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for Caan ! sorry this is very overdue :')

fa'liya had been lingering at the fringe of the woods since dawn, tracing her path for so long that the girl’s paws had begun to worry trenches into the snow, pacing a few lengths before circling back again.

she had not seen her brother since her first life. not properly, at least, and she'd been dreading the reunion. her fear was not an entirely senseless thing after so many months apart—she did not know what to expect. she did not even know if he would recognize her. the pack was growing with new faces day after day, and she'd made herself scarce in the face of them—even him—in her anxiousness.

but today, she told herself, todayshe would brave herself, if only to spare herself an awkward introduction later.

twigs snap in the distance, and her ears cant forward to catch it. her neck stretches subconsciously, huffing at the wind, searching. a thin breath wisped from her, soft against the gray hush. she followed his scent like father had taught, and finally his figure came to view. black against stark white snow.

caan?

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sorry for the wait, please tell me if this doesn't make sense i think i'm starting to come down sick lol

Caan still spent many idle hours down by the lake's edge, staring into the deep dark depths, but the boy had begun to range as of late. To be still caused an unease for the boy currently slotted to inherit the band. New faces within the Sun Clan brought new eyes to judge the injured boy. Caan had only just gotten his father's attention, he could not lose it yet.

Nutuyikruk had less time for him with Aivar now tethered to her. The stormcloak chose to stay, regardless of his mistakes. The hunter did not have Caan's full trust, but the boy would secretly admire the gall the man had. With a lack of care for how the clan perceived him, Aivar was privileged in a way that Caan envied.

During his internal musings, a voice called for his attention. This in itself was not unusual, but the voice caused the boy to pause. It was soft, small, and unfamiliar. Turning his head over his shoulder, Caan found a delicate girl of shadowed hues. A petite, scrawny thing. He had not met this wolf in the Saastine, but his mind immediately pinned a name to herface.

With rounded eyes, Caan called out in turn. Fa'liya?

fa'liya froze mid-step, breath misting between parted teeth. hearing her name in turn seemed to jolt her to the reality of it—for a heartbeat she only stared, wide-eyed and bright, like she was finally realizing he was no conjuration, but flesh and bone.

her tail gave a small, uncertain sway. brother, the smile that finds her face is an easy one, soft in the way their mother's was. you remember me. it wasn’t quite a question, but the disbelief in her voice softened it into one. she took a tentative step forward, then another, then another until she is only paces from him.

he looked different than she remembered. certainly older, but colder, too—even then, she could not say she blamed him.

i wasn’t sure if you would. she admitted in clumsy speech, ears tipped forward, shy but hopeful. i—uhm, you are well?

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no worries at all!! sorry shes awkward lol

In a single word the girl confirms her identity.

Brother.

Caan could only return Fa'liya's stare. Dumbfounded by his own ability to bring her name forward on his tongue. The memories of his litter were fogged by the simple fact that they were so young when their family had been torn asunder. But this isn't the first time her name came to him, was it?

I do. His speech stilted and awkward, the boy's mouth moved of its own accord. You're still small?

Tactless!

Wincing internally, Caan allowed her to stand close. He himself leaning forward to catch to her scent.

When their father pulled him from the plagued cave, the man listed off his children born to Morwenna. Caan knew of his sisters, but their brother was lost to him. C'ede', Fa'liya, and Ghenaya. All shadows within the rain boy's mind that danced without focus. Now Fa'liya stood before him.

At no point could Caan deny their familial relation, nor did it even cross his mind to. She was their father's shadow, with eyes to match.

I couldn't blame you, it's been a long time. How does one talk to a sibling? Cen and Meleys weren't the most talkative examples. Uh. I'm alive, if that counts as well. You? Have you been okay?

fa'liya huffed out a small breath at that, something caught between a laugh and a sigh. her ears tipped back, then forward again, unoffended but wry.

yes—sad, i know, she nodded, glancing down at herself as if confirming the obvious. one shoulder lifted in a faint shrug. not need to be big anyway. there was no shame in it, iglux had said. fa'liya chooses to believe the woman is right.

she let him scent her, standing still for it, and when his nearness didn’t push her back into herself, she stepped that last bit closer. close enough to feel the warmth of him, close enough that the resemblance was harder to ignore. her tail settled, calmer now.

i am okay, she said after a moment, choosing the words carefully. better than before. a pause, then, quieter: i was with mother.

Not need to be big anyway.

Caan couldn't say he lavished the idea of being as small as his sister, but what did he know? The boy's nose crinkled slightly before he wisely puffed a breath out of his nostrils in lieu of speaking.

His sister remained close, and he found that her presence somewhat comforting. Familiar.

I was with mother.

Her words are tentative, like a soft dusting of snow. Caan does not respond in words, only a tensing of his jaw.

She found me—for a moment. The next thing I knew she was gone. His tongue is numb as he mumbles the words. Father found me alone, hungry, and ill.

Did she at least stay with you?

fa'liya's ears droop at the shift in his voice, eyes fixed on his face as if afraid to miss something important. the clench of his jaw is telling, just as she'd anticipated. it is an unfortunate topic for them all.

yes. fa'liya says quietly. for a little. her tail gives a slow, uncertain sway. she did what she could, but— a breath. gone now. dead, i think. her gaze drops to the snow between them, claws digging into sleet before she looks up at him then, searching.

i.. am sorry you did not have more time. the words roll around a bit on her tongue, but the sincerity there is heartfelt.

For a little.

The affirmation from his sister was acknowledged with a quiet grunt. He can feel her eyes glide over his face. When her eyes meet his, he glances away, not holding her gaze. He doesn't speak further as Fa'liya continued. His eyes widening at the speculation presented by his sister.

Gone now. Dead, I think.

Looking away, Caan's ears tilted back. A furrow dug into his brow, he ruminated over his sister's words.

Assuming their mother had found Fa'liya after him, his sister would have seen her last. There was no reason to doubt the assumption either... The state Caan was in, after being left on his own, well, no mother would have allowed that to happen. Not while she still drew breath.

It's funny how the words that had once crossed his mind, but could never say himself, gutted him. He had long given up hope on seeing their mother again, but he had never truly entertained it more than a passing thought.

Well, who needed her anyway? He certainly didn't.

Feigning indifference, Caan shrugged and glanced back to his sister. We both saw her at least, didn't we? Father found us, so it all worked out.

fa'liya's mouth twitches at his shrug, teasing a frown that she forces down last second. the girl hears what he’s not saying, the way the words are stacked to hold something heavier underneath. mm. a small sound of agreement.

the pause after is long enough to be felt. she hesitates, then steps closer, shoulder brushing his in a careful, testing way. walk with me? she asks, tail giving a faint sway. father says we should hunt.

He does not speak the truth of his heart, but his sister can divine the meaning in his silence. For that he is grateful, even more so when she does not add her own commentary. Letting the uncomfortable subject of their mother drop. Left behind in the snow as his sister steps forward to walk. In reply Caan falls in step at her side, letting her decide which direction they may travel.

Father says we should hunt.

We should. Caan brightened somewhat. If only in the way that the cold, sharp edge within his expression had softened. Caan looked at his sister in from the corner of his eye. Has father taken you hunting, yet?

Caan had not seen Fa'liya among the herds, but as Cen had taken him out on his own, he suspected that their father might have carved some time in his busy life for his sister too.