Arrow Lake To measure the meaning can make you delay

Technically forward dated a day or three, I think.

So here he was.  The borders were just ahead of him on this gloomy morning.  He stood there a moment, nose twitching as he contemplated what to do.  At least his instinct told him that he shouldn't cross that line.  Elysium hadn't exactly been the best place to actually learn what a normal pack was like -- besides them utterly ignoring him, their beliefs were outlandish at best.  Still.  He needed to know if Brillo was here, and he got up close and personal with where a wolf had rubbed up against a tree.  Mahler was still here, seemed like, but Mal's sister didn't seem to be making an appearance.  but hey, maybe it was second or third hand scent transfer or something so there just hadn't been a chance. Maybe she was hiding somewhere far inside.  Unlikely.

Yeah.  It wasn't looking good.  His ears tipped back and he ducked back several yards, circling there once before starting to pace as he contemplated what to do.  Why couldn't Brilliance have just been back in Elysium where he left her?  Hell.  It didn't leave him with much of a choice.  Standing back, he called out but not too loud, Anyone around?  Part of that was Mal didn't want to draw a whole pack's attention -- he just wanted an answer to a question and then he could scram. But to a certain point he didn't want anyone to answer anyway.  He didn't want the bad news.

she'd come to understand, more or less, where the borders lay. this made echoing her mother's actions in patrolling them easier, though she stayed back out of sight, knowing well enough she'd be in for it if found wandering the edges of the territory alone. she was working on her sneaking, and thought she'd gotten rather good, and so completely missed the appearance of a stranger some distance away. 

when he called out, however, she stood bolt upright. "yeah!" she called back, already beelining toward the sound. she stopped a few meters back, clearly wary, but unwilling to let him know that. "if come over border I bite you." she puffed out her chest, asserting her claim here, completely forgetting the part where Aure tended to ask what the stranger wanted and jumping straight into the bitey part.

The herald sounded like summerstide when it peaked through the alpine realm — like the ebb of waves heard through a conch. Regardless of how stubborn she regarded her ranking, it only made sense that it helped her breathe, and so the silver herbalist hastened through the foothills to give audience.

...But it seemed that belea had already done so in her stead.

“She is not wrong, you know,” was what Aure trilled, just in time to hear her daughter’s brandishing threat. Thin tail cascading above boney hips, the fawn-boned Pionier trotted on over, argent eyes situating on the male lingering before them. With a look of Watch and learn, hainofi, Aurëwen wisped to him, still simpering, “What brings you to Diaspora, today?”

Maybe it would have been better if nobody answered.  Some kid was definitely not who he wanted to meet -- after all his experiences through his own youth, he was pretty much set on the opinion that kids other than his sisters were soulless little gremlins without a lick of sense between their ears.  None had yet to prove him otherwise.  Not to mention, he wasn't sure he'd get anything even resembling a clear answer out of her.  He looked slightly taken aback at the fact she'd just popped out of nowhere, not sure what to do about it.  It was, however, probably a good thing for the whole staying alive bit that the adult appeared on the scene before he could finish figuring out what kind of snarky remark he wanted to bless the kid with.  It probably would not have been nice.

Mal was a pretty frowny dude, and lacking any bit of cheer which probably gave them all together the wrong impression of him -- probably more like arrogance rather than the boiling frustration and dying hope that was reality.  Oh well, it was tough to walk around with the whole world on your shoulders.  Regardless of the fact he might not look like a child any more, it wasn't like he'd had time to learn how to be polite.  Or carry a conversation.  Pretty unsurprising that as soon as he started talking, it was pretty cut to the point.  I just want to know if my sister is here. I told her to come here if something happened, but if she's not, then I can just... Go.  Brief pause, before he added, Brilliance, black with spots and stuff like me?  If that didn't strike a chord, then she couldn't have been by -- she was far more distinctive than the white and basically-white women before him.

her mother appears, and Isi reluctantly defers to her and moves to stand by her side. she is thoroughly disappointed that there doesn't seem to be any biting going down, though doesn't lose hope yet. the man seems dour and she was perceptive enough to realize he didn't think much of her at all. he seemed like he was in need of a biting, and so her gaze turned to her mother, silently pleading that they do so.

