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It had been a very long time since Avali last saw her brother. She couldn't remember why he had left her or where he had gone, since it had not occurred to her that those things might be important to know until after he had been gone long enough for her to get worried. She hoped that he wasn't in any danger, and that he hadn't been eaten by a lion or something horrible like that, but she trusted that he was intelligent enough to avoid meeting that gruesome end. Even she knew how not to get eaten by lions, after all. Still, it had been a long time since she had last seen him and she was worried, so that meant that she would have to go in search of him. Or perhaps in search of someone who might know where he was, which might be easier. Either way, she would be doing something, and that made her feel less stupid and useless. As it was, she was certain whomever she asked would say she was stupid to have waited as long as she did to start looking for her missing sibling. But maybe she'd be fortunate and they wouldn't be like that. A girl could hope.

Zweite found herself thinking, oddly enough, about pups, and how she might like to have a litter of them. For her these were unusual thoughts, since having pups meant finding and possibly fighting for a male, which would require more courage than Zweite possessed in her entire being, she was certain. Not to mention the fact that she would not want her pups to grow up to be weak and cowardly like her, so she would have to find someone to set them a better example, and such a hyena would probably be cruel to Zweite herself, which would be no good at all. Nevertheless, her recent encounter with a rather silly young pup had left her feeling vaguely sad that she hadn't any pups of her own. It was probably this misguided maternal instinct that prompted her to approach the svelte hyena who was wandering around nearby, obviously in search of something or someone, and just as obviously not finding them. Whether Zweite thought she would end up assisting in a search for missing pups or something else was unclear, but in short order the copper-gazed hyena had gone up to the blue-eyed one and asked, "Do you need help?"

"Oh my goodness yes!" Avali answered, utterly relieved that someone had approached her, rather than being forced to do the approaching. She had actually spent a few hours wandering the pack's lands trying to convince herself that the brief period of ridicule which would undoubtedly follow her question wouldn't be so bad, but she had spent a lot of time as a pup being reminded that she was not the smart one in the litter, and looking to her twin brother for guidance. Without him it was a lot harder to do, well, anything. "Please don't laugh at me, but I think I've managed to lose my brother, and I have no idea where he could be, and I'm worried about him." Her blue eyes were open very wide with earnest entreaty. So many of the female hyenas in this pack could be vicious, she hoped that the fact this one had approached her meant that she was one of the nicer ones, like one who looked after pups whose parents were too busy to do it themselves, or something like that.

That had not quite been the response Zweite was expecting, but it was a good deal better than the one she would have received had she asked her sister that question with that wording. Her sister had been a real piece of work, and the implication that she was in need of anything at all would have gotten Zweite beaten. The fact that the hyena could now form that question and put it to another female represented tremendous progress in her mental and emotional convalescence from her puppyhood. She kept her tone as carefully non-accusatory as she could though, just in case she had misjudged the situation. "I wouldn't laugh at you for that. I imagine it's very stressful to lose a sibling. Were you supposed to be looking after him?" She was still under the impression that the other hyena was looking for a pup, although she had mentally amended the supposition that it was her own pup to the idea that she was supposed to be minding a younger sibling, which was just as possible, really.

"Watching him? No, I don't think so. Usually he looks out for me...oh! You think he's a pup! No, no. This is my twin brother. He looks just like me except for being a boy and a little bit smaller. He went away somewhere a while ago and I think he said when he would be coming back, but I can't remember when he said that would be, or when he said." She lowered her gaze and her tail drooped in expectation of being scolded as well as at the shame of having forgotten something so basic and important. She was a bad sister. Her brother would never have forgotten anything like this. "It is really stressful," she admitted when no scolding was forthcoming. "I would really appreciate it if you could help me look, or even just tell me who might know where he is now." It was embarrassing that Avali couldn't even think who might have that information, but she knew most of her brother's friends and she had not seen them about the pack lately, either. They would have been her first choice, but since they weren't around, Avali was at a loss.

