Things were strange now that his family had returned. He was happy, of course he was.. and yet things felt.. different now. As though he had changed during the time his parents and siblings had been gone. He couldn't help but wonder if things would return to how they had been before, or if Abaven might become something else entirely. A soft sigh left Lark's lips as he retreated to the rapids, a place he had grown quite comfortable with. Admiration had impressed the wariness he had once felt toward the rushing waters, and he moved with ease toward the shoreline, eventually flopping to his stomach and letting his head fall to his paws as he eyed his reflection somberly.

*Home Turf -- Monument Rapids

She had missed her brothers oh so much when she was gone, it was just her and Sparrow on the trip anyways. Her sister was loud too, and had way too much energy! Even though Finch was a year old, she still acted very much like a pup, drawn within herself and very overly shy. But with her family it was different, she was more alive and active, more willing to play and be shown around. Starling helped her collect pretties, Shrike got her to run around and chase things, and Lark was always the brother that she had looked up to. He was bold and strong like their father, while more blunt and harsh talking. He was his own person, but when she thought of Lark, she thought of their Daddy too. Tail twirling behind her, Finch tracked Lark's scent now, eager to see her massive brother and give him a huge hug. She hadn't come to the meeting, she was soooo tired and Momma tucked her in very well, it was hard to just step out of the soft, warm den after all of that walking. So she slept while the rest of her family wandered off, leaving her without a chance to see her brothers. Soon enough she picked out his dark form laying in the grass, close to the water's edge. Letting out a soft giggle her rump wiggled behind her as she stalked forward, blue eyes gazing at his big form. "Larky!" she shrieked, launching herself from the earth and hopefully landing on her brothers back. Teeth tried to find his scruff as she nipped at him, aiming to bat at his ears with one of her paws while wild giggles left her throat. Oh how she had missed him!

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Of all his siblings, Finch was probably the one he was closest to - besides Shrike. He had never been as close to Starling or Sparrow, though he loved them no less. Something about Finch seemed to bring a warmth out in home; she was so gentle and lovely, the opposite of everything he was, and he could only hope that this harsh world wouldn't stifle her sweetness. And if it did? There would be hell to pay. He hardly noticed Finch's arrival, for she was slight and timid and hardly made more than a rustle in the grass. She hadn't been at the meeting but he knew she was here, for her scent had been heavy on Wren's coat. The first sign of her was her sudden arrival as she leaped onto his back, calling his name as she did so. It was an easy feat, given that he'd been laying down, and he made no effort to push her away and she began to play with him. Instead, a happy laugh left his lips, his expression shifting into a happy grin. It was nice to see Finch so happy, even if just around family, as she had not always been so confident - even around him. His head would twist to the side, aiming to catch a glimpse of her as she batted at his ears.   "How was the trip?" he'd ask gently, his tail thumping against the ground behind him in undeniable pleasure. "I missed you guys. But I missed you the most."

She sprung on her brothers back and was pleased that he didn't stop her from biting at him and batting his ears. She really did miss her brothers, and now she was on top of one! Giggling like mad she calmed down a bit, licking at his crown and scruff. Her darker sibling head twisted around as he eyed her, Finch's own head moving to the side as she clung to him and grinned. He asked about the trip though, and her smile faltered slightly. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the trip but... it was too long and the place was far away and scary. Shivering slightly she flopped over beside him, paws in the air as she landed on her back. "S'okay..." she said slowly, shoulders shrugging in the grass. "B-but t-to long!" She stuttered with a sharp nod of her head. The stutter was new too, she didn't always have that until after the trip. But she had hardly spoken at all since they left Abaven, and her vocal chords weren't used to being used. It was almost painful now to talk, she had to pretty much choke the words out after not speaking for over a season. "I-it hard t-to t-t-talk n-now. H-hurts..." Finch said with a whine. She was sure that after using it more though that it would go away, and she was pretty embarrassed about the new way that she talked. In her mind it made her sound even weaker. But her duo-toned ears flickered at the sound of Lark's voice again, telling her that he missed her. Letting out another soft whine she wiggled closer to him, nipping softly at his leg. "N-nuh-uh, I m-missed y-you da m-most." She said with a wag of her tail, looking at Lark from her upside down perspective.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Lark loved his family deeply, even if he was not always the best at showing it. He was not naturally the most affectionate of creatures, but he would never turn away the love of his family and he felt a sense of calm and happiness wash over him at Finch's gentle touch. He almost felt happy that his sister didn't seem overly excited to share about the trip. That meant that home was better. He didn't want them, any of them, to decide to leave again. Everything was better this way. Her voice seemed rough and unused and he fought the urge to frown at her. She was more like Starling than any of their other siblings, but why had she grown more timid instead of stronger? Damnit, he thought to himself, she shouldn't have gone. She should have stayed here and trained with me. "Have you been singing much?" Lark would ask gently, a hint of worry in his voice. The expression was quickly replaced with a smile as she nipped at his flank, and his tail would bat gently against the earth in pleasure. "Abaven didn't feel right without you guys," he admitted, a sigh falling from his lips. "You're not allowed to leave me ever again." His tone was equal parts serious and jesting - he really didn't want to imagine them taking such a long trip again, not without him.