Ears perked to listen to the wanderer, another fleet glance for her daughter told Aurëwen that belea was asking permission for ...Let me guess — biting? The slightest shake of her head was given for Isi, before the mention of “Brilliance” was brought to her attention. Argent eyes returned to the young male before them, studying him and simultaneously sitting through her memories for any recollection of such a she-wolf.

”In ze wolves who’ve recently joined our ranks, I fear that I’ve not seen her in my time here,” Aure mused. She definitely empathized with the lad’s position, as she, too, had sought far and wide for her own littermate. “Are you sure there could be no other place she mentioned? Anywhere else, at all?”

The silent communication between them made him a little wary.  He'd been firmly rooted in reality recently, but it sparked a silent question about whatever witchery that might have been.  It wasn't like he'd ended up being close enough to anyone to ever really be able to ask or answer something that way -- his sisters had been thick as thieves and he was always the odd duck.  Whatever.  He wasn't staying here. Just a few questions, he could go, and if they wanted to go bewitch half the planet, he didn't care as long as it wasn't his half.  Mother and kid or whatever they were -- he'd be ok not seeing them again... Just in case.

His ears tipped slightly back, but he did his best to keep his expression otherwise stoic.  Nah, he was tough stuff, not to be preyed on.  A drawn out exhalation before he spoke with a shake of his head, I told her if anything happened while I was gone to come here.  And if she's not at Elysium and she's not here...  Shrug.  She was gone.  He was alone, a bitter pill for sure.   Maybe his mother had found her and taken her away, just like before?  Had her not seeing Solomon been a lie?  Maybe it was only his own suspicion that saved him from whatever fate had befallen them.  We're gonna go out on a limb and assume Atwood didn't say anything about the bear attack, or at the very least that Mal wasn't going to think it was something important for another pack to know in case some adult shows up with the news in that thread.

biting was off the table, for now, though that didn't mean she wasn't ready for it. still, she was more or less resigned to following her mother's lead, and it was only when Mal spoke again that she piped up. "she's gone." she was quite proud of herself for figuring that out, for he seemed to have some difficulty ascertaining that. if things weren't here and not there, they were gone, just like her stinky, gummed up piece of pelt that had mysteriously disappeared a few days prior.

When the patched male trailed off, it was her daughter who finished for him. She almost reprimanded Isilmë for stating the obvious, but ...hadn’t the wanderer done so, too? Her scarred face gentled into a helpless sympathy for the seeker before them, “Gone, yes.” A lull, then, “We have many ears and many eyes here, and I will tell mine to take notice of her, should she pass on by here.”

This was all she could meagerly promise, but it was heartfelt. “Is there anything else we may do for you?” If not, then she felt this congregation would soon end. Either way, the silver lingered where she was, tipping her head to study Isilmë for a moment; a subconscious gesture, but her gaze returned to Mal all the same.

He didn't respond right away because he was really confused what that girl said.  Look, he had enough issues with his English/common/whatever vocabulary to even think about other languages even existing.  She could have said his sister was a potato and it would have made about as much sense as it did.  Okay, yeah, the mom or whatever said "gone" but he wasn't as convinced that was necessarily the case. 

Blinkblink. Okay whatever, uh.  Yeah he should actually respond instead of staring in confusion for a few seconds.  Uh.  Yeah. -- No. That's it.  Say hi to Mahler I guess. Bye.  And with that he turned and started trotting off west to put some mountains between himself and Elysium.  Or at least, that was his plan assuming he wasn't stopped.

Let's list the things Mal has kind of forgotten to do through this whole thing: introduce himself, be kind and respectful to everyone (questionable), tell them where he'll be if Brillo shows up, thank them, wait for their reply to politely depart.  Yeah, he's great at this.

he's left, which she supposes is good but she's somewhat upset at the lack of opportunity to bite him. "bye!" she calls at his retreating behind, grinning up at her mother. she watches him go for a moment before she grows restless and nips playfully at her mother's shoulder, attempting to invite her into a chase. whether or not she succeeds she'll dart off like a rocket along the border, whip-like tail wagging behind her.