Noctisardor Bypass The world was made of water and I was a ship

For @Artio! Other tag is just for ref, expanding on what Danni and I discussed <3

The boy, @Rowyn, was a welcome addition to the bypass. The nights were no longer quite so cold, and now there were two of them to hunt. Though she rarely spoke, Goldfinch spent much of her time with Rowyn, dedicating her days to teaching him the best ways and places to find small meals. Goldfinch sustained herself on the little rodents and lizards, mostly, but there were bugs and flowers and berries to eat too.

But now that she had the boy to look after, she found herself tracking larger meals in her sparse moments of solitude. Secretly she worried that the boy would get hurt; these hunts would be only her own, for now.

Today Goldfinch had followed the river southeast from the bypass, and now returned triumphant, carrying the still-damp carcass of a river otter. It would make a fine dinner for the pair — but first, she would need to find the boy.

Ah! I’m so excited! If there’s anything that is off about referencing the disbandment of Rivenwood/family, just let me know!

A month of wandering.

A month alone.

A once happy-seeming home, at the very least in his eyes, had become broken, disbanding and separating.

His mother, Mama—no, Druid, as she once told him she preferred he called her—had disappeared. He did not know where she had gone, nor the why. Why, Mama? Auntie Heda had gone, too. He had woken in the early hours of a morning that seemed like years ago, eyes rapidly blinking as they adjusted to the morning sun before emerging into the clearing that hugged their den. He hadn’t realized how alone he was until he realized that scents were diluted, the clearing and den missing the familiar perfumes of his family.

Surviving alone, feeding on insects and small rodents, the once round puppy became leaner, eyes a little more haunted, and the smallest of noises jumped him. His first instinct was to snap and bare his teeth, but his eyes were wide and swimming with fearful tears. He was rather large for a young pup, but he felt so small. 

So young. So alone.

Today, he traveled along the river, solemnly following its banks. Out of boredom, his eyes watched the water bubble and break, unawares of a familiar face ahead of him. His eyes broke away, suddenly realizing he was no longer alone. His brain and senses did not catch up to him before he broke into a deep growl, his teeth clacking in a snap.

The whisper of grass and dirt trodden beneath the wolf's feet alerted Goldfinch to his presence. She stilled at once, ears tall. Already her fur bristled a little even as she turned to see just who was following her — or so she thought.

Brother.

Goldfinch knew him immediately, though in the next moment his growl chased away any joy she might have felt. Ears going flat, she dropped the otter. She saw his gaunt cheeks, prominent ribs beneath dull dark furs; if he wanted the meat, he could have it. Hurt, she retreated several steps with a low whine, her familiar following briefly only to flit past her and back to the bypass.

It wasn’t the familiar smell of his sibling that brought him back, but the downward trajectory of the sodden carcass and the squelching of wetness meeting hard ground. His belly rumbled The fear abated, slowly, as his gaze found the eyes of his sibling, one he hasn’t seen in the weeks of solitude.

Finally, it all hit him.

In the next breath he flew at her, tears rushing like the river he followed, his demeanor transformed from utter, aggressive, fear to happiness, joy—relief! 

“Goldfinch!” His voice, slightly hoarse from disuse, shook as he spoke her name; home found him.

He stopped short, noticing the flattened ears and the hurt that swam within the eyes he grew memorizing. His sisters were everything to him. Goldfinch, Kikimora, Averie. He knew them like the back of his paws; yet, he hadn’t even recognized the one that stood before him now. Not at first. Shame traveled through him as a shiver crept his spine, his own soft, but apologetic whine volleyed her way. His body hunched to appear less threatening—this was his sister! Not a threat.