We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Once again Beru was not where he should have been. Wari wished she had it in her to feign surprise, but honestly, this had happened so many times that the yearling would be more shocked if his lanky frame actually had been seated in the Gorge to await her return. Heaving a very overdramatic sigh, the fae set off to find her least favorite brother. Hopefully he hadn't gotten himself into trouble, which when she considered the proximity of the nearest pack borders, seemed more plausible than she'd like. "BERU?" She yelled, hoping that he'd be able to hear her. "BERU?" Nothing. "DINNER!" Okay, so that was definitely a lie, but it was one that he usually responded well to, and once they reunited, she'd pluck something up for them. H I M A W A R I speech

'

Beru had leisurely been strolling back to the last place he'd seen his sister with Kite by his side.  He hadn't actually woken up this morning with the intention of having the two meet for the first time.  It was more like he and the princess were hanging out together, like they had been the last couple of days, and he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going, finding that he'd much rather keep all of his attention on the sapphire yearling.  It wasn't until he heard the grating sounds of his kin's yelling that he was able to connect two and two together. "Wari?  Shit-"  He muttered to himself.  "Hey, uh- be right back, okay?  That's my sister, and I think she's probably going to be in a bad mood."  and before waiting for the fae to respond he was off to do some damage control.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"  Beru grumbled, clearing the last bit of trees that separated himself from his sibling.  "I don't smell dinner."  the yearling rolled his eyes, lowering his snout from it's previous prime sniffing position.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari waited a few seconds before Beru's voice crested over the horizon, causing a smug, satisfied smile to plaster itself across her maw. That one always worked. His form slipped through the trees only a few moments later, nose already sniffing, eyes already rolling. "What d'ya mean? Take a deep breath, Beru. There's food all around us." It was just.. really, really fresh. Wari inhaled sharply in jest, since she'd just told him to do the same, but something else caught her attention. His scent and.. not his scent. "Oh no. Where have you been? Please, please don't tell me you stole from their cache." Exasperation and a mild panic swept into her veins. "Do we have to leave?" Oh, please. Not again. Looks like dinner was going to have to wait. "What did you take?" Maybe if they returned it... H I M A W A R I speech

'

Beru stared blankly at his sister, not amused by her joke and not feeling generous enough to muster up a fake laugh.  He raised his brows and watched the fae process a series of thoughts through her mind, lip curling ever so slightly as he realized those thoughts had formed the conclusion that he'd been up to no good again.  "Thief!"  His raven cawed, to which the yearling's eye twitched.

"Relax.  I didn't take anything they wouldn't miss, and I didn't get caught this time.. Well, I did.. But I'm almost done paying that guy off."  his tone was lazy.  It wasn't often that he got to toy with his sister like this, so there was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity when it was practically placed right in front of him on a silver platter. "We can leave if you want, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow night.  I have to go back around sunrise to give that guy the other half of what I owe him."  he traced a claw around in the dirt, trying his best to look bored.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Himawari looked to the bird, who seemed to have learned a delightful new word, and then back to her brother, her pallid maw slightly agape. Thief. Thief?! Great. Wonderful. Beru was a thief who was going to get them killed or skinned or.. or.. enslaved or something. Wari blinked once, twice, maybe 1,000 times as her brother's words settled over her. He didn't even look apologetic. In fact, the male looked downright bored. She was.. she was going to kill him. The fae would make sure that the pair of them made it out of this alive, and then she was absolutely going to poison him. "Beru, what are you paying him in?" Certainly, the pair didn't have enough between them to pay someone off. "And what did you take" The yearling felt the dull beginnings of a migraine flicker somewhere behind her eyes. Okay. No. Everything was fine. Perfectly, extraordinarily fine. They could handle this. She could handle this. "We have to leave now." H I M A W A R I speech

'

The yearling's head remained lowered as if he were fixated on the dirt beneath his paws, though he carefully watched his sister's every action through his dark lashes.  She looked frantic, and then furious, and then.. Calm.  A mischievous expression sprawled across his face only when he finally decided she'd been through enough.  Or rather, when he finally decided the game was slowly approaching dangerous.  Beru was no fool.  He knew a tranquil appearance on Wari only meant sudden death.