Lark asked about her singing, and the girl shook her head slowly side to side. She hadn't been singing much at all, she had hardly even been talking. Her tan and white ears pulled back against her skull as she nuzzled herself deeper into his brown fur. She usually just hummed now, singing hurt her voice a lot too. She had wished with all her heart that she had stayed here with Lark, she missed him and the rest of her family so much. And the whole trip had scared her a lot, and had driven her even further into hiding. What would have happened if she had stayed? It was too late to think about that now though, she was back now. Lark's tail brushed against the ground as she nipped him, and she was glad that their conversation took a turn. He said that she was never allowed to leave his side again, and Finch chuckled softly, playfully swatting at his nose. "I m-missed y-you t-too! A-and I d-don't w-wanna l-l-leave, n-not e-ever a-again." She hummed softly. She stood up and nuzzled into his shoulder, not wanting to be sad anymore. No more sad talk, no more at all! It was time to be happy and playful. Trotting around Lark in a little circle, she poked and nipped at his form.

"L-larky, w-why d-don't y-you l-l-like I-italian?" She asked suddenly, taking a pause in her dance around her brother. Starling seemed to speak the language the most, and she tried to use it as much as she could. But it seemed that Sparrow, Shrike, and Lark didn't like it at all. She didn't know why! It was fun, and it was like they had their own little secret language.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Finch was far too quick to shake her head in response to his question about singing. He frowned a bit, not entirely pleased at that news. "Mom didn't make you?" Lark would inquire gently, but firmly - even if she didn't make Finch sing, he was sure he could get her to sing to him if he asked her. It wasn't pleasant to imagine her spending so long in painful silence, but he figured he could help her find her voice again. "Good," he replied lightly to her promise that she wouldn't leave again. His tail batted lightly against the ground as she moved around him, batting and nosing him playfully. He was grateful to let the conversation shift to lighter things, though the turn was quite sudden and he wasn't sure where she'd gotten it from. "Why do you think I don't like it?" his inquiry came gently as he tilted his head in slight confusion. He didn't speak it much, not like Starling, but he was also more reserved in his interests.

Finch shook her head again when Lark asked in Wren made her, ducking her head away. She didn't want to talk about her lack of singing anymore, she didn't like that her voice had changed that that it physically hurt her to sing. She had loved to hum along with the birds and try to share their notes, but right now that wasn't an option for her sore voice. When she got more used to using it she was sure that she would be able to sing again, to share in the joys of her parents. None of her other siblings had seemed to take to it as much as she had, but they were all so different in so many ways.

Lark tilted his head back as she asked about Italian, and she just shrugged her shoulders. "I d-don't h-hear you u-using it v-very m-much." she replied softly, gray and white tail twirling in the grass behind her. No one really used it as much as Starling did, he seemed to pick it up like he had been born speaking it. But the others had more trouble with it. Shrike said it was too hard to learn, and he didn't have too much interest in it. Finch knew the basics, but she could understand far more than she was able to speak. But Lark, she wasn't sure that she had even heard him use it very much. "I-its k-kinda c-cool t-though, its l-like we h-have o-our o-own s-secret l-language that n-no o-one k-knows!" She said, sharing her ideas with her brother. Maybe she would start to use it more, after all she did spend most of her time with Starling and he spoke it very well. He didn't stutter either when he spoke it. But Finch's stutter was different, it was from lack of use where Starlings was... well she didn't really understand. But he never stuttered in Italian, and she liked hearing that.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Lark thought, as he sat there next to Finch, that he had to do something. She couldn't stay scared and quiet forever, refusing the let the world see who she was. She had too much kindness in her heart to hide away. His brows furrowed in frustration at the fact that she'd left them to begin with. Obviously it hadn't been good for her, but he supposed mulling over it now wouldn't do much good. He had to help Finch now, as much as he possibly could. He would have to go at her pace though; she seemed to avoid the topic all together, and he was quiet "Doesn't mean I don't like it," he said gently, smiling lightly at her. He didn't know nearly as much as Starling did, though he didn't dislike it like Shrike did. He just.. didn't use it much. Perhaps he ought to try more? He knew it would please Finch, at the very least. "Mi piace l'idea di un linguaggio segreto," he said slowly, carefully - it'd been awhile since he'd spoken Italian and the words didn't come out as smoothly as he had anticipated. Still, he tried, and his smile grew as he awaited her reaction. "Ma devi aiutarmi ad imparare di più."