Gyrfalcon's Keep she fooled me twice and it's all my fault

How did he get here? In a haze, he assumed. After he had played God for some stranger he had drifted towards nowhere in particular. He had attempted to put distance between himself and the northern reaches of these deeply cursed lands. The image of the skull had never left him, no matter how hardly he tried to forget.

Needless to say, Athris was turning into a giant puddle of a pity party. He wanted so badly to return back home but there was little to return to. More cursed lands, more angry gods who would probably be angrier that he had come here and played some twisted games already.

He felt sick and the cawing of birds was forgotten about in his haze of thoughtfulness.

she's been a mess since her meeting with zamael, able to focus on little aside from the aching hole in her heart where her brother ought to be. it's so terribly unfair for them to be separated, she thinks; in all this wide cruel world they have only each other, and that has been taken from them. so she wanders the coast, half-hoping she will find the family member she seeks. some part of her remains too jaded to truly hope, but hope is her only solace in athris' absence. she needs to think he might be out there somewhere, within reach, or she may just go as crazy as everyone thinks she is. ironically, she misses his scent, wrapped up in her own melancholy and loneliness. in fact, she misses all signs of his presence until she's nearly upon him — and then she sees him, and her eyes go wide and she flings herself against him without caring if it lands them both on the ground. athris! she cries out, covering his face in kisses whether he finds this greeting agreeable or not.

He hit the earth with an unceremonious thud and he thinks Holy shit I am going to die. The last thing he will have heard was...his own name? What? That couldn't be right. Then he registered he was being kissed. Murderers didn't kiss. At least not the types he had been familiar with.

Then a grin split his silver face in two, blonde socked legs aiming to wrap around her neck. Ashari. He breathed with obvious relief. Oh, Ashari! He cried and suddenly he had tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't see her through the tears but she was real as ever, here with him. He choked with laughter and relief.

Perhaps he had come far away enough from the north to be rewarded. This was a reward he would not trade for the world. I missed you. How are you? He asked in a breathless rush as he searched for any signs that even a single hair might be out of place on his sister.

she allows him to embrace her, throat tightening at hearing her own name. oh no, don't cry, you're going to make me cry, she says thickly, but she's already crying too. she buries her face in his scruff and breathes in his scent, taking a moment to soak in his presence before she answers him. better now that you're here — where were you, athris? where did you go? i-i looked everywhere. her voice breaks a little with the last word, muffled by her brother's fur.

Well, you made me cry first. He teased back softly as he tried to blink away the tears. He had never wanted to make her cry. Ever. Yet he was sure it was okay to cry over good things, right? Athris knew he did enough crying for the both of them but he wanted to be selfish and make her cry for him too. Not in a hurtful way but in a loving, careful way that only she could do.

Athris would hold her close as long as he was allowed. Oh, I got so lost Ashari. I got turned around one too many times. Then I couldn't find anyone's trail and— A soft sob escaped him. I'm so sorry. He whispered as the tears broke through again. I'll never do it again. Ever. I promise just forgive me.

her breath hitches and she almost chokes on a sob, losing all ability to hold back the emotion flooding through her. she'd missed him so much — their separation had been more painful than anything she's ever known, and now that he's with her again she knows she can never repeat it. to lose him again would be to die, surely. of course i forgive you, she whispers through her tears, pulling away slightly to dot more kisses along his muzzle. it's not his fault he got lost, after all — it's the tribe's fault, and shaara's fault, and her own fault for ever letting him out of her sight. she sighs, burying her face in his fur again, and murmurs almost inaudibly: i love you. i missed you so much. but he's here now, and she's never going to let him go again. never.

Her forgiveness was all he needed. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and she had cleansed his mind. Of course, he had no doubt things would haunt him later and he’d need to discuss some things but that didn’t matter now. He just wanted to bathe in her attention and affection as long as he could.

