Lone Star Mountain Sometimes you gotta bleed to know

this could have been the best day of her life, key words being could have. the situation accompanying their current expedition was too dire a thing however, to find any joy in and the idea of giving into the occasional spark as her paws covered new ground seemed like a sin in itself. luckily anytime her heart was tempted into lifting at some of the marvelous things she was being exposed to for the first time in these vast mountains; it was shrouded in darkness once more. for surrounding these rare sparks of wonder was the destruction her paws threaded lightly over, the struggling of her damaged sister; the weariness of her entire family as they wandered cold and hungry through the frankly harsh despite its beauty, landscape. homeless, not having a safe base was a new experience for polaris and as much as she'd felt a constant want to give into restless paws and flee the borders and any ties holding her down, the reality of not having a home was shockingly terrifying. 

they had each other though and although she couldn't deny the ugly feelings to writhe in her gut as zephyr and helios "shockingly" kept to themselves and hadn't the power to stop her gaze shifting glumly in their direction every now and then, at least they were here. for she did love them and perhaps her uneasy feelings stemmed from nothing more than the fear of losing them, whether it be physically or morally. shivering lightly, the dove moved on with a dulling determination only to slow as ears tilted back to catch approaching footfalls from behind. turning mismatched eyes to rest on her beloved sister, a weak smile paints silvery features at the expression to greet her. how was it that despite everything she'd been through, lainie managed to continue shining brighter than the rest of them put together. she nods, relaxing into the positive tones lacing the dark girl's words. she was still lainie, she must remember that. a soft laugh slips free in a visible exhale "very, the wolves who live in the mountains must be v-very tough...and fluffy!" her tone manages to remain upbeat, in fact she almost feels it too until...

she prepares to lean into the shadow's embrace, only to let out a startled yelp as lainie's whole weight falls against her slender form causing weak limbs to buckle and she only just manages to keep herself from hitting the ground. but that's not what causes the painful constriction of her heart, the tears pricking at the corners of startled eyes; it's lainie's face. for true, lainie's light was brighter than theirs but it had become a fragile flame; brilliant when lit but extinguished at the slightest breeze, how many more times could it be relit? the girl raced off with a rushed apology before polaris could even organise her thoughts and she could only look on with a helpless guilt. why did she yelp like that? yea she'd gotten a fright but she didn't have to make lainie feel worse, and then to freeze up like that and say nothing, let her run away without trying to stop her? ears fall back against her skull and she barely registers papa's words, simply watching the small shadow by his side detach itself and wander into the cavern. inhaling shakily, she follows at a brisk trot and without uttering a word, simply curls her small body protectively around lainie's frame. no matter what, they would always have each other.