StarMoon tried to mask the shock, but it was useless.
"Wait...Celeste? Celeste is the name of my sister. I haven't heard from her in years. Ever since she ran off with that male...forgot his name."
She flicked her tail, looking at Shyra carefully.

 ~~

Kioko smiled, then pulled up a root a bit in front of Tamarand. Not with the intention of tripping him, but making him stumble. She picked up her pace slightly, only to slow down when the scent of deer met her. She glanced over at Tamarand, flicking her tail.

Memories threatened to overwhelm her. Between half-choked sobs and gasps for breath, she said, "Brutus ( i think i called him that O.o) his name was Brutus.... My mother was killed.... in one of his fits.... she always talked.... about her sister...." With tears in her eyes, shyra looked up at StarMoon and said, "She never.... stopped loving.... her sister..."

----

Tamarand didn't even see the root and nearly tripped completely, only barely regaining his balance in time to catch the scent of deer. He grinned at Kioko, redoubling his efforts. his stomach rumbled hungrily though he wasn't sure for whom it growled, Kioko or the deer.

StarMoon moved beside Shyra, her eyes watering with unshed tears.
"Then...you are Shyra, correct? I had heard about her and her pups..."
She stared into the ground, her eyes blank.
"I can't believe she's gone..."

~~

Kioko doubled her pace, catching up and keeping up. She glanced up as the deer herd came into sight, and shot forward at her greatest effort, snapping her jaws around a doe's neck and sliding into another as she stopped, breaking its legs. She glanced at Tamarand and she broke the second's neck with her paws.
"Might want to hurry. Wouldn't want to be outrun by deer."
She grinned at her own humor, before laying down and tearing off a leg of the deer, digging into it hungrily.

Shyra smiled weakly, nodding. She was so overwhelmed by this; she had never concerned herself with her family (other than her brothers) after her mother had died. And here she was, sitting next to her aunt, her aunt! Giving a final sniff that strengthened her nerves, she looked at StarMoon and said,

"I never would have imagined meeting you like this."

----

Tamarand barely even heard Kioko as his hunting instincts took over. As the herd fled before them, he redoubled his efforts. He leapt upon a large log in his path and immediately jumped again, giving a strong pound with his wings. The buck of the herd, originally prepared to fend the wolves off while his family fled, flailed underneath the terrifying *censored*ault of an air-bourne wolf. Tamarand's jaws clamped onto the buck's throat, digging in. the terrified animal tried to run, but its strength had been leeched away onto the reddening ground. The buck collapsed and Tamarand sprang into motion again, taking down a doe who had lingered too long to wait for her mate. Panting slightly, he looked over to Kioko. she presented a glorious view: Fresh blood splattered around her muzzle, her chest painted red by her collision with her prey. She really did look like she was on fire, with the perfect balance between red and organge, it was breathtaking. it was a moment before Tamarand realized he was staring and hastily looked away.

StarMoon nodded.
"I never expected to meet my sister's pups at all. After she left, I searched for years. Never found her. I finally settled down in a cave, so that I could pay more attention to my Celestial wolf duties. I had given up on seeing her, or her pups, again...I guess it was a good idea to join their pack..."
The last sentence was whispered, more to herself.

~~

Kioko glanced up just in time to see him glance over. She smiled to herself as he turned away quickly, realizing he was staring. She herself didn't like being bloody. It crusted in her fur and was a pain to get out. Dried blood was horribly uncomfortable to her. But she just continued eating, ripping off the third leg from the first deer. Usually, she ate faster, but today was different. She had much to mull over, and was in no rush.

(sorry for the super lateness, was at a friend's house all week T.T couldn't get on a computer)

Shyra was in a turmoil about whether or not she agreed. True, it was increadible that she was able to meet a member of her family, but this meeting had also torn wide the scars of her past. Her mother's death felt like a fresh wound now, her energy seeping like blood to the ground. 

She smiled at StarMoon and stood, shakily. "I need a little time to myself right now; this was an.... interesting talk?" It was more a question than a statement since she was still very unsure of herself. She padded away, into the forest. She didn't look to see if anyone was following her, simply hoping that no one would.

----

Kale took note of his sister's departure. From her palid ex
pression, it was for a good reason. Glancing at the strange-looking female she had just been talking to, Kale could easily guess that reason had something to do with thier mother. Despite her hard shell, Shyra was easily the most emotionally unstable of the bunch. He knewhe shouldn't follow, but he didn't want her to go alone. Searching the clearing, his eyes fell upon Kirano, the deaf and mute of the twins and also the only male he had seen Shyra get even slightly close to her entire life. A mischevious smile grew upon his muzzle as he appraoched the male, his mind open for a link, though it would be a private one.

