[ P ] far too long

Something in her gut told her that Nylah was here, or had been here at the very least. She could sense her strong presence. It had been far too long since she saw her sister, and the circumstances for their separation still left her bitter. Harlow went months thinking her sister was dead and she was ready to give up hope. Something tugged at her, pulled her towards this place, begged her to keep looking and she was hoping that for once her gut was right. "Where are you," her brow knit together in thought, as the wind picked up and rippled against sandstone fur. There were others here, none of the scents in which she recognized and she knew very well she would be dead if caught in pack territory. The scents lingered heavily along the border, but she couldn't back down not, she had to keep going even if she was met with someone roaming.

Harlow pressed forward keeping a watchful eye on what was going on around her, and a listening ear in case anything was to happen during her travels. Her paws hurt, she could feel the sores forming against the leather pads, but her stubbornness was not willing to let her stop, not just yet.

"I know you're here," she could call for her sister, but would risk someone else hearing her. Hell. She would face that consequence if it so happened. "Nylah," she called out against the winds, "Nylah I know you have to be here, and I hope to not be wrong." She just wanted to see her, to know she was doing well.

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what am i fighting for what have i done? “ *Nylah.* Dark ears twitched atop her skull. It was a distant sound, so quietly spoken that she almost thought she was imagining things. A part of her said to ignore it, to keep moving forward like she had been everyday since it happened. She had searched for Harlow, as much as she could with Kieran dragging her devastated body to his home. Doing the only thing she really could do now, she grieved. She accepted that everyone was gone, it wasn't just a nightmare, she wouldn't see her sister ever again. So she threw herself into this pack life. She kept Kieran at arms distance, still only letting him see the toxicity that dripped from her lips. She played her part as she always had and no one was the wiser. But her whispered name on the wind had her considering throwing it all away. She needed to know. Turning, Nylah headed towards the sound, nostrils flaring with desperation she tried to keep at bay. She couldn't get her hopes, she wouldn't get her hopes up. Not until she saw Harlow slinking through pack territory. With ears at attention, she froze, wide green eyes fixated on her sister. Harlow was here. Or was her mind playing tricks on her? Had she missed the moment when she gave into the insanity that plucked at her mind? No. This wolf looked like her sister, even smelled like her. Paws moved on their own accord as she inched closer, intending to cross her sisters path ahead of her. "Harlow?" Her voice was soft, her eyes oddly hopeful. Having her sister back at her side made this whole ordeal less painful, she didn't have to carry the burden of loss on her own. A half smile liked one corner of her mouth, a manic giggle bubbling forth. what am i dying for what have we all become?

TABLE BY AMPHI

Harlow was ready to give up when she didn't hear a response back. Ears tilted back against her skull and the edges of her lips formed a subtle frown. She was almost certain that Nylah was here, but many times before she had got her hopes up and it seemed it would be happening again. A long sigh escaped her, paws digging into the ground as she readied herself to leave before that flicker of hope ignited in her once more. The ghost of her name touched the air which brought amethyst eyes to shoot in the direction of the voice. Soon she was met with an almost mirror version of herself, and her heart leaped into her throat.

Her tail wagged behind her so much so she swore she vibrated throughout her body. Harlow bounded forth to embrace her sister, whines formed in her throat as she felt a knot develop there. She wanted to cry, but this time it would not be sad tears. "Oh Nylah!" She licked at her sister's muzzle, brushing her cold nose into the nape of her best friend.

"You're alive!" Her skin bubbled over with goosebumps, it all felt as though it wasn't even real. "I thought you were..." She needed not to even finish the sentence because she knew her sister thought the same of her own well-being.

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you're in the dark
just you and anger

your oldest friend
your closest lover

The wolf up ahead was suddenly rushing forward, closing the distance between them - in the back of her mind, she wondered if she maybe she should be reacting instead of watching. Oh Nylah! But that was her sisters voice. She really was losing her mind here. Harlows voice was followed by the harsh slap of her perfume, filling dark nostrils and bringing with it a rush of memories.

It wasn't until her sister lapped at her muzzle, showering her in kisses, that she sucked in a ragged breath, the world becoming crystal clear once again. "Harlow." She whispered her sisters name before her tail started to wag wildly behind her. Pale eyes brimmed with tears as she vibrated with a concoction of relief and happiness. Her sister was live! Leaning into her sister, pressing her own nose into her sisters nape, she relished in the warmth she found there. Warmth that met life. "I couldn't find you..." She fumbled to get the words out. "I thought you were dead, or taken." So many horrible possibilities had played in her mind.

