A hole, a hole, a hole in the desert.

[Anberlin]

so i'm just assuming that Aristole came with CG for the move?

The grey male wandered along the inner circle of the boundaries that marked Grotto's new territory. It was about a half-mile radius around the canyon's edge, gaping, a wide open mouth exposed to space above; and yet, remained hidden to all those upon the earth. It was a wondrous place that Anberlin often had to wonder how Saosin, Ged and Darin had found it. Still, he was thankful for it; and so he went about his duties, carrying on through and among the rocks, lowering his nose to breathe in smells and expel them in a breath of carbon dioxide. The male would swing his tail behind him and move forward - nothing of interest here, the boundaries were still fresh and free of the smell of intruders.

That was partially the reason why Anberlin was so keen on finding a new home. He had been terribly sick of trespassers - who was it that one time that had assisted Anna? Some female named Xyrin. Some righteous fuck who hadn't thought to consider how Anna wrong him, only how he seemingly oppressed the mother. Before that, who had it been - Vigantaline? While his feelings toward the female had altered when she died, it had still pissed him off considerably when she had decided to tread upon his land; and, to top it off, Suncorpse had joined her, if only to take the white female back. Still. There had been countless incidents during which Anberlin would have loved to take the lives of those who had so idiotically ignored the borders he set, if only to protect his family - now, when he spoke of his family, he literally meant a family of his own. Quil was carrying his pups, that much was beginning to become obvious. Perhaps it was just Anberlin seeking out the signs and imagining them, but he could have sworn she looked rather pudgy this morning.

With pups on the way, Anberlin couldn't afford to have the borders of his territory overlooked by strangers. Hell, Anberlin even shot looks of mild suspicion at his newer members - while he knew they would never show such disloyalty as to put his beloved or his children in danger, there was a tiny area of his brain that nagged for his concern. The grey male had continued to walk along the outskirts of the canyon, occasionally casting a glance towards where he figured the rest of the pack may be - in the heart of the canyon, or within the caves embedded in the canyon walls. Expressing a small sigh, Anberlin pushed his ears forward and continued to walk, waving his tail behind him.

I BEGGED THIS PLACE TO LET ME BURN AND IT WHISPERED, BURN AWAY!

[Aristole]

yes. she did <3

God. What was wrong with her lately. She had become so distant from what she loved. Who she loved. It was like she was stuck in her own personal snow globe. The world moved on while she was stuck in her own mindset. Things needed to change, she needed to go see her brother and talk to Saosin. Correction, tell Sao how she felt about him. How much he meant to her, before she was too late. Hopefully, she would never be too late. If she was, then. . . No positive thoughts. Who would she be able to go talk to at this exact second?
ANBERLIN. A smile twitched on her silky white maw. She could really use her brother right now. Maybe he could help her, of course he could help her. Anny just made everything better. He always did, always could. She shifted to her feet before stretching. Pausing to sniff the air before she began to pace forward. Ari needed to pick up his scent, aha. There it was. The petite girl darted off in the direction of her brother's scent. She slowed down a bit, what could he be doing? She found herself wondering. What if he was busy. Maybe he didn't want her to follow him. It was hard to push these thoughts away, but she had to. With a swallow and a small self conscious nod she continued to seek out Anberlin's scent.
The slivery white girl stopped when she could see his fur. A smile blew across her maw and stayed there. "Anberlin!"She exclaimed bounding forward, she hesitated a second before pushing her nose into his shoulder. She inhaled his scent, and relaxed. Ari wanted to ask him about Sao, and about everything in general. She wanted to feel alive again, like nothing had happened. Almost as if she had never been distant. "how have. .um, how've things been?"Her voice was airy, and soft. The girl was content.
"speech"

[Anberlin]

wahhhh aristole <3

He had veered towards a collection of large rocks positioned near a steep rise in the earth, leaping atop them and stepping cautiously across them. It was mild boredom that had been reigning in his head - that, and merely the desire to best the rocks as they lay there, calling his name. He had, actually, and had leaped onto the ground again as he came to an end in the collection of boulders. However, it was at that moment that he had heard a sound, an approach, someone calling out his name; and turned his head, only to see the light silver female appear out of buttfuck nowhere and press her nose into his shoulder. Anberlin jumped slightly, having not expected her so close, or so quickly - hackles stimulated, but had relaxed again as he realized who it was. The male wagged his tail faster and offered a vibrant smile towards the female who could only be known as his only sister.

