The trail set by his mother wasn’t difficult to follow—if one was paying attention. She had deviated from her path a few times, presumably to follow a scent trail or, more accurately, to fuck with her children. To test them. Make sure that they were truly capable (and worthy) of finding her in the fabled lands of Relic Lore. He snorted aloud at the thought, his pale brows furrowed. He hadn’t expected the journey to be this long, but it could have been worse. It could have been longer.

Travelling with siblings wasn’t easy, especially when all their personalities differed from each other and often clashed. He had slipped away in the night to separate himself from them, using the moonlight to guide him north. The Duchess was determined to get to mother first. Show her what a good boy he was. That he had found her without the help of his brothers and sisters.

He’d grown quite large in his mother’s absence. His legs had sprouted from beneath him, becoming long and gangly, making it near impossible for the boy not to trip over himself as he walked. He didn’t like it. He would have preferred growing to be more streamline; a machine built for speed. Sure, his long legs helped him maneuver quickly over the new terrain, but he kept growing. He just hoped it wouldn’t effect his speed in the long run…

As the mountains became visible in the distance Sterling knew he was getting close. With a sudden surge of energy the boy propelled himself forward, closing the distance between himself and his goal.

Mother’s scent was here—the place reeked with familiarity despite being foreign to the pale Archer. She was here—recently. But she had moved… and by the smells of it, she had company with her. An annoyed growl escaped him as his steel-grey eyes whipped around, searching for the new trail left behind. They were just here! How could he have missed them?! Kicking at the snow the Duchess continued along, heading west toward the towering mountain that divided the Lore…

The solitude was short-lived, but with four siblings that was to be expected. His brows pinched together as he cringed at the sound of his brother crashing through the forest, as it was impossible for Bojay to go anywhere without making a racket. Hey! Another cringe, his tail flicking in annoyance behind him. Sterling! Oh, how the ivory Archer wanted to disappear into the trees. Pick up speed and continue to distance himself from his brother and the rest of their siblings. But mother wouldn’t be happy about that. They were supposed to be traveling together, after all. Like a big happy family.

Gross.

His steel-grey gaze turned to his scarlet brother as he sidled up beside him, diving into a story about Tilly being a bother (what a surprise) and how he wanted to hang out with Sterling for awhile. Brother to brother, or some shit. He rolled his eyes. Whatever, he grumbled in response, his shoulders rolling to emphasize his response. Mom’s not here anymore, he explained as he glanced around their snow-dusted surroundings, his lips curled into a dark frown. I think they went that way, he added as he motioned toward the mountain in the distance. Mother never did make things easy.

How far behind are they? He asked, his silver gaze flicking behind him to the wall of trees that Bojay had come bounding through.

His tail twitched at the arrival of their sister, his silver-dusted snout turning toward the ebony Archer. Bojay’s big mouth had impeccable timing it seemed. His brows narrowed, a line forming between his pools of mercury as she spoke, her tongue not dulled by their weeks of travel. He snickered at his brother’s comment. He would have preferred the company of their other brother, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Especially when they were travelling in a group. There was no avoiding family—not in this circumstance. Dearest mother wouldn’t want to hear about her children squabbling. No—she wanted to hear about them working together to find her. She wanted them to complete her little test. Show them they were real Archer-Lyall’s. Blah, blah, blah…

Probably help with your looks, he responded with a shrug as he continued toward the mountain, his tail flicking absently behind him. And the others? He asked, his steel gaze landing on his sister briefly. Were Tilly and Jay close behind?

Sterling had no interest in sibling banter. He wanted to get moving, with or without their other siblings. Or all of them, for that matter. The dusty Archer was fully capable of making his way over the mountain without the help of his siblings, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to attempt it without at least one of them at his side. While they had heard countless stories about the lands of Relic Lore, they were still strangers. Guests.

An amused smirk graced his features at his brother’s comment. He wasn’t wrong. The remaining two were fully capable of handling themselves—and Sterling wasn’t in the mood to wait. The mountains were calling, beckoning the young brood forward. They’ll catch up, he hummed, his tail flicking dismissively behind him. We gonna chit chat all day or are we gonna get movin’? He added with a venomous click of his tongue, his brows narrowed as he glanced back at the duo.