Stone Circle and still standing

since the tumultuous meeting where one of their own had been cast out and he verbally spoke against his father ( though he hadn't been the only one ) — the patriarch — newt has fallen back into routine isolation where he'd rather remain than deal with it. bad habits died hard, he supposed. it was his favored way of working thru things, trying to decipher the puzzle that was this sudden found defiance and turmoil. finding familiar haunts where he suspected the wolves of easthollow would leave him alone was a bit of a second nature now; though this time most of his figuring things out was spent hunting in the neighboring territories.

his night spent out beneath the flimsy shelter of a towering evergreen in bearclaw valley when the heavy snows reached whiteout and he knew it wasn't safe or smart to attempt to continue. it is only when he reaches stone circle does he gives his coat a hearty shake to dispel the cake of snow, a duck cradled delicately betwixt his jaws. as far as hunting quarries went it wasn't the best ...but it was something to offer the caches though the return of the bison have seen them fuller than they had been in months. still, he contributes his personal kills all the same; content to continue on in this manner until he figures out what he's supposed to learn about himself.

Arlette had been curious as to where Newt had been going since that meeting. She had been keeping a rather low profile herself and it seemed her bother had done the same. However, she was curious about why he felt the need to leave, seeing he had distanced himself before. It had been a coincidence when she saw him crossing the border. Her white fur perfectly blending with the heavy snow around her. Only her red eyes and charcoal nose seemed to reveal she was there. She bounded for her baby brother. Who was in fact bigger than her.

"Newt!," she greeted. "You're back. I missed you!," she hummed. She had missed him. She always liked to hang out with her smart little brother. He was always very kind and not wanting to bite on her like West would. She offered him a warm smile. "Are you okay? I hope you are okay," she spoke admiringly and battered her curious red eyes at him.

newt, having not seen his near entirely camouflaged sister, is startled when she comes bounding towards him, grip tightening upon the duck corpse causing the thin, hollow bones in the wings to crack beneath the unintended pressure. steps halted, he drops the duck — spitting out a stray feather or two — and focuses upon arlette as she tells him that she missed him. so his time spent in bearclaw valley ( much more frequent now than it ever had been ) hadn't gone as unnoticed as he liked. it simultaneously made him feel guilty and like a liar, for hadn't he promised he wouldn't sink into isolation again?

yet, here he was. slinking back from periodic isolation.

yeah — newt breathes. yeah, i'm ok. it feels like a lie as he says it, made worse by the way she blinks up at him. you don't have to worry about me. he mumbles offering a small bump of his muzzle against her's in reassurance. still, he feels uncertain as he looks at his values and the values easthollow was supposed to stand for and how they all feel turned on their head. the picture of family is fissured, the glass cracked, threatening to splinter.

Arlette didn't believe Newt when he said he was okay. She offered him a skeptical red eyed gaze. She shook her head at the young male. "Honestly you have to try better than that," she returned to him with a soft smile. She gave him a nudge. "It is okay to show that you aren't feeling great. I don't need to know the details but perhaps it is nice to have someone be aware of your feelings," she explained to him. She was his big sister after all, or well, perhaps older sister instead of bigger sister since she wasn't really bigger than him. Newt was taller than her now.

The girl offered him a smile. "You sound like mom," she returned to him, slightly teasing. Even in the worst of times, their mother would always tell that things were okay while they were clearly not. The white girl smiled at him. "I trained myself to do this," she added, to comfort him. Others might not see but she did. Her eyes then fell the the duck he caught. She knew her mother would be pleased with two of her sons excelling at hunting.

you have to try better than that, newt feels his face twisting into something that resembles a scowl; protest lingering on the tip of his tongue that never makes it past his lips as arlette continues. newt's reluctant to say just how deep his upset runs: the questioning of things that should never have to be questioned. things that might count as disobedience, things that he's afraid to admit because he worries he'll end up like vespera: exiled. i — i don't know arlette. he admits. the things i've been thinking ...well they're treasonous, i guess.

even admitting it to arlette without giving details leaves him with a quicken in his breath; a weary scan of imperial green gaze to make sure no one else is listening. but if i'm so torn about being honest about how i feel about what's been going on around here recently then maybe-maybe exile wouldn't be a bad thing. newt says and then his mouth does twist. because that's a thing we apparently do now. she's cracked the lock that has been holding a dam of things at bay and newt gets a strange rush; adrenaline.

he loves his parents ...would go so far as to idolize them and yet ...and yet this discontent and bitterness festers inside him all the same; and he's a teenager. a faithful apostate who just realized his gods could bleed and it brings about a lot more doubt about it all; about what 'family' meant. more-so than he would like to admit.

Arlette could see the scowl on his face, to then have that expression turn. She understood her younger brother. She really did. Arlette would leave him in peace if he didn't want to talk about it. However, he did. Arlette sat down, so she could listen better. She shook her head to indicate that it wasn't treasonous. He continued. Arlette nodded, agreeing with what he was saying. She leaned forward and offered him a comforting nudge when his voice cracked.

"Actually, I felt the same way," she admitted to him, her ears flopping back. She did feel guilty about it for a moment. Arlette felt that something else was bothering Greyback, he had been angrier lately. Perhaps since Leta's attack he had been grouchy. She couldn't pin point it. "You should always be honest, Newt. I'd would advise you to talk to dad about it. You can tell him how it felt from your side," she offered. "I can be there with you if you want.'

Arlette looked at him, inhaling softly. She didn't think he would be exiled. "And if you must know. I was pretty scared as well. I felt even I would be exiled. But then I decided to seek Dad out and talk to him," she explained. She really wanted to hear his side of the story as well. 'It is tough, and can be scary. But it is most important for families to stay talking. I happen to know Mom gave Dad a stern talk. Dad did step down from leadership. They seem better after they talked," she spoke.

it was reassuring to hear that he wasn't the only one that felt that way; if briefly. i'm not sure what talking to him about how i disagree with his choice is going to do, newt points out frankly, wincing slightly at how it sounds as it falls from his lips. he doesn't mean to be harsh with her ...especially because she is only trying to help him. it makes him sound unappreciative — he does appreciate her advice even if he doesn't see the point in following thru with it. it's not like he can take it back. but something has to change ...this much newt feels in the marrow of his bones. what that could lead to causes a trill of ...anxiety and anticipation to slither like a shiver along his spine.

newt draws in a deep breath, gaze moving from his pale sister to look at the landscape, focusing on nothing in particular ...just something out in the distance. maybe — newt allows hesitantly, knowing that he would have to do some more thinking on his own before he broached anything of his current unrest with either of his parents.

Arlette shook her head. "Actually, it can help. You can tell him you don't understand his decision and if he could explain it," she spoke. Then perhaps the boy can understand where his father came from. The female nudged her little brother and then smiled. "Worth a try right?," she asked. She wanted to cheer up the boy.

"Okay so other topic then," she assured him. "Don't worry I will keep your secret for you," she assured him. Arlette wanted to make him feel better. "Did you make some friends while you were away?,' she asked with a smile, hoping the answer was yes.