Wapun Meadow I'm young, scrappy and hungry

All his rugged exterior, his arrogance and stubbornness, almost permanently bristled guard hairs. Pearl fangs that he always seemed so keen to expose, eager to put to use as a weapon against even his own species. A tail that maintained either its proud arch or frustrated lash. Eyes as pale as the moon, dangerous and sharp, enough to pierce.

Spiked. Fierce. Deadly, perhaps, if pushed too far.

But beneath it all? A boy. Just a boy.

A cub who thought he'd found his feet and wandered a little too far.

A youngster who thought he knew best, but didn't.

Venamis knew this, right at the heart of him, but it was always easier to turn the blame on someone else. He'd loved his family, of course he did. Maybe they had worried for him but from the outside looking in, he felt... forgotten. An afterthought. Lost to them, perhaps even considered dead.

He halted, a low rumble in his breast as he lifted his pale gaze to seek his sister's mismatched eyes. It was his aim to hold her stare for a time, search beyond the irritation she felt for him for something softer. If there was any tenderness for him, he failed to find it.

"I suppose we both did," he mustered, referring to their wasted time. Venamis blinked and turned away, ivory-tipped muzzle pointed in the direction he'd originally been headed. He heard her apology, but didn't want to look at her as she spoke it - because he didn't feel prepared to accept it. "It wasn't your responsibility to find me," the spider said, tone hushed as he pressed on and away from her, suddenly eager to leave this dreadful experience behind, "it was theirs." A pause. "Go home, Lumi."