Clandestine Brook Devil's Trifecta

@Isaura

She wasn't Deaglan, much pleasanter company if he was honest. She at least didn't grumble and glare at him as they traveled. The decision to return to the brook that had led him and Deag to the new land hadn't been an easy one. Whether it was or not he had to find his brother and make sure he was at the very least okay after their fight. It bothered the shadow he hadn't seen him or he hadn't been found by him. He needed to find out what happened to his twin one way or the other.

So, slowly with Isaura with him they made their way out of the foggy forest and back to the brook where he'd last seen Deaglan. There was where he stopped and tried to replay the events after their fight. He hoped that would give him some clue as to where he should look. When he had finally decided on a path, the path that he remembered Deaglan taking he gave his companion a gentle nudge to the shoulder to signal they were moving.

Ruari limped off in the direction that his twin had taken all those weeks ago in hopes of picking up his trail. While his wounds were all nearly healed there was still plenty of pain in the muscles that caused him plenty of discomfort as he moved and especially in the mornings when it was coldest.

 

It had been a rather easy one for Isaura to agree that they should go back to where he had last seen his brother. If they were lucky they would be able to pick up his trail and lead them straight to him. She had let Ruari make the final decision though seeing as he knew his brother better and would have a better idea as to where they might find him. Isaura had found that travelling with her companion it was easier to relax.

She had trailed after his dark form as he took the lead to take them to the place that the brother's spat had been. It was nice to leave the foggy forest behind as they went. When they arrived Isaura glanced around wondering if his brother might have remained in the vicinity. The water was easy to get to making it a good spot if he had been injured as well. Water also meant that prey was more likely to come here. A nudge on her shoulder brought her attention back to realize that Ruari had picked a direction to go.

Isaure followed alongside noting that her companion was still limping even though he had been getting better. She wanted to help more but there was only so much that she could do. Brushing her side against his to get his attention she spoke. Do you want to split up? They would be able to cover more ground that way. If they found his brother sooner then their search would end faster which would probably allow them to stop for a while and she wouldn't have to see Ruari in pain.

Going back to where the fight with Deaglan had occurred seemed to the Shadow to be the best course of action. He was glad that he had Isaura along, things had been so different since she joined him. Winter was coming and he hoped she would stay with him through it or he would worry about her. He didn't know how hard it was going to be for them to find Deaglan once they got back on the path Deag had taken but without a trail it was their best option.

Once they reached the brook it had only been a matter of remembering what had happened that day. Yet again he grew disgusted with himself for letting things go too far. If they hadn't he wouldn't be searching for Deaglan now. Maybe he would have anyway or was hard to say what would have happened. Ruari didn't want to think about it much, instead he needed to focus on what needed to be done in that moment. His gaze went to the water as he remembered lying in it and then then to the forest as he remember watching his brothers figure disappearing.

With Isaura beside him he led her through the bushes he remembered Deaglan passing through and on past that looking for more signs. The feel of her brushing her side against his brought him from his memories as his yellow gaze landed on her. “Yes, we probably should but not just yet. He was angry when he left and I think he would have followed this path for a little while at least.” Ruari knew his brother and knew he didn't always think straight when he was angry.

 

 

She should have thought about the fact that it might take them awhile to find his brother. How long had it been since they fought? A wolf could cover a lot of ground in a day when they wanted to. If Deaglan had no interest in Ruari and had simply picked a direction and followed it. Who knew where he was now? She glanced to Ruari hopefully they would be able to find his brother if only for his sake.

They wouldn't be splitting up just yet it seemed. Isuara trusted her companion's judgement on this. If he thought that Deaglan had followed this travel in this direction then he probably had. Would the brother still be mad? Enough time had surely passed for their tempers to simmer down. If he was anything like Ruari he would probably have calmed down by now. Hopefully.

What's your brother like? She had tried not to ask too many questions but if she was going to meet him she wanted to at least have a basic idea on what he was like. Did he like to dominate and control like her own brother or was he more mellow until his temper had been sparked? Or maybe he was one of those wolves that didn't care about much of anything besides themselves.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

His nose was practically useless in the search for his brother. Too much time had passed for him to use scent to track Deaglan. So not only would it take them longer but it would be made more difficult. They would have to use other means to find his twin, he was glad Isaura seemed to be rather patient. The shadow caught the glance in his direction from the blue eyed girl, he gave her a reassuring smile, 'They would find his brother, he wasn't going to give up.’

As the moved along the path Ruari looked for any sign that his brother had passed through there or had moved on from the path. He didn't want them to split up because his gut told him it was too soon. He wanted to wait until he was sure that they needed to, the last thing he wanted was for her to be too far away if he found something and needed to go a different direction.

His yell gaze went to her when she asked about Deaglan as he considered her question. “Well, he's impulsive and has quite the temper and he can be kind. A lots changed since we left our home,” he explained, “He and I have both changed since then.” The shadow was aware that there were things that were different about him. Just after he spoke he noticed something stuck in the branches of a bush, “It looks like we might be on the right path,” he told her as he sniffer the tuft of fur he'd found.