I love you too. It was so lonesome out there without you. He informed her as he groomed his sister’s crown. Have you been staying here? Athris inquired in a hush tone.

she closes her eyes, leaning into her brother's grooming with a soft sigh. sort of, she admits sheepishly to his question, remembering how hard she'd fought her initial relocation to the coast, back with the tribes. i just — gods, athris, i hate it but i can't get away from the ocean. it's like — the tribes were right, kind of. at least a little bit. they were full of shit but they were right — it's in me or something. she realizes she's rambling, and she'd cursed, and her eyes are heating up with tears again, but this time from shame and hurt and fear. or maybe i'm just crazy. like dad.

He listened intently as she spoke, his grooming never ceasing. Maybe the clans had only been half full of shit. Especially if his sister seemed so drawn to the ocean. Athris supposed he was lucky for he could be anywhere and the moon would still shine down on him. Then she said something that twisted his gut into knots and made him feel woozy.

"or maybe i'm just crazy. like dad."

Don't you ever say that, Ashari. He sternly whispered. Athris was usually not a wolf capable of manning up but he would not let his sister utter such words or even entertain the thought she was anything like their father. Especially now that Athris had seen what had happened to him. He would share...eventually. But for now he held he knowledge in a locked up corner of his mind. You are so much better than him, than all of them. His voice seemed to drift back into its softer tones as he settled his muzzle against her crown.

his tone startles her, and she freezes for a moment, but she relaxes quickly. his words are soothing, though she doesn't have a good response for several moments. all she can do is lean into his embrace for a few seconds until finally words come to her. you are too, yknow, she murmurs, and she means it. they all think we're such a mistake — but i think we're the only sane ones. i-i ran into zamael and he — she shakes her head slightly. it doesn't matter. he doesn't matter. i just wish — i wish i could make them stop looking at us like we're filth. i will, one day.

Oh but he was not better than them. He had entered these lands in a lightly drugged haze and saw the eyes of his father stare at him through his skull. He had briefly played God for someone in need. He was pitiful. And yet he kept these thoughts locked up. Soon she would know them all but Athris could not dare taint the purity of their reunion.

Forget them. All of them. Father, Zamael and anyone else who looks at us as such. Athris would never be able to forget them but he wished for his sister to. She deserved better out of the both of them. She had the will, the strength and the pure motivation where he merely shriveled and died like a dried worm. I know you'll show them all up. He murmured softly. And I'll be there to help every step of the way.

his words of support bring fresh tears to her eyes, and she's quiet again for a time. so many thoughts are swimming around in her head, she has a hard time grasping a single one at first. but then something sticks out to her suddenly, bright and burning, and she sucks in a breath and wraps her forelimbs around her brother, pulling him so tightly to her she's certain it must hurt. you're mine, athris, she asserts fiercely, unashamed of the sentiment. i won't let you go again. the words are meant as reassurance, and there is no small amount of love in her tone, but there is also perhaps the barest hint of threat. it hangs in the air unspoken, but the message is clear: whether you like it or not.

Something shifted in the atmosphere. Suddenly he was being gripped like a python about to kill its prey. And it did hurt. His shoulders felt bound by the force and his limbs felt misplaced against her. All he could do was release a low throaty whine.

"you're mine, athris,"

His skin felt hot with shame and embarrassment for some reasons he couldn't explain. Green eyes struggled to stay trained on her face but he felt an inkling of fear of what might happen if he didn't give her his full attention.

"i won't let you go again."

Shame and embarrassment gave way to guilt. He wanted to burden the blame for his disappearance, he never intended for her to feel she had let him go. I won't wander, Ashari. He whispered in a airy whine. Perhaps hidden under layers of love was fear. Fear that he might upset her or might do something unworthy of her forgiveness. It would no doubt eat him alive late at night when she slumbured and he worked. Yet he pressed a few licks to her chin for good measure. It was a promise — regardless of fears and worries — and he meant it.

guilt flashes through her at her brother's whine, and she loosens her grip, suddenly nauseous. you can do whatever you want, she says, hating how desperate it sounds, and pulls away from him. just like dad, she thinks, and suddenly she can see her mother's face in her mind, and she hates herself. i um, i gotta pee. she says lamely, fleeing before she can hear his response. she hates herself.