The inlaid shadowed tunnels were lit by what felt like their very own presences: sun and moon. It didn't ward away the dark thoughts that swirled in either of their heads; the unsettling presence of a blood moon hanging in the sky had not dissipated. Both of them knew it was still out there, waiting, watching for them to pop out of the other end — unless they were lucky. Unless the Five let the Sun chase away the horrors of a red moon.

Her question was not answered by words but a grunt, Amaris' eyes casting anywhere but Aelia's frazzled form. Then silence, nothing but the sound of their in-step paws together, crunching against the dirt and dead leaves (cast away from trees outside the tunnel) that made up the tunnel's flooring.

Crunch.

Crunch. Crunch. 'Do you think...' 

Crunch. 'Have you thought about the possibility...' Crunch. Crunch.

'What if the Five have abandoned us, Aelia?' Cru—

Wait, what? Aelia's paws stopped moving, her lunar eyes examining her twin. He had always been one to doubt, but more in himself than the Five themselves. Before she could let her spitfire tongue get the best of her (and she would if it had been anyone else), she saw the hunch in her brother's shoulders. And she can vibrantly feel the way his unease flows through him, like a bright color that grays her too. But one of her strengths is becoming the light in the shadows of his darkness, showing him that the moon can glow too, if aided by its sun counterpart.

Though she stares, she listens, with her eyes not as intense as the full moon as they once had been, but now more kind, empathetic, a lunar source that wolves howl to on a lonely night. I have felt disconnected for a long time... Was it because they had not been with one another? Aelia, too, felt like a piece was missing from her, but she was still able to see the auras that danced around people if she focused hard enough. He continues, with a confession, shadows that had crept around him since birth had started to dissipate — was that not a good thing? She thought, even if the moon is rumored to have a dark side.


After a long pause, as if digesting all the information, Aelia took a pawstep forwards, moving again through the tunnel, no matter how hard it felt, how utterly confining it was; it was better than the alternative, alone, out in the blood moon, without answers. They have not abandoned us, Amaris. She says, now next to him, joining his side once more, letting her wing-tipped shoulder meld with her twin's silver lining, It is times like these where having faith is key. Had she ever had doubts that the Five had turned their eyes away from her — from them? No, the thought really hadn't crossed her mind, even when she wanted them to look away.

Maybe I am selfish for thinking this, She could often be, But maybe the reason you feel so disconnected is because... We haven't been so close. When the words came out, she hurried to fix them, Physically, I mean. Right? Like, that night behind the waterfall... We were close, and we saw something together, didn't we? She urged him to remember, That was real. The Five were there with us. They've been with us since we were born. They gifted us to our mothers. Right now, we have to forge our own path... We have to have faith and do what we can... If they were to fix it all, how would we know what miracles are? They could do it together, like they always had.

If the Five imbued me with you, then like me, I don't think they could ever leave you behind. She whispered to her twin, nudging his cheek with her nose, wanting to see him smile...

Sacred Wolf Mother, how long had it been since she'd seen that?