Quill had searched all around where they had settled for his sister but she was nowhere to be found. That left him to heading back the way that they had come when they first came to these lands. He didn't think she would have entirely left the area without telling him but where else could she be? Maybe the Fair Folk from their home had come here and snatched her back. That sounded like the most likely scenario. So Quill had decided to go back just to be able to look for any clues.

When the antlered male got there he couldn't really find anything of interest. There were tracks everywhere and scents abounded but there were none in particular that stood out to him. He didn't smell Illusion. He didn't smell the Fair Folk that he knew.

What there was was low hanging cloud cover that made it near impossible to see anything. Quill stared through the mist and down the sand bridge. He couldn't even see the point where the first crossing had been made. It was strange.

The passage was near enough to the Hollow that Hiccup thought he could head over without losing his way in the mist. He feared the same could not be said about any newcomers who were entering Amaryllis — a mysterious land cloaked in … well, mist, was not going to be easy to navigate. Luckily, the Hollow ambassador was nearby to lend a paw!

He followed the coastline to maintain his bearing — plus, the mist-cooled breeze that came rolling in from the waves felt great when it combed through his cherry-colored coat and mane of pure white. The salty sea-air filled his lungs with each deep breath and when he exhaled, his smile grew. As always, he was going into his task with hope in his heart and his head held high. Confident.

Through the salt-tinged spray, another scent wove its way into his nose, prompting it to wiggle on the end of his snout as he sniffed the breeze. Had he found the trail of a wanderer? Curious, the yearling changed his course and padded deeper into the mist. He cupped his ears forward, listening — hoping that when he chuffed out, the wanderer would answer.

“Hey, is anybody out there?” he called. “Anybody who wants to be found? Because, uh, I can smell you, and if you’re lost, I can get you out of here and somewhere safe!!”

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It didn't feel as if he was alone out on this strip for too long. He couldn't see whom the voice belonged to but he was being called out to. Or someone was being called out to. Perhaps there were others enshrouded in this mist as well. Maybe it wasn't him that the voice called to. Or it was and it was the Fair Folk coming to trick him and snatch him away as well. If it would reunite him with his sister...

"I am here!" Quill called out, marveling at the way his voice was warped by the mist. The antlered male made his way towards where he had thought the voice was coming from but it was impossible to tell really. "Where are you? I can't seem to find you." Disembodied voices anyone?

@Hiccup

The young ambassador cupped his ears on his head and listened, hoping an answering voice would sound out from the mist. A beaming smile sparked across his muzzle when someone hollered back, luring Hiccup away from the shoreline and deeper into the haze that shrouded the landbridge and the world beyond it. “I’m here!” he called, his paws kicking sand as he picked up the pace and jogged in the direction of the voice.

To his relief, a silhouette soon appeared and drew him closer. “Ah, there you are!” the yearling sighed happily, assuming he had found the one he had been looking for. It was only in the last several yards that the mist thinned enough to reveal the creature behind it. Immediately, Hiccup’s attention went to the antlers that decorated his blonde mane, his smile widening. He knew him!

… well, sort of. He remembered him, at the very least. Hiccup had met him in the swamp for a hunt some time ago. He also remembered how small their catch had been. Between the multiple predators that had joined them, there’d simply not been enough to go around.

“Hey! Long time no see,” Hiccup chuckled. “What are you doing out here in the mist? Do you need someplace to stay?”

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Quill was surprised by whom appeared out of the mist. He remembered the other. He had been joined on a hunt by this male. This male whom was entirely un-Fae-like. How could someone appear near normal and act like he did? It made no sense at all to Quill. It didn't fit with what he knew of the Fair Folk.

"Looking for my sister." The changeling answered honestly. He had no idea where Illusion had gotten to and this mist made it even more difficult to venture about and try to search for her. Of course this lion also wouldn't know his sister either. At least Quill assumed not.

Someplace to stay? He had a place, or he thought he had. But with Illusion gone missing he wasn't even certain of that anymore. Was there really a place without Illusion? Their plans had gone awry with the disappearance. "What sort of place?"

@Hiccup

Oh. The smaller male revealed that he was searching for his sister, sinking Hiccup’s smile. “Did … did the mist take her?” he asked quietly, before shaking his head at himself. “Ah, sorry— you don’t have to answer that. I’ve lost a few friends in the mist, so I thought— ” He quieted down before he could begin rambling, his smile mostly recovering. There was, however, a certain sadness in it, and an apologetic look in his silver eyes.

