There was a certain emptiness within Dacio that he couldn't explain. To reunite with Dalia only to learn that she wasn't coming home to stay had left him not only feeling entirely sorry for himself, but also incredibly bitter. It was not in his nature to be angry; he was the boy whose tail rarely ceased its jovial wagging, who loved everyone and embraced every opportunity to play. Losing his big sister hurt, and seeing @Portia so miserable made him feel far worse.
He relied heavily on his mother to comfort him, as Dacio's bond with his yearling sibling had been a strong one. Unaware of Drageda law, the ashen Goufa clung to his hope that Dalia would change her mind and make their family whole again, or at the very least come visit them.
His decision to maintain distance between his littermates seemed like a smart one. While his relationship with Opalia was a rocky one, @Sequoia was very much a mystery to him. Still, the latter sister was the safest option when it came to seeking affection and he sought that evening, wandering the dark hollows of Hougeda with one of his beloved feathers held firmly between his teeth. A peace offering, of sort, or perhaps an attempt at reaching out to remind her that he was there for her if she needed him - for surely Sequoia missed Dalia just as sorely as he did.
Although Sequoia had grown up alongside two siblings, she wasn't exactly close to them. She had always preferred the company of adults or even older puppies to those her own age for whatever reason. Maybe she was just snooty like that (a trait that she likely picked up from her mother).
Dalia's departure had been a sad one, if only because it was another older wolf that was willing to hang out with Sequoia. (Again, there was that egocentric thought process happening.) It seemed to have hit Dacio harder, and even the self-centered Sequoia hadn't noticed that about her brother.
She had been rooting around trying to dig something up when he approached her with a feather in his mouth.
"What's that?" she asked, ever the curious one.
He finally found her and and, when she turned to face him, the boy rotated a charcoal ear forward. Pastel eyes lingered on his sister's piebald features for a lingering moment, searching for the same sorrow he felt but finding only curiosity in her mismatched gaze for what he carried. Disappointed and concerned that he may have made a mistake in believing his littermates might need a shoulder to lean on that he so himself yearned for, Dacio lowered his stare and exhaled softly through flared nostrils.
"A feather," he rolled a peppered shoulder in a shrug, gently lowering his gift to settle it before his dark paws. Dacio was a child who loved collecting pretty things, just as Dalia had. He always kept the most heavily patterned feathers and enjoyed looking at them, so offering one to Sequoia brought a reluctance that he hadn't anticipated. Still, he hoped she would appreciate him thinking of her, 'cause sacraficing one was kind of a big deal for him. "I wanted you to have it," he offered, blinking toward her again with a sad little smile.
He lowered the feather and told her it was a gift. She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do with it, but she was old enough to know she shouldn't say something like that. Portia and Dio had taught her a few manners after all! Sequoia stepped forward, taking it and then putting it between her own two feet, examining the colors and patterns.
"What kind of bird is it from?" she asked, assuming he had killed it in order to retrieve the token.
Sequoia stepped forward, collecting her brother's gift between her teeth, and settled to place it between her paws and gaze down at it. The boy observed her movement's quietly, grey-green gaze lingering softly on what had been his feather, and pricked a velvet lobe as she piped up in question.
"A nighthawk," he answered swiftly, recalling the day that he had found the feathers in the woods and returned them to the adults with the hope of identification. Their elder sister had been certain of the bird it had come from, and he smiled fondly at the memory as his soft gaze sought the bold white stripe that marked the feather's tip. "Dalia was sure that this one had come from its tail."
Sequoia wasn't quite sure what a nighthawk was, but if she saw one in the future, she could probably put two and two together. She studied it a bit longer in silence before returning her attention to Dacio.
"I miss her, too. Are you mad that she left?" she asked, remembering how angry Kiwi had been earlier today about Bat leaving Drageda.
Sequoia could not bring herself to be angry, but she was definitely sad about Dalia leaving (and even a little bit sad about Bat, too). Maybe they would come back after they were done doing whatever it was they'd run off to do. She was still a bit unclear on that.
