Cairnstone Climb Remember me

For @Galen <3

She'd been looking for Galen. Di didn't spend nearly enough time with her only remaining littermate these days. It didn't help that he was always off with Magg, and Di had to admit that stung of jealousy - especially since @Adora had left and Di felt like she'd somehow lost both of her friends. Right now she really just wanted her mother back... and her father.

So, somehow, even though she'd been looking for Galen, Diantha found herself climbing the long, winding path up to the place they'd all brought their rocks to remember her dad. She'd been searching the borders for her brother and saw the trail and just went without thinking. She didn't know why she was coming here - she hadn't been since the memorial. He wasn't here. He wasn't even buried here, it was just a pile of rocks... but it had been done in remembrance, and that had to mean something.

When she reached the top Diantha stopped before the cairn. It was quiet, but not eerily so... more peaceful. Even with the smoke burning her lungs, Di felt better here, like a piece of her dad was tied to the place even if he'd never been here in life.

The yearling bowed her head and tried not to cry.

Swarthy paws trudged slowly along the mountainside with no rhyme or reason, his mind undecided still if he wanted to actually complete another patrol around the borders or just let his paws go wherever they pleased which they seemingly were doing so now. A familiar scent; that didn't consist of the constant smell of burning trees, caught his attention, though, and before he knew it his paws had deviated to begin following the windy curve of the trail that led up to the memorial cairn they had built in remembrance of his late father. The memory instantly had dark ears tugging back, a sense of guilt gnawing at his heart from his lack of visiting. Some son he turned out to be..

A shake of his pelt shoved the slough of negative thoughts aside for the time being to swirl around the back of his mind with the rest that ate away at the yearling, golden gaze searching through the haze for the tawny silhouette of Di once her perfume grew stronger. What had drawn his sister up here? "Di?" He called out softly into the air in fear if he spoke too loud the smoke would only cause his throat to burn more than it already did.

She hadn't been there long when the very scent she'd been seeking drifted through the ashy taste of smoke. She was just turning to look when her brother's voice called out to her. "Gale," she said quietly as his dark form emerged from the shadowy air. If she were in better spirits she might have laughed; he blended in so well. Maybe they should use that to their advantage and do some hunting or something.

As it was, she was sad and visiting her father's cairn and standing before her was the last member of her family, excluding half-siblings. She loved Leo and Stella, but it wasn't quite the same. Di hadn't always gotten on with Star and Feyre, but they were her sisters and she missed them, and she hoped they and her mother were okay, wherever they were.

It wasn't until her face was buried in Galen's neck that Di realized she'd stood and stumbled over to him. She let out a long, low whine and leaned into him.