Swiftcurrent Creek I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care.

Over a month since his departure, Viinturuth returned to Swiftcurrent Creek.

The wild Winter weather had slowed him since he'd left the wasteland to begin his journey homeward, and the pursuit of a territorial cougar in the mountains had forced him to detour. The pale wolf had managed to evade the beast's claws, thankfully, but the last thing he wanted was to lead it directly to the pack.

The snows had been unforgiving, and he arrived at the outskirts of his birthplace significantly leaner than he'd been on departure. It was not ideal considering the long wait until Spring, but he was hopeful that Akavir would greet him with warmth.

He'd probably thought he'd vanished, as the ranger had often done in the past.

Truthfully, he'd considered it. His instinct was to settle, to put down roots, but something deep at the heart of him ached for his old lifestyle. Viinturuth moved quietly across the frozen threshold of Swiftcurrent, dread weighing in his belly to have come back with nothing significant for @Akavir of his rogue daughter.

Swiftcurrent Creek, to give credit where it was due, remained in a state of peaceful silence. It was a rare occurrence, and because of this, Akavir found himself more guarded with each passing day—waiting for something drastic and ridiculous to happen—as it tended to do.

Only now was he beginning to fully rally from the strange illness that had come upon him, and so he began once more to tend the borders. He would work on the caches. And he found brief companionship with those within the pack, though most of his time was spent with Eshe.

On this day, it was a welcoming but surprising sight to see the now leaner figure of his brother once more within their borders. He paused in his steps, watching as the ivory man continued toward him, and waiting until he was within earshot.

He had assumed Viinturuth had left once more—a ghost upon the wind, as the man often left for months at a time. It was a surprise to see him—but a pleasant one. “You’ve lost weight,” the darker brother mused aloud—worry within his tone.

When the shadowed brother revealed himself, Viinturuth eased his stride. He observed Akavir's approach and rumbled low in greeting, pausing when they drew close enough to one another. The pallid ranger reached for him, mouthing roughly at the raven tresses of the Alpha's throat and nipping at his chin in a display of respect and affection.

The comment of the changes in his frame was expected, and he emitted a breath of laughter. I think I needed to shed a few pounds, he barked, tail giving an amused lash. Viinturuth wasn't worried about the weight he'd lost and was keen to rid his brother of any unnecessary concern. I'll be fine. How are things here? Any sign of Mae and the boys?

Viinturuth inserted humor—but it did not meet Akavir’s gaze as the conversation drifted to his litter with Jakoul.

“The boys are gone—from what I can tell, there’s no trace of them. I can only hope they stuck together for companionship,” he offered, his tail giving a lash through the winter air. “As for @Mae—I found she lives in a pack with a woman who used to reside in the creek… who also hates my guts. So—seems they built a fun foundation together.”

He snorted, nudging to his brother’s cheek before turning his stocky form, stiff now from the winter wind—and began to lead a casual walk. “But tell me of your own travels?”

No sign of the rogue Swiftcurrent boys, though it seemed the girl had found a place to belong among the ranks of another who Akavir admitted once resided beside the creek as one of his own. There was no explanation as to what soured their companionship and Viinturuth did not ask, content to roll a silvered shoulder and move again to follow his brother's trail. He pitied the cubs who'd felt such disconnection that they left their family, though did not dwell on his own woes of youth.

Lilitu has moved on, it seems, he answered when Akavir asked of his own travels across the wilds, her marriage to the boy in Akashingo did not bear fruit. I was told she returned to Brecheliant for a while before taking her leave of them. Teya assumed she'd gone to look for her sister, and there's been no sign of her since.

Viinturuth explained what he had found—stirring unease in the swarthy man’s chest. Something didn’t sit right with him—likely, given Lilitu had promised to visit soon, and then simply hadn’t.

At this point, he could only hope that she did find her sister, and the two were within one another’s company and content in life.

The mention of a particular wolf drew faint recognition to the man, and he swung his muzzle to study his brother. “Teya is still there, then?”

From what he recalled, the woman had been distant from him. Unfriendly… and yet it wasn’t as if the two had many chances to get to know one another. That time seemed so far gone now…. “I guess that’s that,” he huffed quietly, the plume of his breath a wisp before him from the cold.

There was nothing more to say on the topic of his wayward niece. It was unfortunate that things had turned out the way they had, and Viinturuth had many regrets when it came to Lilitu and Arielle. He carried much guilt for the unhealthy way in which he'd loved their mother, the depth of which had forced him to make the decision to leave the vale. He had missed out on so much.

The pale ranger breathed a sigh, and cast the memory of Akavir's daughters aside. She asked that I tell you something, he said, recalling the russet she-wolf's solemn words: that she'd loved Ibis, but Ibis always loved you. He quirked a brow at this conclusion, dark eyes searching on his brother's face for his reaction.

Viinturuth’s dark gaze settled on him, speaking something that sparked something of note in the swarthy man, and he paused in his pace, gaze sweeping over his brother. He hadn’t known Teya’s love for Ibis—but it certainly pieced together something that explained the she-wolf’s angry glares he felt he remembered searing him.

He snorted, then, his muzzle giving a small shake. “Hard not to. Ibis was…”

He could feel the emotion well in him—could feel himself choking on the words, and so he spoke nothing more on it. Instead, brushing a shoulder to his brother in silent gratitude for taking the trip and time, he could only log away Teya’s confession as inconsequential. Ibis was gone. Had carried another man’s children, after his near death… Had moved on long before he had, it seemed.

He led his littermate to one of the caches, nodding toward it. “Eat up, scrawny.”

Wanna fade here? I'd love another!

Akavir paused suddenly and Viinturuth continued on until her was a stride before him. He did not want to look at him for fear of betraying his deepest, darkest thoughts: that he had lusted after his brother's beloved from the moment he'd looked upon her. Though nothing had ever occurred between himself and Ibis, he continued to carry the guilt of his heart's desire. It was a secret he vowed to carry with him to the grave, and he'd often wondered if it was the weightvof his feeling for Ibis was what kept him from settling over the long, miserable years he'd roamed following her death.

He said no more on the matter, though at last shifted his weight to regard the raven-pelted Alpha with quiet understanding. Viinturuth remembered vividly how much Akavir had lost of himself after Ibis perished, and appreciated that talk of her could be challenging. He had a new mate to focus on, however, and he was glad that Akavir's heart had been large enough to make room for another.

They carried on, and Akavir led him toward one of the pack's food stashes. Truthfully, he wasn't hungry. Whatever pang he might've felt in his belly had vanished, but he aimed to appease his littermate by moving to help himself.

Viinturuth fed—something on his littermate’s mind, though he did not speak it and Akavir did not pry. Instead, he would spend more time with the pale man once he was sated—neither talkative, and yet Akavir was grateful that Viinturuth had come home this time, rather than give way to his wayward desires of travel.