"Relax, I didn't steal anything and I don't owe anyone."  He plopped his body down and sprawled out comfortably.  "I've been busy.  I've been hanging out with a princess of Armada, the nearby pack, and we've basically just been hanging out and kissing the last couple days."  The crystalline male did his best to act bored again, glancing back up at his kin with a small, inconvenienced sigh.  How wonderful.  He was willing to bet Wari hadn't had her first kiss yet.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari experienced several emotions in a very short period of time, relief, confusion, suspicion, disbelief, each one more prevalent than the last as they danced across her features, before finally a giggle bubbled up from her throat, and another, until she was laughing so hard her sides hurt. "W-what did -- did you say?" The sentence was barely comprehensible through the laughter, and at this point, the yearling wasn't sure if it was the ridiculousness of his statement or the genuine relief that they weren't actively being hunted down that spurred it on, but whatever it was, she couldn't breath. "You've been kissing a princess?" Right. Sure he had. Another wave of giggles made their way into the air. "Now, really, what were you up to?" If he hadn't stole something, then.. then what? "Did someone take pity on you and feed you?" H I M A W A R I speech

'

Beru expected this much from his sister.  He grunted and rested his head on his paws, impatiently waiting for her to regain her composure.  "You're so annoying, Wari."  He grumbled.  "Believe whatever you want but I've been exactly where I just said I've been.  She's really pretty, too."  What an understatement.  Beru had thought a handful of other wolves he'd come across to be attractive, but none of them were like Kite.  She was downright beautiful, it was simple as that.  The yearling's tail wagged gently as he contemplated his new special friend.  

"And don't worry, contrary to popular belief I can be self-sufficient when I want to be.   Hunted for myself the whole time I've been gone.  Well, except for the day we ate at the marketplace."  He'd hoped to make her jealous with that comment as well.  Nothing wrong with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry to keep the love alive.  

"She's here, by the way.  I just wanted to wait until you calmed down so you didn't attack her or some shit.  I'm gonna call her out now though, okay?  It's not very gentlemanly to keep a lady waiting."  Beru was probably the farthest thing away from gentlemanly, but whatever. "Kite, it's safe!"  The yearling called, standing up and making his way toward where he'd left the fae.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

He told her to wait. As if she was Walpurgis instead of a Princess of the Armada. Her chin started to tip dangerously, but he was already walking away before he could see the danger signs. 'Sit, stay, speak!' "Stoopid" She muttered with an attempt at a caw. His Raven had the right of it.

She did not enjoy standing there and waiting for things to happen around her. She tipped her head down and pulled a face in the approximate direction of Lioness. She heard the cat huff back at her grinned. If it had been nighttime, she might have snuck on brother and sister to see what she could hear. But with the blindfold securely in place, she knew she would make too much noise and probably just stumble straight into them.

She'd make Beru regret taking off and leaving her behind. When at last he called for her, she remained where she was. He could come to her. She lifted her chin a little haughtily and waited. Ears straining to catch sign of their approach. She wasn't sure why not being able to see if Wari was there was giving her more anxiety then usual.

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari gave an amused nod, "Uh-huh." So not only was this wolf a princess, who for some strange reason deemed Beru kissable, but now she was also really pretty too? "Sure, Beru." The yearling totally believed him. Totally. "Right, right.  So I guess you can start brining me back dinner then?" Wari knew, of course, that Beru was a capable enough hunter, but his large frame was much more suited to big game than to small, skittering things, which was really all the pair needed to sustain themselves. She did, however, feel a tinge of jealousy at the mention of a market, but kept that fact to herself. The yearling nodded her disbelief once more, her lips curling into a suspicious smile at his proclamation. So the Armada princess was here, then? "Huh." And her name was Kite? "And she's definitely real?" The fae questioned as her peachy gaze scanned the gorge behind him. Seconds ticked by with no response, no rustle of fur, no voice on the horizon, just.. nothing. Wari hadn't realized until that moment that she'd almost, almost been expecting something to happen. "Do.. do you see her?" Had he.. was he seeing things that weren't there? H I M A W A R I speech