 

She was more content to follow Ruari than to do much of the tracking herself. If she saw or smelled something she would let him know of course but to her, it was like trying to find something you had never smelled before. Everything here was new to her and the smells just as much so. Her dark companion caught her glance at him and he gave her a smile. Isaura felt her own lips tug up into an answering one. If he wasn't going to give up then neither would she.

If Ruari wanted to stick together longer that was fine with her, she wouldn't lose track of him that way. Plus, it was actually rather nice to have company that she didn't have to worry about displays with. She wondered if once they found his brother if he would still want her to travel with them. He would have Deaglan to travel with at that point and even though she had agreed to help him find the missing brother what happened after that? Ruari had said that he would take her away from the foggy woods but nothing had been said about what would happen after. She nervously licked her lips as her gaze fell trying while she tried to figure out what she would do if they parted ways.

Her companions voice broke the air and Isaura belatedly realized that he had probably seen her sudden nervousness. His brother sounded a lot like her own though hers was never kind, at least not to her anyway. Ruari commented that they had both changed and Isaura felt the urge to ask why he thought that but his attention went to a branch and Isaura noticed the dark fur that was hanging there.

Do you think he's still near here? She asked as she went over to sniff the fur as well. She would be able to recognize the scent now and if she smelled it again she would know who it belonged to.

The shadow was aware that after rye fight there was a chance that his brother would want nothing to do with him. That didn't mean their bond was broken it that they didn't need each other. Ruari still needed to find Deaglan and know if he had recovered or not. He couldn't move on from this place or with his life without knowing so he drive the search on. He'd let his injuries keep him from continuing before but not this time, he didn't care how much it hurt with each step he took.

His blue eyed companion was who drove him on, he wanted to get this done so they both could move in from this place. Alsi his bind to his brother, the feeling inside if him that told him they were in the right track. He may not be able to use his nose to find Deag, he had something much better. His instinct was what told you to keep Isaura with him because it wasn't the right time to split up. It gave the female time to ask him about his brother and as he told her he noticed the nervous lick of her lips. “Don't worry,” he told her quietly, “Deaglan won't hurt you.” Ruari would make sure of that when they did find his brother.

His tail swished behind him as he sniffed at a piece of black fur. The first evidence they were in the right track which only served to push him on. Once she'd had her chance to sniff Ruari motioned for them to continue. He led her over a little rise before they were descending and then he stopped and looked around. “I hope he's stayed in the area but I can't be sure. I think it's time we split up, try not to go too far,” he said brushing her cheek with his muzzle. “Call out if you need anything.”

The feeling he'd been having was getting stronger which made him feel they were getting close. The dark male decided in the direction he was going to go before setting off to his left in search of Deaglan. He moved slowly so that he would spot any more clues that would help him find his twin

 

If his brother was much like her own he would also have somewhat of a mean streak. Ruari seemed to be confident that Deaglan wasn't going to hurt her and she couldn't help but wonder if he had that much faith in his brother's personality or if he was going to make sure of it. Either way, she was glad to know it and she sent him a smile to let him know this. She was also glad that he had mistaken her nervousness for concern that she could get hurt. She didn't want to explain that she was more worried about having to part ways with him than the fact that his brother might hurt her.

The scent on the fur seemed a bit faded to her. How long had it been hanging on this branch? Days? Or, because it was so small it had lost its scent faster so perhaps hours? She knew she wasn't an expert tracker so she kept her mouth shut about any doubts that she might have. She stepped back from the fur and followed Ruari over the crest of a small hill and then down it. He paused and she glanced around trying to figure out what had made him stop.

He spoke and she realized that it wasn't anything that he had seen or smelled it was that he wanted to split up now so that they could try and see if his brother was still hanging around the area. He brushed her cheek with his muzzle telling her not to go too far. Isaura's ears slipped back as she stepped forward to continue the motion and rub her cheek against his. Same to you. She murmured her lips twitching into a smile. Before she could get embarrassed by their closeness she turned to trot off and see if she could find some trace of his brother.

The closer they came to where he felt he might find his brother the more he worried. How would Deaglan react to seeing him after so many weeks? Would they fight again and start the whole thing over? How would his twin react to Isa who'd become his companion in their travels? One thing Ruari did know for sure was Isa had nothing to worry about from his brother. He would ensure her safety but he hoped she would be well received by Deag. The three of them together would have better chances of making it through the winter.

After finding the fur and scaling the hill Ruari felt them had come to a place where they needed to split up to find Deaglan. He felt his brother was still in the area but that only brought up another question. After he stopped he told her it was time to split up and she returned his affection before telling him not to go too far either. “You don't have to worry,” he told her before giving a nod and heading toward his left.

The shadow searched hard under every bush and around every tree for signs of his brother. As he was losing hope that he we would find Deaglan, and accepting that maybe he'd been wrong something caught his eye. Sticking out from under a pile of leaves was more black fur. “Isa,” he called before he moved toward the leaves. Slowly and carefully he started to move the leaves revealing what was left of Deaglan, there was no mistake in his mind that he had found his twin.

Was given permission to find Deaglan's body.