Herbalists' Cache No Sugar Tonight

For @Alya and other tags just for reference :)

Bruges indeed kept in touch with @Hydra and @Lyra as he roved further West and North, back to the place where he'd met Alya, but found no trace of her there. From there, he circumvented the mountains by roving closer to the coastline, and then made his way further inland and away from the cold winds. Snow fell one day, as he was travelling, and he called out once to the two dark ladies to warn them of Winter's onslaught but finally got no response. He was out of earshot, or so he believed. Perhaps they had found their sister and no longer wanted his help, and didn't want to share her with him. Either way, he received radio silence from them and simply continued on, half-searching and half-wandering. 

Evening fell by the time he hit the wooded area that he decided to take shelter in from the cool winds that carried across the plains. In the Spring or Summertime, he imagined that the forest would be full of life, as dried and dying vines and plants kept the woodlands thick with vegetation that would be dormant for the Winter before springing back to life in the Spring. He meandered along, half hoping to catch something for a snack; once he'd eaten, he supposed he'd make his way South again and check in on his siblings.

It was time to go home. Alya could not stop thinking about Moonspear - its high peaks, the snowmelt streams, the conifers, the snow, the Cerberus's cave. Sometimes it all felt like some distant dream, and sometimes she could almost taste the cool mountain air once more.

But, as much as she wanted to return home, she also wondered what would become of this place in her absence. And she wondered about her sister, Korei. Had the other girl come back to this place since their meeting? Had she thought of Alya at all, or was it all just water off her back? Alya hated to think that she'd been more affected by the encounter than her long-lost sister, so she headed back to the grove that day in search of Korei's scent.

What she came across instead was something far more pleasant.

Her actions this time around mirrored their first meeting. Alya watched from afar, admiring the male's sinuous grace. A sudden, visceral memory of the way those long, limber legs had felt wrapped around her hips sent a shiver down her spine. Still, she did not approach him.

Bruges continued his search for food, and didn't notice Alya for a few moments whil she watched him. He was more interested in tracking down a meal, and had his nose low to the ground so it wasn't until he raised his fine head and sniffed the air when he caught her scent- or was it her scent? He turned his head twice, pinpointing her location and landing his gaze upon the form of one he'd known thrice; but to which sister the body belonged, he was at a loss to tell. This one, however, smelled of a pack; and not the same pack that the other two had belonged to. All he could guess, then, was that either Hydra and Lyra had joined another pack or- and this was the more likely situation- that he was facing Alya, and she had found a home. 

He, naturally, chose to greet her as though this was Alya. He'd done the same before, and Hydra had not punished him for mistaking her for her sister. She didn't move toward him but he moved toward her assuredly, tail swinging gently from side to side, and a modest smile on his dark lips. "You've been missed, my dear Alya," He greeted in a low, fond voice. "And not just by me- your sisters are looking for you too." Though he did want her for himself, it was of greater importance, of course, that her two sisters thought well of him for continuing his search for her. "Though I'll admit- I wish you'd told me you were one of a triplet so I might not have approached your sister so...fondly." He chuckled.