Jade Fern Grove a saint bernard sits at the top of the driveway

@West Tyree , @Zephyr
small bit of pp w west, lemme know if that's not ok!

having to wait an extra week had not been ideal but polaris had lingered on the thread between determination and idiocy for a bit before making the wiser decision to wait out the blizzards that had sniggered at those who'd dared hope for spring. if it had only been her embarking on this little mission then perhaps she would not have let weather stand in the way of her goal but she didn't want west's first trip outside of the borders to end with them freezing to death. she was also pretty sure that valette wouldn't be too impressed by such behaviour either. so when things had finally cleared up enough to appear travel worthy, she'd paced impatiently on the pack's scent lines waiting for west to join her. the air still had a bite that stung at her throat and ruffled the fur on her shoulders but giving how this winter seemed determined to plague them for as long as possible, such conditions were familiar to the point of being easy to ignore. 

they moved at a quick pace through the damp grass now, her muscles stretching leisurely as she snaked forth briskly. she'd cast a look at west every now and then to see how he was faring, hoping she wasn't moving too quick for him but unable to bring herself to slow- not yet. it was as if she feared that letting herself slack even the slightest would result in them getting whisked back within the borders of easthollow and now that she was finally free to do her thing, imagining being stopped again had her gut writhing viciously. still, despite the anxiety tingling throughout her figure leaving her uncharacteristically silent, it felt superb to be out roaming again and her heart strained so far forth that it appeared to be a few paces ahead of her dainty steps at all times. 

after a while though, she'd begin to slow as the treeline of a small forest came into view and with a little grin to her companion; she'd step beneath the thickening canopy and let wide eyes adjust to the gloom. fog had slunk alongside them during their whole journey so far and it was no different in here, in fact there was something spectacularly eerie about the way it curled wispy tendrils around the limbs of both trees and themselves. shaking herself, polaris finally let loose a little sigh and leaned her back against one of the trees. "wanna rest a bit?" she'd chirp, paws pressing into the soft earth as she glanced about. "i was hoping the weather would be a bit more pleasant considering it's your first time out" she mused dryly, stretching each stiff muscle in turn "but oh well hopefully it'll improve with time!"

shifting her weight, she chewed on her lip whilst listening to the familiar song of the birds, trying to relax to both it and the lush scents one could only find in a damp forest on the brim of blooming. "so my plan is...well your closest neighbours apparently are a pack not too far off i'd say we're about halfway, so we find them and ask them if they recognize any of the names from my family" she shrugs a little, aware that the plan wasn't perhaps that most elegant. "at least it gives us somewhere to start- and sorry if i'm a little uh..fidgety i'm just stressed y'know" she blinks down to her dirtied paws, still shuffling them through the old vegetation littering the floor. glancing back up, a small smile flits across her features as she adds with a touch of jest "so how are you finding the big wide world so far?"

PP is fine!!

Shortly after their first meeting, West sought out his mom to ask for her permission and much to his excitement she seemed to have no issues letting him go. Her only request was that he returns and as far as he was concerned, that was a guarantee. It had been a week since then but the duo finally left the safety of pack borders into the vast unknown. The glimpses of spring seemed to be blotted out by the cold and recent snowfall, yet the sunny boy seemed to burn past it taking each stride with a new sense of adventure. Polaris seemed to glance back every now and then, but most of the time the woodland boy would miss her gaze, eyes glued to their surroundings as he took in everything.

He hadn't noticed her slow at first, the line of trees quickly approaching when she paused and broke the silence that had fallen between them since their departure. West glanced behind them, the borders of Easthollow already gone from view, If you're tired we can rest, but I don't mind going further. He never had to pace himself before, but he was content pushing forward. Realistically a break was smart. He had no idea how much ground they still had to cover before they reached their destination, nor how long it would take. The woodland boy turned his attention to the dark forest, his eyes casting up as the sunlight began to diminish through the canopy. West had seen fog before, but compared to the sparse trees and open land this was already so different from Easthollow.

