Whitebark Stream i should have been a better son

it wasn't an immediate realization. he had noticed traces of the scent upon returning to whitebark stream, and initially thought his nose was playing tricks on him. he was home, and his time away had been traumatic—of course he'd hallucinate something familiar here.

but curiosity got the best of him, and he began to track, nose low. it grew stronger, and with it, his memories. this was no hallucination; it mixed with other scents, like artyom's. it was too real to be fantasy.

as the smell grew closer and more prominent, more present, he lifted his head, as if the dark yearling would materialize as suddenly as his scent had. his eyes flashed green as he swept the perimeter, searching. he was caught between excitement and dread, his legs stiff and trembling. he almost hoped it was a dream, for wouldn't his brother be so angry with him for leaving nitya-mata and not returning?

@Satya? surya called out, voice not without a quaver, though pitched loud enough to carry across his surroundings.

Satya had been napping.

Because he was so tired, see? Because he had been working hard for Whitebark Stream, even if he didn't have much to show for it. A few rabbits had been turned in to the caches, and a few more currently padded his stomach — but he was distracted, and so not very successful in his hunts.

The borders, at least, had gotten some of his attention.

"Huh?" he yawned as his name was called out, feeling a little prickly over having been woken by his more energetic brother once more. It took a moment before his mind caught up to current day, and only then did he burst out of the bush he'd been curled up beneath. "Surya!" he cried, tail wheeling so quickly he feared he might take off. His legs, too, were working overtime, nearly tripping him up in his haste to reunite with his littermate.

"You ass," he said as the other male came into sight, but the words were spoken with great warmth and deep joy, and he was still on-track to meet up with the agouti in a friendly tackle.

he was real. surya didn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation until satya was almost upon him, and as the two brothers collided—flesh against flesh; not a dream—he felt his eyes well up with tears he'd held back for moons. he let them spill over, but hid his face in satya's ruff instead of pulling back right away.

you ass. he laughed, shoulders quivering against his brother's frame. haan, mujhe pataa, he chuckled, his words half-choked through a throat gone tight with emotion. he stepped away after a moment to compose himself, mouth agape in an astonished smile, eyes still wet.

tum—yahaan! surya exclaimed, tail thrashing behind him. kab? kaise? kahaan hai. . . he trailed off, looking around, as if expecting their sister to materialize just as suddenly as satya had. shanthi saath ho?

but shanthi's scent was faint at best on the other yearling's pelt; it was clear that they had been apart for some time. he felt his stomach twist, thinking of his sister alone in the world now. they had once been inseparable; surya's obstinance had ruined that. he had only himself to blame for their presence here, so far from home.

Satya was close to tears himself, but only a few escaped before his joy at the reunion eased the bittersweetness of it. Surya was alive and with him, and that was what really mattered.

The male gave a mute shake of his head as he caught his breath and swallowed the frog in his throat. "No — I told her I would find you." The implication being that he would bring him right home after doing so. But he thought he understood some of why Surya had felt the need to leave; he would not attempt to bring him home until Surya himself wanted to go.

"Where did you go?" he asked next, wanting to get caught up with his favorite brother. "Just now, I mean. I worried you wouldn't be back."

she hadn't come. shanthi had always been more headstrong than satya and much smarter than surya. she had told him off for leaving, growing angry, flabbergasted that he would go.

"it doesn't matter!" she had hollered at him, tail lashing. "whoever our father supposedly is, it doesn't matter! rajendra is our pa; he loves us. are you going to turn your back on him and everybody else that loves you?!"

well, he had. and now satya was here, and shanthi was presumably the last of the trio back home. she was right—but surya would never, ever admit that. not until he had substantially more time to grow up.

he shook himself from his thoughts, realizing satya had spoken. ah. . .aphrodite, he explained briefly, cryptically. paused for a moment, then said, a close friend. she was kidnapped; i had to go find her. it took some time, but we're both back. and you, too. . .

surya sighed, eyes skimming the ground. mujhe maaf karo, bhaiyya, he murmured morosely. for everything. for leaving. for being so angry. i am sorry.

maybe, if he was sincere enough, the apology would somehow touch shanthi's far-away heart, too.

"Kidnapped!" Satya exclaimed, something like excitement shining in his eyes. It sounded like an excellent story — except, he realized, it wasn't a story at all, and his excitement turned to bewilderment and worry. "Kidnapped," he repeated in tones of uneasy wonderment. "And you rescued her?"

Surya's apologies had Satya shaking his head. "There's nothing to forgive," he said firmly. He'd been upset at the time, but he thought he could understand his brother's reaction. "We're all still family. You know that, right?"

haan, he answered, nodding. at satya's second question, the yearling looked sheepish, caught between telling a whale's tale to impress his brother or stick with the truth. he decided to go with the latter; satya was too smart for hyberbole. he always had been. with help, yes. i helped her escape while friends of hers fought off the brute that took her.

had it been right to leave so suddenly? well, yes, of course. his priority in that situation had been aphrodite, and it would have been foolish to keep her there while he leapt into the fray. he just hoped that the duo that he'd met on the beach had gotten out of the fight okay.

his shoulders sank in relief. dhanyavaad, he murmured, and stepped forward to place his head and neck over his brother's dark shoulders. we'll always be family. no matter what. even if rajendra was not their father by blood. even if radha had done something terrible. even if shanthi was a thousand miles away.

will you return home? surya asked, a little timidly.