To Haestine, it seemed like forever since he had seen anybody. In reality, however, it was only a few months. After Nexus' rejection, he had run off to the edges of Rayo's pack, to be alone in his pain. It truly was pain for him.
Every moment he was awake seemed futile and useless, and he had troubles sleeping. He was a little skinny, barely really caring to hunt or fend for himself in his distress. He felt pitiful, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself just yet. Sure, he could go back to the pack, but what good would that do him? The girl he loved and had been rejected by was still there.
She LAUGHED at him, for Rayo's sake!
Still, there was something that made him get up every morning and exit the little den under the tree, to stretch his limbs. He started with his back legs, then leaned forward and stretched out his front ones. It was then a ritual of shaking the bits of dirt and moisture from his pelt roughly.
Before he could set off to find himself a meal, his ears pricked as a sound was carried to him on the wind. It was a howl, and not just any howl, but Katniss' howl. Something in him stung, realizing by the sound of her call that he had neglected her. He had run off without any explanation and now she was looking for him.
Though another howl joined hers, and at first it confused the brute. After a few moments, he realized who the second voice belonged to. It was his mentor, Foalan. With a stab of shame he realized that he had probably let the proud and powerful fae down.
For once in these last few moths, he communicated. He raised his muzzle to the dawn, light purple sky and let out his own howl. Katniss answered back, and he pinpointed their two forms on a rocky cliff in the distance. Had he really traveled that far from Rayo's territory?
With a new determination -however small- in him, Haestine started towards their forms, and they his. After a long while and much howling to keep each others positions in check, the slim and petite figure of Katniss burst through the Isket grasses and slammed into Haestine with a growl.
The male didn't fight; He simply let himself fall to the ground under his sister's weight.
"How dare you!" Katniss growled, "Running off like that without even a word to me! You scared me to death! Don't you ever do that again!" Her teeth were bared and nearly at his throat, but he knew he deserved his sister's anger. It was only natural.
Haestine smiled slightly and leaned up, licking his sister's ear in a bid for forgiveness. "I'm sorry," he said gently, saying, "but I had to go for awhile." His voice seemed to soothe her heartache a little, and Katniss only got off of him at the sound of Foalan's command, "Let him up Katniss."
As the raspberry male's sibling got off of him, he too rose to his feet. Turning to see Foalan emerge form the grass, his royal blue eyes met the sea foam green of his mentor. "It seems I still have much to learn in life," he stated simply.
"We all do, " Foalan answered, "Our learning never truly stops in life. Though you do understand that you must go back and face your life? The pack needs you more than you think. Don't let one bad thing in life ruin it for you; You'll never be able to let yourself truly experience your learning if you do."
Haestine nodded silently, knowing deep down that he had disappointed the sister of Rayo. Katniss clung to his side, not letting him out of her sight, and together as a group the two faes and the brute turned and disappeared into the grasses to head back home.
I felt like this scene depicted how Haestine looked, going back to his beloved sister, who had traveled that far to find him. The more he went to her, following her calls, the more he started to realize, along with the help of Foalan's scolding, that just because Nexus broke his heart didn't mean he didn't have others who loved him. He had stuck with Katniss through thick and thin, and she had done more for him than he will ever realize. So he went back to Rayo's pack with what he had come to known as part of his family, a part of his life; Some part of Haestine change in those moments of meeting Katniss and Foalan again after so long being alone, a runaway. He's not sure what it was, but in truth he's kind of glad that he's not sure.
He's just glad to finally be home.
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Thank you so much ~Galen for letting me color my baby boy into this beautiful piece of yours. <3
So glad I have a picture to truly depict that moment. <3 Cannot thank you enough.