'

"Mmm, maybe."  Beru shrugged.  He had no intention of taking over her hunting responsibility, but with Kite waiting nearby he didn't really want to have that argument just yet.  They could settle that later, when the princess was back in Armada for the night or something.  His fights with Wari could get... Messy from time to time.  They were both too hot headed, and while that was part of their charm he didn't think witnessing it would be on Kite's bucket list for the day.  He wasn't hunting for them though.  Just because he could do it didn't mean she wasn't better at it, but he'd never tell her that.

"Yeah, she's right there.  You don't see her?"  His voice was flat, void of amusement.  Of course he didn't see her, she wasn't there.  "Kite?"  He called again, but when nothing seemed to happen he grew nervous.  "Uh, hold on."  He called back to his kin, quickening his pace toward where he thought the princess would be.  She wouldn't have left.. Right?  

"Oh, you are still here.  Cool."  Beru tried his best to mask the relief in his voice when Kite came into view.  "You good?  You can come out now. I think Wari's done yelling."  Maybe the fae didn't do well with raised voices or something?  If that were the case he'd gladly tell Wari she needed to shut up.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

She fought the urge to tap her paw as she waited for them to appear. She did however tap Lioness a couple times. Just to make SURE that they hadn't appeared and Lioness had decided not to tell her. The idea of Beru and his sister standing there and silence, staring at her, brought heat to her cheeks. She wasn't sure why it mattered so much. She'd been day-blind her whole life after all. But it didn't, and Beru wasn't making it any easier on her.

His voice suddenly sounded, and she straightened a little. Her head turning towards the sound. He told her to 'come out' as if they were standing just a few trees over, waiting for her. She did scowl at him this time. "Come out where, Beru? Where!?" Lioness could have guided her. Maybe she was being unreasonably stubborn. She couldn't explain the fear crawling up her spine. The horror of tripping over something or smacking her face in front of Berus favorite sister. She was his favorite! Grumbling under her breath she took a step forward, then another pushing through whatever trepidation had kept her grounded. "Where is she?" She muttered quietly assuming but not knowing that Beru would be beside her.

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Concern trickled up her spine, but there remained enough plausible doubt to keep Wari from showing it. She couldn't tell from his flat tone whether he was joking or not, but it made her uncomfortable either way. At his command, the yearling stilled, waiting only a moment or two before she began quietly stalking after him. His voice came again, though this time it was directed at someone else. Was.. Kite real? Gods, at this point, the fae really hoped so. It wasn't until the female came into view that Wari finally let herself breath a small sigh of relief. Was this his princess? But.. but why was she blindfolded?! "Beru.. please tell me you didn't kidnap her. Please." H I M A W A R I speech

He frowned. "Hold on, I'm coming." So Kite really was upset, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that maybe it had nothing to do with the volume of Wari's voice after all.  "Hey.."  He tentatively pressed his nose up to her neck, swiveling his ear to locate his sister.  "Sounds like she's coming.. Are you okay?  I shouldn't have left you, I--"  But before he could even finish the sentence Wari had caught up to him and was spouting off some nonsense accusation about Beru kidnapping.... Oh.. Shit.  The blindfold.  He'd never even thought to tell Wari about Kite's eyes, which in retrospect now seemed like it might have been a good idea.  

Normally he would have made a joke about how yes, he had kidnapped the fae, or maybe even played up that whole future telling schtick again, but he just kind of.. stood there instead.  "I, uh.." he looked to Wari and then back at Kite. Well, this was already going great.
”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Finally, he seemed to realise her distress and was at her side. He pressed his nose to her neck. Bolstering her confidence with that touch. She could do this, everything would work out just fine…

"Kidnapped!" Kite squeaked in outrage. Her head bobbed about in the direction of that voice. "Do I look like a damsel in distress?" She spluttered. Despite the fact that she had felt exactly like that just moments before. Perhaps that was why she sounded so defensive about it. She didn't like looking weak. It reminded her too much of Azure's judgmental snarks. "The only person that could kidnap me is me!" Oh, yeah. That sounded really good. Great comeback Kyanite. She thought grumpily to herself.