Polaris explained her plan starting with the nearest pack. It seemed smart enough to him, after all he had no idea where to start or who they were even looking for. Half way, really? Then we could get there today, right? His tail wagged excitedly at the thought. He had never been to another pack before. It's fine, why the stress though? They're alive somewhere, we just gotta track em down! West liked to think he wasn't half bad at tracking, but this was a lot different than finding a rabbit for a snack. He offered a grin in hopes of easing her worry and as a response to the dove's last question. It's neat. Not too different from the hollow so far, but I'm excited to see what else is out here! My grandpa Kove has told me a lot about different sceneries and mountains in the north. My sister Ira also lives somewhere past the mountains to the west by a river? Maybe it was plains now, but she says it's really different there!

The distant voice carried on the wind is far too familiar for comfort, sending a cold ripple up Zephyr's spine. He stops, ears straightening, and lifts his head to catch the scents as they drift to him. It's been a long time, but no amount of time could make him forget the scent of a littermate. Polaris is here.
He takes in a deep breath, grateful he's downwind and has the advantage of a little time to prepare himself for this meeting. Someone else is with her, someone unfamiliar, and the last thing he'd want is to spill his guts in front of a stranger. When he finally feels confident enough to move toward the two, his steps are fast and heavy, anxious. He isn't surprised to find her alive, but somehow that doesn't make this any easier than seeing Maman had been. He still feels stunned and nauseous, and a little like the world isn't quite real. Or maybe he doesn't feel real. One of the two.
Which makes things a little hard when he catches sight of his sister, and it's time to find words to greet her with. He hardly notices the male with her at first; his presence registers, but only as a vague part of the background, as much a piece of scenery as the grass and sky. Polaris, It's the only thing he can think to say as he approaches, expression betraying none of the emotions churning within him. He slows to a stop a few yards off, and lingers uncertainly.

she grins a little, refreshed by his excitement as her head bobs in agreement to the proclamation to tumble questioningly from his jaws. "that is certainly the plan alright, i don't think any challenging landscape stands between us so unless something else pops up we should make good time" her weight shifts from paw to paw as little shivers dance along her spine; the chill enjoying getting to sink claws in now that they'd stilled and left themselves open as easy targets to it. the upturn to her lips falters a little at what he says next, ears leaning away as a stiff sigh huffs forth into the frigid air. she appreciates the optimism it's just...well she wishes she could share it so wholeheartedly. a stranger she once knew, small little dove like girl with bright bi-eyes and a disbelief that anything in the world truly intended to be cruel would have agreed without missing a beat. but polaris doesn't know that naive child, the world is a beautiful place indeed but the price to such charm was that it was at times, ultimately barbaric. so the words to slip free from her slender muzzle in a low murmur were "i hope so" because beyond that, there was nothing more she could do. 

she'd planned to leave it at but as she frowned into the lingering silence, heart hitting a little uncomfortably against her chest, she gave into the selfish want to unload just a tiny bit and continued. "valette only heard of kavik and lainie being alive you see and....well it was a really bad rockslide. as if the mountain itself was falling apart and the chances that no one was...well yknow" her voice tightens and she offers up a little flustered shrug; not trusting herself to go any further- it was quite clear what she was getting at anyway. her tail flicks free across the damp earth; feeling a little guilty. she didn't want to ruin the mood or twist the air so that feeling happy would feel wrong for him so shaking herself she let a smile prowl back across dark lips and listened gladly to his opinions on what they'd seen so far. thinking about what else the earth had to offer had always been a coping mechanism of hers and it was no different now as she grinned fully once more, curious at the mention of these other family members. "i've been on the other side of the mountains" she couldn't resist adding, quite chuffed. "not sure if i ever came across her pack though but if you ever wanna vis-"

'polaris'

there is a moment where she is reluctant to turn as the soft voice slips about the fringes of twisting ears. wishing to avoid the pain of crashing hope upon discovering that it was just a trick of the wind. yet as if on their own accord, paws are already shuffling through the debris to twist her svelte figure to search the looming trunks haphazardly until....a little gasp escapes her as she focuses on her; blinking rapidly a few times to make sure she was in fact, not a spectre haunting the gloomy woods but a true solid wolf. zephyr. her chest twists painfully and eyes shine in the slanted light as a trembled "zeph...?" slips forth. 'alive...alive...ALIVE??'

