Aslatiel had enlisted the help of her aunt Iolaire and her aunt's friend Roan to prepare her surprise. The trio had built a pyre on the beach. It wasn't large, but it would burn all night, which was what Aslatiel wanted. Roan had hefted a big chunk of the pig that she'd killed and laid it upon a slab of stone near the fire. There were furs laid out for the four siblings. The sky was getting darker, which was exactly what she wanted. Raising her little muzzle, Aslatiel gave a howl for her brother's. She'd asked her mother to send them this way, so they should be close. Off to the side, a shadowy figure sat hunched in one of the mangroves. Marshall, her father's vulture, was playing nursemaid. That was fine with the girl, as long as this night was for the four of them. She howled again, calling those that she held most dear to her side. She hoped that they would like the surprise that she had for them. "Speech"

Asla's howl pierced the sky and Azure did not hesitate to answer it. After all his sister had done to help him lately, he'd always be sure to be there for her when she'd asked it of him. He'd not spent much time exploring Sea's Plain, it was the land the Armada used for training their warriors and not as fun to play in as the tall grass plains. His mother however had suggested he check it out, and so luckily he was close enough to hear her call. When he approached he saw the fire first, and his first instinct was alarm. Had the fire began while Asla was playing? Did she need help? Though her cry was not one of alarm, and he hoped desperately that she was okay. The closer he got, the more he'd let himself relax. The scent of roasted meat wafted over to him, and finally he spied his sister's intact form waiting patiently for them to arrive. "Wow!" He breathed, looking out at the evening she'd set up for them and finding a soft hide to sprawl out upon. His tail wagged excitedly behind him, digging rivets into the sand around the hide. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Aslatiel was up to something, conscious or not Indigo seemed to always keep an eye on his tiniest sibling. After being with her after she almost drowned and spending time on the beach together he liked to touch base often. He didn’t know what was going on but she was doing something.

He pondered lightly as he napped that afternoon, finding that it wasn’t as nice a task here in sea’s plain but momma told him he should play here today. His nap was interrupted by the sound of his sister’s voice and the pup was quick to find his dark feet.

The boy quickly made his way to where the fire was contained. He’d long smelled the meat, being quite the fan of a good meal he was excited. Azure and Aslatiel came into view and the boy grinned at his siblings. He’d give both of them an affectionate nudge before finding the fur for him. ”Asla, how’d you do all this?” He asked in awe.

It was Asla who had called, so of course he would come. He answered quickly, bounding forward with no clue as to why she needed them. It didn’t matter to Mortis, because he had promised that he would always be there for her.

He tried not to glare at Azure upon seeing his brother, and concentrated instead on the preparations his sister had made. He could smell the dead pig, and eyed it curiously, wondering what she was doing. He looked over to Indy, finding a small smile in himself for the boy, and for the sake of peace, glanced over at Azure, and offered him a weak smile too.

One by one her brother's arrived. The small girl had a smile for each of them and motioned them to rest upon the furs that she'd provided. Indy bumped her and asked her how. Az was in awe and threw himself onto a fur. Mort smiled shyly and settled down. Behind her, the fire crackled merrily. It was far enough away that it wasn't a danger to them, but close enough that it would provide light and warmth all through the night.

"I killed this pig myself," she began. With help from her father, of course, but she had made the killing blow. "I wanted to share it with the three that I hold most dear." With a grin and a tilt of her head, she motioned towards the slab of roasted pig. It would be cool enough to eat by now. "Dig in. Tonight is for us. Eat. Relax. Enjoy." She was proud of her accomplishment. She was proud of her brother's. Tonight she just wanted them all to get along and have no worries.

Indy arrived next and Az greeting him with a beaming smile. His tail thumped harder, excited for the pups he loved to all be in one place. Last came Mort, and Az's tail stilled. The older boy gave him a small smile and Az turned his head away, staring into the flames instead. Asla spoke then, explaining that she'd killed the pig and intended to feed them with it. It was a kind gesture, and Azure stepped off his mat to move toward her. He nuzzled her cheek, murmured a "Thanks, sis. Good job!" and then moved to snatch a piece of the cooled meat. He returned to his place and greedily gnawed on the roasted pig, happy noises of affirmation sounding from his throat as he gobbled it. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The easy love Azure showed for Asla burned him, it hurt as easily as any physical slap. Mortis garnered barely a look, as through Azure could not bear to look at him, and Asla got love and appreciation. That difference between them, that wrongness, was too sharp, and in that moment Mortis could not stand quietly in its shadow. He shot his sister an apologetic, pleading expression, begging her to understand, and not be mad at him, before he turned in his silence, and walked away. A happy gathering of the Fatlis litter consisted of three puppies. Mortis would not ruin this moment for them.

