Heartleaf Creek Just run it back, give me five whole minutes

November 27th; Evening, daylight's last hours; Light Snow; -2.29° F, -19.05° C.

Oleander's feet easily found familiar ground as he walked around Coho Pool. Southbound across the river, he ran into his Leaders' markers. An invisible fence marked by Viorel and Eros' very paws trailed by other notable scents of his family.

Again, like the year before, Oleander had returned.

Sage was gone, and he had tired of searching for her at last. He felt sick, his throat hoarse from calling her name. Endless nights of singing their song and hours of barking into the wilds had run him ragged. All he wanted now was the security of his family's proximity and the seclusion of his gnarled old tree.

Half-lidded eyes felt heavy as he plodded through the fallen snow. He lifted a dirt-stained paw and touched the base of the tree before him, glancing up at the darkening clouds. He took a deep breath, exhaling as he removed his forepaw from the frozen bark. From his throat, a booming woof called across the Backwater.

I'm home.

Eros stilled in his tracks at the sound. His ears turned along with his thoughts, wondering if perhaps he'd imagined or mistaken the voice. In all honesty, he had not expected Oleander to come back. He moved to investigate, abandoning his patrol path to head directly for the source of that declaration. Once close enough he could confirm his brother's scent, but Sage's was distinctly missing. Feelings he did not want to give definition to knocked around inside his hollowed heart.

There was nothing for him to really say, or so it felt. His jaw remained firmly closed and his tongue felt heavy as a boulder. Welcome was given instead in the form of moving to run his side along Oleander's. Of course this was still his home.

(This post was last modified: Nov 28, 2024, 12:30 AM by Eros.)

Invisible strings pulled taut with his departure loosened upon Eros' emergence. Then, relief came through his brother's touch. There was no hesitance, no questions, interrogation, or suspicions. Gone were the questions left unspoken on Oleander's tongue. There was only the here and now. Acceptance. Family. Safety.

A coarse whine left him as Eros snaked around him. Hello brother. He ducked his head and lowered his ears in both gratitude and utter defeat. In the moment where he would have asked after Sage. If she had somehow returned before him or if... well, if he was being brutally honest with himself, it didn't matter now.

"How are things?" he whispered, eyes lobbying for a glimpse of the Leader's face. "How are you?"

         

OLEANDER |

Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you

Eros' brow bent as he beheld the pain in Oleander's features. Of course he wished that things could be different. Most of all, he wished that it hadn't likely been his and Viorel's stubborn adherence to law that had yet again caused so much strife. They thought they had been learning and they'd done it all over again anyways. Peach eyes looked away, ashamed. He tried to pretend that he was being watchful of their surroundings.

"They're mostly the same," he reassured; other than the continued absence of the woman he sought, Ollie did not have to fear bad news in coming home. The time he had taken for himself to pursue Sage did not come at a grave cost.

"And I'm..." so fucking sorry, "still here."

Eros finally mustered the will to seek his sibling's eye again, a tiny smile pushing to the surface. Clearly forced, but that was part of the message. They both knew by now that this just the way life went, and that there was little other choice than to keep showing up regardless of how one felt about any of it, right?

"Do you want to talk, about any of it... ?"

The way he felt of late, Eros was pretty sure he wouldn't want to say a single word if their roles were reversed. But he did care, and he wanted to support his brother as best as he could.

"They're mostly the same," Eros lent. beholding Oleander's gaze. The tiny smile that followed offered some comfort. "Mostly" was, without a doubt, better than "not." It was the least he could have hoped for.

"Do you want to talk, about any of it...?"

The corners of the pale Valle's lips twitched and, after a moment, he shook his head. He had taken the time to think everything over in his time away, especially after his talk with Viorel. "I'm okay," he murmured, and he meant it. His bottlebrush tail swayed. "I've... moved on." Then, after a lengthy pause, he added, "She knows where she can find me." Whether he would still have the same love for her or not when they reunited, he had left it all for time to decide. Oleander had returned as the wolf he had always been. Explorer, watchman, scavenger, son, brother, cousin, pack member...

"What do you need me to do?"

A part of Oleander was unsure if a second healer was still needed or if his previous pack role was still open. It was better not to assume. He wanted Eros to know upfront that he was ready to return to the fold of pack life. "Whatever it is, I can do it." A bit of rest and self-care was in order. But, once he had reset, the Backwater would find in confidence that its resident hermit was back.

         

OLEANDER |

Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you

Moved on. For Oleander's sake, he hoped it was true, though Eros had to imagine it was quite difficult to manage. So much effort told him that his brother loved Sage, an emotion he personally had never been able to shake in any context. All he could really do was nod, and send out yet another silent hope that at least his friend was safe. Maybe even... happier.

At his sibling's next question, Eros' shoulders rolled.

"Things don't really need to change from before unless you want them to."

He was done pretending to have any idea of what was best in these matters. While he would love to maintain two healers, especially given @Clover's continued state of mind since Vayko's abandonment, Eros wasn't going to push anyone into the role. He wasn't going to push anyone to do anything anymore, not without immediate risk or @Ally's involvement.