Lorcan arose early that morning, crawling his way out of the cramped communal den long before the sun had set fire to the sky. The father planned to keep good on his promise that he had made to his daughter the night before by waiting for her outside the den when she woke up. Fighting against the dull ache in his limbs which acted as a long lasting reminder of his unplanned five week expedition, the agouti male strode forwards into the forest, meandering his way through the tall sequoia trees in the direction of a small cache he had buried the previous morning.

Sniffing out the cache site with ease, the father swiftly set to work removing the earth from atop the dead squirrel which was buried beneath. The morsel would serve well as breakfast for the growing pup and he hoped the dismembered tail could serve as some play thing for his daughter when she was left alone. Clutching the red rodent gently between his jaws, Lorcan re-orientated himself in the direction of Inna’s den, ready to set off when a large figure moved out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, the agouti male was surprised to see another wolf up so early, but he was quick to chuff over in acknowledgement when he realised exactly who it was.

Dropping the squirrel to the ground, he waved his tail in greeting. “Laike,” He called over fondly. “I can honestly say, I don’t think I’ve ever been so pleased to see you.” The brother quipped, realising how odd it must have sounded to his much larger sibling.

Lorcan was pleased when he brother halted in his tracks when he called out to him. The smaller sibling had half expected for @Laike to give him a cold glare and keep walking. He had been convinced that his brother had been annoyed at him when he had returned at the borders, had been sure that those fiery orange eyes had been burning against his back as he had explained himself to Lachesis, but until now Lorcan had not had the opportunity speak things over with him.

He had hoped that his statement would put his brother in a good mood, or at least, one that save him from being beaten to black and blue for his absence. Golden eyes glinted with relief when his brother returned his name with a smirk and his tail continued to sway pleasantly behind him as he moved forwards a few paces to approach him. Lorcan didn’t notice the worry that flashed momentarily in the blazing eyes of his sibling, instead taken by his words which he presumed to hold a hint of sarcasm.

“A few more weeks and it might have been a different story..” He joked morbidly, though in truth he was partially inclined to believe it himself.  He was half the wolf he had been when he had left for the lowlands, his ribcage still faintly visible through his dull dishevelled coat.

Lorcan gave a weak laugh at Laike’s suggestion of sleep, looking to glance down to the dead red squirrel which rested lifeless at his paws. “Probably, but I promised Sana I’d be there when she wakes up this morning...” He admitted, golden eyes returning to his brother’s scarred face. “Plus, I doubt Inna will have had a good night considering…” His voice trailed off, a frown pinching at his pale brows as he thought back to Kisla's lifeless body. “So, I thought I might as well stick around to help out.” He explained, giving a soft shrug of his shoulders. The raven would surely appreciate the offer.

It seemed his brother was also inclined to take his jest seriously. Lorcan noticed how the smirk slid away from the male’s lips almost as quickly as it had first appeared. The smaller sibling frowned, suddenly feeling a little awkward. “Yeah…well…I made it back, eventually.” He stuttered hesitantly, his golden eyes flitting guiltily between his brother’s face and the ground before he forced a half-hearted smile to his charcoal lips.

Laike was quick to highlight the words he had purposefully skipped over, cold and blunt as always. “Yes.” Lorcan nodded, his golden gaze diverting away from his brother’s smouldering stare for a moment.

His attention refocused on his larger sibling at his mention of Inna. Russet ears pressed back against his head and the frown returned to his features. “What?!” Lorcan blurted before shuffling in his place uncomfortably. “She said that to you?” He asked in a sudden panic, inwardly cursing himself for allowing the female to go off on her own immediately after the death of her mother. “She never mentioned that to me when she returned to the den last night…” He muttered quietly, more to himself than anything as he settled down onto his haunches.

Lorcan wanted to ask what else had been said between them, but @Laike continued on before he got the chance. He inwardly winced at his brother’s words, the only noticeable reaction from him being the slow blinking of his eyes as he processed the thought. “I know…Sana told me last night that her and Inna had been upset when I went missing.” He admitted, ears pressed against his skull as his head sunk down low.

The mention of love caused the male to lick awkwardly at his maw and to avoid any more eye contact with his brother. A heavy sigh heaved his sides, causing his ribs to become more obvious beneath his thinning pelt as he thought about how much his disappearance must have pained the both of them. @Inna might have been used to her family making promises to stay before leaving, but he never thought he would one day be added to that same list – and Oksana, she was too young and innocent to understand any of it, that had become clear in their conversations together.

“You have to understand, all I’ve ever wanted to do since I joined this pack, is to be there for them both.” He finally admitted, looking up to meet his brother’s fiery gaze with total seriousness in his eyes. “We might have had our disagreements but, Inna, she’s like my best friend…and Oksana, she–she means the world to me!” He sighed again, head slumping down as he noticed how Laike shook his head. “It was never my intention to hurt them…” He said quietly to the ground.

Golden eyes remained fixated on the earthy ground as his brother began to speak again, however his gaze tentatively returned to meet Laike’s at the mention of his own feelings. Dark nostrils flared in shock at what he was hearing and then a small smile began to curl at the corners of his charcoal lips. The heart-warming moment was lost however when questions were swiftly hurled at him. “It’s not like I planned for it to happen..” He said coolly, a frown returning to his face. “You can’t expect for me to never leave the territory? What use would I be to the pack then?” He asked, doing his best not to raise his voice or to provoke more anger from his larger sibling. Things were emotional enough as they were.