Kyanite left Beru by the Market border and made her way back into Armada territory. She had a great deal of planning to do. Starting with scoring him a companion, and ending with a definitive plan to get her to the Hallows. She walked aimlessly around the Armada for a while. Bouncing ideas around in her head. In the end, she came to the conclusion that she was stubborn, and her and her dad butted heads as much as they bonded. But she knew someone who was personable, and judging by the completed observation post - had been making great headway bonding with their dad.

Besides, she trusted Andy, and another set of eyes on this might help. Right? Of course, if her sister betrayed her, she would never, ever forgive her. Raising her head, Kyanite called out for the star-named girl. She didn’t sit and wait, but instead paced back and forth. It was evening, but the sun had yet to fade, so her pacing was a clumsy thing.


"Speech"

Andy is up in her observation post at First Point Light, preparing for the night of stargazing ahead when her sister’s voice rises up for her. Quickly, the purple girl sets aside her items and cuts a hasty path down the trail that wraps around the side of the mountain.

Evening is settling in but the Spring days mean more daylight and, while the sun has begun to set, there is still enough light to be rather bothersome for her sister. Paws shift the pebbles of the col, announcing her arrival long before she even calls out, “Kite? You okay?” The blindfold is in place but her sister does not need to see her features to know that Andy is concerned; her tone says it clearly for her.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

She heard the sound of paws on pebbles, and her head tilted in the direction of the sound. She knew she had the right wolf when Andy’s voice came out from somewhere on her right. Her scent reached Kite a second later. The Princess sniffed at the concern in her sister's voice. “I don’t only call you when something is wrong, do I?” She asked, her voice a touch gruff.

Before she remembered that actually she did want something from Andy. But that wasn’t true, was it? She called Andy for plenty of things, didn’t she? She tried to think of something mundane, and instead plenty of instances of wishing a hunting or fighting partner came to mind.

She sighed.

“Well… there is something. But that's not the point.” She said, raising her chin slightly in a familiar, stubborn tilt. Lioness touched her paw, telling Kite the sun was far enough behind the mountains now. She pushed her bandana back and found the bright form of her sister. “Okay, so… let's say I wanted to tell you something. Do you swear not to tell anyone?”


"Speech"

The gruffness her sister offers in her tone has Andy’s ear pinning pack and shame crossing her features. It is true but the purple girl worries about her family. It is her own fault; the passing of their mother having left her scared of losing her siblings. Even with the blindfold on, the girl tries to school her features into a neutral mask while mumbling, “Sorry.” Kite seems on edge, her words stubborn and a little… rough.

She tries not to take it personally but, for her, Kite is among her favorite siblings. For Kite to be mad at her… the purple girl’s heart sinks. As the sun moves below the horizon, Kite pushes her bandana above her eyes and Andy tries to clear the hurt from her expression as she offers a small smile. At the serious tone of Kite’s words, the purple girl blinks before nodding firmly as she says, “I promise Kite. Whatever you tell me, stays with me.” Another firm nod as she waits to hear what Kite needs.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Oblivious to Andy’s own moods, Kyanite took a few steps forward, and looked Andy in the eyes. There were plenty of wolves that found Kite’s staring unnerving, but her siblings seemed to be accustomed enough to it not to pull away. “Alright.” She said, taking a breath as if she was about to say something, and then letting it out again.

Maybe she should have practised this first, but she didn’t actually know what to say. Should she plunge straight in, or start from the top? She fought the urge to fidget, and lifted her muzzle a little instead. Her family was likely well-accustomed to the danger signs of stubbornness that came over Kite. “So. I made a friend, but he’s a pack wolf. Sort of. He’s not a pack wolf right now, but he is a pack wolf, just one on an adventure. A temporary adventure. Before he goes back to being a pack wolf.” Rambling. She was rambling. She shut her trap.

She paused, and tried to find another thread to start this. “His pack is all the way down in Auster, and I want to go there. But you know what dads like. He’s… stubborn.” Which she definitely couldn’t relate to. At all. “So I thought if I asked him if I could go and visit Briar in the Hallows, I could… have a little more freedom… I guess.” Another pause. “I want to go to the Hallows, so I can see my friend's pack, but I don’t know how to ask dad. Can you help me?” Her voice started to sound a little desperate. She was making such a mess of this. The words just started coming out all wrong!


"Speech"

Andy stands still, allowing Kite to approach her and gaze deeply into her pale eyes. The crystal eyes do not unnerve her and, in fact, she simple tilts head slightly in curiosity. Finally, her sister seems content to believe her and begins to she mull what she has to say it. Brows lift but she waits, a small smile beginning to form. Finally, Kite speaks and speaks… and speaks. In fact, Kite rambles. This is a side of her sister that the purple girl has never seen.

Eyes brighten as she explains, the long way around, about her friend in a pack down in Auster. Then comes the part where she needs help and Andy slowly nods. Mulling over all the information over for a long moment, she finally says, “I can talk to him for you. I’ll just tell him we want to go down and visit Briar. How long do you want to spend with your friend?”

