Duskfire Glacier Here's to crappy childhoods

Sweet brother/sister moments ahead!  forward to 7/26

After making sure everyone was settled and had everything they needed in order to rest, Siarut had traversed the land they would seek to call their own before finally turning into rest himself. There was a lot of work to be done, he knew that, but after the long journey even Sia was weary. The sleep was easier to come by than any previous night, he felt at ease for once in his life. It was a feeling he hadn't known he needed. As day broke he uncurled himself, and poked his head out of the small hovel he had called slept in. 

Checking on Shivali, Tahani and the pups, he wasn't surprised to see they were still sleeping. He couldn't wait to share this land with them, all of them. Sliently creeping away from the slumbering family, the ice bear made quick work of the distance to the would be border. This was one of the many things that needed to be done, there were also caches to build, and hunting trip to get done, which meant they also needed to claim hunting grounds. 

With so much to do Siarut called for his sister, his protege, his second, @Takiyok. He needed help, and he knew that Tak was the only one he trusted. He was sure she had already started working on it.

<3

Taki had woken early after only a few hours of sleep, her mind too busy to rest for very long. She woke in the den she had claimed as her own, stretching and yawning as she stood. She too, checked on Shivai, Tahani, and the babies and was glad to see they were all sound asleep.

As she made her way from the caverns, the sun came peaking over the mountains to glint off her snowy coat. She padded across the icy ground until she came to the large melt-water lake formed by the warmer summer months. Taki took a quick glance around before lowering her muzzle to the cold water to take a drink. The quiet of the morning and the cold air in her fur added to the sense of peace that had settled in her stomach since arriving here. All her scouting and traveling and finally paid off, and she had brought her family safely to their new home. 

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the howl of her favorite wolf: her big brother. She lifted her head from the water, ears perked towards the direction the call had come from. It sounded like it had come from near the dens, which meant he must have woken not too long after she had. Turning from the water, she trotted back in the direction she had come. 

It didn't take long to reach the giant form of Sia, and as she approached him, she smiled and said, "Morning, brother." The tone of his call implied there was business to discuss, so she sat down in front of him and waited to see what he needed from her.

He was pleased to see his call answered swiftly, as he wasn't in the mood to wait. "Morning." He answered gruffly as she sat infront of him, he too sat. They had much to discuss, but as usual he wanted to test her line of thinking to see how much it compared to his own. "There is much to do Takiyok." The brutes olive gaze looked around, calculating the world around them. "If you were me, were would you start?" He liked to switch from common to Inuttuk, there was always something to learn, even though her accent was perhaps better than his own.

There were many answers for her to choose from, borders, caches, hunting, den building, etc. Siarut already knew they would organize a hunt first, they needed food after having such little on the journey. After that they would fortify the borders and build caches. He knew that most would think to build the borders first, and he wouldn't fault his sister for saying such. Rather it would a learning opportunity. His face was neutral as he awaited her answer, his pale tale coming to rest on his paws keeping them warm against the frigid ground.

After returning her greeting, Sia got straight to business, telling her they had a lot to do. She agreed; that was the reason she couldn't sleep very much last night despite finally being at the glacier with her family. All she could think about was everything that still needed to be done. 

When he asked her where she would start, she considered his question for a minute before answering. "Well, it's important to keep everyone safe, so I would start with marking the borders to keep out unwanted company," she answered confidently, her orange gaze meeting his green one. "I actually already started doing that last night. I wasn't sure I could sleep without at least some protective measures in place." She didn't know if he would agree with her choice, but she felt her reasoning was sound. Keeping them safe was very important to her. Eating had always been low on her list of priorities, so she hadn't even thought about filling caches yet. It was of course on her list of things to do, but she had put safety before sustenance. Maybe that was a mistake? Sia would definitely tell her if he thought it was.

The man nodded as she spoke, glad to hear that she had started working on some of the much needed protection. "If we had no travelled so far, and had such young pups I would agree with you." He looked around, already planning the hunt. "We need food, desperatly. More importantly, Shivali needs food. The pups are very close to needing meat themselves." They were almost five weeks old now, and he couldn't imagine life without them already.

