@Triell had told them that search parties were fine, so long as they went out in pairs. Serach and his brother had been searching ever since the announcement had come, that both Ruiko and Nayeli were missing. The sunlight was almost completely gone, but that was not going to stop the pale yearlings. Their family meant to much to them. This time, Serach had wanted to search further north than they had before, closer to where Magnolia Glen was located. He hadn't made it to their borders yet, to see if the leaders or any of the other pack members knew what had become of the missing Tainns, but with the weather worsening every day, there was no better time than the present to start looking.

Pushing through the deep snow, Serach did his best to ignore the cold that nipped at his ears and was slowly numbing the pads of his feet. It was nothing compared to last winter, but that didn't make ploughing through any amount of snow fun. Even worse, the snow had sufficiently buried any possible trail that either Nayeli or Ruiko would have left behind. But for a few weeks now, Serach had been going over the last known trails of his family and coming up empty, so this shot was as good as any. "What do you think?" he called out to his brother. "Do you think the Magnolia Glen wolves will know where they are?" Or, he left the question unasked, do you think they had anything to do with their family members' disappearance?

The consanguinity of the Donata siblings was admirable. For so long now, they had searched for Ruiko and Nayeli and offered one another all the support they could. When times got tough for one brother, the other would rally him back on track. This task almost felt impossible, though. It was strange--the wolves they were hunting for were not blood, but were still family. All the wolves of Oak Tree Bend were Sceral and Serach's family. They had lost enough already. Their father, then their mother and, finally, their brother @Fenru ... it was safe to say that both the pale yearlings wanted to lose no more.

Sceral raised his head, breath coiling through the air in wisps of pale mist. He inhaled, nose twitching as he did, and furrowed his brow. Serach asked of Magnolia Glen and the younger Donata bit his tongue. It was selfish, but all he could think of was @Hypatia, and her intimidating father @Phineas. "Maybe," he called back, "But isn't it kinda risky to be runnin' so close to the border? They don't exactly like us, Ser." That being said, if they had anything to do with the disappearance of Nayeli and Ruiko ... Sceral felt his gut tighten and twist. "But I get what you're sayin' ..." And he prayed to the stars above that it wasn't the case.

Ploughing on through the thick snow, the younger sibling couldn't help but curse the powdered white crap. His paws were cold, each toe growing numb. As much as he enjoyed it as a child, bounding around and rolling about, he knew with experience that despite all its beauty, the frozen water held deadly abilities "Damn snow. Always has to make things difficult." High above their heads, the skies churned and bubbled. Mother Nature did not take kindly to lesser creatures insulting her creations.

It was so cold that Serach could see his breath misting in front of him, the warm air almost instantly turning cold against his nose. Shivering, the boy took a moment to shake himself, sending the flurries that clung to his coat flying into the air. It would be a fruitless effort in the long run; they still had a long way to go before they could return home and every step resulted in more snow attaching itself to the wolf's fur. Ears twitching, he turned his head to look back at Sceral. "That's true," he admitted grudgingly. But they could not like any previous animosity between their packs prevent their quest. "That was almost a year ago, though. And as long as we don't go hunting and we don't cross their borders, it should be alright." He tried his best to reassure his sibling that all would be well, but the younger of the two brothers was absolutely right - they were running a risk by coming this close to the other pack's borders.

They had been at it all day, and although the snow made the going slow and tedious, they should have been drawing close to where Magnolia Glen was located. Cold Water Creek was nearby, its surface frozen solid. But beyond the tracks of smaller animals in the snow, there were no signs of other beasts in these woods. Most auspiciously was a lack of scent markers for the pack they were looking for. "I thought we went in the right direction..." he worried aloud, glancing over at his brother anxiously. "Maybe we should call for them?" He wasn't sure what else to do. The flurries in the sky were steadily growing heavier and if howling would get them to their destination faster, Serach was all for it.

Sceral's brow furrowed as he doubted his brother momentarily. Perhaps, but a year didn't feel all that long. He discarded his thoughts and returned his faith to his brother--Serach knew what he was doing. If there was one wolf that the youngest Donata could trust, it would be the paler brother. He was right; surely the wolves of Magnolia Glen wouldn't reject the twins information on their missing family ... right? "Yeah, alright, but we better be on our guard, y'know?" He huffed a sigh, not quite in protest, and watched as the vapours of heat drifted away from his parted maw.

After hours of travel, Sceral lost himself to the number of steps he took. His toes were starting to feel cold and his nose was nipped by the chill in the air. Winter was no longer coming. Winter was here. Memories of his mother's passing filtered through his mind. How peaceful she looked ... but, oh God, the lifelessness was horrifying and the ice that clung to her fur and face made his stomach turn. You could have saved her, Sceral. You could have. You should have stayed by her side, offered her your warmth when the storm hit. When the cold latched onto her bones. If you were there, if you hadn't run off to find shelter, then Corinna would be alive and you and your brother would not be alone. A whine bubbled in his throat. It still stung to think about, his very soul aching. He had come to terms with his mother's death--all things passed, after all--and yet ... what if? He flinched, called back to reality by Serach's voiced concern.

Lifting his head, Sceral's eyes widened as he sniffed once, twice, thrice. His brain whirred, trying to transition from the past to the present and he swallowed thickly. Stars above, she had left too. "They aren't here, Serach." His voice was barely above a whisper as he stared into nothingness. "This is definitely the right way, I know it, an' they aren't here." He pushed forward, scowling. He wanted to stomp but the snow turned every foot fall into a pathetic 'thwump'.

The wind whipped at his fur, pushed and pulled at the yearling, almost goading him onwards. Go on.

He didn't like it at all, the empty air and the stillness of the forest around them. The wind nipped at his heels, tugging his fur and making him shiver. Sparing a glance behind him, Serach watched as their tracks filled up quickly from snow. If it wasn't for their scents, nobody would ever know that they had come this way. Stepping closer to his sibling, the boy took comfort from the warmth. But even the warmth he felt was not enough to keep his spirits high when Sceral spoke. His ears flattened against his head and he whined. "Damn," he spat. He felt absurd, with the snowflakes falling on his forehead and his paws growing increasingly numb. This had all been a waste then, a massive waste of time.

And even worse, that meant they were no closer to finding either Ruiko or Nayeli, and that was a miserable feeling, because it meant that they had failed. It was one thing for them to simply waste their time, but this had not just been an adventure for the brothers. "What are we gonna do now, then?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the dismay from his voice. If Magnolia Glen had gone, then their only chance at finding Ruiko and Nayeli had gone with them.

With the snowstorm growing in strength, though, their time was running out to be able to formulate their next steps. "Maybe we should take cover somewhere?" he offered, shaking his body and sending snowflakes flying to join their fellows in the air. "Try again tomorrow?"