"you're..." it chokes out and despite the clamouring 'alive' wrecking havoc within, she cannot free it to roam the air and complete her sentence. as if waking from a deep sleep, she shakes herself and lacking the hesitant uncertainty of her sibling; flung herself forward to crash into an ungraceful embrace with the silvered girl she'd believed she would never get to see again. but she was here, breathing and solid and alive. it was true, all this time she'd been so damn wrong, she wasn't alone.

Polaris didn't seem to hold the same hope that he did, but he wouldn't let his own falter. His mom said that they were at Easthollow recently which means they had to have survived this rockslide! Even if there had been damage...she'd at least have some family. The woodland boy couldn't find any words to hopefully change her mind so...he stepped forward to bump his head against the dove's side. Polaris seemed content with changing the conversation so West wouldn't linger any longer.

Before the girl had a chance to finish another voice cut in, something he had a feeling was going to become a norm for them. This time it wasn't Clay though, instead, it was a silver girl, someone he didn't know but clearly Polaris did. At first, the woodland boy grew tense catching the tremble in her voice, but any fears about this stranger were quickly put to rest as she rushed to embrace the girl. Uhh...

The moments between his greeting and Polaris's approach feel like hours. His heart pounds in his ears, a distant drum-beat set under the high shriek of thoughts racing too quickly to make any sense. The tension grows, fills him, and he thinks he'll break under it despite his moment to prepare —
But then she says his name and rushes toward him, and the feeling shatters like waves against the shoreline. His shoulders drop slightly as his sister makes contact, and the force of the embrace unbalances him a little. He manages to absorb the impact and keep his footing, but he doesn't return the embrace at first. The shock of it leaves him still for a moment, breath fast and tremulous.
Yeah, The word slips from him breathlessly, vague and a little too late as a response. He doesn't even know what she'd meant to say; he just needs to say something back, anything. He leans into the embrace slowly, trying desperately to organize his thoughts. He hadn't expected it to go this way, or feel this way; this is different from his reunions with his father and Maman, and Lainie. You — You don't hate me? He swallows the words. I missed you.

she is terrified. 

irrational perturbation hissing taunts at folded ears as she presses against the solid figure that was her sister. yet convinced that should she draw back, flesh would melt to cruel sneering air or if she dare even open her eyes the face of the one wrapped in her embrace would contort to the concerned grimace of a stranger. but the exhaled 'yeah' has the correct rise and falls of the voice she'd both grumbled at and giggled with as a child and her own lips part numbly to shudder forth her own "yeah" she doesn't have a clue as to what they're confirming but at this moment, she'd confirm her agreement to step off of a cliff rather than have any of her family torn from her grasp again. she hadn't even noticed how one sided her motion had been until the little spectre shifted slowly as if enervated to meet the verocity of her embrace like a hummingbird locking with a fox. a little spark of anxiety wriggles within her gut; would she be happy to see her? after everything that had happened with maman's pup and zeph and helios taking off...polaris had distanced herself from the pair a bit. letting a ridiculous seed of bitterness spread treacherous roots throughout her conscious as she grew convinced that the two seen themselves as better than lainie and her.

then she'd had to live with the fact that her stupid, childish excuses for 'turmoils'  had meant that she would never get the oppurtunity to embrace either of them and promise that no matter what; she did love them. the breaths pushed from her panting heart are shivering and fragile. would she pull away? 'please don't, i need you i can't lose anyone else please please please'

a single syllable slinks forth to prod testingly at her tensing figure....you what? her heart patters with the terror she could only imagine prey ever having to feel when knowing that the shadow lurking behind them was set on ending their life. she was so sick of hurting she didn't think she could do it again if zephyr decided she wanted nothing to do with her. her jaw sets stubbornly, a flare of vehemence blazing through her. no she wouldn't let it, she knew they loved each other-

