The first litter of MoonGlow and Alcide had never been particularly close. Orca had always been a wanderer at heart, which Sleekwing respected but it had prevented them from ever forming an incredibly close bond. Swallowbane had always been a pessimistic, bitter type, but a momma's boy at heart. He'd thrown up walls around himself from a very young age, and despite several attempts to break through them, Sleekwing had seen no success. Still, his brother's most recent trip home had seen things start to shift in their relationship, the news of their parents' demise seeming to have finally cracked through the frail exterior of the boy. Sleekwing himself had taken after his father greatly, though the years spent separated from him after the skyfall had allowed the young man to weave his own path. It was strange then, to look upon the two youngest children of their family - Haven and Idunn were incredibly close, despite the tendencies similar to Orca's that found Idunn wandering far and wide across the world. Sleekwing had seen enough of the world in the years after the destruction of the old Moladion, and when he had returned home he'd vowed to never leave the mountains again. And he'd stayed true to that vow, remaining through the uproar of Purge's rule and the few shaky weeks that Snowshoe had tried (and failed) to rule. And when the dust finally settled, it was the middle child who had brought them to the light. Daenerys, the only child to be born from the love of MoonGlow and Alcide without a sibling. Perhaps that was why she was so extraordinary; from birth she'd gone through everything on her own, so littermate to look to when something new presented itself.

Despite all else, there was still a tender place within Sleekwing's heart for Orca. She reminded him greatly of their mother, perhaps more so than any of his other siblings. It was not just the marking that adorned her face, but her tendency to connect with the world around her - more than just the wolves who kept her company. Silently they sat, brother and sister who differed in age by only a matter of minutes. He breathed deeply as she rested her head upon his shoulder, and he lowered his cheek to rest gently upon her forehead. For some time they remained that way, two sets of blue and lavender eyes set upon the resting place of those who gave them life. The barest shift in her head had a flicking down towards her, just before she spoke. Her words drove deep into his heart, for it was something he had thought often on. The love of their parents was one unrivaled by any other love story. They'd gone the distance, unlike anyone else ever had. The bond they'd had went beyond soul or heart, it ran to their very cores, coursed through their bloodstreams and fired the synapses in their brains. The connection they'd shared was more incredible than words could describe.

He lifted his head away from hers a mere moment before she picked up her head to look him in the face. His body turned slightly, ears cupped forward to catch every word she spoke. The longing in her eyes and the very tone of her voice was met with empathy, for he understood what she meant. It was on a different level, for their life experiences had been different. But having been raised by a pair with such a relationship as that of their parents left a child wanting for that greatness. At her laugh, a single corner of his lips lifted in a half grin, and he reached forward to nudge her neck with his nose before withdrawing and looking her square in the face. "I'll tell you a secret; I'm not as strong as everybody would like to think." The grin quirked, but there was a sadness to it, because from time to time he did not feel strong. It was days like when he'd met with Malina in the crags and told her about the internal struggle he'd felt over losing his parents but wanting to serve the mountain. Or when he'd encountered Natu for the first time as she tumbled from her den covered in blood. Every so often he let others peek past the strong exterior to the troubled man within. He'd found happiness more recently, content in his life as Castellan for the mountain; he'd started to let go of the fallacy of true love and raising a family of his own. He had three children, yes, but he'd not gotten the chance to watch them see the world for the first time or roll onto his side and provide a furry mountain for them to climb within. Malina may have completed his soul, and he'd sired a litter for her out of a deep seeded love and respect for her, but he harbored a fractured heart, which he feared may never be whole.

"I've wondered, sometimes, if fate gave them so much that....that there wasn't enough left over for us. That they were blessed in a once in a lineage kind of way. I...I've got kids, Orca; but I'm not their dad, I'm their sire. I know that void you feel, I've got it too, and maybe it's the aftershock of a love as powerful as theirs." Breaking their gaze for a moment he looked out to the mound of rocks. He felt a little ashamed to admit as much, but it was the way he felt and if he couldn't share such a thing with his sister, who could he? He didn't blame them, and he never could, but he couldn't help but wonder why the fates would tie him to a female who preferred the company of other females. He loved Alcmene, Los, and Mana, but he was not close with any of them. "If I could have something half as great as what they had, I would never want for anything for the rest of my days." He mused quietly, bringing his eyes back to his sister. He commiserated with her in this, for they could understand one another on a level that perhaps no others could.