Hushed Willows house of the rising sun

When a sweep of the wilds turned up none of her missing brothers, Easy returned to the willows where she knew her eldest brother resided. It had been some time since she'd last seen @Sunny, and she had, admittedly, been putting it off. She knew that once she saw him again, it would be very difficult to take her leave of him.

So she'd finished with her other business first. Dauntless was nowhere to be found. Winterbourne and Eventide were either operating under different names or absent from the wilds. Dawn and Aditya (as far as she knew) were nearby, and Lavender and Kasatka were safe with family.

Approaching the borders, Easy tipped back her head to call for her brother, eager to see him once more.

This was one call he hadn't expected.


The voice was familiar in a way that set his heart racing with joy and he leaped to his paws, howling to let her know he would be there shortly and taking off. His tail was wagging a mile a minute and as he arrived he looked her over and grinned  "Easy! Gosh it's been so long!" He gushed and moved forward to embrace her, pausing for a moment to make sure she was okay with it.

It had been over a year since she'd last seen him, and although he did not seem to have changed a bit, he seemed smaller, somehow. It occured to her that she must have grown.

Still, she was still his little sister when he rushed toward her, and she met him with equal enthusiam, paying no mind to the small hesitation. "I've missed you so much," she professed, rocking back on her rump to wrap her forelegs about him. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long." She knew -- or thought she knew? -- that he and Aditya had taken over after Grayday's death, and part of her still felt terrible about having been absent through the family's toughest times. But that was in the past, and there was no use in agonizing over it now.

"Can I stay here?" she asked plainly, lowering herself in supplication. "With you?"

He openly nuzzled into her embrace amazed at how big she had gotten his heart swelling at the apology. He had gotten over the disappearance of his younger siblings for a long while, he knew that it was normal for young wolves to want to roam. He had done it himself at an extremely young age and his father had done it almost his whole life, even when founding and leading Morningside. He smiled as he pulled away, eyes crinkling with warmth as she asked if she could stay here. He was surprised she even asked, did she think he would turn her away? "Of course you can Easy, You're always welcome around here. I am the sole Elysium leader at the moment and we've had some tragedies but it's home for me and I think at least for now it'll be comfortable for you" he grinned, humor crossing his expression "Not to mention that you have a lot of new family. Two nephews and a niece on my side and one each on Dawn's. Dawn and her kids dont live here but they visit" he dropped the news without sadness, figuring that Aliac would eventually be mentioned and for now choosing to leave the sad bits out.

Easy was glad to hear that Dawn was in the same place as she'd left her, but sorry to hear that her own brother had suffered unknown tragedies here. She felt they'd both had enough of tragedies for the rest of their lives, but that was just the way the world turned, sometimes. She pressed forward once more with a quiet, "Oh, Sunny," that seemed to be half wry amusement and half deep commiseration. "I've just missed you so much. Not just you, but being a part of this family. I wish we could all be together again the way that it used to be -- but failing that, I want to make my family with yours. Maybe together, we can win back something of what we used to have."

It had been a difficult choice -- him or Dawn. But while Dawn undoubtedly possessed their father's strength and indomitable spirit, she knew that Sunny had his unfailing heart. She thought a good pack needed both, but what she needed was Sunny.

"You have a niece and nephew to meet from Lavender," she told him. "A little girl called Journey, and a sweet boy named Brave. What'd your name your three?"

Her words brought up the faint ache for Morningside again, a place that was so much more than a pack of wolves working together. They all were close, were all a family who were loyal to one another until things started to go wrong and dad died. He had once wanted to try to reform Morningside or at least make his own version as close as possible to it. "Dawn said Morningside is the people you keep....but it was more. I miss it too but I create happiness out of what I have. I'm so glad you're here though, having family around makes it better" he said warmly and fell silent as he stepped aside to invite her over the borders as she gave him news of more family. Lavender....she'd had children as well! He grinned and imagined what they would be like, Journey and Brave. "I hope I get to meet them one day" 

Easy smiled, agreeing with her brother's sentiment. Morningside was the family you created, and a mindset that you carried in your heart, and a family name that they all proudly wore -- but it was more. It was something that needed to be believed in to be real, and sometimes, it was hard to believe in it all by yourself.

"I'm sure you will," she assured him. "They're not too far -- a week or so's journey. Maybe we can go and see them when your three are a little bit older."

She knew, by now, exactly how to find Round Valley. As long as their aunt hadn't moved the pack, they would see each other again.