ooc: again, just assuming Song accepted Jendai into Sawtooth since I'm still waiting on a Song reply in her joining thread. Just for anyone that might want to be all "um, excuse me, you're trespassing." lol The small, gray hued fea trotted across the Sawtooth territory, eager and ready to take on the day. She had spoken with Song just a few days ago and had taken some time to find herself a den and get settled in. She knew her parents probably wouldn't have minded her staying with them for a little while so she wouldn't have to rush to find her own space, but after being alone for so long it was hard to imagine moving back in with them. She was overjoyed to be near her family again, but she still felt the need to have her distance and independence. But now she was settled and had gotten a good night's sleep. Now she was ready to seek out her siblings and start reconnecting with them. At the top of her list was Ara. She hadn't seen the golden-faced girl since she got split up from the family when Seracia disappeared so she was the most eager to find her. Had Ara heard about her return yet? Would she be happy to see her? Or would she be angry with her for disappearing? So many questions and worries floated around in her head, but it wasn't enough to deter her. She weaved around the deepest parts of the warm pools, hopping from one dry spot to another. She could smell hints of Ara's faintly familiar scent over the odd smell of the steaming water and soon enough she spotted her sister's form. "Ara!" Jendai called out excitedly, her tail whipping back and forth as she hurried toward the bronze and black woman. Speech Thought Others

It had been so many seasons since she had seen Jendai. Perhaps she would've noticed her arrival sooner, had she not been completely engrossed in caring for Novel and her newborn children, but she was surprised when she heard her sister's sweet voice. Instantly her ears would perk, her expression overtaken with slight confusion. Though she hadn't left on bad terms, her decision to leave the family had left her bewildered at first, for it wasn't a choice she herself would've made. But was she angry? Definitely not.


There was no hint of malice on her features as the girl slowly turned, facing toward the springs that she had been wandering near, as her sister's form revealed itself to her. A wide smile tugged at the corners of her lips instead. The joy she felt was obvious, though subdued, as was her nature -- but she wouldn't hide the happy expression and the furious wag that had begun in her tail. "Jendai!" she would greet her warmly, quickly moving forward to greet her. A quick nod was offered, but soon enough she moved forward to embrace her, happy to nuzzle into her sister's shoulder before pulling away to examine her. It had been some time -- they were both fully grown now. Her sister had always looked more like Faolan than her, and that hadn't changed. The smile remained plastered on her features. "It has been so long. How have you been?" It seemed a more important question than to ask where she had been, or if she would be staying here this time. No matter what, she was her sister and she loved her deeply, and she was simply happy to see her alive and well.

Jendai was happy to see that there was no unhappiness in Ara's greeting for her. In fact her sister looked downright excited to see her. Jendai's tail wagged happily and she returned Ara's embrace excitedly. No matter how she tried she still had the mood swings that had plagued her as a child, but luckily for her right now everything in her life was in an upswing so all she felt was overwhelming joy. Ara backed up and Jendai grinned from ear to ear, looking her bronze-faced sister over as well. To Ara's question she replied, "I've been... okay. I'm much better now. I've been searching for you guys for a long time now so I'm just happy to be here and be around all of you again." That was really just scratching the surface of everything she had been through in the last few seasons, but she didn't want her first conversation with her sister in ages to just be her rambling about her depressing recent past. Not that she really wanted to dwell on it anyway. She just wanted to focus on her future. "What about you, Ara? What have you been up to?" Speech Thought Others

Ara was not a woman that smiled easily, except in the presence of few -- namely her family, and Novel -- but she couldn't contain her utter joy at seeing her sister. Her own tail waved gladly behind her, her posture relaxed and at ease upon seeing her sister for the first time in so long. Jendai had always struck her as similar to her father, perhaps a bit lost in the world despite her best intentions, though she wouldn't blame her for being gone for so long. The smile would remain, brightening her gentle features.


She hadn't missed a lot. Their youngest brother had been born recently, and though she wondered if she had witnessed it, or if she had just now arrived. Either way -- she would meet Steel and spend plenty of time with him, Ara was certain. He was far too cute to ignore. "And I'm so happy you're home," she told her, her tones soft but genuine. This was home now; just as the Kingdom of Seracia had once been. It was different here, but no less pleasant. Anywhere her family was, would be considered home to her, regardless of where it might be. "I felt bad we left Seracia so quickly, but leadership had changed and Song offered us a permanent home here. It was the best thing for mom and dad." She hadn't known the former leaders of Seracia well, but she had never cared much for politics, and in Sawtooth she knew leadership wouldn't change paws so quickly. A stable home was what they had needed, especially her parents. "I've been.. good," she started, her mind spinning as she thought of what she could possibly tell Jendai. "I've been spending a lot of time with Novel here. She's actually given birth to two boys. I'm helping to raise them. "

To what extent she would be involved in their lives, she did not know, and the slight wariness was audible in her lyrics. "I've also been given the position of Lead Healer, not that I've had much time to teach anyone anything." Admittedly she felt a bit guilty for not having held lessons yet, but she'd been so busy taking care of her parents, Steel, and Psalm and Hymn as well as Novel that she'd had little time to do anything else.




