LIFE OF LIVES beginning to the end Faolan was deep in thought one day. As he walked through the mangroves, he thought about his family and how far away they all were. He had sisters and brothers he had never met before, not to mention the nieces and nephews who were years older than him and didn't know he existed. The only siblings he knew were his littermates and Alione, a black female who greatly resembled Silent, but had eyes that were neither parents'. After meeting her and realizing how big his family was, he felt like a small ant standing next to an elephant. In short, his mind couldn't wrap around the facts. The silvery male was so deep in thought that he didn't realize where he had strayed. His paws had carried him from the mangroves and now he was entering a forest whose trees were ivory white. Silence had surrounded him; all the birds had flown away for the winter and he was all alone. Any life that had existed there before was gone. His light green eyes with the brown spikes around the irises blinked and looked up when he finally realized there were different smells and sighs unlike Ludicael. Fascination overtook him and he proceeded to explore. After passing through the great white trees, Faolan was greeted by a large pond. The water was crystal clear, making the sky above look like it was a part of an underground world. Slowly, he stepped forward and looked down to try and see the bottom. Despite the clarity of the water, he was out of luck. A leaf, the last one of a nearby tree, slowly broke from the branch and lazily twirled to the surface of the pond. As soon as the surface was touched and ripples started to widen in size, pictures began to move in the water. Faolan couldn't help but be mesmerized as he saw his litter mates as pups, racing back and forth in a forgotten game of Freeze Tag. He recognized his burly, silver self as it rolled and toppled across Mercury's back. Both boys yipped in protest, making Silent's head sharply turn to assess any potential damage. The silver male couldn't help but grin at the memory. It hadn't been that long ago...had it? As the picture faded, another one appeared. He saw Jendai and Ara spending time together beneath one of their favorite trees in Seracia. They were happily talking -- about who knows what -- when Faolan's tiny, pudgy figure leaped from a set of nearby bushes. The small Faolan scared Jendai and Ara, but instead of running away, Jendai pounced. They began a rolling match and playful bites at each other's arms and legs. The Faolan of the present lowered himself to his haunches as he quietly watched the match continue. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the memory continued to play. Was he really that bad of a brother? It was a rhetorical question meant only for his mind, so all he did was sigh and let it leave through his lips. Thinking about Jendai made him miss her...where was she, at this moment in time? Puppy Talk we are alive foreverFAOLAN ARADCOR

Dark paws carried the small fea no where in particular. Even though she had ended up joining the pack that Crucifix had shown her and she had made it her home, she could shake the fact that she still had no idea where her family was. She cursed herself every day for running away from them. She cursed her younger self's sense of adventure and the yearning she had as a pup to get away from the borders of Seracia. Now Seracia was gone, her litter mates were gone, her parents were gone. She had been searching for them for so long now and yet, somehow, she hadn't been able to find them. She sighed as she thought about it, pausing her steps to kick a small pebble out of her path in frustration. The gray girl paid no mind to where she was going until she glanced up and noticed that she was surrounded by pale white trees. She tipped her head to the side with curiosity, wondering to herself what would make trees that color. She continued on through the strange forest until a vaguely familiar scent caught her attention. Jendai stopped in her tracks, breathing it in and trying to convince herself that it was real. She might have not even noticed it if she hadn't been thinking so deeply about her missing family. Rushing forward, Jendai followed the scent, hoping she wasn't too late. She had caught scraps of her sibling's scents before only to reach the end of the trail and realize the scents were old and they were long gone. It wasn't till she saw a silvery form ahead of her that she skidded to a halt, almost unable to speak. It had been so, so long since she had seen him that it was hard to connect the appearance of this large, silvery male with that of the pudgy gray pup that she had played with as a pup. She took a couple of steps toward him, but still kept her distance, unsure that it was actually her brother. "Faolan? Is... Is it you?" Speech Thought Others

