Home.

He felt the comforting sense of returning the moment he scented the border across the sand, even though another scent still lingered there beside @Scorpius’s. Who ruled didn’t so much matter to Jet, though he wouldn’t have dared say so aloud where it could be taken the wrong way. The Andal Oasis was where he had been born, where he had spent his earliest days, where he associated his mother and family most.

It felt so right to return, even despite the circumstances leading to it.

The chartreux boy turned to peer back over his dark shoulder, searching the sands for @Azula and @Lazaris not far behind. He’d volunteered to go ahead, to get their return started if possible, so that they could settle again into their old arrangements that much faster. And what did they have to worry, with their old leader seated upon the throne here likely waiting for them?

Stopping upon that boundary line, Jet released a loud summons, so that both those within and without would know he had arrived. Hopefully the desert king and his own family would join him soon enough.

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Azula followed not far behind her son, upon her back was a few pelts that she had been keeping for a few months. She had lived through a few winters within Amaryllis now, but she could barely ever get used to the cold snow that drifted from the heavens.

She had given Lazaris the task of carrying the family’s trinkets, stored within an empty tortious shell and wrapped tightly with a pelt so their belongings didn’t fall out. She heard Jet’s call and she trotted forth, reaching him and plopping her rump upon the snowy sand. “I still can’t comprehend how there is snow in the desert,” she grumbled, her tail sweeping across the cold slush. Thank the gods for the pelts upon her back.

art by drifty ♡︎ code by scorpixia

lazaris

relief is fleeting, I know something is with me.
release the pressure,
the leviathan flows.

Lazaris walked a pace behind her mother, quietly holding the tortious shell within her jaws. Her dark ears twitched when she heard her brother’s call at the border, and she noticed how Azula’s pace quickened.

She moved swiftly so she could keep up, and once they made it to their destination she placed the shell upon the snow. She kept it close though, knowing how much it meant to her mother. Lazaris remained quiet as her mother made a comment about the snow, her pale eyes looking down at the ground.

I don’t think we’ll have to wait long, thankfully, she finally commented in a cool manner. Considering how close her mother was with the Miroslav’s, Lazaris had a feeling this would be an easy and quick arrangement.

_{BG — CODE}

The call on his borders is familiar - not long ago @Jet had made the same one at the Band. With a frown, Scorpius answers it, finding the small family on his territory. Not an unwelcome sight, but Azula would not leave Leonie willingly…

"What’s happened?" He asks without so much as a greeting, red gaze snapping between the mother and her children each in kind. He cares not who answers - only that someone does, quickly. "Where is my sister and her daughter?" There's a sharp, quick edge to his voice. Part of him knows already. Call it a bond or twin-feeling. Call it instinct. Whatever it's called, it doesn't matter.

She isn't here.

@Jet @Azula @Lazaris

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A toothy grin stretched across the boy’s face the moment he spotted his mother and sister approaching, each carrying an assortment of items. A little twinge of guilt ate at him—he should have been carrying any of that—but neither did he want to offend them by offering. Going ahead had surely been the safer choice.

@Azula’s comment drew out a low chuckle, and he nodded in agreement with Lazaris’s answer. “At least we aren’t up the mountain,” he remarked, lifting a paw to brush his pale toes across the snow by his feet, “it’s so much worse there.” He wasn’t sure if either of them had visited the Summit before, but he wasn’t too keen on making a return trip anytime soon.

At least not without stealing one of his mother’s pelts first.

@Lazaris called it; @Scorpius arrived shortly, so full of concern and worry that the joyous little reunion Jet expected was instantly spoiled. His ears tipped back into his dark mane as he shared an uncertain look with his kin before he tried to answer. “I was…kind of hoping she’d be here?” Clearly Leonie wasn’t; Scorpius wouldn’t be this tense if she was.

Jet swallowed, suddenly more worried than he had been initially. “We can’t go back,” he added softly, regret and a bit more guilt coloring the phrase. There wasn’t anything in the Gorge to return to. Regrouping here at the Oasis was all they had.

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Jet says exactly what Scorpius does not want to hear, but the king’s expression does not change. "She won’t be far." He murmurs, trying to sound reassuring and confident, but his voice is dull. Where is she?

He has never done this alone before.

He doesn’t know if he can.

"Come in," Scorpius says quickly, casting away the doubt. It will do no good to linger. "You’re all welcome here, of course." He would not turn away the woman who proved her loyalty, and her children that were born here. They have as much right to his kingdom as his own family.

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It makes sense. @Scorpius asks where his sister and his niece are. Jet spoke, and Azula flicked her tail. She couldn't blame the growing boy, he did not know what had happened. Finally, Azula spoke as she got to her paws. "She's searching for Mercedes," she said, "They'll be okay, I know it," she added. The Miroslav woman was not careless. She was skilled, talented, and intelligent. They would be home soon, Azula could sense it in a way.

"If you wish, Scorpius, I can take up a higher rank to help a bit. Noble, gentry, lead fighter. Wherever you need the help most, just let me know," she added. It was also fine if he felt he didn't need the aid. However, Azula was fiercely loyal and she would do anything to help.
[ exit Azula ]

art by drifty ♡︎ code by scorpixia

lazaris

relief is fleeting, I know something is with me.
release the pressure,
the leviathan flows.

Lazaris remained quiet as her family conversed with Scorpius. The king welcomed them into the kingdom, and the strawberry girl gathered everything and shot a glance at Jet. Thank you, Scorpius, she finally said. She politely dipped her head and then nudged her shoulder against Jet's.

She wanted to get settled in quickly, as well as find a den. She wondered if the family's old den was occupied, or if it was somehow still barren after all of this time. Without another word she slipped into the oasis, relaxation wrapping around her body. It felt good to be home.

[ exit Lazaris ]

_{BG — CODE}

Jet felt the oppressive weight of Leonie’s absence like a tangible thing, a coarse sense of dread like a spider along his spine. He wanted to backtrack and search for her—for her and her daughter, as Azula said that was her delay—but…he had only spent a week, possibly, there before the band ceased to be. He wasn’t versed in all of its hiding places.

Even if he tried, he doubted how much help he was likely to be.

His mother’s confidence was reassuring—enough, at least, for him to set aside the thought and follow his sister. The feel of Lazaris bumping his shoulder brought him back to the moment, and Jet turned his head to press his cheek briefly against her temple, taking the comfort where he could find it. He said nothing, accepting his place in the Oasis with silence, and merely fell into step behind his sister, ready to pick their life up where they’d left off, if at all possible.

-Exit Jet-

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