Cedarwood Forest cover your tracks

Hold onto faith as I dig another grave

Golden eyes kept a close watch upon her, only half guarded in turn. He didn't mean to crush her with the truth. As older brother he felt it was his responsibility to tell her all that had transpired. Sure, he would have loved to say they were all waiting at the Hollow for her. That would have been more cruel, and of no purpose.

Renier didn't quite know how to take her words. Was it an insult? A light of the whole situation? She had been gone so long. It hit him how blood made them family, but time had made them strangers. It did seem a trait of the family to go it alone. Heaving a sigh, he held back his impulsive reply not to wound her further. He did care what effect his words had now, than he had before.

There was a witness, standing guard in the background, and the russet marked rogue offered him a suspicious glance that would have quickly turned cold. Luckily, @Taima began to explain who the fellow was. Renier eased the rise of his blood, forced the lines round his gold eyes to relax. @Mirren, he acknowledged him with a jerk of his head. He wasn't instantly a "nice guy" for helping his sister, but it was better than some stranger gawking at them. Her story it sounded short for all of that lost time. The brother decided not to push it, recalling again how different they both were. How much they still didn't know about each other. He wasn't sure what she planned on doing now, with no home to return to exactly. It didn't seem like she was part of a pack.

"I've been doing alright. Can't believe how much damned snow is here, but I've gotten pretty lucky about keeping fed." There was nothing warm about his smile then, it was bitter. Brows furrowed at the mention of a friend of Trisden's. He wasn't sure what to make of that. A quick shake of his head, he hadn't seen anyone else. Ren was just full of bad news. "No, I have no idea where they got to. Maybe, that's just what Lyall's do. Go their own....." He was starting to think at least. Curious, and concerned he tried to hold her gaze. "What will you do now? I'm going to least stay till winter, I have no want to try to make the trip back to the Reach after just leaving. If Calla and Ryvet are staying...if you're staying I'll want to let mum and dad know..." He tried to hide his anxiety, his fear because he wasn't sure what stirred those feelings in his chest. His words merely hung there....waiting.

Wanted to finally let this thread go and put it to rest. <3 Hope this is all right...

It was nice to hear that her brother was doing well, to know that he was at least managing to keep his stomach full. She saw him shake his head though and it prompted Taima's eyes to gloss over. What else could he possibly have to say? About their siblings, about home, about his ventures, about here and now... The girl's heart had inched up into her throat as she listened to him. "Maybe, that's just what Lyall's do," he explained without any hint of consolation nor relief. "Go their own..."

She turned away, despondent and feeling very much unsure of herself. Her brother asked what she was going to do then proceeded to let her know of his plans. All of a sudden, she was all too aware of Mirren's stare at the back of her head, along the side of her face, gracing the fur along her shoulders and back. Renier continued to let her know that if she was going to stay, he was going to let Mom and Dad know. Her glassy eyes fixated themselves on the intricate texture of a nearby cedar tree and her tail twitched, the apprehension becoming more than enough to prompt her into wanting to leave. "I don't know," she answered his question. "But I'm staying; I don't deserve to go home..." She took a step to the side, orienting herself as to suggest that she was going to head in a direction away from her sibling and away from Mirren. "Not after everything I've done... to them."

There was a lengthy and rather uncomfortable gap of silence between them before she whispered, "Bye Renier. Take care." Her right forepaw lifted from the snow, shaking before coming down again in a singular step forward. She gave a pained glance to the Tainn who still lingered close by. Before her tearless sobs could wrack her starving figure, she ran. As fast as she could, she continued through the forest, desperate to feel the pain in her paws and joints, to hide away from the pain that she had been harboring for so long, to curl up somewhere where no one would ever think to find her.

Taima Lyall did deserve to go home, but not to the Reach. She had purpose here yet, but not with Mirren or Renier or any of her other siblings. Unheard and unseen, her calling bid her to run for the sake of her destiny - the ruins of Grizzly Hollow was still calling her by name.

(Fade.)