(Note to self: set soon after the birth of Psalm and Hymn, before love confession!)

Jendai nodded with understanding as her sister explained why they had left Seracia so quickly. It explained a lot and made Jendai feel better about the whole situation. A small part of her when she first realized her family had left months ago had wondered if they had completely forgotten about her or had even left without trying to tell her on purpose, but of course she couldn't deny that their aging parents needed a stable home. They all did, really, for one reason or another. Since she had arrived here she already noticed her mood swings getting let frequent and severe, her bouts of depression getting fewer and fewer. It was doing her good and she couldn't be happier about her decision to join Sawtooth. Ara went on to explain the recent happenings in her life, Jendai's head tipping curiously to the side when she mentioned helping Novel raise her children. Jendai didn't question it, deciding that Ara and Novel must be really good friends and was sure that if there was anything else going on Ara would tell her eventually. Jen smiled proudly when Ara mentioned being Lead Healer now. "That's awesome, Ara! My sister, Lead Healer. You've always been so good at that stuff though." Jendai grew thoughtful as she considered her own situation for a moment. She had told Song that she wanted to be a warrior, but did she really? And even if that was what she wanted, was it the best position for her to be in? "How did you know you wanted to be a healer?" she asked suddenly, letting her gaze meet her sister's again. Maybe hearing how Ara found her calling would help her figure out her own. Speech Thought Others

Though she knew she cared deeply for Novel, she still wondered if her feelings were as deep as she suspected. Was she truly in love with Novel? Either way, she knew she wanted to remain part of Psalm and Hymn's lives for as long as she was able, and the rest was far less important to her. "You'll have to meet them soon," she said, her voice betraying a fair bit of excitement at the prospect. It would be difficult to avoid her meeting them, but she couldn't help but feel joyful at the thought of Jendai getting to know them as she had.


Jendai instantly grew excited at the news of her being promoted to lead Healer. It seemed a more informal position than anything, as Novel had been trained to be a healer and the two seemed to go hand in hand in many things. 'You've always been so good at that stuff though,' she commented, and Ara felt a slight heat rising to her cheeks. Rarely was she applauded for what she had learned, and she felt her smile growing bashfully. "I guess," she said, her tone humble but pleased nonetheless. "I still have plenty to learn." It was true -- she had hardly seem much of the world, certainly not as much as their parents had, and she knew there was an infinite amount of knowledge she could gain.


Her tone seemed to shift slightly, more toward curiosity as she asked her how she had known she wanted to be a healer. "It feels like I've always wanted to be one," she said honestly, but she fell silent soon after, musing over the inquiry carefully. The moment of silence that followed was a comfortable one and briefly she withdrew her gaze, staring at the horizon in the far distance. "But I suppose I knew for certain when dad was taken prisoner." Though she'd been young then, she'd been terrified for him; it was her first real glimpse into life without her parents and it had doubtlessly changed her. "Why do you ask, Jen?"

Ara's response wasn't quite as enlightening as Jendai had hoped, but it certainly made her think. When her sister turned the question back on her she shrugged, her ears flicking back uncertainly. "I still don't know what I want to do. Song asked me about it when I joined and I don't know... I've always wanted to be a warrior like Dad, but lets be honest, someone could sit on me and beat me in a spar. I'm not built to be a warrior. So... What do I do with my life?" She sighed grumpily, her brows pulling together with frustration. "I'm tired of being angry about it, but every time I think about it I just get mad cause there's nothing I can do to change it. It's not something I can fix but its forever going to be a part of my life. I can't exactly make myself grow." She huffed as she finished her rant, looking down at her forepaws. She thought about when their dad had been taken, and how helpless she had felt and even all this time later she still felt just as helpess. If something were to happen to one of her family members like that again she still wouldn't be able to defend them and it drove her mad. Speech Thought Others

Despite everything -- the confusion she felt regarding her feelings for Novel, and the terrifying reality that she would be helping to raise children with her -- she was happy. Her parents were more content here than she had ever seen them, and all the siblings she knew were here, safe and together. The smile that painted her features seemed unwilling to fade, even as the conversation shifted to more serious topics. Jendai spoke about her own future, saying she wanted to be a warrior but her size might hinder her. Fighting had never been something that she herself had been interested in, but she understood why it might be appealing to some.



"You don't have to let your size prevent you from doing anything," she suggested gently, considering her sister's words. "I mean, not all warriors have to be big and tough like Dad. You could always train and focus on improving your speed and that kind of thing. You might not be strong, but if you're fast enough to surprise whoever you're fighting?" she shrugged, not sure if she was on to something, but it didn't sound like complete nonsense. "I bet you could still beat me up," Ara would tease with a toothy smile. It was true; she was neither quick in reflexes nor particularly strong, and she had no doubt Jendai would beat her in a spar, though Ara would likely never be convinced to fight her sister.


"You should talk to Song, and find someone in the pack that has some fighting experience." It might be difficult to find true, skilled warriors in either Sawtooth or Threar -- and she knew her father was not up to the task of truly training anyone for battle -- but she figured Song might have some advice for her. "Or you could go to our sister pack and search for guidance. I've spoken to Novella before and she was very helpful. I'm sure she could help you, too."