It was later that night when Nia slipped away from Mio. It was quite easy, of only because her daughter had decided that she couldn't leave her mother's side, not for anything. This freed up the blue lioness, and she decided that it would be a mildly decent idea to try and find her brother.
The jungle wasn't the easiest place to move around, let alone find someone. The trail that he had left was quite evident, broken bushes and scattered bits of his blood mixed with fur kept his scent strong. She let her nose do the walking, and let her mind drift back to what had happened earlier that day. A complete disaster, just like she had warned him. Granted she didn't think it was going to go as terrible as it had.
Heaving a sigh, she felt the scent grow so strong that she was certainly on top of him. She let her eyes refocus, spotting her exhuasted brother looking quite beaten just off the path he had pushed through.
"Rhy," she whispered, letting herself drift down to his side. His head was hanging, his sides showing just how shallow his breathing was. She had no idea how to comfort him. There probably wasn't a right way of doing so. Anything she did wouldn't be enough to try and erase those memories from what had happened.
"Why did it have to be like this?" he breathed finally, feeling crushed under the weight of the world. "I didn't think she wouldn't come back."
Nia sighed, pulling up closer to her brother and giving him a couple nudges. "A lot happened, Rhy, and nothing you could have done changed that. You know that no one could find her, she was long gone as soon as we realized she was missing. She even told me herself what she went through." She could see her brother ready to protest. "Now, no, it was nothing as terrible as your mind might make you think. It wasn't the best setting, but she obviously wasn't killed or crippled, right? You saw her."
Rhy glanced back to where he had come from. "She was beautiful, as always. My heart breaks every time I think about how she looked when she turned around to face me. I never thought she would ever make that face at me."
Nia felt sorry still, and gave him a light grooming on his face, like she did when they were younger. "Well, it has been a long time since you've seen her. She's not the same meek Mio that both of us once knew. She's a lot stronger now, though she does easily bend, like she did earlier."
Rhy closed his eyes and looked shameful. "I really burned that bridge, didn't I? I lost the last thing that really meant anything to me." He sighed, feeling like his life was leaving him. Nia worried more, and she shook her head.
"I'm still here silly," she said with a small encouraging smile. "I know there's more out there for you Rhy. Mio was your first love, but most of the time those don't work out. You're too inncoent of how the world works, and everything seems so perfect." SHe knew, though, that if nothing had happened, the two of them out have been together regardless. It was certain, everyone knew it. That was why it was so hard for Rhy to come to terms with these changes.
"While you kept your love tight in a little shell, waiting for her, she had to adapt to survive in the world. She had to let go of some parts of herself that we might never be able to see again. But because of what she did, she still made it. SHe's here, surviving, and you should be happy for that. You know how you would feel if you found out she had died."
Rhy's face tensed up with realization. He knew that it would have been worse to find that out, but he still felt so heartbroken.
Nia nudged him. "You need to find you place in life. I know there's one out there for you. I eventually found mine," she smiled softly. And it was with Mio, not you. "Please, you need to leave our Houses' lands. The Lord has decided that you're to be killed if you're seen here."
He shook his head, "So that's it, huh? I can never see her again." Nia shook her head before replying. "Perhaps that's for the best, Rhy. It might be an easier way to try and start over."
The lion sighed and shifted himself. "What should I do? I can't bear to return, not without Mio or you, and I know that neither one of you are going to go back." He wasn't going to go back to that shame. He knew that he had acted so poorly when Mio disappeared, and he didn't want to return as a failure. No one would want him there. His parents, maybe, but he wasn't going to be a child forever.
"Why don't you try being around here? It's close enough that I'll be able to visit you once in a while. Don't stay here in the West House's lands, but see if one of the other Houses might take you in. You'll be close, but not too close, and you should be able to find something here for you to do. There's always something going on between the houses. Here," she said, picking a little piece of jewelry off of her and putting it around Rhy's neck. "Keep this with you. Remember to mention that you're here looking for a suitable house for you. Don't mention that the West has banished you; that will probably only make things worse."
Rhy didn't know what to say. He wasn't happy with the idea, but he had nothing else to do. No where else to go. He couldnt bear to go too far away, either. His attachment to his sister and Mio, no matter how severed it was, just couldn't completely fade from his memories.
Nia smiled. "You'll do fine. Just make sure to be respectful, and you should find something for you. I'm sure of it. Send word to me once you've fit yourself somewhere. Each house has a messenger or two to relay messages between the houses, so it won't take too long for me to find out."
Rhy shifted. "All right. Won't it look bad that I'm so busted up like this?"
Nia only laughed. "I'm sure you can find some sort of story to make up and cover for that. You're my dumb brother, but you're not that dumb."
Rhy snorted at her. "I hope I can do this," he finally said, scared now for a whole different reason. He had to do something on his own, without thinking about Nia or Mio. Completely alone.
Nia furrowed her brows at him. "It'll be good for you. Maybe you'll finally get your wits about you and find a good girl."
Rhy glared at her. "As long as your bad luck doesn't follow me." Nia's repsonce was a good smack to the head. "I'll find a man someday!" she exclaimed, shooing her brother off. "Don't forget to le tme know where it is you find yourself, now!"