 "i missed you"

a sob almost rocks forth at the relief to cascade across her like a wave of icy water but she bites it back hastily. forever unwilling to display an act of such blatant weakness despite how weak she truly felt from the wavering of her stupid heart to the shudder of the limbs that were supposed to support her. "i missed you so much i...." finally, finally rationality wins out and she pulls back albeit tentatively to focus intensely on the shifting depths of her sibling's glacial gaze. "i thought you were dead...everyone i thought...i thought i was completely alone" her voice is just above a whisper, straining against pain it had had to suffer. a little noise sounds behind her and she jumps a little, shooting a narrowed gaze behind her only to feel utterly doltish at the heat to rise to her cheeks at the realisation that west was there. of course he's there. he'd seen all that oh- her tail flicks uneasily at her hocks as she blinks to clear the mist lingering stubbornly in her gaze, shaking her head. "gosh i'm sorry, zeph this is west tyree a friend of mine im travelling with and well as you heard this is zeph- zephyr" still a little dazed, she forgets to add that this is in fact one of her 'dead' siblings; as if the fact that it was such a big deal to her meant that there was no way that anyone could not know who this was.

The woodland boy stayed rooted in place, whatever was happening now felt wrong for him to interject himself despite his confusion. From the small words spoken he was able to gather more as Polaris finally turned back to him. This girl— she had to be family. She didn't look any older than them, likely another sibling even though the dove never mentioned a Polaris. They were looking for her father and another sibling...

He'd hold back his questions for now, and stepped forward as Polaris introduced him. Hey— I take it you're siblings? A grin started to spread across West's maw as he stopped a few feet short of the pair. Polaris was really worried about you guys, we came out to look for her family. Turns out it wouldn't take too long, maybe she even knew where the rest of her family was. Although that meant their little adventure would likely be cut short...

Zephyr doesn't have time to respond before the conversation shifts, and the boy at the sidelines suddenly becomes a focus. Icy eyes flick to him impatiently, appraising him for a moment with a clearly unimpressed expression. I'm her brother, He clarifies, tone notably colder as he addresses West. His gaze lingers, meeting the larger boy's and staring him down for a few moments as if he's Polaris's protective older brother rather than the youngest of their litter. Then his focus shifts again, and his voice softens by a fraction. Polaris, we need to talk. Alone.

so i just realised that i accidentally hit fox's glade as the location, it was supposed to be jade fern grove which i edited it to now but sorry for any confusion, they weren't supposed to be that close to eh lmao

 a smile steps daintily upon her lips as west steps forward, head bobbing when he asks about their relationship. of course, how could she have forgotten to clarify that but even as jaws part to confirm such a query- the chilled tone of zephyr slips past first. jaws snapping shut, a frown tugs down the corners of her mouth as she shifts eyes from her friend to the willowy figure at her side. 'brother?' her first instinct was to believe that her sister had decided to mock west and yet even as brows furrow she finds the building chide already dying on her tongue as she studies that sharp look focused on the boy. there was no hints of teases or jeers lurking on the impassive features of the spectre and although the confusion writhing within her gut does not ease in the slightest, something about the solemn certainty accompanying such a statement kept her silent for the time being. there was evidently a reason beyond mockery for such a statement and being as anxious as she was about the idea of losing her grasp on the only family she could confirm she still had, she chose the uncharacteristic decision to wait and not press her on it when in the company of another. she may trust west but it made sense that her sibling did not. 

