Her nose is against the snow.
Moondoe stepped from Moonglow’s borders, down from the peak, more towards Moonsong than anything else. The sea is faint but present on the breeze. She thinks if she lifts her head and looks, she might catch a glimpse of that distant shimmer.
But she doesn’t. Because she is hunting. Her mind is not focused on woes for once, nor her assigned task (she has time, she tells herself, time to watch the hunters, time to know which of them would be best).
Vairë rooted her nose beneath the snow, upturning it with an upwards swish of her nose in a spray of white. It doesn’t help her with the scent, but it makes her feel better.
These cold seasons had become her favorite by far. As much as she loved the spring for flowers and the summer for how easy life could be, or even the beauty of the autumn, the quiet of winter had made a home in the heart of Wilwarin.
She had honed her own hunting skills recently - although she had hunted to satisfy the warmth in her veins, and not the hunger of her belly. Except as Wilwarin now danced across the snow, she saw the sudden reversal of snow from earth to air, which surprised her.
Then, a familiar face! As she couldn't call out to Vairë, she hurried across the snow in pursuit of her and when she neared the spot, her sister had already journeyed further and so she had to stop and watch for more movement.
There was a flurry of movement across the snow. Vairë looked to the side, but her peripherals did not reveal her snowy visitor until she raised her head and looked.
There, against the snow, a face so long gone her memory tripped and stuttered over it like a record. Her heart stuttered.
Wilwarin?
Her own voice croaked in her ears, less a doe and more a goose. Her eyes were wide, so wide she didn’t think she could close them. Her sister, here, in front of her.
She didn’t think she’d ever see her again. She didn’t know what to do when she did.
Wilwarin got closer and closer, and heard the croak of her sisters voice. She was close enough to hug her, and the impulse to do so won over all others.
Hastily Wilwarin swept her sister up in a wolf-hug, almost like a body slam, with a flurry of kisses to her face.
Her tail wheeled behind her, fanning an unmistakable scent.
It was her, and she smelled like the sunshine-hot scent of estrus. Vairë’s brain kicked over itself like the engine of a car that refused to start. The embrace was just as familiar as it was strange.
Vairë’s chest tore a new mouth through which to scream. When had Wilwarin turned from sister to stranger?
No matter her complicated feelings, she would welcome her anyway. Wilwarin was a victim of circumstance, just like Vairë.
Hey, Wil.
She murmured, just for her sister.
Are you doing alright?
Wilwarin had not seen her family in such a long time! She could not recall the last time she had been with their mother. It was not a huge surprise to find Vaire here so close to the other moon villages, given that she had her own husband and children to mind; but Wilwarin was oblivious to the many changes in the area.
And for now, she was glad to be in the company of her sister!
I am good!
She said in her silent way, giving one last kiss to her sister's cheek before relenting. It would be easier to catch up without Wilwarin acting the fool, and she knew it.
I have been exploring, and playing. It is good to see you!
She answered, and Vairë listened, picking up those cues with a rusty sort of knowledge. She puffed a little sigh.
I am glad to hear it.
Her mouth ached as she smiled.
Are you visiting? Or staying? Anaa has become midwife for a season, so I have stepped into leadership.
She had so much she wanted to say! But to let the words babble out would just overwhelm her poor sister, so she kept those buried in her chest for now.
A visit, I think.
She answered in her strange, silent miming.
It was some surprise for Wilwarin to hear this news, that her sister was a leader; the rest was no surprise as anaa was both kind-hearted and wise, and willing to spread her knowledge.
I like to explore. I like to meet new people, and there are many!
So she would not stay, but she would not be far either.