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Alazzi' was trotting around with a bit of a skip in his step. Things seemed to be going great for him as of late, and he really just felt letting all that extra happiness out of his system. Bouncing around without a care in the world, was really doing wonders for him, more wonders than he'd had in a long time. He'd even met a lady! Nguva had been a lovely companion during the time they'd spent together, even going as far as to introduce him to her den and the areas she called home!

Life was going great indeed. Though the one thing he wanted, he couldn't have. His family. It had been ages since he'd seen them, and he pined for their loss everyday. Not knowing whether one was alive or ... Alazzi really had to swallow his gut to even mouth the word ... dead. He prayed each night that this wasn't the case, but the hard truth was that he simply had no proof one way or the other.

The male's trots slowed to a miserable walk the more he began to think of his family. He hated to feel this way, but even more than that, he would hate to lose their memory forever. So he would take the good with the bad, and remember the hard times, until the good times could return once more.

That bark.

It hit his ears like a bag of bricks, and he halted in his steps. He wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it, or if he was just allowing his imagination to get the better of him. But then it happened again, the familiar chirping bark that still echoed in his mind, the bark of his sister. His tail began to wag furiously as he scanned the immediate area around him. She was here, he knew that he'd heard her. Now all he had to do was -

His eyes locked onto her's at nearly the same moment that she'd seen him. He wanted to run at her and tackle her into the largest embrace he could muster. But he feared she might not recognize him. Immediately his fears began to take over, and he could feel his knees growing weak. A whine escaped his throat as hs tried to muster the strength to bark out to her. But nothing but whines escaped him.

Refusing to allow for such silly things to hold him back, he kicked off from his halted position and closed the space between the two in a matter of seconds. Yet words still escaped him, instead he reverted back to his days as a an awkward puppy. Running frantically around her, circles and circles, his strange hoarse whines echoing between them as he tried to compose himself.

Kipenzi's words registered with him, but he couldn't come up with the words to explain everything to her! He was simply overjoyed to see a familiar face after such a long journey of loneliness. His yips continued as his mind tried its hardest to form coherent sentences, though it was proving difficult.

Finally his legs seemed less jittery and he sat down before his sister with a smile. He couldn't help but stare at her, and inhale her familiar scent. He needed to do this. It made everything real.

"E-EvERYwhere!" He managed to squeak out. He mentally cursed himself for allowing his speech impediment to break through his barriers. "I have b-been many places. M-Most recently to the Peke'na. But they too have disbanded." He frowned as he admitted the words. It had been a while since the breakup, but the wound was still fresh on his heart. "I have m-missed you so! I'm-m s--SO glad to see y-you again!" He let out a yip of happiness at his latest admission. "I n-nevER thought i'd s-s-see anyone of you ag-gAIn." His tail now wagging furiously he kicked up a small dust storm with it.

"N-No new pack ... b-but I am loOKinG for o-one. I-its supposed t-t-o be arOUnd h-here somewhere."

Alazzi' was so grateful to be near someone who looked past his speech troubles! How long had it been since he'd not gotten a strange look for speaking differently that everyone else? Likely before he went his separate way, and split from the tight family they had all once been.

He tried to remain strong as his sister showed her sympathy for his pack's disbursement, but in his heart he felt a pang of sadness. He just hoped it didn't show through his eyes ... many of his emotions played through his eyes. Shaking his head in agreement, he wagged his tail at her words. "N-No ... No-nothing wrong with t-that. B-But I FEel m-much sa-saFER with oth-others near m-me." He smiled up at his sister, as she spoke of their siblings and parents. He missed them so much sometimes ... it hurt so much to know he might never see some of them again.

A small tear ran down his cheek as Kipenzi spoke of how long it had been since she'd seen them. She, who had chosen to stick close to their parents ... his hope for the future was slowly dying. "I ho-hoPE they DO! M-Maybe th-then i'll GET To s-s-sEE them agAIN!" Alazzi's tail thumped hard on the ground and created small dust clouds at his feet. Though they slowed when he realized Kipenzi might not be so willing to join him in finding the pack. He had hoped she would come with him, but her words told a different story.

"T-TO each th-their OWN K-KipenZI!" He nodded his head, trying to hide his disappointment. "B-But you must always try to k-keep in touCH! I m-m-miss my family ... I d-don't wANT to lOSE Y-you again."

It took Alazzi a moment to realize Kipenzi had misunderstood his tears, and while he was happy to hear her agree to come with him, he knew it wasn't in her heart. He wasn't the type to make her go, no matter how much he would miss her.

Shaking his head, he tried to do a steady refusal, but his nerves began to overreact and his steady head shake became rather jerky and bumpy.

"N..NO! I... I ... T-That's n-nOT Why i'm c-c-crYINg!"

Alazzi paused a moment and tried to pull himself together. He managed to stop the tears, though his heart still felt as though it were in pieces.

"Y-You d-d-dON't have to g-g-GO with ME, I w-will be OK on my OWn." He tried offering her a soft smile to prove his words were true. He would be fine without her, he had survived so far without her, she didn't need to follow him against her best wishes.

"I'm c-c-crying out of b-both happiness AND F-F-fear!

H-happinESS t-to see you agAIN after SO l-long ... but s-sadness that I haven't seen anyone else."

Alazzi' listened with earnest to Kipenzi's words, all the while trying to calm himself. He'd noticed the increase in stammering too, and he didn't want it to get much worse than it was. He settled in slow deep breaths, timing them to the beat of his sister's sentences.

"I c-can't blame them, b-but it doesn't mEAN I d-don't miss them." Alazzi' frowned at the mention of his parents being wanderers. How he missed them so, if only they hadn't been wanderers ... maybe then he could see them more. As Kipenzi went on, further explaining their family history, her words finally struck him in the gut and he finally began to shake his head in disagreement with her words. He knew why she was saying these things, and he wasn't going to allow her to change her life to fit his own selfish needs.

"No!" He managed without so much as a stutter. "I w-want you to b-be happy. W-Wandering is your paSSION. I-I want YOU TO enjoy it." Reaching over he patted his sister's paw gently. "Explore for b-b-both of us. But pr-promise to visit me and t-tell ME ALL abOUT your life OK?"