Home. Terror clawed at her stomach, the very smell of the place nauseating her. She wanted to run, to hide, to turn around and never come back. Phantom serpent coils tightened around her chest, nearly suffocating her. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't scream. A whirlwind of negativity engulfed her. And she didn't know why. Sindri took a silent breath, her nerves steadying somewhat as she struggled to regain complete control. Throughout the episode she'd remained outwardly calm--a carefully sculpted facade made for when the appearance of bravery was a victory. This was her home and it was filled with her family. It was a safe zone, a haven, and she could sleep here without fear. Without fear, without fear, without fear. She willed herself to believe it, repeating the words over and over in her mind until they were meaningless. With Ebony's border quickly disappearing behind her, the little fae finally stopped to consider where she was. Everything was so familiar, but she had no idea where to start. Where was everyone? Tipping back her head, Sindri called for her family. Speaking -- Thinking

The dark form of a stranger passed deeper into Ebony's territory in front of Kassander's eyes, and the very young king knew he could not allow the stranger to go further without confronting them. He hadn't had any sort of training in fighting having spent all his spare time learning healing instead, but it wasn't his way to attack anyway. He hoped it would never come to that. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to move to block the stranger's way, but before he could the stranger stopped and howled. Instantly Kassander froze, chills racing down him as his auburn pelt prickled. Was that...? Could it be...? ...Sindri? His thought processes stuttered and ground to a halt for a moment in shock. He stepped forward into sight, hesitant, white-tipped ears flopped to the sides and eyes wide. "S-sindri? Is that really you?" Now closer he could see the Xanilov markings against her dark coat, the barely-visible confirmation of her identity. And upon that delicate, dark body... His breath caught at the visible signs of damage to her body, and he could not hold himself back from rushing to her side with a soft cry. His healer's composure was stripped away, any dignity he may have gained vanished, and in their place he stood simply a protective - and terrified - big brother. He shivered, his hackles standing on end. Who... who had done this to her? Healer's oath be damned, he would rip apart the beasts who had hurt her. He didn't touch her, as much as he desperately wanted to curl his body around her and hide her away, but his blue-and-gold gaze drank her in obsessively, his nose quivering as he breathed in a scent he'd been half-convinced was lost to him forever. "Talk" "You" Think

 

To be perfectly honest Sigmarr wasn't convinced he was awake.  This was a dream.  One strange, strange dream, all of it.  Sooner or later he'd wake up curled next to his mother and his siblings and they'd all be fine and happy and while he was dreaming he'd like to be king of the world and able to fly.  No, this was real alright.  It was too fucking painful not to be.  Sigmarr trailed a fair distance behind Sindri.  She was skitish, she had a right to be and he didn't want to make her feel even more so.  Hell, he'd practically hunted her down.  And then there was the matter of Aerndís.  No doubt she was on the trail and she could show up at any minute.  Sigmarr wasn't sure he could take her in a fight.

Slowly, he lifted his head and for a moment he panicked.  Sindri.. where had she gone?  She had to be right up ahead surely!  It didn't even dawn on him he was almost home.  His mind was running sluggish and slow and so was his body, he urged himself on forward, ignoring the pain in his left foreleg until finally Sindri was in site and…

"Kass?" Sigmarr swallowed deeply before coming alongside Sindri, still leaving a good five feet between himself and her.  He didn't want to come up behind him for obvious reasons.  He was a real piece of work.  A dam monster if there ever was one.  What the hell was he doing here anyway?  If he were half the man he pretended to be he'd leave right now and stop haunting his sister's footsteps, could make up some story that he'd screwed up and she was killed in the pursuit.  And yet Sigmarr didn't move.  He stood still, weary, just waiting to wake up.

 

The voice of a ghost reached her ears and while she'd been expecting it, it still caused her to tense. He sounded so much older, so very different than the last time she'd heard him speak. Still, his identity wasn't easily forgotten. "Kassander," she said simply, her tone nearly without inflection. There was no emotion to it, his name merely a statement, a confirmation that yes, it was her and yes, she knew who he was. He rushed towards her and she went ridged. Of course she knew he meant her no harm, but that did little to stop the rise of her defenses. She did not want to be touched. God help him if he tried to touch her. Sindri didn't want to be soothed. She didn't want to be comforted or coddled, she just wanted everything to go back to normal. Part of her wanted to tell him not to make a big deal out of it, but she couldn't bring herself to voice the words for fear of stoking his curiosity. "Sigmarr is with me." Suddenly he was there, gliding up beside her and instinctively Sindri flinched, her ears flattening briefly before she caught herself and forced her body to relax. Thankfully there was space between them. It wasn't fear of the brute that caused her to tense, but an unexplainable distrust of sudden movements. Her fear curdled quickly and was replaced with contempt. She wanted to bite him, to lash out and punish him for sneaking up her... a feeling that soon melted as she forced herself to accept that the problem wasn't with him, but with her. He was not at fault. Speaking -- Thinking

His sister... She tensed as he moved to her, and Kassander drew back. Her discomfort struck him like a wound to the chest. What had happened to her? Who had done this? In that moment the shy young ruler would have gladly ripped her abusers apart with his own teeth. When another form moved into view he spun on them, jaws parted and hackles raised and he moved protectively between the approaching wolf and his sister. "Sigmarr is with me." Sindri's words penetrated his protective instinct, but he had already frozen, his mismatched eyes already roving his brother's battered frame with incredulity. Gods of all his ancestors, what the hell had happened to them? "Sigmar?" His voice came out hoarse, confused, and tinted with the protective rage coursing through him. His eyes caught the distance between his two siblings and he wondered at it, but he was still struggling to reattain his healer's objectivity and passed over the questions. "I... I don't even know where to start. What... happened? Where have you been? Are you hungry?" "Talk" "You" Think

 

Sigmarr looked away from Sindri as she skittished around him.  Not that he could blame her.  He was a dam monster.  Sigmarr's gaze shifted to his paws, the guilt evident on his face and for a moment he couldn't speak.   How did he even begin to tell Kassander what had happened.  

"Hell…"  he stated plainly.  There was no other way to explain where he and Sindri had been.  Food.  Sigmarr was indeed hungry but he didn't quite feel that he really deserved anything right now, especially not before Sindri had been fed.  Sigmarr moved to rest on his belly, his head on his forelegs.  "Naw… just tired."

Ah, the inevitable questions. As expected they came. Sindri's ears flicked but she gave no other hint regarding her tremulous emotions. Much had happened since she'd last seen her family. It felt like years, a lifetime even, since she'd been home. She didn't know where to start, didn't even know if she wanted to talk about it. Instinct demanded that she seal that part of herself off and pretend it never happened to prevent further damage. And yet...the little fae was nearly bursting at the seams with a need to be understood. Taking a deep breath, Sindri fixed Kassander with a level gaze. "Hell indeed." For the time being she decided not to talk about it. Saying no more on the matter, she hoped her brother got the hint. He was worried - of course he was - so even though she wasn't hungry, Sindri decided to accept his offer of food. "I am...but don't trouble yourself over it. I can go hunting later," she said, fully expecting him to disregard her words in his need to be useful. Sending him off on an errand would give her some time to gather her thoughts. She needed a breather, a chance to just be alone without fear for the first time in a long time. Speaking -- Thinking