Not by blood, of course. Still, he cared for her in such a way - no way similar to the way he loved Quil, but he loved Aristole none the less.

And so, as it dawned upon him who it was, Anberlin turned to face her fully and licked her muzzle, gleeful to see her. "Great! How about you, Aristole?" He asked, his eyes lighting up - it was clearly a joy for him to see his sister again. Still, he had to wonder why she had been so scarce. But he was sure she had her reasons. Perhaps it had had something to do with Saosin, but he wouldn't pry. "Hey, walk with me?" The grey male invited, grinning again as he set off in the direction he had been headed prior to Aristole's arrival.

I BEGGED THIS PLACE TO LET ME BURN AND IT WHISPERED, BURN AWAY!

[Aristole]

i'm sooo sorry for the wait. my internet thingy server at home is broken. so i have to buy a new one.

Her insides were still feeling, different than what she had wished but oh well. The girl would get her answer soon enough. Attention was drawn back to Anberlin as she listened to him a smile crossed her silver maw. "That's good, i'm happy that you doing good." This was a true statement, she didn't like it when her brother wasn't happy. It brought her down, but she wasn't truly happy herself. "Eh, things could be better." She answered with a small shrug and half smile. She should tell Anberlin how she felt about his brother. His real brother. Maybe he could help her. 'Cause she would love for Saosin to be hers and what better way to get that then through Anberlin?
When he invited her to walk with him she couldn't say no. She hadn't been around in a while and she missed her brother. Ari was feeling up to being her normal self. "oh gosh, really? me? I'd love to take a walk with you, mr. vedi. i'm honored." She teased lightly. Aristole didn't realize how much she missed just being around the pack. The vixen turned and followed Anny. Maybe now would be a good time to discuss Saosin. No one was around to listen, just her and Anberlin. Not like she cared if anyone knew she loved Saosin. There was only one way that this was going to work. She needed to know if he loved her the way she loved him. Or if Sao just loved her at all. Anything would be good. Her pale blue eyes stared at the ground a moment longer before she turned them to the large grey and white male. "I have something to tell you. . . or well ask you. It's about Saosin."
"speech"

[Anberlin]

Anberlin cast a side-ways glance at his sister, mildly curious about her response. But then again, he imagined that she wouldn't be feeling all that fantastic after being absent for so long. Not necessarily absent - after all, he had seen her around here and there - just not as often as he'd have liked to. So perhaps something had happened. Something from her past, perhaps somebody she had known. He wouldn't pry. It was Aristole's business and if she so chose to tell him, she would. He just hoped that it wouldn't have anything to do with villains or arch-enemies. A familiar face had risen in his mind at this: Anna. His dear sister was not like her, though.

The boy chuckled, his shoulders quaking briefly at her almost bashful acceptance of his offer. With that, they had proceeded forward, for Anberlin to carry out whatever duty he had been busying himself with prior - what, scouting? Marking the borders? It fled his mind briefly, and returned upon focusing on the trail they were taking again, but it hadn't lasted long before Aristole's words broke the silence. He raised his head slightly to rest his gaze on her again, meeting her blue eyes with his red own, swiftly seeking more information, trying for more knowledge, wondering. "You've made up with him, yeah?" He asked, smiling lightly. It wasn't so much their lack of bickering or Aristole's failure to be hostile towards him anymore, actually, that gave it away; it was more like Saosin's awkward mention of the female every now and then.

About which, Anberlin was increasingly curious. And so he paid his full and complete attention to the female, ears forward, listening and alert. Ready and willing to assist her in anything she needed to know about his brother.

I BEGGED THIS PLACE TO LET ME BURN AND IT WHISPERED, BURN AWAY!

