How long had it been since he had last seen Castiel? The first few days had passed quickly, what with all of his hate and anger and rage… And confusion. But as the minutes ticked by one by one, that very hate and anger and rage had faded away into a painful memory until all he was left with was the confusion itself. It was hard to say why Tiresias was the way he was - neither of his parents had particularly been homophobes. Shae had even experimented with both genders, often taking multiple as lovers at the same time. He had not been brought up with a strict indoctrination against being gay. And yet he was that way anyway… likely because all that he had ever wanted was to be normal. He wanted the peace and the quiet, the steady simplicity of the norm. For if his life had been simple like that all along, his mother would not be dead, his father would not have abandoned him, and he would not be blind. Though he was a logical thinker and wise beyond his years, in this, Tiresias was naïve, ignorant, and stubborn. He was angry at the hand that life had dealt him, and instead of doing something about it, he essentially had thrown a childish tantrum, lashing out at those closest to him. Poor Castiel had been the only one actually close to him though… And so Cas had gotten all of the pain all at once. For a few more days past when Castiel had left, Tiresias had stayed in the cavern. It had been his home for so long now that it had been comfortable… But after a few days it felt dark and damp and cold. It no longer felt comfortable, but rather as if it was a place trying to push him out, lashing back against him for the sin he had committed… And somehow Tiresias knew it was not the sin of sexuality… no, it was his own guilt that was forcing him to abdicate his home because it really wasn’t home without Castiel. They had been friends… And it had taken two in order to make them into lovers. Tiresias was not innocent in this… And had not there been a pleasure? Was it… Was it possible that everything he had ever thought, everything he had committed his whole to was a lie? If homosexuality truly was a sin, how was it that something so wrong felt so right? And if lashing out against the gays was so right, then why had it felt so wrong to abuse him with the tongue lashing? Why was he now lonely, with a hurting heart?

And so, a few weeks after Castiel left, so too did Tiresias. He wandered down the path that he had come to know so well, until he came upon land that his paws had never touched. He traveled up the river, staying close to the water source so as to not get himself turned about… And that had been when he had come upon his sister‘s scent. It had been weeks, months, years since he had seen any of his siblings, especially Shilo. She had pulled him from the fire in Cold Summers. Only… her perfume had been intertwined with that of their uncle, Akuji. Tiresias had not come across his uncle in even more time that – in even more time than years, not since that fateful day when his mother had died. There had once been a time when Tiresias had known him well enough, when Akuji had been like a second father to him, but that was a time that seems like eons ago now. So why… Why was Shilo now with him? At first, he had been relieved to know that his sister was alive, and with family. But then he had followed the intertwined scents to a cave, and found only the scent of blood and fear. Concern had entered him, and he had picked up his pace, following their scent until he had came across more blood… And the scent of another predator. The rusted prince had never seen a mountain lion before, so he knew no word nor name to put to what he was sensing, but he knew that it was that of a predator. His hackles had raised and he had pushed himself harder until he had found the root laden den that his sister and uncle had stayed in, and needing to rest himself, he would stay there too. It was almost comforting, having the colognes and perfumes of family surround him once more. It almost made him forget how much having Castiel around had comforted him. That tonight, he had dreamt of his mother again, of her motherly touch, of the love that had been so freely shared between her and his father. And it touched his heart in such a way as to make him realize that what his parents had shared closely mirrored that to how he felt when he was around Castiel. The only problem now was… that he had no idea where Castiel was. But he did know where his sister was, he would find her so that they could be together once more. A broken family still would remain… But they would weather the storm together.

It was outside of a packland that he found the scent of his sister. It was strange to be so near to a pack – he had not be part of a pack willingly since he had been a pup. He tilted his head back and howled for her, calling her, but he knew there was a very slim chance that she would hear him - pack lands were enormous, passing over vast miles… Who knew if she was even in there right now, if she was in there willingly. If she was even alive… For the smell of blood was thicker on the border. And some of it… Some of it was lupine. Tiresias retreated a spell, until he felt boulder against his shoulder, and then he ducked down. But he waited. And waited. And waited. He would not be able to see her approach, and even if he did, so much time had passed that he would not be sure if he would recognize her by sight alone. But his nose would never lie to him, especially with its ability for heightened senses. So he waited for the sound of her delicate, short strides, and waited for her perfume to flood his nares. And all the while, he bit back a soft whine, for he was anxious to see her. He was concerned whether she was alive. But more than anything… He was worried that Castiel would never forgive him…