He has been away, for how long he is not entirely certain. All he knows is that they had sought out the company of family in the ravines and yet, they had waited alone and with his sister's sadness like a heavy weight, he had departed in search of those they knew as their mother and father. For so long, he has traveled the lands beyond, his pelt still thick with the scent of the outside world and yet he returns without news. The scents were old, lost among the weeds and trees and several times, he was lost without purpose. It was all new to him, that place, and terrifying all the same. Many nights had been spent away within a make shift den, half his body exposed to the elements as he tried his best to ensure he remained alive long enough to see his sister once more. It drives him forward, constantly, and even now he thinks of her as he lopes across the borders and into the familiar forests of Taviora. It is warm even in the snow here, a familiarity that stretches out into his very toes as he wiggles them into the wet soil beneath winter's cloak. He knows this place well and he has missed it; this much, he does know for certain.

He moves through the forest, still a wayward traveler, though his steps are less gentle now, less hesitant and no longer riddled with caution. He embraces each and every scent - familiar and unfamiliar - as he watches the way the leaves shake above him and how the long strands of shrubs and tall grass poke out from the white blanket of snow. This is home, and he is fast to find his old den among all the others. It still remains hollowed out with only a little snow peppering the outside mouth, its darkness still fragrant with what remains of his family. For several moments, he paused within the darkness to truly embrace his homecoming, finally coming to an understanding that he is safe now. He breathes a sigh of relief and yet, he knows he will need to tell his sister of all the nothing he has found soon enough. At least, he supposes, he has found pieces of himself along the way. Pieces of things he had never known he had even been missing. That, of all things, had to at least count for something.

Finally, he moves from the den and explores further, only pausing once more when his eyes fall upon the form of a female, sprawled out across one of the rocks of their home. She waits patiently, he supposes, her back to him as he creeps about the thickets; he watches for some moments, his head cocked ever so slightly though his ears remain turned away from the world. Instead, he breathes in the peculiarities of her scent, watches the rise and fall of her ribs - she is at peace, at least for now, though he can taste the hint of stress within her scent. It is an unusual thing to some, the way his senses are so attuned in the most strange of ways. Finally, he steps forward again, the snow crunching beneath his paws loudly as he approaches cautiously, letting out a quiet bark of greeting as he pauses once more. He waits, then, gauging her reaction ever so closely; he, on the other hand, makes his intentions clear enough. His tail is poised at a neutral position but waving slightly, as if in the breeze, and his eyes are wide with friendliness. He is here merely for the pleasure of company and, perhaps, just a little out of curiosity.