The both shared the same thoughts. "Where were you? How did you get out? What happened?" The questions bubbled to the surface and tumbled quickly from her lips. Did her sister know anything about that night? Had she even been in her den? Had Harlow seen their attackers? A part of her hoped that her sister held the key to finding out who did this, who would pay dearly for their crimes.

"speech"

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Harlow was still in disbelief to see her sister right in front of her, breathing, alive, and seemingly well. There was so much they needed to catch up on, but first, there were other matters to address. How? Harlow blinked hard as she felt her heartbeat settle in the pit of her stomach. The thought of reliving the horror she had witnessed before she ran was almost too much to bear. The blood, the bodies. For so long, she had wondered if her sister was among those lost, but she had buried those thoughts deep in her mind—until now.

"I was asleep not too far from our home," she began, her voice trembling, "I remember being mad that night and not wanting to talk to anyone. I was woken by screams, and naturally, I ran towards the sound when I realized it was coming from home." She inhaled sharply, her chest tightening as she continued, "By the time I made it there, I saw bodies and blood. I could hear men talking about making sure everyone was dead, so I ran. I didn’t want them to find me, and I was too terrified to go back and see if you were among those who had died." Her voice broke, and she shook her head, the horrific scene replaying vividly every time she closed her eyes. The nightmares still haunted her, sometimes even now, as she struggled to escape the shadow of that night.

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you're in the dark
just you and anger

your oldest friend
your closest lover

Her sisters voice shook as she relived the night they were both desperate to forget. She could very nearly see the haunting images staring back at her in her sisters eyes. It was a night she couldn't forget no matter how hard she tried. "I'm glad you're okay." She pressed into her sister again, as if she needed a second reminder that she was alive and well. Being reunited with her sister was something she had never allowed herself to hope for, not when she wasn't entirely certain whether her sister had lived or died that night.

"Kieran and I were just getting back from that ridiculous expedition dad sent us on." The shift in their relationship now, versus back then, it was night and day. How did she even begin to explain that to her sister? "But by the time we reached everyone, it was too late." There was nothing to be done. Even if they had managed to get there earlier, what could they possibly have done besides getting themselves killed too? A quiet sigh blew past her lips. "You're here now and thats all that matters."

There was no use in dwelling on what they could not change. But that didn't mean Nylah wasn't starved for revenge, that she didn't dream of sinking her fangs into the throat of whoever did this. Nylah knew she would paint the forests red with her revenge, with her rage, with her grief. If only they had something to go on, some scrap of a clue that could point them in a direction. Any direction.

"speech"

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Harlow hadn't felt home in a long time, but when wrapped in her sister's embrace she felt the immediate tension, worry and fear ease. "Me too," she breathed into her sister's plush fur, her eyes growing hot with tears, but she did her best to confine them because this was a happy moment. She remembered Nylah leaving for the expedition, the same on her father didn't ask her to go on. That very well meant that something could have happened to her if she didn't leave due to being so mad that night.

There was no point in the what ifs, however. The point was she was here with Nylah now and she would never let anything happen to her sister, not if she had any control of it. Slowly she allowed herself to release from Nylah's hug, feeling the immediate cooling of her skin. Harlow offered her sister a smile, "I have been traveling since," she explained, "but I would love to come home...wherever you are," they would never forget that night, but maybe they could start over.

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you wanna start a fire?
go ahead and spark the lighter
you wanna try and burn my soul?

Whilst travelers outside of the pack borders are not particularly their concern, Kieran and Ruarc like to know what's going on—who's nearby. When one of their scouts fetches him to say there's a strange woman in the woods, hollering for his wife, his curiosity piques. He'd been working with Ronan on defensive tactics when the spotter arrived, and he sends the boy off to find his mother before he heads in the direction indicated.

By the time he can make out the sound of voices, he realizes that Nylah has beat him to the punch—but she sounds...happy. He prowls closer, his fur damp with mud and condensation, until he's reached the edge of the small clearing they're loitering in. When he sees who Nylah is talking to, Kieran's brows arch towards his forehead. "Harlow," he greets neutrally, though his mind is burning for answers. Her body had been amongst the dead, hadn't it?

In hindsight, he supposes he'd never looked for her specifically. His only priority had been getting Nylah out before she, too, became a target.

Kieran doesn't have strong feelings for Harlow one way or the other. They've never really talked, and he was content to accept that her opinion of him sided with her sister, which put Kieran soundly in the "not friends" classification. She's broken no rules yet, and his wife's elated relief is written all over her features, so he doesn't press closer or demand answers just yet. His face is openly curious, waiting for one or both of them to start explaining the situation.

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