Blackfeather Woods They say it's what you make; I say it's up to fate.

@Shivali

Taki had a mission, and she was glad for it. Sia had informed her that no one really knew where her littermate, Tomkin, was and that he wanted her to go searching for their brother. He was the only sibling she hadn't reunited with, so the task was an easy one to accept. She missed her her brother; they shared a bond only being littermates could forge. She and Sia had agreed that she would wait until a little after Shivali's pups were born before she would set out on her scouting mission. 

That was what brought her to opening of Shivali's den today. Taki peaked inside and chuffed to announce her presence. She hated the thought of waking her older sister if she happened to be asleep, but she really wanted to talk to her before she left. She had no idea how long she would be gone and wanted to not only inform Shivali of the plan and hear her thoughts on it, but also to say goodbye to her sister and their new family members. She hated that she would miss out on this time of quick development for them, but she needed to find Tomkin and make sure he was okay. "Shivali?" she said somewhat quietly. "You awake?"

Sleeping hasn’t been something on her forte. She’s good and feeding the children and keeping them warm and clean, but herself? Ugh. She eats (mostly) the food brought to her but everything else is too hard. Her brain simply won’t shut off when she’s given time to sleep and by the time she’s ready, the puppies are up and crying and need things she has to give them. It would be easier to shelve them off to someone else for a little while but with no milk-producing females aside from the traumatized omega, she’s left to take care of them on her own.
 
When Takiyok makes herself known, Shivali lays there for a few seconds before responding, slowly sitting up and lowering her head so she can peer outside the hole to the outside world. “Yes,” she says quietly, unraveling herself from the sleeping bundle. A few minutes will not hurt them, though a keen ear is pointed in their direction as she works her way out of the ground and out into the open. With tired eyes, she steps forward and greets her younger sister with a linger nuzzle of their noses, closing her eyes and enjoying the morning sun beating down through the thinner trees of the woods.

She was glad she hadn't woken Shivali. Her sister exited the den and greeted her with an affectionate nuzzle and Taki returned it with a nuzzle of her own. 

"I wanted to see you before I left," she said, quick and to the point. "Sia and I discussed it a little while ago, and I'm going to try and find Tomkin." She looked at her sister with uncertainty, knowing Sia was a touchy subject and also unsure what her older sister would think about her leaving when the pups were still so young. As much as she hated leaving them, she couldn't wait any longer. Her worries about Tomkin ate at her every day, and she felt like she needed to do something about it. 

Takiyok is quick to get to the point, speaking about leaving the woods. Her ears cup forward curiously, mentioning Tomkin’s absence since their arrival. A heavy frown takes over and she sighs, missing her younger brother. She’d been too pregnant, and now too busy being a mother, to even think about looking for him and the others wouldn’t leave when things were so vulnerable. It’s as good of a time as any to finally go after him, hoping he’s okay out there on his own. He’s capable taking care of himself and just stubborn enough to be close, but not close enough.
 
“I think that’s a good idea,” she says, trying to smile but struggling. “I’ll miss you.” Shivali takes a deep breath and offers the girl a chance to say something to her young nephews and niece. “It doesn’t feel like home without all of us,” she adds a beat later. There two other siblings haven’t shown up and she doesn’t expect them to, not any time soon anyway, and another link will be leaving (hopefully only temporarily) soon.

Taki was glad her older sister agreed with their plan. She didn't want to leave on bad terms. "I'll miss you, too," She said somberly, nuzzling her once more. 

She walked into the den to see the pups one last time before she left. Leaving them was probably the hardest thing about all of this. They would change so much while she's gone, and she hated that she would miss it. She walked to each baby and gave them a nuzzle, committing their scents to memory. She lingered on Sos. She had grown particularly fond of her little nephew and would miss him the most. 

"No it doesn't," she replied as she walked back out to sit beside Shivali. She knew she would be back, though. This was not her first solo journey or her first tracking mission. She had the skills to survive even the most rugged environment. "I'll come back. I promise." She didn't promise to bring Tomkin home, though. That was too uncertain, and she didn't want to give anyone false hope.

Shivali watches as she turns and says goodbye to the children, closing her eyes and warding off any sudden pain stinging behind her midnight gaze. She doesn’t know much about the land surrounding Blackfeather Woods, her excursions limited, and she’s far from knowing it will enough to search. The scout of the family will be the one to bring him home and she offers a gentle smile with the promise, leaning in to her younger sister home.
 
“Bring him home,” she pleads, unfairly. There’s nothing she can promise for their wayward brother but, she can hope, and until Takiyok returns him, she’ll cling to the sliver she leaves behind.

Taki closed her eyes at the request, wanting so badly to promise that she would return with their brother. She couldn't make that promise, though; she could only promise to put everything she had into the search. "I'll do everything I can to find him," was all she could say. She knew her three older siblings would be disappointed if the didn't return home with Tomkin, but none of their disappointment would match that of her own in herself.

She stood then and gave Shivali another nuzzle, taking in her comforting familial scent. "I should get going while it's still early." Taki gave Shivali a warm smile. "See you soon, sister." With those parting words, she turned to leave, trotting off into the distance towards the last place she picked up her littermates scent.