Arrow Lake i did it for life; did it for you

@Lanawyn

He had been lingering near his newest discovery for some time. Another water source tucked into the rocks-- it was a place to think.

The boy wasn't sure, yet, how to approach rebuilding his relationship with his sister. His heart ached for a connection, some link between them. More than it had ached for Lennon-- this was deeper. This was bound in blood and strengthened by the fires of the hell they had endured together. It was the key to their formative years, to their survival through them. Nothing could change that.
He loved her fiercely. All of his family, really, but Lanawyn was here.

And their father? He was dead-- long decayed, his skull still watching over his birthplace from the highest perch of the tallest tree. Alarian would not let him stand in the way of his family again. Not in life, and certainly not in death.

she slipped quietly from the lair after her brother, ghosting out into the sun with a grimace.  these wolves were bustling, active, and it was a lifestyle she felt she was ill-suited for.  but she hung around partially for him, and partially because she didn't know what else she could do.

she slides into his space, the rock behind him and then the one beside, dipping her toes in the water and laying down without a word.

The boy jumped a little, still slightly unused to the way Lanawyn seemed to appear from thin air. She was graceful, soundless in her movements; just like mother, he thought.
Ali wagged his tail gently and chuffed in greeting, silent for a few more minutes. He wanted to say something meaningful, but he wondered if he knew anymore what was meaningful to her. The silence was peaceful, at least, though Alarian spent the brief time lost in his own jumbled, nervous thoughts.
Finally, he spoke: What... what happened, after I left? Did Zamael ever come back? Is-- is everyone okay?
Maybe he should have asked these questions sooner-- but Alarian was a coward. He knew this. He had been too scared to ask immediately, and now he was asking because he was scared. Everything he had done so far in his life had been from fear. The boy just hoped Lanawyn could find it in her to love him anyway.

she allows the silence to pass but it does not last long before her brother starts in with the questions.  it is inevitable and she is not surprised, but she doesn't quite know how to handle it, to handle him.

because although she is ready to love him, she is not sure if she is capable of allowing herself to be loved.

she takes a moment before she responds, letting the water, on the verge of freezing, talk for her instead.

not much.  zamael did not return but mother fell apart.  it is all she can offer him.  we survived.

He had expected the answer, in a way. Of course Zamael had not returned-- of course Alarian's actions had broken their mother. A slight gasp escaped him as the news crushed his heart anyway. We survived. The words were bitter to his ears, and he let another silence fall.

I should have come back. He said finally, voice trembling. He almost killed me, and I ran, and then I didn't know where I was, but-- I could have tried harder. I should have.
He hadn't possessed any sense of direction back then-- or any sense at all, he supposed. It was only luck and his father's arrogance that had ultimately secured Alarian's survival. Perhaps now the boy's decision would have been different. But, perhaps not.
I was just scared. The boy whispered after a few more beats. He still was.

it's okay, she asserted, suddenly guilty for making her brother feel this way.  she hadn't intended it, and now that it was between them it itched at her.  

you're here with me now.  and although it was not all she needed, it would suit her well enough for now.

The boy had few words for his sister; he was grateful, though, and pressed his muzzle to her cheek. He wouldn't take her forgiveness for granted, he knew.
Alarian allowed the silence to cloak them, finding it wasn't at all uncomfortable. For now he didn't do more, didn't push. He simply basked in her presence, reminding himself that he would never lose her again.