Redsand Canyon a monster in my head, a ghost inside my chest

He had heard her voice, he had heard her.

He had to find Arlette.

Pack scent flooded his nostrils as he came upon Redsand Canyon, and his mind had turned the entire run here, from dawn through dusk and dusk through dawn, only to repeat again.

Merrit did not care to sift through the scents along the borderline. All that mattered was that there were wolves here, and he was certain his sister still filed amongst them.

He tipped his head and howled.

Certain she would recognize his voice.

Certain she would come.

AW but tagging @Kallik for known reasons :)

A howl from the borders, this time a voice that felt familiar in some way. He often met strangers at the borders, but today his heart started to race and he couldn't figure out why. 

When he emerged from behind red stone walls, Kallik almost froze in sheer disbelief. How did Merrit even know he was here? He was too preoccupied with the reappearance of his cousin to realize that the call had not been for him. 

The scutarius stopped in front of one of his few remaining family members. Merrit? For once, he was not the wall of ice he usually was on the borders of Mereo; he was too stunned. Where have you been? Kallik asked. They had been separated a while ago, and the soldier had given up any hope of finding his cousin again.

Aquene had been near the borders. She tried to limit any travelling she did, even as simply as to the borders, in an attempt to soothe her husband’s worries but there were plants to be restocked so she might teach Tamar about them… after that she could surely send the other woman. She heard the call but it was not for any wolf she knew, and so curiosity got the best of her. It seemed friendly enough and she was certain an Auxilia of some kind would be there soon.
 
What she had not expected was to find her husband there, catching his words as her curiosity only grew. He knew the man in front of him. She offered a brief greeting to him, keeping herself somewhat behind him as she simply waited. She was not certain if she should say something, or even if she should turn and leave. Kallik was surprised but not cold or aloof, a reaction she rarely saw anyone besides herself draw from him, and so she chose to remain.

"Kallik?"

Thoughts of Arlette fell from his mind as he found himself covering the distance that remained between himself and his cousin.

"Where have you been?" he returned - not upset, but with a laugh of disbelief. Kallik, his cousin. Alive? Merrit had always known it... yet he had given up searching, just as he had given up on Stark. "I thought you had left the Wilds! After you left in the summer, I could not find you. But - " here a smile caught over his face, small, but genuine, "here you are."

His gaze shifted to the woman who came alongside his cousin, and Merrit perceived something in the air between them. Something he knew the name for - yet he was unable to fathom that little Kallik was even old enough for that.

Kallik was the one who had left; he had just been so surprised to see his cousin here that his question was the first thing that came to mind. There was no anger in Merrit's tone, though the scutarius felt guilty all the same.

He heard steps approach from behind, Aquene's scent filling his nose a second later. He was not happy that his pregnant wife was meeting strangers at the border. What if this had been someone dangerous and not his cousin? It was something he would have to talk to her about later. 

I guess I just needed to be alone for a while, he offered. I'm sorry if I worried you. Merrit had always been there; he hadn't left or died. More guilt swelled in his chest; he should have told his cousin where he was going but he had been in a lot of pain and had not been thinking about much else. 

Kallik turned his head and motioned for Aquene to come forward. She would see none of the coldness he usually offered when he intercepted callers at the border. This is my wife, Aquene. It was very strange introducing her as his wife to Merrit. They hadn't seen each other since the soldier was angry kid on the cusp of adulthood. Now he was a soldier and married with pups on the way. He wished so much that he had found his cousin sooner. Aquene, this is my cousin, Merrit. We haven't seen each other for some time.

Aquene had been calculated in her decision and would not hesitate to inform her husband of the logic she used to assess the safety of her being there with him. It appeared that he knew the man in front of him, and knew him well. Seldom did he use such a normal voice with others… others who weren’t her at least. He was introducing her to him, and her eyes widened lightly at the mention of a cousin. This was family. She felt shy in that moment, a hint of shock but she quickly buried it and regained the decorum she was accustomed to using.
 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Merrit.” She offered with a soft and friendly smile. She knew that Kallik has a complicated relationship with his family, but it appeared that he did not have such a complicated relationship with his cousin. She did not know the story, nor did she have any context for their relationship, so she simply remained silent by her husband’s side in support.