If Kite is dead-set on visiting her friend, Andy wants to tag along to make sure her headstrong sibling doesn’t get into too much trouble. While she will be hiding some truth from her father, the girl does not see it as lying if she simply talks about visiting Briar and nothing else. But she does need to timeframe to give her father.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Perfect! Andy was on board. The Princess started to grin, before the expression froze on her face. She could feel it, her eyes getting a little wider. She blinked a few times and sat on her haunches. This was… really important to her. She didn’t realise how nervous it would make her to talk about it to someone else. Especially Andy. She wanted Andy to agree. But would her sister still understand if she knew the truth?

The bigger question was, could she actually lie to Andy. Because her sister would know she was lying sooner rather than later. “Well… I really do want to talk to Briar, too. Briar left the Armada, and started her own life in another pack. She did it young, too. So I want to ask her how she managed to convince our dad to let her go.” She dropped eye contact with her sister. She didn’t outright say what she was planning, but it was still there in her words all the same. She wasn’t planning on coming back. At least… not any time soon.

"Speech"

Kite begins to grin before her expression quickly freezes, her eyes grow wider. Confusion clouds Andy’s features, pulling her brows together as she tries to understand what is wrong with her sibling. Something has been wrong or off about the way her sister is acting. Kite had been gruff, guarded, angrier lately and it all seems to boil down to this friend. She stands there, really trying to understand when her sister clues her in.

Understanding dawns across her face, followed by ripples of a deep and profound sadness. Andy would be losing her sibling but not illness. No, she was losing her sister to another wolf. Her heart drops into her toes and she fights off the tears that threaten to begin forming in the back of her eyes. Softly, gently, she says, “You’re not coming home.” Emotions choke the words but, underneath it all, is acceptance. They have turned one and are now young adults; the world is their oyster, as many say.

Giving a soft nod to herself, Andy tries to catch her sister’s crystalized gaze before softly saying, “I will miss you.” There is so much more to those words but she cannot seem to express it. After a moment she shakes her head and straightens her stooped frame, asking, “What would you have from me?” Andy is ready and prepared to help Kite leave and, while a part of her will die watching her sister walk away, she wants to make sure Kite is happy.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

She watched the acceptance come over Andy's face - but her sister wasn’t going to try and stop her. Despite how it clearly hurt, Andy still wanted to help her. Kite looked down for a moment, feeling the support of her sister wash over her. There weren’t many wolves in Kite’s life she trusted absolutely, but Andy was one of them. “I… It’s not like it would be goodbye, Andy” She said softly, meaning it. She would still see Andy. She would visit.

“I need help convincing Dad to let us go to the Hallows. From there… I’m not sure. I’m hoping Briar will help me” She explained. It wasn’t a fully formed plan, but a lot of it depended on how others reacted. She wasn’t sure how to prepare around them.


"Speech"

With a small, gentle smile she looks at Kite, ready to hear and do what her sibling needs from her. The words that Kite offers have her nodding, the smile turning a touch sad as she says, “I hope not. I love you Kite. And I mean that. With all my heart.” Kite lays out what she would like from here and the purple girl nods more firmly, saying, “I will do it. I will convince him. Maybe we should send a bird to Briar and tell her that we wish to visit before I approach dad. That way he can see that she approves of us visiting.” Head tilts slightly as she waits to hear what Kite thinks of the plan.

"Andromeda Fatalis"

“I love you too, Andy. I… appreciate you” She said, thinking of the times her sighted sister had looked out for her. She knew her life would have been more miserable without Andy’s support. But she had never liked asking for help, and it was equally difficult to frame the words of her appreciation.

“Yeah… that’s a good idea. I’ll send Ranger today to tell her! And when she gets back, you can talk to dad and have Ranger back you up?” She said, clarifying the plan. Her bird was somewhere nearby, she’d call the falcon when Andy approved. This was why she needed her sister, she thought of the things that Kite had missed.


"Speech"

A smile, big and genuine lifts Andy’s mouth up in a caring yet bittersweet display at Kite’s words. No matter where Kite goes, the purple girl knows that she will always be available for her sibling whenever she has need of her. Life may pull them in different directions but she will always just be a call away. Kite agrees to her idea about sending a bird, offering to send Ranger, her peregrine falcon companion, down to Briar to ask for permission for them to visit.

Nodding, Andy agrees and says, “That is perfect. I will wait for Ranger to come back before approaching dad. In the meantime, start gathering up the items you want to take with you. Don’t worry too much about the items because we can always take a small cart with us when we go.” Another small nod before she adds, “Just remember, you don’t want to raise anyone’s interest with what you are taking.”

With a small smile she dips her head a bit before remembering one more thing, “Oh and I will start calculating how much food and water we should take with us. I will add as much extra as I can without drawing too much suspicion so you can have rations for when you travel.” Pale blue eyes meet her sister’s crystalized gaze as she mentally begins to calculate things. Bidding her sister farewell, Andy moves off to go and begin to scout out the food stores.

-exit Andromeda-


"Andromeda Fatalis"