The conversation moved to the topic of shelter. The male was apparently curious enough to inquire about it, brightening Hiccup's expression. “Oh! Yeah, Obsidian Hollow! We live under the mountains on the other side of this bridge— not that … you can really see them now,” he laughed slightly, waving his paw at the mist that surrounded them. “Anyway, my pride makes its home in the tunnels of an old volcano. It shelters us from extreme weather, especially the summer heat.”

Angling his head slightly, the yearling realized something. “I never did catch your name — you know, before. I’m Hiccup!”

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"I am not sure what happened. She was there and then she was gone. She never came back to the glade where we decided to make our home. She wouldn't go to a pride. She doesn't like prides. She says prides are bad." Given what they had gone through with their birth pride it was understandable. But where else could she have gone?

Quill listened as the other explained about where he lived. "What are volcanoes? Are there trees? I like trees. Tree dens are the best." Though his sister had found a cave for her den. So could she have gone there and gotten lost without knowing it was a pride? But how could she not know? Maybe they had taken her captive! That was a thought. Maybe she was trapped and needed him to rescue her, not that Quill was good at the rescuing sort.

And then the other gave his name and it was like a light flickered on. That was why the other wasn't like the other Fair Folk that Quill knew! He had a changeling name! "Why Hiccup? I'm Quill. Porcupine incident when I was only a few months old." Because clearly there had to be a story behind the name.

@Hiccup

Hiccup listened closely as the rogue explained what had happened to his sister (she had simply disappeared), and how she disliked prides. She’d said they were bad. “Some can be, if they have a bad leader,” he admitted. “But some can be really good! They can even become family.” For the orphaned Hiccup, the Hollow and its members were like a surrogate family. He cared dearly for them.

The rogue asked what a volcano was, and if there were trees. Regrettably, they were lacking in dense vegetation. “A volcano is like a mountain with liquid fire inside of it. But our volcano died, all the fire went away, so only the shell is left now. It’s kind of like when we die — everything except the bones go back to the earth,” he explained, smiling. “Because ours is dead, it doesn’t have a lot of trees, mostly just shrubs and stuff.”

Ah, finally! He had the rogue’s name — Quill! He explained that his name stemmed from a porcupine incident in his youth, causing the cherry-coated yearling to cringe sympathetically. Quill wanted to know about his name too, which earned him a laugh. “Oh, I uh, hiccup when I’m nervous. I used to do it A LOT when I was really small, but sometimes it still gets me.” He wasn’t quite as nervous as he was in his infancy, so while he hiccuped less now than in his youth, he’d not entirely outgrown his condition. “I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of them,” snorted the youth.

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How could Quill explain why prides were bad without saying anything disrespectful? It was hard to liken Hiccup to all of the other Fair Folk. Still Quill had to remind himself that is what Hiccup was. Hiccup wasn't like Illusion or himself. Hiccup could fit in.

"Can you heal it and not make it dead anymore?" It was perhaps a silly question. But Quill believed in spirits and reincarnation. Things could come back from the dead if done properly. Quill didn't know the proper way to do it because he hadn't followed that profession himself. Should he switch and learn? It would be a curious thing to see fire in a mountain. "If you can make it alive again then there can be trees." Because yes, Quill did have an obsession with trees.

"You don't have them now." He had never heard the other hiccup once. Granted he hadn't known the other for too long either. There was always still time for the hiccups to reoccur.

@Hiccup

The young ambassador doubted the Hollow would ever be green and luscious. It seemed impossible that a barren land would become vibrant with colorful flowers and tender grasses, but there was some shrubs, which suggested that something must’ve grown there in the past …

“Maybe?” Hiccup answered. “We border the desert, but even flowers grow in the desert when the rainy season comes through!” The flowers, of course, did not bloom for very long, but Hiccup enjoyed their beauty while he could. “I like harvesting them for my den. They’re really pretty and smell great.” The flowers added some color to the obsidian walls of his den and filled the cool air with their delicate fragrance. He especially liked wild freesia.

Quill’s remark about his lack of hiccups had the yearling laughing, his smile wide. “Well, I’m not nervous right now!” he chirped. “You haven’t given my any reason to be.” A friendly, happy shrug followed.

“So, Quill, did you want to check out the Hollow?” he asked. “We have a lot of food right now, if you’re hungry. Most of our hunts are successful, and there’s always leftovers.” Hiccup remembered how he — and many others — had found Quill and hunted with him. Unfortunately, the prey they’d found had been bony and not really worth anything, whereas the Hollow had recently taken down a buffalo pair. The rogue would never need to compete for food with Hiccup and his pride.

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