There were some facts that you just came to accept, because no amount of wishing otherwise changes anything. Kinis knew that the loss of Ranger had affected his brother, though Ruiko was always so strong and stalwart. Neither of them had understood why, but as time passed, and she had remained gone, it was just another thing that you took in your stride.

Though Kinis had never mentioned it, nor even let himself dwell much on the fact, one of his biggest concerns regarding the future that he, Ruiko and Volkan had laid out was that of the hole that Ranger had left behind. What was a pack without a leading pair? The trio could form their own band, but Kinis doubted that Volkan was the mate which Ruiko desired. Without the potential for children, their group was no more than a ragtag pack with little purpose.

That was okay. Ruiko was enough of a leader for Kinis, and to have that freedom away from Swift River was plenty to appease Kinis in the short-term. There was plenty of time to fill that gap.

With the promise of change on the horizon, Kinis had been more restless than usual, wandering further from the den in his daily hunting trips. It was all he could do to busy himself, finding new and strange things to track, and he was throwing himself into it like never before. Alongside his quail and porcupine, he had only added the trophy of a turtle shell, for the rest of his finds had been too soft and easily decomposable. Today, he would have been happy with something more ordinary, but it was not to be so.

The scent which invaded Kinis' senses was, at first, ignored. So there was a female out here in the blackberry bushes; so what? They didn't have to disturb each other. But then he reminded himself that he was supposed to be recruiting for their pack, and that's when the recognition hit like a landslide. Turning sharply about, he dashed towards the trail, heart pounding with excitement.

No freaking way.

"I must be a better hunter than I thought," he said softly, gazing upon the unmistakable sight of Ranger. She looked weak and exhausted, but for the moment, that didn't matter; whatever was wrong was right now, in this instant. In their time together, Kinis had grown so fond of the female who had been destined to stand next to his brother, and though that vision had faded, that love and respect was easily remembered. "I come out here looking for rabbits, but found something far better."

He could see the pause before the recognition, as though she registered it was him but almost didn't believe it. He had no real idea how much he had changed in the last six months, but as he watched her, he understood that it must have been fairly substantial. That thought alone brought with it a tickle of pride, but he was too busy being caught up in the moment to pay much attention.

"Yes," he said as she uttered his name, happy to have her recognition confirmed, happy that he hadn't been forgotten. Neither he or Ruiko knew why she had gone, but Kinis had worried it was because she hadn't cared any more. To be discarded by someone he had been growing to love had been hard, but times had been difficult and he had had to move past it. To see her pleasure now was at least a hint that he may have been wrong.

She took two cautious steps forward, and that was enough encouragement for the boy; with a soft woof and his tail wagging, he eagerly closed the gap, planting light kisses on her chin. "I'm well," he replied honestly, now letting himself acknowledge the poor state that Ranger herself was in. Pulling back, he regarded her thinness, and his concern was clear in his expression. "You're... Ranger, let me hunt for you."

She turned his offer down, not unexpectedly, but his brow still furrowed momentarily. It wasn't any trouble - he could easily hunt down something for the cache and something for her at the same time. Though he let it slide for now, he made a note to catch her something anyway. Her pride be damned - she could consider it a gift, for he had truly missed her.

But the sadness and regret soon flooded her eyes, and he visibly melted, heartbroken to see Ranger such a shadow of his memories. With a soft whine, he touched noses with her, seeking the connection again, for it felt so fragile. It had been so very long, so very long - and though a part of him worried that she would vanish again, the other part clung to her for that very reason.

"Only temporarily," he admitted. He could not remember how much she would know - just when she had gone missing - but considering that he had not known much of Swift River since joining it, he guessed that she would have known just as little. "Corinna and Indru had a litter. Indru went missing for a time, as well as most of the pack - Rui-" His voice cracked, but only for a moment, as he abruptly regretted mentioning his brother. Irrational as it was, he suspected that it would only touch a nerve in Ranger (her name would have once struck a nerve in Ruiko, Kinis equally suspected) but it was too late now. Besides, it was the truth. He would not lie, would not tiptoe around her; she deserved more respect than that. "...He joined Swift River again, to help Corinna, since she had kids and all. I followed later on. But the pack is doing okay again, so we're planning to leave soon." Would she want to be a part of that plan again? Would Ruiko want to be associated with her again? Even if he did, Kinis doubted that Ruiko would easily regard her in the way that he once had; certainly the trust was gone, and with it, most likely, the affection. Ranger had not betrayed Kinis in the same way that she had betrayed Ruiko.

But this was Ranger. For a long time, it had been the three of them against the world. Carefully he watched her, wanting to ask the same question back - what did we miss in your absence? - but he could not bring himself to do it. If she wanted to talk about it, it was her own choice.

As she spoke, Kinis' heart broke further. There was a finality to her words that rang true, a sense of opportunities passed. A sad frown crumpled his forehead, for he had been deliberately reluctant to discuss the very thing she was mentioning. It was his wish - is his wish - and that future was supposed to include her! It was always supposed to include her. Though he would want it otherwise, Kinis could not see that being the case any more, not any time soon.

He kept his mouth shut, though, listening as she continued, earnestly returning her gaze when she turned to look back at him. "I wish I could say it was a good idea," he said quietly, his ears flicking back as his own words stung. "Or that it wasn't a bad one, at least. But... he really hurt. And you know what he's like - that's a big deal for him. He's not... you know." The most emotionally open of wolves. Capable and dependable and the ideal leader - but Kinis could see his brother's flaws, acknowledge them, even as he saw them to be few and minor. But this was, arguably, one of them.

Not that you could blame Ruiko for his anger; tempted as he was to sugar coat it, Ranger had abandoned them.

"It's probably best... not to seek him out. I mean..." He searched for the right words, unsure what to look for, unsure what the wrong thing was. Maybe it would be best for the pair to duke it out, get everything out in the open? Mother nature knew that Ruiko wasn't exactly the best at bearing his feelings, but perhaps a good old-fashioned argument would help. But would it help, or just make things worse? "Sorry to be such a downer," he said then, smiling weakly, bumping noses with her once more. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You look like you've been through a lot." He held his breath for a moment, wondering if it was out of order for him to mention her absence - but then, didn't he have the right to ask? It was just as much her right to refuse to say anything. But his undying curiosity battled with his need to be polite, so once more he did not press the issue, and once more he let her take the conversation where she wanted.