Haunted Wood i watch the work of my kin bold and boyful

@Valour, sometime after they make it home.

everyone was here — his siblings, his friends — but where was connie? famine trudged through the territory, kicking up flat stones to vent his frustration. who was he meant to play with now?

famine thought about going out to look for her, but remembered how hungry he'd been on his last adventure. instead, he sat longingly at the border and waited for his sister's return.

There wasn't any rest yet for one pup still couldn't be found though they were looking best they could. Conquest had managed to get herself farther away than Famine had and he prayed it was because someone had found her and made sure she was safe. While another patrol went out searching he wanted to finish tying up the loose ends surrounding Famine, mainly the pack scent that had been on his fur. After finding him absent from the den area he panicked an instantly tracked the child's scent finding him sitting at the borders quietly staring out"Hey Famine" he greeted softly as he took a seat a couple of feet away."What're you up to?" he asked curiously in case there was another escape being plotted though looking down at Famine Valour realised he looked upset rather than like a troublemaking kid.

famine looked blankly toward valour, quickly beating his lashes to whisk away any forming tears. he tried his hardest to keep those cheeks dry but in the end, the sobs came anyway, and he quickly melted into a fluff-ball of sadness.

connie, famine whimpered. where was she? he'd been expecting to see her near the densite, but when he'd gotten there, she was missing. he breathed a sigh too big for his little body and hunched over, head hanging low against his chest.

For a moment as he stared down into the glistening purple eyes of the child he considered just telling the boy he'd be back and running away to not actually come  back. He would send Santiago or Memory, or Serem or..anyone else but him to take care of Famine.  How was he of all people supposed to comfort a sad child when he was a kid with his own issues not figured out (not that he'd admit that to anyone). Famine whimpered something he almost missed and when it processed Valour felt even worse. He didn't remember his sister or what loving family felt like but he remembered when Clay went missing and how torn apart he had been. 

 Feeling awkward about it he stood and hesitantly inched closer where if allowed he would lift a paw and gently pull Famine in for a hug. If not he would sit back down and offer the best comfort he could "She went on an adventure of her own... we'll bring her back as soon as we can"  he looked out of the woods, eyes slowly scanning the area as if Conquest would appear any second and save him from having to wipe away tears.

an adventure? that wasn't fair. connie should have stayed at home, or gone with her brother for company. surely, she must be lonely all alone. famine sighed and lifted both forepaws to wipe away his tears, falling onto his back in the process.

of course, this caused a laugh, though it only lasted a moment. 'venture? famine asked after finally catching his breath. he splayed out each of limbs while awaiting valour's explanation.

Looking down with a guarded expression he watched the boy try to pull himself together, tumbling over as he wiped his tears away and perking up with a laugh in response. Valour couldn't help it, he cracked a smile and looked away trying to not let Famine see him laughing at the adorable clumsiness. Had he been like this when he was a child? Before he could say anything more Famine settled into a relaxed position and asked of the adventure Conquest had went on. His heart leaped into his chest and he panicked, the silence seeming to go on for hours as he tried to think of an explanation. "She did the same thing as you. Wandered off" he finally said ears shifting back awkwardly. He was unsure  exactly how Famine had managed to wander so far away that he had gotten picked up but he assumed the girl had done the same.... hopefully as the alternatives weren't pleasant to think about.  "Who kept you safe out there?" he asked wanting a change of subject from the missing girl and remembering the strange scent that had clung to his fur when he'd been found.

valour's questions made some sense. famine considered them, thought about how he might respond, then said: connnie? he wanted to know when they were going to get her; obviously, she wouldn't be on her adventure forever. the group would go looking for conquest, just as they had looked for famine!

yes, that had to be it! famine leapt up from his resting place and quickly ran across the border, fully expecting valour to follow. they'd go find conquest and bring her back home where she belonged.

Valour made note to ask Serem how long it took kids to start talking as Famine answered his question by once again asking about his sister. This time it seemed almost impatient, like "when is she coming home?"

Before he could try and explain that she couldn't come back yet the kid took off. "Famine stop!" he shouted after the boy, his voice sharp as he took off after the child catching up quickly. After a moment of thinking he supposed that taking Famine with him to check where Conquest had last been seen wouldn't be too bad of a thing. "You're going the wrong way Bud" he smiled and then motioned for the boy to follow him toward the west "We're gonna check this way and look around for a while but then we have to go home again" it was the least he could offer, doing something productive had always taken his mind off of things.

famine followed dutifully behind valour after being assured that they would be looking for conquest. he didn't actually know where to look, so being given some direction made the boy feel much better. 

connie, connie, famine whispered to himself, ermna — hermana — connie. he stuck his nose to the ground and started the joyous wag of his tail, excited to be doing something worthwhile.

Eyes falling to the child, he listened to the happy murmuring and was struck by that weird warm feeling followed by guilt that made him feel the failure of the pack's  searching especially hard in that moment. As they came upon the stream he placed himself between Famine and the bank of the stream "Help me give everything a sniff, please watch the edge. Don't fall in" he said warning him of the danger and lowering his own nose sniffing as he had the first time he had checked and caught a faint whiff that lead him to where Memory had reported finding fur and pee. He knew it would be gone by now but for now there wasn't anything to do but keep double checking and retracing Conquest's last known steps.  At least the repetitive and frustrating searching that prevented him from sleeping would bring comfort to the child they were successful in finding.

before long, they'd arrived at the stream. famine hadn't seen anything like it before but decided that it was alright. not caring for valour's warning, he dipped a paw gently into the water as preparation for the rest of their search.

he pushed his nose onto the ground and began sifting through the dirt. there were scents there, yes, but none of them quite matched his connie. with a sigh, famine walked to valour's side to try looking in his area.

Knowing the search was pointless at least for him, his search was pretty much over as Famine came beside him. Stepping aside to let him check for himself he gave his head a somber shake "Nothing yet" he didn't want to dash Famine's hopes, the kid was really sensitive about his sister so he added "that doesn't mean she isn't out there though" he didn't want to say that Memory's suggestion had begun to haunt him. Eagles. Coyotes. There were a bunch of other deadly animals that could hurt a young defenseless child left alone. 

Do you want to fade out?We can say they kept searching for a while if you want!

that's fine! :)

there weren't any markers, but valour didn't seem worried. famine imagined that to mean everything was fine; rather than throwing a fit, he continued with their search. the pair went on for another short while before finally returning home to enjoy their evening meal.