Redtail Rise and the earth was without form, and void;

Azrael glanced away and down in slight disappointment, though he had not been expecting much. "Thank you for your time, regardless," he said, dipping his head in respect of the man. And then he paused at the question. The man wanted to know why he'd gone looking for someone gone for so long.

Azrael felt a wry smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "The truth?" he began. "My journeying far from home has little to do with finding my brother, and everything to do with going away and coming back, proving that I can live on my own away from the protection of numbers. There was no time limit set for this search, but in something like four months, if I return home alive, it will have proven much to my family."

Of course, I could choose not to return home at all, he thought, though he did not voice this last out loud.