---

As he finished eating his fill, Tamarand  yawned; it had been one heck of an eventful day. He settled down on a nearby rock to watch while Kioko, beautiful ferocious Kioko, finished her own meal. His wings twitched slightly then, and a warning alarm went off in his head. At that moment, he realized that, in thier hunger, they had crossed into a bear's territory. With a roar, he sprang up, yelling, "Kioko! Behind you!"

StarMoon nodded, watching Shyra go for a moment before she got up, padding over to Fayte.
"You said you needed me for a moment?"
The alpha female nodded.
"Yes. I would like it if you would scout around, look for any herds of deer."
The blue pelted female nodded, then turned and loped easily into the surrounding forest, keeping her eyes, ears, and nose alert. She caught a faint yell rom somewhere to her right, and her curiosity drove her to go investigate.

~~~

Kirano, seeing Kale approach, flicked an ear as he brushed his mind.
Yes?
He flicked a tail cautiously. Once during their travels, when he split off from Kioko for a few days, he'd been forced into retrieving information from someone's mind. He'd hated to do so. After that, he'd decided to stick with Kioko and do few favors. And now, he had a feeling Kale wanted him to do a favor. The smile spread across his muzzle was enough proof.

~~~

Kioko, having just finished her meal, froze when Tamarand warned her. Then, in one fluid movement, she stood and spun, backing away. A huge bear stood right behind where she had just been. She kept low to the ground, watching the bear with careful eyes. Very large, yes, but also, it would be slowed by its size. Normally, it took quite a few wolves to bring down a bear, and with the size of this one, even being slow, her and Tamarand would have trouble.

(haha my sister was rp-ing and told me you were bumping ^^)

Kale chuckled both audibly and mentally as he said, Would you do me a little favor and go after my sister? I would do it but I'm not on the best terms with her. With my luck, she'd claw my face off.

---

 Tamarand dashed to Kioko's side, his hackles up and teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. This bear was definately formidible and was likely attracted to this area by thier kills, which were substantial, even for a bear of this size. As his thunderous howl built in his throat, ready for use, he knew that he would not let Kioko be harmed, not here, not now... not EVER. If he had to, he would sacrifice himself so she could get away, but he would not allow harm to come to her. 

The bear huffed at them, lifting itself to its hind legs to make itself seem even larger. the effect worked, though it was unneeded in this situation.

Kioko growled, careful to stay out of the bear's direct range. She kept at a distance good enough so it would have to take a step or two to strike her. When it rose to its hind legs, she took another step back. The bear was colas.sal. It would take more than just her and Tamarand, even with their abilities. She caught a familiar scent on the breeze, and saw a flash of blue in the brush. She smiled at the fleeting glimpse of StarMoon, and knew that she wouldn't let harm come to them. Kioko took a careful step towards Tamarand and whispered to him.
"StarMoon's around behind the bear. If it comes to it, I'm sure the three of us will be able to take it down. StarMoon's abilities are incredibly powerful."

~~

Kirano nodded.
I'm sure I could do that.
Without waiting for a response, he trotted off in the direction he had seen Shyra leave. He kept his mind open so that if he felt her, he'd know which way to go, but not to the point where she'd feel his mind. It was a very tricky process. AS he left the sight of the group in the clearing, he sped up, breaking into a run. It was a careful one, though, so as to not make much noise. He could hear in the minds of the animals around him what noise he made. It was his way of hearing.

Tamarand nodded, smiling as well. As the bear took a step forward, he unleashed his thunder howl, sending the beast reeling. Now able to speak again, he said, "Mayeb we can just scare it off without killing it." Glancing at the bear's immense size, he quietly added, "Maybe..."

---

shyra had stopped running once her breath came in ragged gasps. Painful memories clouded her vision and made her entire body tremble. A whimper escaped her muzzle. "Moth...er..."

Kirano stopped, just a few feet behind Shyra. Her scent had led him, as well as her mind. He now closed his to all but one allowed connection.
Shyra...Are you okay?
He took a step forward, then decided against it, and stayed where he was, watching Shyra with worried and careful eyes.

~~

Kioko nodded.
"It would probably be a better choice to kill it. One, it would help feed everyone else, and two, we don't want anyone else running into it and possibly getting hurt."
She lifted two vines from the ground and had them wrap around its feet, keeping it in place. However, she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to hold it.

Shyra jumped in surprise, her tear-rimmed eyes wide as she spun around. She should have been used to Kirano's min dlnks by now, but it had caught her off guard nontheless. She forced a smile on her face as she replied, Yea, I'm fine, just a little... shaky is all.

-----

Tamarand growled an affimative, springing into motion with a powerful flap of his wings. he his the rearing bear's chest while it was still off-balance and trapped by Kioko's vines. The combination of it all sent the bear tumbling to the ground with an earth-shaking crash and a roar of fury that vibrated through Tamrand's skull. Though now knocked prone, the bear was still a deadly adversay and Tamarand dashed out of range of its swiping claws, slipping back in to latch his jaws onto its throat.