Great Bear Wilderness from an antediluvian bane

He was about to move on follow the quieting roll of thunder when the soft whine met his ears. Mordecai, for all his observance allowed him, he had not realized that he had been happened upon. He swiveled his ears around for a moment, head and eyes turning as he picked out a bodice bearing colors nearly identical to his own. There may have been more rusty hues in alignment across the banded agouti coat, but for a moment Mordecai almost thought he saw an apparition of something else. Of someone else. It was only a fumble of a couple of seconds, but the double take was well visible.

And if the expression the other wore was anything to go by, they certainly were supposed to know one another. The markers were undeniable when it came to appearance; this was family. He broke from the treeline then, crossing an open gap in the forest with an investigative sort of desire boiling from within. It had been quite a long while since he had seen his brother, though it was safe to say that Verrine had certainly grown up since the last time they had met. With his tail wagging out behind him, Mordecai stopped just short of invading space. He had no words, just wonder written across his face as he drew in the scents beneath the array of dampness that hung in the air.