[Aristole]

Why did this have to be so never wracking? She was itching to know if Anny knew how Saosin felt about her. This wasn't a curiosity thing, this was like life or death. Dammit, she was in way to deep. She was probably not going to get any sleep unless she found out. A sleepless Ari was not a happy Ari. Nonetheless, she would have to find out someday. When she heard Anberlin say she'd make up with him she couldn't help but give a small laugh. "oh, i've more than made up with him." Before she had time to think about what she was saying, those words just slipped out. Aristole froze, and took a deep breath. She may as well tell Anberlin now. "I think I'm in love with your brother. . .no, not think. I am." She placing her white rump on the ground and staring into Anberlin's eyes. There was no way in hell that she would be able to do this without a little help.
Aristole continued to tell Anberlin about these feelings. "I've never felt this way about anyone. Well, i thought i felt this way about someone before, but i didn't. not like this. Would you please help me?" She had managed to squeeze all of that into one breath. The poor girl was panting now, when she caught her breath she turned her maw towards Anberlin. She gently pressed her muzzle to his, "please." Her voice was a soft whisper.
"speech"

[Anberlin]

Aristole laughed - and at first, he assumed it was that nervous kind of laugh that almost meant that she hadn't, in fact, whatever she had attempted had gone awry. But he remained silent until she had told him, and she did; and instantly he felt his cheeks grow hot, ears twitching with mild discomfort. He didn't really want to know what that meant - nor did he want to know what had gone on between his brother and Aristole. Then again, something similar to what he assumed had gone on between himself and Quil. But he didn't necessarily go around blathering about it, did he? So he respected the fact that Saosin wouldn't tell him about something like this. Even if it was... kind of important.

The next bit of news had shocked him, but not as much as it would have had she not made that comment before. He pinned his ears back and turned to look fully at Aristole, wide-eyed - it was truly amazing how quickly she could go from hostility to complete adulation towards his brother. Perhaps more happened than what he'd thought. He'd known about what happened during the wildfire, but other than that, Anberlin was totally out of the loop. She pleaded for him to help her, and he glanced around, uncertain of what to tell her. While he knew his brother, he could not read what was on his brother's mind, nor could he properly gauge how his brother would respond to something as this. Or perhaps he already knew. Anberlin wasn't sure.

However, what he did know was that Aristole was on Saosin's mind a lot, based on how much he said something about her - usually in form of I'm going to look for Aristole. or I have something to give her. or something of the like. Anberlin's grin broadened slightly as he licked Aristole's muzzle and straightened again. "I don't know how he feels - he doesn't tell me things like this." The male began, still unsure. "I mean, I can always ask, but... I think you should tell him how you feel. Again, I don't know how he feels, but I know you're important to him." The grey wolf told her with a nod. What's the worst that could happen? Saosin could reject her - yeah, but he doubted that would happen. Anberlin had a sneaking suspicion that his brother was rather fond of Aristole.

I BEGGED THIS PLACE TO LET ME BURN AND IT WHISPERED, BURN AWAY!

[Aristole]

Aristole felt relieved after telling Anberlin, it was much easier to share with someone you trust than to keep everything bottled up inside of you. A small smile twitched across her silky white maw as she raised her eyes to Anny's face. She listened carefully to his words. Oh, damn. Not like she expected him to be able to read Saosin's mind, but maybe the fiery red male had mentioned her or something. Her smile widened after she heard her brother say that he knew that she was very important to him. "Thanks Anberlin. For everything." she whispered pushing her maw into the male's grey chest.
This was going to be a perfect day. Aristole would take Anberlin's advice, go take to Sao and hopefully she would get the answer she was looking for. Then her whole life would be complete. That small smile remained on her face as she rose to her paws, her head swiveled in the alpha's direction. "Shall we continue?" The young girl inquired with a swift wag of her white tail.
"speech"

[Anberlin]

Anberlin laughed softly and returned the affectionate gesture, gently brushing his nose against her cheek before withdrawing again. These actions, though still slightly estranged to him, were beginning to feel as though they belonged. Even if Aristole was not his sister by blood, this was how he saw her - he wondered, even, if Quil and Aristole had ever spoken. He would have to integrate Quil into this family complex that Anberlin had built around himself - he doubted she was even all that close to Azalia. Yes - that was definitely something the male would have to do, and so he made a mental note to do so later.

At her words, the male glanced at her and nodded his head before carrying on. "I'm glad you're my sister, you know," The male told her and offered another smile. "You should know that I'd trust you with my life." He wasn't certain why he was telling her this. Perhaps to let her know that he wasn't taking her for granted. He appreciated everything that she did - as well as everything that everybody else did, too. He wasn't certain what he would do without them, without Aristole - or what Saosin would do without her, either. Definitely he'd go crazy. "Anyways... I'm kind of hungry. Care to share a hunt with me?" He asked, suddenly eager - there had to be a deer or a mountain sheep around here somewhere.

I BEGGED THIS PLACE TO LET ME BURN AND IT WHISPERED, BURN AWAY!