Hideaway Strath IV

Sorry for the length, mi amors! Thanks for joining

Through the blinding white materialized a solid figure: a winter wolf, with eyes he knew. Eyes that belonged to The Matriarch, his beloved Takiyok. At first, his tail lifted to wave, as if in recognition, but he faltered, turning rigid as he noted what faint lines of deceit he could find in the storm. This was not his mother. That was not her stride. Nor was that her shape — not around the midsection — that had once been heavy with he and his siblings.

Ego retreated a step, feeling confused. When she had come close enough, she asked if they had met, and the Sandraudiga stared at her like he was surprised by the question. If she thought she recognized him, and so greatly resembled his mother, his brain could only make one inference. I believe so. It clicked even as he said it. His senses narrowed in on her, eager to swallow this memory whole — the very moment he had found his only sister. He opened his mouth to speak her name, to tell her his, yet the reunion was cut dramatically short, with nary an emotion shared between them.

The loner transformed into a vault, his expression steeling completely to the presence of strangers. He had yet to notice the one hanging back in the hard snowfall, though Ego did not fail to note the she-wolves that were converging on him from either side; oppositely colored but similarly demanding. He did not shrink from them, and remained carefully guarded, with a slight tuck of his chin and a limp tail, though he did pull his ears back and bow his head, showing appropriate deference to what was clearly a small mob. One that continued to grow.

A more strangely shaped wolf came into view in almost the same moment, its body massive and quite naturally postured above the rest, further solidifying the thought in the back of Ego’s mind that he had stumbled upon an entire pack. My name is Ego, he responded evenly. Having gauged everyone’s general mood and bedraggled appearance, the wolf kept his gaze tactfully lowered. He hadn’t survived as a loner this long without learning how to read a damn room.

I am a traveler, and I apologize if I am too near, I mean no intrusion. He did not speak of his sister or even look at her, as he wasn’t sure if letting them know he knew her would do either of them any good, considering the differences in his reception. I would have steered clear, if I could tell I was approaching a claim, but this unending storm has displaced me. He wondered if they intended to chase him off, and looking at their dour expressions he wouldn’t be surprised if they did, though he paused at this statement to see if they were interested in anything more than a violent encounter.

They had all at least given pause to allow him the chance to speak, but Ego didn’t think that meant much.