She had left the borders to check on the ridge in the early hours of the morning before the sun had even risen. That was her favorite part of the day, especially now; it was cold and quiet--two of her favorite things. She had recently met a particularly irritating male on the ridge that bordered the glacier, and she wanted to make sure no loners decided to loiter there. It was when she was crossing back over the borders that she picked up Sia's scent. She stopped, looking in his direction for a minute, unsure what she wanted to do. She was restless and in a perpetual bad mood lately, her almost constant patrols not providing quite the outlet for her excess energy like they once had. A conversation with her older brother might give her a little bit of distraction, though. Plus, she needed to talk to him about Bracken Sanctuary and her plans to travel there and meet with the leaders, so she began walking in the direction of his scent trail.

She followed his scent along the borders, deducing he must be on a patrol. As she came up behind him, she let out small chuff before coming up to his side. Morning, she greeted, giving him an affectionate shoulder bump as she spoke. It had been a little bit since they had patrolled together and discussed things, but whatever his reasons for being distant lately, she knew she would forgive him. The forgiveness she so stubbornly withheld from everybody else, she freely gave to her family.

She shrugged a little at his question. This was the point she would normally offer some surface-level response just to fulfill the obligation to answer the question, at least with most wolves; not with Sia, though. She felt like she could answer him honestly. I've been...restless, she answered, shrugging once more. She hadn't left the glacier or its bordering lands since they first arrived here. She had been a good leader, making sure they had food and safe borders, but now she needed to do something for herself, and the only thing she wanted was to go on a scouting mission. She wasn't being completely selfish, though; if her mission went well, they could be on their way to an alliance, which benefited everyone.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as they walked. How have you been, brother? she asked quietly. And although she didn't come out and ask where he had been, the question was implied. Had she done something to push him away or make him feel like she didn't want him around? She wouldn't be surprised; most didn't really care for her spiky personality, not that she gave a fuck what others thought about her, her family exluded. That was why she worried she maybe spoke her mind one too many times, or questioned him too much. She kept her worries to herself, though, wanting it to be his choice to confide in her and not because he felt compelled to ease her anxiety.

Taki followed suit, rubbing her scent on things as she passed. The ground was pretty much ice at this point or she would have found soft dirt to leave paw prints in. She had been about to bring up her scouting plans, but his reply temporarily pushed the words from her mind. Her eyebrows drew together in concern. What's wrong? she asked, worry apparent in her tone. He rarely let her in when he was having problems, so the fact that he admitted to anything now meant he was either having a really tough time, or that he was beginning to to see her as more than his baby sister. She would be lying if she said it didn't irritate her that he still saw her that way, but she understood the need to protect family; she was protective of those she considered hers as well.

She raised an eyebrow at him. It was obviously important enough to mention and to make him feel bad, so why did his walls go back up when she pushed for more information? It was frustrating, but she didn't push. If he wanted to talk about something, she was here, but she wasn't going to attempt to force it from him. Okay. If you decide you want to talk about whatever isn't important, I'm here, she offered.

The question was a welcome change of subject, probably more for him than her. She nodded. Not long ago, I met a wolf on the ridge, she started, a scowl briefly painting her face at the memory of the annoying encounter. He mentioned a pack close by called Bracken Sanctuary. I'd like to go check it out. It's only a couple days travel for me, she explained. Her travel pace was intense, and she got places quickly and with little time spent taking breaks. If they seem worthy, I was thinking we could eventually form an alliance, she added with a shrug. She would need to make sure they weren't a pack of weaklings or something, but it seemed worth it to form good relations with their neighbors, especially since she didn't particularly care for Morningside.

He nodded at her offer but still did not confide in her. It was not surprising, but she hoped in the future he would take her up on her offer and let her in on his issues. He would need to learn to be honest with her if they were going continue to lead the pack together. She offered a nod in response, but otherwise dropped it, not wanting to push too much.

Taki stopped walking when Sia did and offered him a teasing eye roll when he reminded her to be diplomatic. Hey, I'm usually just being honest, but don't worry, I'll keep my not-so-nice thoughts to myself, I promise, she said with a playful shoulder bump. She wouldn't say it out loud, but he was right; she did need to keep herself in check. She wouldn't have Sia to play good cop, so if she met the Bracken Sanctuary wolves with her normal surly attitude, she was sure to ruin any chance at an alliance. She could handle this, though. She knew how to keep her brash judgments to herself if the situation called for it. 

