Tracking a scent that had faded over season's time was a certain task Sloan wasn't sure she was capable of. With the help of others and their flimsy anecdotes, she began her travels across dangerous waters. She had one shot at this. One wrong turn, wrong move, a step in the wrong direction and she was sure to lose her brother. What helped was the surplus of other Saxes leaving their homeland to find new horizons. Many had heard tale of a Sephiran Saxe wanting to make a name for himself. To build a kingdom from the ground up. Would her brother want to follow suit? He had wanted to prove himself... Sloan didn't blame him. As cranky as she felt, tired, wet, and exhausted, she understood. To be crushed beneath paw and scrutiny that believed you better off dead. She got it and she wanted to help. Not that helping was always her forte, but he was her brother and how could she leave him alone and uncared for? After all they'd been through, all that he'd been through. Ugh, stupid bastard, Sloans thinks to herself as she drags her dainty paws from the bone-chilling waters onto a hardened sand beach. The shoreline is thin here, not far ahead of her, a wall of stone and rock rises above her. Tilting her chin up, neck bent as far as it can go, she squints against the Autumn sun to look at the clifftop. Aging wildflowers lean over the edge, waving hello to her as the wind kicks up and ruffles her coat. "Well, how the fuck am I to get all the way up there?" Sloan scowls, the grumble under her breath obvious as she pushes on. There was no time to waste. She had to find Caedes before it was too late.

Caedes spent a lot of time concocting his remedies and poisons, sorting his stock and searching for more – but when he was not seeking out the lovely Mariah or having an apathetic conversation with one of his kin; he was wandering. Sending his raven out in intervals to bring back reports of flora. Anything of use to his craft. Currently he was in search of seashells for a project.

But as he traversed the coastline, his footsteps faltered, a fleeting scent catching his nares. Pausing mid-stride, Caedes turned, nose in the air as he tested the scent mingling in the breeze again. Could it be? His eyes flashed, determination powering his muscular limbs forward as he galloped down the coastline, rounding a bend and laying eyes on the perpetrator of his sudden investigatory sprint.

For a moment, he stood frozen in place, disbelief coursing through him like a bolt of lightning. Sloan. His true-born sister, one who was far more favored over him in their puppyhood. A sense of detachment washed over Caedes, his mind struggling to reconcile the reality of her presence with the distant memories that lingered in the recesses of his mind. How could she be here, in this remote corner of the world, when he had left her behind so long ago? Was she to be another cog in Sephiran’s machine? He thought his mother wanted her little toy soldiers to herself – It was yet another reason their grandmother had sent him off on his own path.

Caedes approached, his steps measured and deliberate. Though he had no real words planned for her, nothing he could think to say. So he addressed her like he would any other of his kin. “Sloan.” The low baritone of his voice cutting in between the oceans crashing waves. He had not expected to see her here, and yet here she stood. He didn’t know if she would be happy to see him, or be displeased he had left Saffron at all. So, he awaited judgment.

"speaking"

Approaching the wall with apprehension, she sticks her nose out to sniff at the rock. Lifting a paw to press on it, she scrapes at the surface, noting how few pebbles lift and fall away. At least she doesn't have to be worried about a slide happening right on top of her. But the trail leading up? Where was it? Her brow furrows as the wind whips around her, chartreuse eyes glancing left and right as she pulls away from the cliffside to get a better look. As the wind picks up once more, she freezes a moment. Something familiar crossing her nostrils, every signal in her body going on high alert. One more pass of the breeze and she doesn't catch it again. Must be my imagination, Sloan thinks to herself with a defeated sigh, her muzzle hanging a bit lower. Deciding to make her way south along the shoreline, she would keep trying until she picked up something fresh. Getting to the other side of this cliff was the first task after all. Maybe at the top she'd find something good to go off of. While she walks, her paws dragging lightly in the sand from exhaustion, it doesn't take long for the wind to brush by her once more. This time, the all too familiar scent is vivid. Turning on her heels, her head lifting high, eyes wide and unblinking as her brain tries to register what's in front of her. Was she dreaming? Reminding herself to breathe, she sucks in a deep breath as he approaches, the low baritone of his voice both familiar and unfamiliar. His scars are there too, but it appears more have adorned his pelt since the last time she laid eyes on him. When he speaks her name, she smiles and her tail wags a few times, her paws moving her a few steps closer to him. "Caedes," she responds, not quite in the same low baritone, but also not in a tone you would expect from a daintier girl like she. "I know this is unexpected," Sloan starts, clearing her throat, but never losing eye contact. For as awkward as it felt, she would be confident in front of him. "I-I, uh, couldn't take it anymore. They," she pauses now, eyes drifting downward toward her paws. "She wanted to marry me off or make me a Sidi. Said I was too pretty to be a warrier, this if I was a good girl, I would help the family name by bearing pups," Sloan grows a bit quieter, fury and ire building in her at the thought that she could've just been a fucking toy. Letting out a forced snort, she gives her head a small shake before looking back up at Caedes. "So I left. In the middle of the night and I tracked you down because whatever happened back then, that wasn't what I wanted. You're my brother and I-I... if you could do it, so can I," Sloan tilts her chin up a little bit, holding firm with her chest puffed ever so slightly, hoping he would either believe her or take pity on her at least.