As quietly as he arrived, the misfit pup would leave again, letting the others rejoiced in Aslas achievement. He would find her later and congratulate her himself. He might struggle with hunting himself, but he was proud that she had brought down the pig.

-exit-

Indigo got a huge smile from Azure as he settled down, but he didn’t fail to miss the stillness that overtook he and Mortis both as their winged sibling arrived. He returned his brother’s grin and looked to Aslatiel, wondering if she knew what was going on. He hermited himself away too much if he hadn’t yet noticed the tension between Mortis and Azure. She didn’t make any deal so Indy relinquished his question and allowed her to have his full attention, she deserved it.

She explained herself and Indigo grinned at her, his heart swelling with pride that his tiny sister had taken down the giant of a boar. Maybe she wasn’t nearly as delicate as Indy gave her credit for. Azure was quick to get up and give his appreciation, but as he moved to get his dinner Indigo caught the sight of Mortis as he offered a pleading glance to their sister before he turned around.

While Indigo had every intention of showing his appreciation and pride in his sister he was dumbfounded that Mortis wouldn’t. ”Mort?” He called out to their brother, his voice confused and concerned. How could he turn his back on them like that, after everything Aslatiel did for them? Brows furrowing Indigo leapt from his fur and loped ahead of Mortis to stop him from abandoning his siblings. ”What are you doing?” He asked softly, none of the accusation floating in his head showing through the concern in his voice.

Her brother's were excited, both for the night and for her. Azure came and gave her a bump before heading to the pig to grab a chunk. Indigo smiled and was coming forward, but Mort... He smiled at her sadly and turned to leave. The small wolf gasped lightly. What was so bad that he couldn't be with his siblings? "Mort!" she called out after him, but Indigo was already running to intercept him. Didn't he like her surprise? She knew though, that it was the dissension between himself and Az. The trade of looks between them hadn't gone unnoticed.

Sitting in the sand, she stared after her winged brother, watching his form retreat into shadow as he moved farther from the fire. She now cast a look towards Azure who was laying down and eating. "What happened between you two?" It was a straight out question. She needed to know. She needed to know so that she could fix this. They were supposed to be a team; a single unit. They were all supposed to love one another and be happy. Why, then, had Mort looked so, so sad?

He didn’t know how to answer Indigo, the chasm between him and his siblings only grew, as he looked at them like an outcast, and all of them looked back at him. He wasn’t sure if he imagined the accusation in their faces, or if it was real. He was ruining Asla’s day. He hadn’t meant to do that, he didn’t want to do that. He just wanted to slip quietly away, nurse the pain in his heart alone.

Asla asked her question, addressing it to Azure, knowing that this had begun because of something between Azure and Mortis. His brother had separated him from their family, cut him off as easily as snipping a string. How could he say? Mortis believed, deep in his heart, that if he told his family that Mortis had pushed him, and that Mort believed he had tried to kill him, that Azure had been punished for it and did not believe it fear… if he told them that, then it would be final. Azure would never forgive him. What if his siblings took Azure’s side, what if they supported the murderer instead of his victim?

In a way, Azure truly had killed him that day, killed the joy in him. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he wanted to leave it to Azure to answer. A part of him desperately wanted to know what his brother would say, and another part desperately didn’t. Mortis took a deep breath, and the words tumbled out of him. Partly a lie, partly the truth, as much as he could bear to sya, even if his siblings hated him. What did it matter? Mortis didn’t belong anyway. “I got Azure in trouble, and he doesn't forgive me, and I'm sorry, but I don’t think we’ll be friends any more.” he turned, pushing past Indy, tears blinding him as he fled.