She took in a deep, huffed breath. Trying to reign control of her wayward emotions. This wasn't going well. This wasn't going well at all. "Kyanite Fatalis, Princess of the Armada." She said stiffly, not sure how to come back from those disastrous first few moments.

"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari's head tilted at Beru's reaction, the gentle way he pressed his muzzle to her neck, the fact that the female made no move to pull away, and suddenly, the yearling realized that perhaps he hadn't been lying. An Armada princess? And Beru? Kissing? And she really was pretty.. huh. The Archer stood in silence, mouth parted slightly, as Kite snapped back. Well, at least she had some fire in her. Otherwise their siblings might eat her alive. And Wari found that she did enjoy the, 'The only person that could kidnap me is me!' comment. "Oh, I don't doubt that." The fae offered a conspiratorial smile as she stepped closer to the pair. "But damsel in distress? Gods, no. I just couldn't imagine anyone willingly offering my brother company." Now the real question:  Was she actually an Armada princess, or just posing as one? Regardless, Wari erred on the side of caution, closing the distance further before tipping her head ever so lightly. "Himawari. Just Himawari. Or Wari, if you feel so inclined." H I M A W A R I speech

'

Wari's comment only seemed to upset the princess further, causing her to grow defensive.  He was about to shoot his sister a pleading glance, start praying that she didn't decide to make matters worse, but he hadn't needed to.  Thankfully Wari must have been in a particularly benevolent mood this fine day.  Maybe she slept real good last night or something.  

He bared his teeth to Wari as a warning as it pertained to her comment about not understanding how anyone could ever want to spend time with him, but honestly it was an empty threat.  The yearling was just glad that the situation seemed salvageable.  "You're projecting again, Wari."  He muttered, leaning into Kite's shoulder.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Oh, I don’t doubt that. Kite could feel herself straighten. Her covered eyes seeking a face she couldn’t see as tried to picture what the wolf before her looked like. Taking more of an interest in Wari now then she had before. Or at least, she felt a little less self conscious in her presence. She didn’t think Kyanite was a delicate flower. That meant something.

She laughed at that. “Beru is an acquired taste.” She agreed, her muzzle twitching into a smile as the two of them found common ground - teasing Beru. “Wari. I like that. I can see why your his favourite sibling.” She said, sounding far friendlier now then she had before. “You can call me Kite” She said, holding out a paw to the formless stranger.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Beru's retort only served to widen her grin, especially once Kite had had her say. "Am I? Because it seems like your new friend agrees with me." Then to the princess herself, she said, "He certainly is. Like oysters or.. spoiled meat." Her nose crinkled at the thought. "Oh, I am?" Wari was his favorite sibling? So much so that he'd actually went out and told someone? Ha. The Archer would never ever let her brother live this down. "That's so sweet of you to say, Ruru." Never in her life had she called him that, but Kite didn't know that, and really, the opportunity was too good to pass up. The yearling reached her own paw out to meet the princess' "Well, Kite, it's nice to meet you." H I M A W A R I speech

'

He rolled his eyes at her comment about how he was an acquired taste, then nudged her when she spilled the beans over Wari being his favorite sibling.  His sister wasn't supposed to know that and now she'd never let him live it down.  "You're both projecting now."  he sighed.  This was so not ideal.  "And sorry to say, Wari, but you're not my favorite sibling. Fuji is." It was somewhat believable if the princess kept her mouth shut.

"Anyways, can she take it off now Lioness?  The sun's behind the mountains now.." He looked to Lioness for confirmation. He'd feel like an ass if she was standing there with the blindfold on if it didn't have to be, but maybe it was best to just leave this sort of thing to the cat?  Either way, hopefully this would get the attention off of him for a second.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'