Caedes watched Sloan's approach with a mixture of surprise and calculation, his emerald gaze fixed on her as she drew ever nearer. He noted the changes in her, both physical and in demeanor, and couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity mixed with a hint of skepticism. What had driven her to seek him out after all this time? Part of him wondered if their mother had sent her.

As she spoke, Caedes listened in silence, his expression impassive yet attentive – he owed her that at least. He took in her words, each one stirring memories long buried beneath the surface of his scarred consciousness. Sloan's revelation about her reasons for leaving her pack struck a chord within him, in a way that resonated with his own struggles against the expectations placed upon him by their family. Their mother had all but disowned him when he was still a runty nothing, only taking interest in him when he could bring her glory. Sure, she was an average Saxe vipress, but he had been raised by their grandmother more than anyone else – and she had leagues more substance than their mother ever would.

When she mentioned their bond as siblings and her determination to forge her own path, Caedes took a step forward. His emeralds fixated on her face and searched for the truth within her eyes. Despite the distance that had grown between them over the years, the connection of blood still held weight. And even if not that, she had never wronged him. Caedes was a simple man, despite his intelligence. He preferred it that way. Why dwell on the past? He could dislike his mother, feel pity for his father, but it ended there.

He understood Sloan’s desire to break free from the confines of her upbringing, to assert her own autonomy – it was what he had done. She had every right. But… she had left Saffron without permission. “Sloan,” His voice was a calm, deep rumble as his massive frame loomed over her own. “I understand. I do. I’ll not crucify you for wanting more for yourself.” Caedes paused, meeting her gaze with a level of intensity entirely fitting of his battle hardened existence. “But leaving... It's not an easy path to walk. Should Sephiran find out you abandoned Saffron, he will be furious. So lie. Say something, say anything that cannot be proved false.” Caedes had been given permission to leave by their grandmother, a fact that could not be refuted.

He considered her for a moment, weighing his words carefully before continuing. “If you're determined to carve out your own destiny, then I will not stand in your way.” Caedes reached out, his touch tentative yet reassuring as he placed a paw on her shoulder. “But I will help where I can, sister.” Unemotional brute as he was, this was the closest he could get to comforting.

"speaking"

She levels her gaze with him, body deflating into a more relaxed position as he speaks her name. Though he lacks emotion in those syllables that spill from him, she can tell he's attempting to be some sort of comforting. Comforting in his own way, even as he looms over her. Her head slowly nods as he speaks, understanding what he is saying. She pays attention, truly pays attention to his words because the look in those emerald eyes meant business. Sloan knows of Sephiran, knows Caedes struck out to assist, but she didn't quite understand the grand scheme of things. Was Sephiran to build a new Saffron here? What would be the point? Couldn't he have just taken over Saffron if he wanted to rule so badly? Not that those were questions she wished to ask now. Instead, Sloan sighs, another slow nod of her head as she mulls over what he's just said. "I'll hone my skills, prove I can fight, then Sephiran will have no reason to doubt me," the sly smirk that slides over her lips is undeniably Saxe-like. Cunning and intelligent, it was clear what familial lineage she belonged to. And when Caedes reaches out to place a paw upon her shoulder, she feels that connection even more. Even if they never really, truly had a chance to bond as siblings when they were younger, they were still brother and sister. There was a birth bond there, a family bond there that she hoped would now be able to grow without the shadow of their parents hanging over them. "I appreciate it, bro," another smirk, this time teasing as she leans her cheek against his foreleg for a moment before lifting her head up. "Tell me everything that I need to know," Sloans says, a quick exhale before she continues, "I'm exhausted and in no shape to travel any further after my journey. I'll make a fire and perhaps we can catch a fish or two. Have a lesson of sorts over dinner," her smirk lingers on her, head canting to the side, wondering if he'll take her up on her offer.

Caedes observes Sloan's response with an observant eye, noting the subtle shifts in her posture and expression. He nods in acknowledgment of her understanding, her receptiveness to his guidance despite the weight of their circumstances is reassuring to say the least.

Sloan speaks of honing her skills and proving herself to Sephiran, to which the obsidian brute nods in assent. The Saxe cunning and intelligence shine through in her words and demeanor, traits that suit her well. He returns her smirk with a grin of his own, taking in a deep breath as he tests the air and the scents on the breeze.

When Sloan leans against his foreleg, Caedes feels a faint warmth within him, a rare sensation in the typically stoic depths of his being. He does not know what to do with this, as they’ve never been all that close. But he does not pull away. Sloan's teasing tone brings a brief, almost imperceptible twitch of amusement to Caedes's lips. He nods once more.

As Sloan suggests settling in for the night, Caedes considers her proposal. A lesson over dinner could prove beneficial for both of them, an opportunity to share knowledge and perhaps catch her up to speed. With a nod of agreement, he gruffs, “Very well. I will gather some wood for the fire, and the meal. You focus on conserving your energy. What will we do if you fall asleep in the middle of my lesson?” The scarred brute rolls his shoulders, tail flicking behind him as he steps away from her. He does not wait for her answer, and instead sets about preparing for their evening together, his mind already calculating the best approach to imparting his wisdom to his sister.

"speaking"