Swiftcurrent Creek redefine what was at stake from the hindsight of a god

The rift between Helios and himself has inspired a foreign, aching coldness in the sprite. His sulking might be noticeable if he didn’t already do it so often. Still, the shift is rather drastic, considering Zephyr had hardly let his oldest sibling out of his sight before. He doesn’t like it at all — but he’s far too ashamed to break his silence now. At some point it had occurred to him that perhaps he was wrong, that he should not have turned his teeth against his closest friend. Another failure on his part, Zephyr had realized, and any notion of apologizing had disappeared with that.
He’s busy being particularly miserable when he hears his name, but his eyes light up and his ears perk for a moment when he registers that it’s Helios, turning to greet him immediately. But then he remembers, and he wilts. His posture drops and his ears flatten, tail tucking between his legs as he looks at his brother. Hi, He murmurs, gaze dropping. It takes every ounce of willpower he has to resist the urge to apologize.