for
@Eshe when you have time <3
The meadows welcomed him with the scents of wildflowers and the sounds of trickling water as he followed the bank of one creek in particular away from the Hollow and into the gently rising downs beyond. From here, the outline of a lake glittering in the midday sun caught his eye as he surveyed the valley from his vantage point. Even as summer drew to an end, the land here was vibrant with life.
If his sister had found a home here, she certainly had good tastes.
With little obstruction for view and for voice, the storm-clad boy settled on a nearby rise and tipped his muzzle to the sky once more.
“Eshe! I’m here!” he sang in hopes that she was nearby, turning his gaze to watch as butterflies danced around him.
”And don't presume to know who needs who,” Arric’s voice rang in her ears. It took everything in her to keep herself composed. To not let on that she was spiraling again.
”I wont have you putting yourself in danger to fulfill a dream.” Her heart raced, her stomach churned; his criticism ran on a loop in her mind. It’d been a few days since she’d last worried about their conversation.
What made it all worse was the realization that his words had done more damage than the incident the preceded it. That seeing Moss’s dead body hadn’t phased her. She thought about this, too—when she wasn’t busying herself with her chores or her packmates.
Currently, she explored Duck Lake and what laid to the east. She traveled south, towards the meadow, but she figured the change in scenery would be good for her. The plant life here was sub-par, but she knew she’d been spoiled elsewhere. But, hopefully, she’d discover something interesting along the way.
Eventually—and unexpectedly—something caught her attention. Vartry’s voice lifted, inviting Eshe to meet him. She responded with a howl of her own: ”I’ll be there as soon as I can!”
She ran as fast as she could, stopping intermittently to fall into a trot and catch her breath, and after some time she spotted him on a hill. ”Vartry!” she hollered as she bolted towards him and raced past the butterflies. Once she was in range, she leapt to draw him into her arms—it was so good to see him!
It took little time at all for Eshe's sing-song voice to be heard in return. She really was here! Excitement bubbled in his stomach at the thought of finally seeing his sister again - or was that fear? Would she remember him still? How long had it been?
The wait was agonising. Vartry remained stiffly seated on the rise, afraid to move lest it make it more difficult for her to find him despite his eagerness to race towards her howl simultaneously.
All that worry was washed away as he melted into her bear hug, inhaling her familiar scent deeply though there remained an undertone of something new. "Eshe! Long time no s-s-see." Features cracked in a warm smile, he embraced her too before pulling back after a moment and taking her in his gaze fully.
As he pulled away, her paw lingered on his shoulder. Although she was surprised to see him here, she was no less excited. She didn't know that he had the same desire to explore as most of their siblings, as he was more timid and nervous. His temperament seemed more suited to a life in a pack.
Maybe he wasn't here to stay, she thought all of a sudden, maybe he was there to deliver a message.
You’re far from home,
she observed, her voice kind and her eyes shining. Everything’s okay, right?
Her lingering touch made his heart swell with homesickness, her words only adding fuel to the fire. She was right, home was far behind him now and he was quite determined to not return for at least a while... but that did little to change the fact that he missed them. "Still the s-same old," his smile didn't quite meet his eyes this time. "Mom and Dad were pretty occupied with the newest editions to the family. Cute, but s-so full of energy. They were real ankle biters too," he rolled his eyes light-heartedly. Then, more softly, "We all missed you."
In truth, she had been partly what inspired him to step away from the Frostfurs and make a name for himself elsewhere. That and the fact that being a glorified babysitter had been a tad overwhelming. Seeing her happy and healthy made him hopeful for the future. "Enough talk about me, though. I've heard things have b-been chaotic round here." Tail stirring slightly, he thought back to Silvertongue and her run-down of events, curious to know Eshe's side of the story.
Although she was relieved to hear that everything was the same, there was a small part of her that soured at this, knowing that things were fine without her. Sure, she’d been missed, but that wasn’t the same as being needed and important and crucial and—
—she frowned to herself at her spiraling thoughts, disappointed in herself that her thoughts defaulted to such self-indulging ones.
Thankfully, Vartry provided a distraction, and she removed herself from her self pity to inquire, Who’d you hear that from?