Taking another late night stroll with Otis, she crossed a trail that had her pausing mid-stride, nose intently snuffling the dirt as she circled once, then twice. She was sure. As sure as the sun would rise tomorrow that her sister was nearby. Stalking forward on lengthened strides, her head dipped low and her head canted ever so slightly to negate the dark with her hearing, Sedna advanced into the Willows, the shuffling of her companion struggling to keep up the only sound other than her own steps. Of course she’d be there if she was anywhere... The pull would be as undeniable to Matilda as it was to herself. The scent was growing stronger now, and the Archer-Lyall sent out a chuff, only pausing to see if it would be answered. She had come here seeking one relative and potentially had found herself another. She planned to get to the bottom of it one way or another.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

The draw of blood was undeniable to the Archer. She had intended to leave her younger sister be. Sedna had a right to live her own life with none of the baggage her older sibling was currently carting in her wake, but every Archer child had another half, and they were both missing theirs, in Nellie and Vareth now. The nights were mild, but it was hard to sleep without another body pressed against her own.

The chuff that came through the trees was expected, and was answered in turn with a charge in it’s direction, paws extended wide and a welcome growl rumbling in her chest. She would collide with her sister, jaws opened wide, aiming to nip at her cheeks and pull at the short hairs alongside her face. To those unfamiliar, it might seem aggressive, but they were blood, and this was how they loved each other.

"speech".

hundred dollar bills under our sleeve

The resounding thud of chests colliding in a chorus of growls and opossum hisses so close to the borders in the dark was probably asking for interference, but the wide sweep of the wolves tails would betray their harmless intent. The nose punches offered to necks and ribs as they took in each others scents and made a point to rub along each other would make it clear this was a reunion. Growls rose in pitch to become excited whines, and jaws parted in breathless pants, the initial excitement abating once familial bonds were established, sparkling grey eyes shining white in the dappled moonlight. "What’er yer doin’ here?" Sedna asked breathlessly, "Last I saw yer, yer were droppin’ cubs at th’ border and disappearin’ in th’ night!"

"speech".

we intend not to sleep til we’re dead

The hissing of the opossum was largely ignored, the rumble that left her chest at her sisters words was less full of love than those that had passed just moments before. "Yer know th’ expectations." Her orange eyes glittered sharply in the moonlight, considering her sister before her. "Surprised ter see you of all us defyin’ tradition..." There was a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, although there was also admiration in her tone to find her sister wasn’t pregnant. The expectation, of course, was that each of the daughters would do their part to further the Archer name, since the male children couldn’t be relied upon to do so. Each girl would leave the pack when her first or second heat came upon her and find a (usually disposable) male to fill her belly with children. Beyond the first litter, they were free to find mates and form more meaningful bonds, but their first litter should always be Archers. Even she had done so, as repulsive as she found the act. So repulsive in fact, she had left the children with her mother to raise. If the name mattered that much to her, she could ensure it’s continuance beyond creation.

"speech".

drink our problems right out of our heads

Sedna’s lips pursed for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t want children, she just wanted to solidify her position first. To hold enough power to protect any lives she did create. That, and maybe a bit of her fathers romanticism had worked its way into her bones. She always was a daddy’s girl, it was the reason she was still an Archer-Lyall, while all her siblings had dropped their father’s surname. "I got ambitions ter fulfil before anythin’ like that’ll happen." After all, she had tried challenging. Maybe if things had gone differently she would be considering motherhood now.

The lighter woman took comfort in the weight of Otis scrambling up her hind leg to drape over her back, clearly fed up with all the exercise Sedna had already forced upon him. "Sigrun has taken off, takes too much after her da’ tha’ one..." Sedna muttered darkly, but even if she was worried for the yearling, she really had more pressing matters at hand. "There’s a party comin’ up fer th’ leaders kids. Apparently they give gifts ‘ere? I wouldn’ know where ter start an’ I’m runnin’ outta time..." Tilly had always been sharp. Maybe she would have an idea that Sedna couldn’t think of on her own.

"speech".

dangerously havin’ the time of our lives

Her sisters words were met with a nod in the dark. Tilly had heard about the events that lead up to her sister taking leave, hell the whole southern lands knew what had gone down. No wonder she fled.

Neither wishing to dwell on the past or their older brothers constant fuck ups that lead to extra work for the rest of them, she was relieved when the topic suddenly changed. Gifts? Well, she supposed she had heard of stranger traditions in her travels. Although with her sister being so new to these lands, she could understand her being a little stumped on her options... Taking in her opossum backpack though, she had to wonder if she was having trouble adjusting at all? "What’er they like? Th’ kids..." She wasn’t too phased on the pack. As much as she missed the companionship, being alone seemed to suit her just fine. The opossum could come in handy if they had to throw something together quickly.

"speech".

these boys are just poisonous thorns in our sides

Already the cogs in her sister’s mind were ticking over, and she felt some of the weight lift from her shoulders, despite the large creature treating her as his personal taxi. She was most familiar with Mortis, and while he was soft and fluffy like a cloud, he also had potential to be something harder if he had to. Aslatiel could have passed as an Archer if she were darker, and the other two she had only spotted from a distance. She allowed herself a wry chuckle. "They’re like Archers, but bigger fer th’ most part, an with a scarier set o’ weapons." It wouldn’t need much more explaining than that.

"speech".

startin’ fires wherever we go

She didn’t need to watch her sister to listen, and when the answer came, well that made it a whole lot easier. "So they likely like ter fight things that’re meant ter be bigger an’ meaner than ‘em then?" Her smirk was not concealed in the moonlight, white teeth visibly flashing in the dark. "Predator baits then, yer remember th’ recipe or do I need ter beat it inter yer? We can put that carry cushion ter work tyin’ ‘em up fer us." It wasn’t a question, Acher’s didn’t ask when it was time for action. They would work together through the night before Tilly would take her leave. She wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

"speech".

Watching ‘em gamble everything they own