she worries once more when the frostbound gaze finds her that she will declare that she's had enough now and would be taking her leave. teeth already rubbing off of one another as the preparation to fight against such a departure riled within her. but the voice to slip forth is tainted with a softer intensity and without even thinking, she is nodding along- of course, of course! there was so much that still needed to be said, what was zephyr doing now? did she have a home of her own? was she still in touch with the rest of their family? was the rest of her family even alive? swallowing lightly, she casts a look back to west and frowns against the guilt flickering within her. had she not been claimed by sharp clawed desperation, she would perhaps have argued that she could not leave west and they could trust him but, the fear of losing the chance to reconnect with her family was too great and so she nodded again, lips parting to murmur. "go ahead i'll follow your scent and catch up to you okay?" looking to zeph a few moments longer, she'd only step back after presumably receiving an agreement and would flutter back to the earthen easthollow boy with fretful steps.

blinking up at him, she wears the expression that one would accompany with stretching an arm back to rub at the back of her neck and her teeth bite at her lip. offering a weak smile she mumbles "so that's zephyr i...i didn't think i'd ever see her again" her voice cracks a little at the surge of emotion, she doesn't even notice the contradictory 'her' she spills after zephyr had introduced herself as a brother, too lost in the mingling shock and emotion stirring within. "do you mind if i go talk to her for a bit?" her open gaze silently pleads that he assures her that it's okay. with a touch of her usual self, she adds with a small, coy smile "i don't think anyone would dare mess with the great double named prince of easthollow anyway" but the look in her eyes is still faraway and the smile upon dark lips wavers as she fixes her intense gaze on the his eyes, as shifting and viridescent as the swaying canopy above him.

whoops lol it happens sorry for the hold-up! After this post west can be skipped unless someone catches up to him

The woodland boy's excitement quickly dropped only to be replaced by confusion. Brother? Ok, this time he was absolutely sure he hadn't mistaken the girl's gender. It would be rude to double-check now but from voice alone was enough for him when compared to Clay's. Before West had the chance to voice his confusion the...boy? had already moved on from him, looking back to the dove to request a more private discussion. It partially upset him, West wanted to meet more of Polaris' family, but it had been a long time and given the circumstances to what she believed to have happened to her family, he would not argue. Ah— sure... I'll see you in a bit.

Casting a last glance to the silver sibling, West shifted on his paws to turn and continue on the path Polaris had been heading in. It wasn't long until she reappeared at his side, something that surprised him given he had agreed to go on ahead, but what caught him off more was when she referred to Zephyr as a her. Yeah, yeah, of course. That's why we're out here after all, I don't want to keep you from her...ah— is that right though? She's not really your brother right? That wouldn't make any sense. The woodland boy rolled his eyes, never one really considering himself as a prince. West leaned to the side attempting to lightly bump the dove as if nudging her on with a light chuckle, Don't worry, I'll be fine. And if anyone tries anything I'll give them a third name to remember.

her smile falters at his expressed confusion, shit. she'd said 'she' hadn't she, but...it's not like that was wrong. she mirrors west's dubiousness as brows knit together, casting a quick look towards the retreating figure of the spectre. she knew zephyr could come across as a bit outlandish at times but that instinctual need to defend her siblings against forces that did not share their blood was hard to ignore and so she kept her mouth shut as she tried to think of a way to explain such a declaration when she didn't understand it herself. in the end, slender shoulders lifted in an awkward shrug as she simply opted to murmur an honest "i don't really know" and that was that, the hard set of her jaw made it clear that at least right now, she wasn't willing to delve any deeper into what zeph was and wasn't. her own mind would not halt its curious wondering however, picking away at what could possibly have prompted such a declaration forth. perhaps she really had just intended to bait and taunt west...but there had been neither sneers nor mischief roaming the pallid's features and she just didn't believe that it was what had drove that forth. but then again, maybe she was wrong...it had been so long since she'd seen those wolves; could she confidently say she knew them anymore? 

suddenly wearied, she was glad when he roamed into lighter, thoughtless territory. she jumped slightly at his touch, surprise rippling forth at the contact but hastily covered it with a wild grin at his declaration. "oh i can imagine" she'd chirp, arching brows "you're simply terrifying" a snigger at the tease before her gaze softened and there was brief sincerity to the smile as she expressed her gratitude with a slow blink before whipping and bounding eagerly through the vegetation where the young wraith had vanished previously.