Subtle it may have been, but she heard the worry in his question and assumed it was just the worry of an older brother for his younger sister. I planned on leaving in a few days, she replied. As eager as she was to be travelling again, she still worried about leaving. She couldn't help it; she had grown quite attached to the glacier and was a little anxious about not being here to see for herself that everything was in order. She had a few things to do before leaving and she wanted to inform Shivali and Tahani that she would be gone for a few days as well. I won't be gone very long, brother. No need to worry about me too much, she offered, the statement similar to the one she had spoken to him right before she left to find Tomkin and ended up discovering what was now their home. 

She moved close to offer a comforting nuzzle, drawing in his scent-- the comforting scent of her family. There was something off about it, though, and she tensed. The malguk took few steps back, giving her brother a once over. You're hurt, she said. I smelled it on you, she added, anger filling her face. The wound must be older, or she would have scented it right away, and it must be in an area that was easy to hide, because she had not seen it the entire time they were talking. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his explanation and wondering who would be added to her shit list.

When he finally turned to face her, she saw the scabbed over wound on the left side of his shoulder. She exhaled loudly at the sight, feeling her anger bubble inside her chest. Her eyes narrowed when he said it wasn't important anymore. That was it; she was tired of this shit. Don't fucking tell me it's not important, she said through clenched teeth. If our roles were reversed and I was standing in front of you with a wound, wouldn't you demand an explanation? she asked, angry and somewhat pleading. She searched his face, her eyebrows creasing in concern but her expression still holding some of her previous anger. Why won't you just tell me what's going on? she asked, shaking her head in frustration. Why was he making her force the words from him? I'm not a baby anymore, Sia. I'm a leader, too, and I have a right to be told the truth. she added, her tone losing some of it's heat. She looked away, not wanting to him to see how much it hurt that he still refused to see her as an equal. After everything she did for this pack and all the responsibility she so willing accepted without complaint.

Her assumption had clearly been wrong, but what conclusion was she supposed to draw from his silence? She shook her head at his praise, a pained smile crossing her face, but lifting her gaze to meet his. Normally she craved praise from her older brother, but she wasn't quite ready to let go of her anger.

Taki closed her eyes and sighed when he explained that he trusted her more than anyone and continued to praise her. She felt the same about him, but his words confused her. If he trusted her so much, then why be so tight-lipped about what was going on? When he finally admitted that his withholding had been from shame and sadness, she opened her eyes and looked at him with only the concern of a sister. Wow, she felt like a complete asshole. Here she was so concerned with how this all affected her that she had missed her brother's pain. She was closer to him than anyone; she was supposed to pick up on things like this even with his attempting to hide it from her. Had she not been so wrapped up in her own feelings, she may have noticed he seemed off, or maybe she wouldn't have; she still felt like an asshole. 

She moved closer to him and sat down. I'm sorry, Sia, she said quietly. I'm the worst sister ever, she added. Why are you sad and ashamed? Taki asked, attempting to meet his gaze if he would let her.

Her eyes narrowed again at the implication that his wound was inflicted by a someone. When he further explained and revealed that the someone was a girl, she felt her anger returning and all she could think was that some bitch hurt her brother. She contained her fury, though, and let him continue, silently taking in all of the details. 

Apparently the girl was named Ceara and they had some kind of romantic relationship while they were all still in blackfeather woods. It was the first she was hearing of it, and she was so preoccupied at the time that she wasn't surprised she had missed it, although her brother seemed to be pretty good at hiding such things. Taki huffed and rolled her eyes when he said she would have liked her. Maybe so, but now all she wanted was to rip her throat out every time she saw the wound on Sia's chest and even more so when her brother's words made it clear that the girl had left emotional wounds as well. She stood and paced, unable to control herself and the rage she felt at seeing her brother in pain. Shit, Sia she said. Does she live close? The malguk asked, glaring and stopping her pacing to sit back down in front of him. She wouldn't necessarily seek this Ceara out, but if she happened to run into her, it would be on. 

She pushed her anger away for the time being when she noticed how dejected he looked. Don't be ashamed. Shit happens. If she was stupid enough to let you go, then she didn't deserve you, Taki offered, her expression softening as she spoke. She moved to touch her forehead to his cheek in an attempt to offer comfort, unsure how else to help him but wanting more than anything to never see that look on his face again.