If Zweite found Avali's forgetfulness alarming or amusing, or in any way worthy of remark, she said nothing about it. She had learned young not to ask questions that might call attention to another female's shortcomings. She had the impression that Avali possessed a child's intellectual abilities and understanding, and she could work with that, as long as Avali did not prove to have a child's viciousness as well. Zweite would never believe a person who said that children were incapable of cruelty or viciousness. Her own experience had disproved that theory totally. "Well, you might try asking a bone reader about it. I'm told they can read the cracks in bones to figure out things like good times to hunt or what the weather will be like. Maybe one of them could tell you where you ought to look for you brother, or at least who might know where he is." Zweite had never met a bone reader, but she had never had need of one either. Nevertheless, she knew they existed, possibly through a form of informational osmosis. "My name is Zweite, by the way. I should have introduced myself earlier."

"A bone reader?" Avali, unlike her companion, had been born and raised in the Mava'Bunda, and so she had known about bone readers, at least at some point in her life. It had not occurred to her that one might be able to help her with this problem, however. Not until Zweite mentioned it, anyway. Delight at this new avenue of investigation suffused her features as, for the first time that day, Avali's tail began to wag optimistically. "I bet you're right. Probably a bone reader could tell me the very thing I need to know. Thank you so much for reminding me, Zweite." She was dancing in place with anticipation of finding a bone reader, asking her questions, and then finally finding her missing twin. "Oh, goodness. I should have introduced myself to you, too," she remembered as she spoke her new friend's name aloud. "I'm Avali!" She glanced over her shoulder almost as if she expected to see a bone reader right there, ready to help her with her problem, though in fact it was just the opening to an invitation to accompany her to find a bone reader. "Do you think I have to bring the bone to her, or will she have her own?"

Zweite returned Avali's grin, pleased that she had been able to offer useful advice, and just as pleased that she had not been required to actually engage in a search for the missing brother in person. If he had been a pup it would have been one thing, but looking for a missing adult male sounded like a recipe for disaster. Avali was his sister, and so no one would think twice of her carrying out such a search, brothers being the responsibility of their sisters or their mothers until someone claimed them as a mate. For Zweite to take that much of an interest would have made it seem as if she had a more personal interest in Avali's twin, which was just not the case. "It's nice to meet you, Avali. As far as the bone reader, I have no idea. I would think they would have their own bones to use, ones that are especially attuned to the...spirits or whatever. But maybe if you bring the bones they'll be better at predicting something for you specifically? Funny how nobody ever really talks about that, do they?"

"I think I'll bring some bones with me. I don't want to find out that I was supposed to, and then not have them. Besides, if they're not needed, it's free bones, right?" Avali looked over her shoulder again, this time thinking about where she could find some good bones to bring to the bone reader, just in case. She had not forgotten her plan to ask Zweite to come with her, but now she was wondering if that was a good idea. Zweite's mentioning that maybe the bones had to be attuned to the person asking the questions made her wonder if having an extra person along might confuse the spirits about whose questions they were supposed to be answering. Avali didn't know how smart bones and spirits might be, since they're dead and all. "I should probably go find those. I know just the bones I want to bring. They're ones my brother and I used to use as rattles and chew toys when we were pups. That ought to be plenty personal, right? And connect both of us so the spirits will know exactly who I'm looking for."

Zweite nodded, more in acknowledgment of than agreement with Avali's talk about bones. She didn't know enough about the subject to offer an informed opinion and she didn't want to give misinformation. That, too, had produced unpleasant results in her past. As had ignorance, actually, so there had really been no winning, but misinformation could be twisted into blame for a lie. "It sounds like you have a solid plan. I'm glad I was able to be helpful to you. But I should probably be going. I don't think I can be of any more help, and I don't want to slow you down as you do your thing." She smiled and took a few steps backward. "It really was nice to meet you, Avali, and I hope the bone reader is able to help you find your brother." Maybe she would see a bone reader someday, too, and ask what had befallen her mother and sister. Maybe if she learned that they had died, she would be able to finally relax and stop worrying that they were going to appear one day and drag her back to that living hell she had endured throughout her youth.