The Bracken Woods there is no absolution for the fallen

okay past tense is hard. idk if this makes sense so, apologies.

The last few months had been a chaotic train wreck, moving from one place to the next and it never feeling right. It was never Seageda, never will be. Trigeda had taken them in for a little while in order to conduct some form of damage control but eventually Gavriel made the decision to try his luck elsewhere and tagging along was his little brother, @Vercingetorix. The others left remained within the safe confines of Trigeda where most of their wolves were housed.

They did not leave in time enough to catch their sister's scent but that of a Trigeda wolf, albeit a little stale and gapped, that brought them through the bracken woods. Travel weary, Gavriel glanced toward the dark male, impressed the younger one had managed that far without too much trouble. "Komba raun," the older said, nose caught on an all too familiar scent that gives him a little push to deviate left and follow.

If Vercingetorix had known that Gavriel considered himself "tagging along" with his little brother, it would have boosted his ego even further. The ten month old boy had been a spitfire since the day he was born, lacking the maturity and calmness of his siblings. Even his littermate, Llyr, seemed more mature than he did. As was the culture, Vercingetorix had been trained since the moment he could stand on his own four feet. Unlike many others, though, he didn't gain the somber personality. Instead, Vercingetorix dealt with the hard upbringing with humor, sarcasm, and jokes... which often led to trouble.

"Come on," his brother demanded, and Vercingetorix rolled his dual colored eyes when Gavriel's back was turned to him. "As you wish, oh Great One," he replied in a mocking tone, quickening his pace. He knew it was likely to get him a good beating, but the younger wolf didn't mind. He'd had so many for his unwanted behavior that it hardly fazed him now.

A flash of irritation washed over him, lifting his lip with a low growl. His head turned over his shoulder, a glare shot in his direction. “I hope you have not forgotten how to act in front of Heda,” Gavriel reminded the boy before snapping his teeth in front of his face. The older siblings never became too attention to their younger sister and the subsequent litter relationship had only been as Heda instead of their big sister. Having left their relationship long ago, he couldn’t deny he had been a little excited to see her familiar face.

The sky had been darkening for a while and the last remaining bit of daylight could still be used to their advantage. Gavriel slowed his pace, turning to speak to Vercingetorix again. “We’ll stop here for the night.” The older male jerked his head forward, encouraging his charge on, “find us something to eat.”

As expected, his smartass remark was met with a flash of teeth and a verbal reprimand. Surprisingly, it didn't go beyond that. There was a glint of mischief and accomplishment in Vercingetorix's eyes when Gavriel looked away. They stopped, and Gavriel ordered him to find food. Big, stupid, bossy brother. Vercingetorix wondered if it was a family curse for all of them to have sticks up their butts. Maybe he'd pooped his out before exiting the womb by some miracle. Or somebody had beat it out of him during his training.

"Do I have to catch it, too?" he smirked, though he didn't give Gavriel much of a chance to answer before whisking himself away into the trees. It was perhaps half an hour later when he returned with two squirrels hanging from his jaws. They weren't plump by any means, but they were something. Vercingetorix dropped both at his own front feet, then glanced to Gavriel. He thought of saying another sarcastic, smartass remark, but held it back. As much as he could be a little shit, he did have to admit that family meant something to him. Instead, Vercingetorix snapped up the larger of the two squirrels and tossed it to Gavriel without saying a word.

The smirk from the child caused the neck fur to bristle, fluffing up with irritation. Vercingetorix moved on, despite the slight victory, but was off quickly before the question is answered. Gavriel watched the boy disappear into the woods while large paws pilfer through the dead foliage on the ground. A few dead, soggy leaves are kicked up but eventually, next to a fallen log, the large male dropped his rump and made himself comfortable. The log presents itself as back support and he waited patiently for the kid to return.

Vercingetorix returned with two squirrels between his jaws and without a word, chucks over one of them. With a growling stomach, Gavriel tears into the flesh and devours the rodent in no time. Barely enough to satisfy the hunger his stomach called out for, as a traveler he can't complain too much. Hopefully, once they find their destination, they'll be able to really get their fill. Their future had been discussed before they left and whether or not Gavriel would stick around is in the hands of their Heda, if she takes them in at all.

"What do you think we will find?" he decided to ask, shifting his body down into a laying position. Casting a glance across the way from where he settled, he watches. Gavriel knew he might not find what he's looking for and there was a chance they'd have to return to Trigeda unsuccessfully. But his younger sister would never remain quiet for long.

As he tore into the meal, his ears were the only part of him that indicated he was listening to his brother. "What do you think we will find?" was the question posed, and Vercingetorix honestly wasn't sure how to respond. "Fuck if I know," he muttered between bites, going back to his food. He was along for the adventure, not for any personal gain or even interest. Sure, it might be fun to find some more family members, but it wouldn't be anybody Vercingetorix knew well enough to have a relationship with.

"What do you want to find?" he asked, curious. Family, sure, but something more?

Gavriel watched the way his brother answers and he felt a weird jolt of annoyance. His purpose for departing Trigeda had been to find their leader, to find Seageda again. Rebuilding the trust between their commander and home would need to start in some way and he’d taken to volunteering and tracking her down. Trigeda could house them for a little while but the strain of their numbers were obvious in their departure. Vercingetorix’s attitude does little for him but perhaps a strong hand would do him some good. 

He didn’t exactly know what he wanted but the ideas swam around his mind, blinding him of his purpose. With Seageda gone, Gavriel didn’t have anything to feel attached to. Trigeda only a branch of his home isn’t enough to fill that hole. The others, the ones that had trusted his younger sister the entire time, would follow to their ends in the same way he would. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened still when Seageda ended,” he offered, glancing as the boy finished up his meal. Gavriel picks at the small bones left over from his own. 

"Our wolves need their home, though," he explained and he can only hope he can piece things back together.

Gavriel's answer wasn't exactly satisfactory, and Vercingetorix looked at him with a considerable amount of contempt. He probably should have been thankful that his family wanted to help him... but Vercingetorix had never been particularly grateful for anything.

Vercingetorix could, however, agree with Gavriel's second sentiment. They needed a home of some sort, as living off the land wasn't exactly easy these days (nor had it ever been). He nodded begrudgingly, then swallowed the last of the meat that he planned on eating, taking plenty of small bones with it. With food eaten and words exchanged, Vercingetorix circled a few times then curled himself up into a ball for the night.