Bitterroot Valley The kombucha mushroom people

vilkas wasn't sure he'd ever see his siblings again — despite that he'd trailed after kodlak. despite the general assumption that his brother was in these wilds somewhere the firebrand had yet to cross paths with him ...and he'd spent some time searching for him before taking lily up on her offer and finding his way to bracken sanctuary. it's true that vilkas doesn't exactly fit in with the sanctuary's lax tendencies and it does not fall beneath his concern that it might lead to trouble one day. for now he channels his energy towards his trade, having to start from the bottom in these new lands. vilkas' gaze takes in his littermate the way a protective big brother might look to ensure his baby sister is free of any tell-tale wounds. it was ridiculous because aela could handle herself (and he was the youngest of the whitemane's anyway) ...but it is instinct to want to protect her and torvar whether the shieldmaiden's needed it or not.

she meets him halfway and presses her nose against his cheek briefly. he accepts the touch, rare though it is, with a small, albeit wily smile. "aw, aela," he teases her unable to help himself, barking out a laugh that bubbles up his throat before he's done speaking her name. he leaves his teasing at that, though, because he doesn't want to truly ruin the moment or risk earning her ire. "i am well," he confirms with a firm nod of his head, easily returning to a more serious disposition. he's got a few scabbed wounds from his recent scuffle with a trespasser in the sanctuary's borders but in lieu of his concern for lily he'd forgotten about them. not that it mattered, they were healing and he was never one to fuss over a few scrapes. "you look well, too." he remarks, glad to see and be able to say it.

vilkas feels a stab of guilt at having a social call while lily is where he left her, undoubtedly in pain and possibly hungry. he doesn't know unless she communicates it to him via body language as she hasn't spoken so much as a peep since he pulled her from the river and she woke up; and while vilkas cannot do anything for pain he can make sure she's fed, at the very least. "walk and talk with me while i find a good fishing spot?" vilkas offers his sister as he gestures to the river with his muzzle.