"Luckily though," Siarut smiled and glanced back at Tak, "I have you." This was the start of the real reason she was here before him, this conversation was more than just what needed to be done. This was a promotion and pep talk wrapped in one. He could see th toll their journey had taken on Tak, the stress and worry had been hard to deal with, but she hadn't let it cave her. She was stronger and more mature because of it. This was he ultimate test, and she passed. Now he just had to tell her that.

Taki considered his answer for a minute. He wasn't wrong; food was very important to a nursing mother, and she wanted to give her nieces and nephews anything they needed. She was glad she had her older brother to help her see things from a different perspective. You're right, brother. We do need to hunt, Taki said with a nod of her head. A group hunt would also help further their relationship with the new recruits, as well.

Taki grinned (something only her family could make her do) at her brother's words. And I am lucky to have you, Taki replied. She was well aware of the fact that sometimes, she was a bit too outspoken and contrary, but she felt like her brother helped balance her out a bit. After all, he had taught her everything she knew. The last few weeks had been rough, and there had been some tense moments, but they were home now, and Taki was ready to do whatever was needed of her.

"You led us well on our journey. I am glad that you have come so far." Siarut gave her his patented family smile, the special smile only his family ever got to see. His tail twitch along his paws, and he could feel his awkwardness coming to life. He wasn't one to praise, usually only Takiyok recieved a good word, so this was a new experience for him. Giving his sister a spot at his right paw wasn't a difficult decision, on the contrary it was very easy, but telling her officially that's the hard part. 

"That's why I've called you here." Siarut looked away from his baby sister, and looked skyward. He stuck to their familial tongue, this conversation deserved the northern language. "I know you had your differences with our father." Green orbs remained fixed on the surroundings. "We both followed him without question." This time his head fell, and faced the ground, a scowl replacing the previous vibrant smile.

Sia offered her more approving words, and Taki smiled in response. Thank you, brother, she said with a bow of her head. She was glad for the praise, but he played a vital part in their successful journey, too. 

Any remnant of a smile fell from Taki's face at the mention of the their father. She tensed at the reminder of how she had put her faith in someone who turned out to not give a shit about her. Taki's scowl matched her brother's as she spoke, It's a mistake I plan to never make again, and I'm sure you feel the same way. She wondered why he was bringing up the painful subject. She was sure as shit happy to never speak of the man again.

He hated to bring up such a painful topic, but he was glad to hear her answer. "You know what bad leadership looks like." Siarut explained, as she finished her statement. Still avoiding her gaze, as his the scar on his shoulder burned, the pale man looked away from the ground. "That's what I need in a second. Someone who will call me on my shit, as it were." Sia wasn't usually one to use such foul language, but he wanted to get his point across to his bad mouthed sister.

Deciding then and there that this was the moment, he grew couragous and refocused his intense green gaze on his baby sister. "I need you to call me out, and have my back." Sia was sure she would understand that he was referring to her becoming the Malġuk, his second. He couldn't trust himself with such a huge responsibility without his bestfriend and protege by his side.

She watched her older brother as he avoided her gaze but continued to speak. At first the words didn't process. But when he finally looked at her and added to his first comment, it clicked in her brain what he was asking of her. She rose to her feet as a range of emotions moved through her: Surprise, fear, reverence. Taki was stunned. She had not been expecting this at all. He was asking her to be his second in command--to take the position of Malguk. 

She realized she hadn't answered him, but had just been looking at him, her face probably forming into a pensive scowl. I would be honored, she finally replied, her voice thoughtful and full of emotion. It was a huge responsibility; one that she would do her best to prove that she deserved. He was right; she did know what bad leadership looked like, and she wouldn't hesitate to 'call him on his shit' as he had put it in a very Taki-esque way. She wasn't worried, though. No matter how much Sia feared he was like their father, she knew beyond any doubt that he was nothing like that man. He would lead the pack with fairness and compassion; something their father would never be capable of, and she was honored to be a part of that. I won't let you down, she added before a smirk spread across her face, and don't worry, I'll make sure to call you on your shit, she added, the smirk turning into a grin at the the use of his term.

Sia couldn't help but snort at his cheeky sister. Shaking his head he smiled again, "I know you won't let me down little sister. And I have no doubt you'll keep me honest." He was glad that she would have his back no matter what. He felt truly lucky, with his family all in one place, and his best friend at his side. "This is going to be great." He gave her a wink, and a playful smile curled his lips. 

quick and short to finish this off!