Faolan had been enjoying watching a scene of him and Jendai racing in front of the den, both eager to prove how fast they really were. Now, Faolan was more keen on racing in short spurts to and from his parents' den to make sure they had enough herbs for that day's supply. His racing skills were not the best, but he maintained enough exercise to keep up appearances. Even then, his firm forelegs quivered from a brisk winter chill. Even though his pelt was a bit thick, the silvery color made it impossible for him to retain sunlight. He had closed his eyes when the wind struck his large frame, but something else also happened that caused him to react this way. A voice, unfamiliar first, broke the silence that had become the norm of this place. He felt as if it had been disturbed, something ungodly that would make the atmosphere decline in its beauty. As he continued to listen to the question still vibrating in the air, he realized that the voice -- apparently female -- had said his name. Who on earth would know his name, aside from his parents and...siblings? Slowly, his eyes opened and he turned his head to the left, hoping against hope that he would not be hallucinating. With the combination of herbs he had been taking lately, he knew hallucinations could be a minor side effect. However, thankfully, he was proved wrong for he saw the wind brush the female's gray fur. Something of such solidity would not be a mere image of the mind. She was living, breathing, existing...she was real. After he realized she was, indeed, a living being, her name and everything about her smacked Faolan square in the face. Faolan was taken aback before he slowly rose from the ground, shaking out the dirt that clung to his haunches. Relief and disbelief swept him away as he replied in soft, deep baritones. "Yes, it is I...who else would I be, Jendai?" His eyes gave way to light humor as he stood taller, showing off all three feet of his stature. He didn't waste any time approaching her, taking in her scent, and being so happy his heart would have burst. His pace quickened and in less than two seconds, he was meeting his sister's cheek with his dark and wet nose. Nuzzles and soft whimpers left the young man as he greeted his long-lost sister with the affections he had harbored for seasons, something he was not used to doing. Finally, he rested his head across her shoulder blades, trying to hide the tears that fell down his silver coat and into her own pelt. "Who else would I greet so openly, if it weren't you standing here?" Speech

Jendai felt like she was in a state of shock. She watched Faolan turn to look at her, his similarly colored eyes meeting hers and she could hardly move from the overwhelming emotion that came over her. For so long now she had been alone and now, out of the blue, here he was. He confirmed his identity and she noted the new depth to his voice and the height that he had grown into. She was still as small and petite as ever, standing a whole nine inches shorter than her brother. She wondered how it was that wolves from the same litter could grow up so differently. She stood still and watched as he came toward her, his nose finding her cheek first before he went on to nuzzle her affectionately, apparently as overcome by emotions as she was. When she felt his touch it all seemed to become real and she pressed her face into his shoulder, her tail whipping up a storm behind her. She wasn't one to outwardly show a lot of emotion unless it was of anger. Actually, if it had been anyone besides her brother she would have had a difficult time displaying this much affection, but since it was her long lost brother she felt no shame in pressing her cheek into his fur and fighting back the tears of joy she knew would come. "Faolan, I've been searching everywhere for you and our family! I came back to Seracia to find all of you and it was gone and no one there knew where you had gone to. I... I thought I had lost all of you forever." Speech Thought Others

LIFE OF LIVES beginning to the end The reunion was more than what Faolan needed. Ever since Enola had disappeared with her family, his yearning for physical contact was growing. Thankfully, he had his parents to dote on, as well as his beloved Ara. Now that Jendai was back in his life, he hoped that she would be around a lot more. The silver man didn't stop nuzzling her shoulder and scruff, for he was afraid that if he pulled back too soon, she would disappear. With bated breath, he listened to her story and immediately felt guilt. "I should have gone and looked for you harder, Jendai..." he murmured into her fur. "Please forgive me for not doing so..." Finally, Faolan pulled back to match her gaze. Her emerald eyes, so much like Silent's, shimmered with tears that had already fallen down her cheeks. With a wet smile, he licked her left cheek before taking in a deep breath. "Mama and Dad...well, you know that they are getting up there in age. Seracia was just not the place for them anymore...One day, Song of Ludicael came to visit and she wanted them to come and live the rest of their days out with her. There wasn't any argument and we all packed up to leave...everyone except Enola..." Faolan wasn't sure if Jendai knew the young girl existed, but if she didn't, he would be more than happy to tell her. "We joined Ludicael before the epidemic occurred, but thankfully, they weren't struck by the disease." His eyes shimmered as he thoughtfully added, "They miss you so much, Jendai..." Puppy Talk we are alive foreverFAOLAN ARADCOR