[Becrux]

In the last hour before sunset, he came to the marked border of a land so old he might call it ancient. A legacy generations in the making made these woods both old and new to him: old, for the great grandparents who had founded the pack he still called home; and new, for unfamiliarity of this forest to his young eyes. The choice weighed heavy on his bones. He had last seen his brother in Inaria, and with the three alphas of yesteryear scattering to the winds, he had felt his loyalties at odds with his heart and its fatigue in the face of tragedy.

Perhaps he should wait until morning, and find some place else to spend the night. Another night in solitude to contemplate life's events. But it was unease and trepidation that pushed the urge to postpone his return by yet another day, and so he swallowed the thought. He would not fall victim to fear. He would not allow worry to dictate his actions. He would hold his head high and do what was necessary, what was needed. Time away had not eased the hollow, gutted feeling in his core, and so more time away was not the answer. At least here, he could still perhaps do some good.

The prince raised his head and howled, letting his voice carry over the trees. Perhaps a prince did not have to follow the same border rules as everyone else, but he did not feel much like a prince. He certainly had not behaved like one. He would not presume to know his place in this pack until he knew where he stood with its new queen, and he knew that with his leaving, he had a great deal to prove yet.

And so Becrux sat down and waited.

[Kastra]

    Not a day went by that he didn’t miss his family. Mercury and Alexander were family, sure, but they weren’t Alana or Julek or any of his siblings - especially his litter mates. As time had gone on, the Prince had been able to cope. He had stopped crying moons ago, accepting how life would be standing. New blood was joining Nardir, though, and he felt some comfort in the fact that even when he felt he lost people, he also gained new people. Holes in his heart could not be filled, but his heart could get bigger for the new faces he met. Kastra had taken to patrolling the borders, as they had too few guards on duty. While Kyra was understandably busy, he would try to fill in the border role she played the best he could.

    But he felt his heart skip a beat, and he almost faltered as he walked, his mind seeming to skip for a moment. It was like when someone stood up too fast, but it all happened in one fast moment, and he wasn’t sure if it was real. Still, Kastra started to move fast on his feet, now knowing the territory rather well from exploring alone. He had probably been rather far from the border, barely picking up the howl, but he knew them. He had to run fast, he had to be there. As the prince ran, he felt his throat tightening, tears pricking his eyes. It was silly to be emotional - what if it wasn’t who he thought it was? -  but he couldn’t stop himself.

    Kastra pulled up to a soft stop, panting heavy from the run. But his eyes cast down to the wolf on the border, and he felt a choke come from himself. Becrux, just sitting there. They hadn’t seen each other since Inaria, since the last time their tiny family had slightly been together. “Becrux…” It was choked out, and tears were mixing into the fur under his eyes. With a suddenness, the Prince would leap forward, trying to land on his brother, wanting to knock the bigger one over and pin him, but then nuzzle his face into his brother’s neck. Oh, he had felt so alone.

[Becrux]

“Becrux…”

Becrux lifted his head at the voice, oh so familiar and oh so missed. A wobbly smile formed on his face as he locked eyes with Kastra, clearly winded from a long run, but already resuming the sprint towards his wayward brother. Becrux rose to his paws just in time for Kastra to plow into him, knocking him to the ground. He laughed, tears in his eyes, as Kastra pinned him before nuzzling into his neck. He took one large paw and swatted Kastra's ear, but nuzzled him back. It had been so long! Even before they'd left their crater in the mountains, it had been a long time since they'd done this. He could not have asked for a warmer welcome.

And in truth, Kastra was the biggest reason he had to come back. "I guess you're happy to see me, then," he said between laughs, but guilt still pricked at his heart. "I...how are you?" he asked from the ground, making no move to try to get up. He was in no rush. His brother had looked okay, in the seconds he'd seen him before getting bowled over, but he still had no idea what the pack had been up against in their new, old territory. Was the hunting okay? Were there any predators? How were the elders holding up? Happy, probably, to finally be back here after all these years, but he had no way of knowing what state Asylum had left this place in, or what the migration had done to his pack. To his brother.

He had so many questions. But for now, in this moment, he had Kastra, and everything was okay.

[Kastra]

    It felt good to be so close to someone he trusted and loved. It still felt like walking on ice around anyone else, like one wrong move and he would be pushed away (it was all in his head, though). He felt his brother playfully swat at him, and it almost felt like they were kids again instead of two princes, one lost and one lonely. "I guess you're happy to see me, then," It felt good to hear his voice again. He worried that eventually he would forget his family’s voices or even faces - age and time were a bastard. He tried not to dwell on the thoughts, but they were there when the world was silent.

    "I...how are you?" Kastra tried to act happy, tried to put on a smile as if things in Nardir had been going great, but his brother would see through it in a heartbeat. He let the facade down, and sat back to let his brother back up. “I’ll admit, it hasn’t been easy.” There was an obvious sadness to his voice. “Mom and dad and all our siblings aren’t here - I don’t know where they are or how they’re doing.” A pause, as if letting Becrux butt in if he had seen them - but he had high doubts, and couldn’t blame him.

    “There have been...issues. And some of the elders have passed.” He didn’t know if Raka or Byakko’s death would affect him the same as it had Kastra. “But there have been some good things.” Pups were always good. Plus while Kastra felt he had lost family, one member he had never known had returned. “Are you...coming back?” There was a sadness to him, worried his brother was just visiting. Kastra wouldn’t try to stop him if he was only here for a while, but he truly missed Becrux.