Sequoia announced how she felt about their big sister's departure, which is what he'd really been fishing for without outright asking the question. He tilted his dark ears back sadly, then pricked one forward in surprise as the piebald youngster asked if he was angry that Dalia had left.
Unsure, the boy remained silent as he considered how he should respond. " Yeah," he decided, then frowned thoughtfully. "I mean, I think so?" Dacio blinked awkwardly down at his charcoal paws, "or at least I was, but I'm not sure."
Having never experienced life beyond Drageda, Dacio couldn't understand what it was out there that drew his sibling away. As far as he was concerned, family was most important and supposed to stick together, and Dalia had brought great sorrow to those she left behind.
Maybe she should have been mad. Kiwi had certainly been downright pissed about her sibling leaving. Was that the appropriate reaction? Sometimes Sequoia wasn’t sure what was and wasn’t expected of her. Sometimes it felt like guessing. She was looking forward to the day when she was a grown up and she would just know these things.
Kiwi is mad that Bat left,
she said, hoping that relating the two might somehow help. She was ripping up some tree roots. She said it made her feel better. Maybe you could try that?
Honestly, she did not really understand how destroying things had made Kiwi feel better, but maybe it would have the same effect on Dacio.
He wasn't surprised when Sequoia mentioned Bat and Kiwi, considering their talk of Dalia's unexpected departure. The other Goufa's disappearance had affected him too, but there was still hope for their cousin's return. Any chance of their big sister claiming a rank among Drageda seemed so painfully slim in comparison.
"I dunno," Dacio shrugged, knowing that it wouldn't help but not wanting Sequoia to think he was ungrateful for her suggestion. He simply wasn't violent, and the anger he'd felt following Dalia's decision to depart felt so wrong. So un-Dacio. "It won't bring her back."
Well, no, it wouldn't bring her back. That much seemed obvious to her. Was that really what Dacio wanted, though? It wasn't like she was gone forever or anything. From what Sequoia understood, Dalia could come back and catch up with them whenever she wanted. To be honest, Sequoia didn't know how any of that stuff worked.
Maybe we can ask Momma and Daddy about when she's gonna come back to visit. Or maybe they'll let us visit her when we're old enough to go far on our own.
Neither of those things would bring Dalia back, but it would at least give them a chance to see her and hang out with her. What do you think she's doing out there, anyway?
Sequoia asked, mismatched eyes looking past Dacio and into the great unknown.
Sometime in the near future, he would learn that to depart one's birth pack was normal for young wolves seeking to make a name for themselves. He would appreciate others' need to wish for a place of their own, that it made sense to disperse and settle elsewhere for whatever reason: to seek a mate or to make room for a new generation, perhaps. But in his young, it was difficult for Dacio to understand what could be more important to his elder sister than their family, who he was certain he'd never part from.
He frowned thoughtfully down at his paws when Sequoia suggested they consult their parents, not liking this idea at all. Dacio did his best not to mention Dalia around their mother, who had seemed to have felt the sterling yearling's departure hardest. The last thing he wanted was to upset Portia or give her false hope. "Maybe," he murmured, though doubted he would be the one to ask.
The wonder of what Dalia might be doing in the wilds was regular, and Dacio lifted his pale gaze once more to seek Sequoia's features. "I dunno," he said after some thought, and pricked a velvet ear. "Do you think she's missing us, too?"
Dacio didn’t seem too terribly thrilled to get their parents involved, but Sequoia could not understand why. Parents were there to help. They were family. Family was supposed to help one another, no matter the circumstances. And sure, Dalia hadn’t really held up to her end of the deal, but that was her own doing. The Goufa still did not understand why she had gone away, and it was unlikely she ever would.
She’s at least missing the cool one,
Sequoia said with a playful smirk, then batted at Dacio. That’s me!
As young as she was, she could only stay sullen and sad for so long before her childishness took over. Wanna help me find a place for this feather? I’ll bet there’s a good spot in the den somewhere.
She picked it up and beckoned her brother to follow her back there.