-Exit Mortis-

While Mortis stood to leave, Azure busied himself with his beautifully seared meat. He did his best to keep eyes off his brother and ignore what was going on around him. The idea was working splendidly, until Asla insisted he tell her what had happened between the boys. He opened his mouth to respond, tongue swiping across his lips to rid them of blood when Mortis spoke again and addressed the siblings. Azure's ears flattened and he glared towards the boy, but he'd not elaborated on the story enough to be considered a promise-breaker. He realized he needed to say something in his defense, and sighed with frustration. "He's just being a baby." Azure said - loudly - as the winged boy fled. His volume returned to normal and he turned to look at Asla. "I don't see why I have to like him. You didn't want to be around dad anymore but you didn't try to make us hate dad. I don't like Mortis, I don't have to forgive him, but we can still be family and see each other." His legs extended beneath him in a long stretch, and when he settled he crossed them in front of himself. While inwardly the boy felt the turmoil of the situation, he did his best to hide it and display the confidence and pride he always strived for. "You guys can still love him or whatever but I don't wanna be fake." The boy said, as he faked nonchalance. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

”But… that wasn’t what I asked.” Indigo said softly as bright blue eyes trailed after his brother as he pushed past him to flee them all. Dark ears fell to his skull, he thought that Mortis loved him, and as his big purple frame was pushed away he felt his heart break. Even though he had nothing to do with their falling out Indy’s self doubt made him believe that he had done something to cause the pain that suddenly swelled in his chest. Maybe he hadn’t spent enough time with his brother, didn’t show him more clearly how much he cared about him.

Azure’s animosity towards their littermate made Indigo’s fur bristle. Even more he felt confused. Why were they like this? What happened? What could he do? ”Why didn’t you want to be around dad?” He asked Aslatiel with his ears folded to his skull, ”Why don’t you like Mortis?” He asked Azure then, his heart thudding in his chest. While he’d been wasting time in their aunt’s garden his family was falling apart. Did he really want to know the answers? ”It doesn’t matter.” Indigo muttered before he heard an answer from either of them. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Indigo shook his head, confused, hurt, and feeling sick. He wanted to stay and show Asla how much he appreciated her hard work, but his belly suddenly hurt and he didn’t know how to feel about Azure and his attitude towards their obviously hurting sibling. ”I don’t need your permission to love him anyway.” He told Azure as he turned to give his sister an apology. ”I’m sorry, Asla. I’m going to find Mort.” He said then, making the hasty decision to turn and follow the winged boy.

-exit?

Mort ran away from his siblings and Aslatiel couldn't deny that it hurt. She had tried so hard to set up a night where they could all be together and bond. No adults. No supervision. Just fun, food and fire. Yes here they were, all of them feeling at odds. Even Azure, she could tell. Despite his forced bravado, he wouldn't look her in the eye. His words brought the girl's nose wrinkling and her teeth flashing in distaste. Just as Morts actions had brought a similar grimace. And then when Indigo lumped her in with them, talking about how she'd been avoiding their father... It was the last straw.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Indigo ran after Mortis. Azure ate his meal in silence and Aslatiel went in the other direction, far away from all of her siblings. Away from the fire she went until the darkness ate her form. At the moment, she wanted nothing to do with any of them. Nothing to do with anyone.

-Exit-

Azure did not expect his beloved siblings to turn away from him so quickly. He'd spent so long trying to help Indigo with his bouquet, even left early so he couldn't claim the credit for moms gift or see the look on her face. He'd felt such a genuine bond with the purple boy and could feel his disappointment and sadness with every word he gave. Asla he'd bonded with even more, putting himself between her and the father she feared and trying desperately to patch their relationship for her benefit. Her flash of teeth did not go unnoticed by him, either. Azure stiffened so his defeat wouldn't show, pulling his gaze off the forms of his departing siblings. Would they hate him now too, like how he hated Mort? Even after he tried so hard to ensure it wouldn't happen? How did he always manage to ruin everything? When the other pups were safely away, Azure let his walls drop. His head flopped down upon the sand and his ears fell flat. He curled up into a tiny ball on the hide Asla had prepared, buried his face in his his tail and cried until the flames burned out and the darkness brought him to sleep. -exit- "Speech" "Thinking" "You."