After Maksim had instructed Naia of her responsibilities during their absence, the honeyed she-wolf had whisked her newfound mate away to the regal mountains, a newfound panic to her step. Her belly was beginning to swell with the life within her, and as much as she desired nothing more than to rush across the steep slopes of the mountain that had already granted injury to her, she held more caution to her steps now as she had scaled the grandeur landmark. There was an urgency to her though, and her eyes would worriedly skim over her mate as she sought reassurance -- they did not have much time, and she wanted to be well settle din to their den at home in Cut Rock River -- but she could not put her family aside. They likely believed her dead.

And so, as the days passed, she would become more skitterish as they drew closer. The mumblings of whether or not they would understand had dared to press past her lips at one point or another, and she could see the disappointment on their faces as she told them she would not be returning to them -- the Tainn's had once more been abandoned. And yet Corinna had wished this life for her.. and told her one day she would want cubs of her own. She had not understood at that time, but now, with the strength and warmth of her mate at her side, she had finally come to accept this inevitable desire.

They stood then, on the borders of the all too familiar Bend. Spring had graced itself upon the lands, and relief would flood her only when the scent of those she loved would flit past her nose. Yet something was very wrong, and light frown furrowed her brow as the scent of her mother and Fenru were much fainter than they should have been. Shifting her weight, her shoulder pressing to Maksim's in silent reassurance, Kisla tilted her muzzle up, beckoning her family forward her for reunion.. and answers.

Winter was slow to relinquish its grasp, but today was nice enough. Serach, at least, wasn't complaining. With a grunt, he rolled on his back, rubbing the scent of grass into his own. Satisfied that he smelled especially earthy, he hoisted himself up to his feet. Lowering himself into a bow to stretch his back, his head jerked up violently as he heard the howl at the borders. It was the first in a while, but this one was special in other ways. His breath caught in his chest, and his brain froze, unable to process it. He had given her up for dead. As the realization set in, Serach's butt began to wag, his tail barely containing his excitement. With an eager woof, he bounded off towards the borders. Kisla was back.

The youth pushed himself to his fullest extent, unable to contain his desire to see his sister. So when he finally skidded to a stop in front of the pair of wolves, his salmon tongue rolled out of his mouth and his sides heaved as he tried to catch his breath. But his tail wagged eagerly behind him, and his pale eyes had lit up as they looked at his sister. He had eyes only for her, and he was relieved to see that she was unharmed and not well. "Kisla..." he blurted. "You're not dead!" Unwilling to wait for even a response, he barged forward, fully intent on tackling his sister to the ground with affection.

His presence brought great comfort to her – the gentle caress ignited a new-found bravado to her and she inhaled sharply, her form stiffening in sudden eagerness to be reunited with her family. Her eyes would trail up to regard Maksim, tipping her muzzle up to touch her nose to his cheek reassuringly – was he nervous to meet them? Afraid she would change her mind and wish to remain here instead? As if to remind him that she was his now, she leaned further to his touch, closing her eyes briefly as she waited.

It would seem she did not have to wait for long. The pale form of her brother came to view soon, bounding with an exuberance she believed could only exist in youth. The sudden ache she felt the moment he came to view drew a sharp exhale of breath from her – what she would give to take Serach with her.. to be the uncle to her unborn children.

Serach she breathed out then, her voice strained with emotion as she pulled forward then, her creamy paws dancing upon the ground as she moved to close distance between herself and her brother. His words stung – of course they had thought her dead. She could not respond – not because there was no simple way to answer such a statement and the pain they must have endured with that belief alone, but because the boy was rushing her. A bark ushered past her lips as a grin formed, her own figure bowing down playfully as she awaited the contact of her brother – the familiar embrace as they had played when he had been younger.

It had been months since Serach had felt this kind of adrenaline rush. Recently, his days had been filled with one disappointment after another, and it was hard to find a reason to be happy. Seeing Kisla had trigged those emotions, and his surge towards her was a reflection of that. For once, he managed to not trip over his awkward paws. Kicking up dirt, he closed the distance between the two of them with ease, each step accenting her scent in his mind. Before they collided, Serach threw himself to a stop, rearing up on his hind legs to bring his forelegs down onto Kisla's shoulders. With his sister's head stuck in his embrace, he licked the top of her head in greeting before disentangling himself and returning all four paws to the ground. Head pressed against Kisla's cheek, he crooned into her neck, tail wagging wildly above his back.

"I've missed you," he blurted once more, stepping back so she could see his wide grin. Tongue rolling out of his mouth he panted, but that did not stop the smile from reaching his eyes. "You're home! Finally! We all worried! Triell and Sceral will be so excited to see you! Where have you been? Are you okay?" His mouth ran a thousand miles an hour, and it was only when he finally came to a stop that he took the time to notice that Kisla had not come alone. Eyebrows raising, he tilted his head in curiosity - a trait he had taken from his mother. "Who are you?" he asked, not quite as excited as he had been before. Looking back at Kisla, he stared at her expectantly, waiting for all the answers to his many questions, both asked and unasked.

It was not lost on Serach that his sister did not answer his questions. Instead, she turned her attention to the other Oak Tree Bend wolves who had arrived to welcome home their long lost member. Jessie arrived first and Kisla drew away from Serach to greet her. The youth took the time to stare down the stranger who had come with him. He smelled like Kisla, but also of many other things. He hadn't encountered too many loners in his lifetime, short as it was, but instinct told him that the wolf who had accompanied Kisla was not a random lone wolf. Apparently he was news, whatever that meant. Wrinkling his brow, he turned to follow his sister, only to stop when he saw that she had found Triell. Tail wagging at the sight of his uncle, Serach was about to offer his own greeting when Kisla cut him off.

"Where is mother?"

Inside his head, the world went silent - the only sound was the rapid beating of his heart against his chest. She didn't know. She had not been there, when winter had beaten them down. The memory of that fateful winter day made him visibly distressed, his tail and ears both flattening against his body. His eyes looked back and forth between Jessie and Triell, frantic and pleading. The boy loved his mother dearly, but right now, all he could feel was pain and resentment. He was resentful that this happy reunion couldn't last so long as the shadow of his mother's death hung over them, that this memory would also be a bitter one. But Kisla deserved to know too.

Taking a deep breath, Serach audibly cleared his throat. "She...um..." another breath. Forcing himself to look at Kisla, he broke the news as best as he knew how. "There was a blizzard. It was so cold....she didn't make it." He looked at his big sister, the grief clear in his eyes. Fenru was supposed to find you, to tell you, to bring you home. I bet you don't know that either.