... something and her father hadn't been seen for a while. It felt like everyone she actually liked up in the north was slowly disappearing one by one. She was an unnaturally sensitive girl and took it harder than most. Somehow everyone's disappearance felt like her fault. How could she make them come back and play with her again? She'd retreated to her favorite hideout in the hull of the big ship. There were little caves that lined the halls made of wood that had soft beds inside and other places to hide, things with doors and old remnants of smelly fur that wasn't fur at all. It was a rougher fiber that she'd never felt before but it was good for scratching her back and other hard to itch places.

She was doing just that - scratching her back - when she heard a thunk echo from somewhere within the ship. Sound traveled strangely here. It could have been close by or much further away. Steeling her courage, Idalia decided to investigate. Lia crept out from where she'd taken cover and stalked the hallways until she found the source of the noise. Her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing: it was definitely Incendio, but he was sporting a rack of antlers like the well-furred deer that ventured up north. "Oh!" She exclaimed. Wasting no time, she used her smaller frame to her advantage and wriggled underneath the bedframe before pushing it upwards with all of her might. The creaky wood shuddered and lifted just high enough that he could wriggle free if he tried. "You're... different," she murmured, unable to conceal the hurt in her voice. There would be no more confusing the two of them at all now. They had begun to grow into lankier versions of their adult selves. Although their markings were the same, physically they were separated by clear gender markers (Dio was swarthy and hardier while Lia was lighter) and now his horns. Everything had changed.

He struggled for a time to free himself but to no avail. It wasn't until he felt his sister crawl in beside him and lift the frame that held him captive that he managed to twist his head and pull himself back that he was able to free himself. He fell back on his haunches with a hard thud and shook his head, breathing a little hard from his efforts before he heard his sister. His ears fell back and he felt bad. Ashamed even, when she said he looked different. He wasn't sure what she'd think about it all, but he knew they'd look much different now and would be easier to tell apart. Now it wasn't just the difference in color of their stripes on their haunches, but he had antlers while she remained without. "Thanks sis..." He felt embarrassed. Clearly he still wasn't used to his new antlers...just a couple days ago he had accidentally stabbed the bird he was hunting. He glanced away for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to her. It's not like he had asked for these antlers...he felt like a freak. One of the main reasons he had stayed hidden away. "So uh...I'm...I'm sorry I've been hiding away...I just..." What? He didn't want her to be upset about it? Felt uncomfortable? He didn't know what to do about them...he supposed he could try to cut them down but he feared that would hurt. He sighed before glancing her away, "I feel like a freak..." His voice sounded forlorn as a low whine escaped him. He didn't want to look so different...he wanted to be normal again. He didn't even know what use these antlers had other than getting in the way and getting him stuck. He knew she felt hurt, and so did he. Did this mean they weren't really twins anymore? He wasn't so sure what to think or feel about it. "Speech"

"Oh," Idalia said quietly. She wasn't sure how she had expected him to respond, but hurt feelings hadn't crossed her mind. Selfishly she still worried how it would effect their relationship. There was no way she could pretend she was Incendio any more and vice versa. The antlers he'd sprouted over the winter months had permanently separated them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she saddled her ears and lowered her head contritely. Her brother was so important to her. His feelings were her feelings, even if they didn't look the same any more. "Do you think I'll grow them too?" she said wistfully, but her head didn't hurt like he had complained of all winter. It was a nice thought, but it would probably never come true.

"You're not a freak," she added, a little bit too late. Idalia would never think her brother was unusual; her hurt came from the ways they were now different from each other, not how he was different from the rest of the world. "Maybe you can hunt deer pretty easily now, huh? They'll just think you're one of them," Idalia joked. If she could make him smile, even just a little bit, she'd feel relieved.