Wylan had been hearing the rumours for a while now, but when he realised Oleander had started to move stuff out of his room, Wylan knew it wasn’t just gossip. Was his brother really moving out? They’d picked this place out together. At the start, right after mum had left. He wasn’t really going to leave without saying goodbye, was he?

He went investigating, looking for this new clinic his brother was setting up. Trying to hold onto the idea that maybe Oleander wasn’t going to live there. Just… work from there, right? He wasn’t sure how he would handle Ollie moving out. Sen had been off for a while now on a navigation mission. He was sure he was meant to be back already, but no one seemed worried. In the meanwhile, the treehouse was pretty quiet.

He found his brother in the clinic when he walked in, and he looked at the familiar form of his white brother. “So, you're setting up a clinic. Bit of a far walk from home, isn’t it?” he asked. Did it sound like his heart was in his throat? It felt like it.


"Speech"

The healer was pondering something over when he barely heard the familiar shift of feathers and the soft pads of his brother coming down the hall. His steps were heavy.

He lifted his head toward him, wondering if his brother needed to be patched up. But the look on his face and the subject of his words made Ollie's heart sink. *Fuck.* He'd meant to have this conversation with him and it kept slipping his mind. Smooth like a criminal he nodded his head with a carefully placed smile, "Nah, bro, come see! I have this space back here to hole up now!" He tried to keep it light, knowing this would hurt Wylan, it was unavoidable.

He waved his brother in, away from the patients resting in the clinic.
He poured his brother some tea from the kettle warmed by the fire, his face had fallen into a hard somber note as he closed the door behind his winged sibling.
"Wyl-" He started, his voice had dropped the light and playful tone, "I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I love our tree house. But I'm taking over for the lead healer rank, Trauma Surgeon. And I needed space to house patients where I could be nearby if they needed any long-term care, like Vesper out there, Casimir, and anyone else. It'd be hard to have that rank and be up in the treehouse." He said plainly. His brother would need all the hugs after this and the white wolf would offer when he had the chance.

"Speech"

He stepped forward, his heart across his features as Oleander spoke, clearly attempting to keep his voice light. Wylan followed after him, to see this space where his healer brother could hole up. Away, away from the treehouse and Wylan. Their home. So far from their mothers clinic, from what they had been building together. He thought of the tigers they had battled at the window, the matching coats that adorned their treehouse. Why did he feel so much like crying?

Once they were in the back room, Oleander's expression and voice changed. Wylan knew what Ollie was saying, he knew the logic of it. But Wylan tried so hard to make everyone else happy. There was a lot he would give up to put a smile on the face of another. He wanted Oleander to be happy. He wanted it so bad. There was a tremble in his voice when he spoke. “You're leaving me too?”


"Speech"

Ollie put the tea down and looked up at his beloved brother.
"Not a chance." He replied with a gleam.

"Now there's more room to fill the treehouse with more friends. And besides! You can't expect us to each have a slave nearby and a friend or two! That tree will come crashing down even if it did hold Bas and a few." He said lightheartedly. He stepped in to give Wylan a good solid hug. Since he was the one stepping in, he didn't feel trapped and antsy.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Someone's gotta stick around to patch you up when you go falling off of cliffs!" He said with his white head on Wylans dark shoulder.

"Eterna doesn't much like it down here either and prefers it out there, so she'll always be nearby. Besides, I think she likes your raven too." He hoped this would help his brother's transition. They both had it hard with family leaving. And Ollie had a feeling that family wasn't coming back anytime soon.

"Speech"

Wylan looked down at the ground, his expression clearly miserable. He was a wolf who wore his heart on his sleeve - it just so happened that the emotion he felt the most was joy. Today, joy felt a long way away. His eyes were leaking, and he couldn’t get them to stop. “Sen left too. Maybe he’s not coming back, like you. Like mum. everyone leaves in the end.” he shifted his paw across the ground in front of, scuffing the floor.

He didn’t return the hug when Ollie stepped forward and wrapped his paws around him. Instead, he lowered his head, sniffing a little into Ollie’s chest. He knew Ollie was trying to cheer him up, but just then Ollies leaving felt like the end of the world. OIlie was the one who had stuck behind him. Of all their siblings, Ollie was always there. And now… he wouldn’t be.


"Speech"

"Hmm... " He hadn't realized Sen had been gone for so long. "Wyl, I'm not leaving the Armada. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die before I'd ever break that promise. I'm here. I'm only a few extra steps away, that's all. And I'll always be here whenever you need me." He replied sincerely, patting his brother's neck, it was hard to get around his wings to pat him on the back.

Ollie pressed his cheek to the side of Wylan's face, using his other paw to squish their faces together.

"We both got important jobs to do. And hey! You'll be able to help me out here in the clinic whenever you want! It'll be Okay Wyl. I'm not going anywhere. You'll see me every day and we can chat every day! Just like always!" He said, pulling back and trying to look into his brother's eyes.

Ollie knew he had to be strong for them both. He knew it was going to hit his brother a lot harder than him.

"Speech"

Wylan sniffed again, and finally relented to his brother's administrations when the other wolf pushed their faces together. He lowered his forehead lightly against Oleander’s. He knew, he knew Oleander wasn’t going to change his mind, but it didn’t stop him from hoping and wishing.

“It won’t be the same.” He said quietly into his brother's coat, but the fight had gone out of him. He knew this was Oleander’s future, and he couldn’t pull the other wolf away from that. Oleander had grown immensely, and strived harder and faster than the rest of them to become something. He was proud of Ollie, he was. It just hurt, too. He rubbed a paw across his eyes, sniffing. “Yeah, It’ll be fine.” He lied. “I’m proud of you.” At least that part wasn’t a lie.


"Speech"

He held his brother for as long as he needed it. Knowing this was how his brother felt love and connection.

"No, it won't be the same. I wish things would stop changing too." Oleander drew in a long breath and let it out into his brother's black fur even longer, closing his deep viridian eyes. He looked at his brother, rubbing his paw across his eyes, and smiled with a mix of pride and sympathy. Look at that, Wylan lied well enough, but Ollie was still better at it.

He closed his eyes to Wylan gratefully, accepting the praise, then tilted his head. "I know it doesn't feel fine now. Things will probably keep changing around us. But we'll always have each other. No matter what. We're brothers and you're stuck with me now and the only way I'm leaving is by dying and I ain't dying!" He said trying to lighten the mood. He believed his own words wholeheartedly. He wasn't going to be dying.

"I'm really proud of you too." He said, gently knocking his head against him. He had major responsibilities now. Little Wylan was growing up and they got to grow up together!

"Speech"