I'm the one with the ghosts in my bed

so she followed @Toula, quiet as could be. even from a distance, she could smell the salt and the sea, she could smell heat upon sand, and the smell of wolves. her sense of smell, while normal to her, was heightened and powerful, more so than most — a byproduct of not being able to hear anything.

so, when even at a distance, she could smell @Saira, kamaria's demeanor changed rapidly. her head lifted a touch, her steps quickened, though she did try to pace herself with the woman next to her. it was all she could do not to run run run straight into her sister's embrace.

eventually, they would be near enough to see them and at that point, kamaria could not hold back. honeyed form raced to close the distance, joy in her eyes and heart.

with both toula and @Tahrosek watching, there was only silence from the honeydove. silence and happiness.
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she had not believed it when tahrosek came to her, could not find it in herself to take his words for the truth that they were. he was lying, he had to be! toying with a woman's emotions like they were the grains beneath his feet, because her sister wasn't here—her sister hadn't been here.

but then, when the sand gave way, so did all the walls saira had built. she was a little girl again, taking in her sister with a watering eyes. her name was breathless at it fell from tired lips, disbelieving. was she really here? how?

saira's gaze lifted to toula first, silent thanks drifting across her face before she turned to tahrosek. he took part in bringing her family home, home to her, and for that, she would hold him in as much esteem as she could. she cast him a smile, wide and free, before she skittered across the sand towards her other half.

fretful and worrisome, the girl looked over kamaria hurriedly. her paws moved in quick movements, a soft and silent language they'd crafted over the years. it was harder now with paws, but she'd managed, some words and phrases broken. “you are well?”

---

italics denotes their crafted language.

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reunion. even if it had only been a few days, her separation from saira had felt like an eternity. kamaria's happiness and contentedness was, in a way, dependent on her beautiful sibling and so, the transformation from sad and small to joyous and bright was startling if one was on the outside looking in.

her snout buried into the thick of her sister's ruff for a moment, breathing deep the scent that she knew as well as her own. saira had been here for a bit, it seemed, with the way their signatures all laced themselves within her fur. the way the sun smelled on her pelt. the sand buried deep that she could feel against her nose.

pulling back, kamaria smiled widely, her eyes watching intently before nodding. her nose bumped saira's cheek, her silent way of asking “you?”

and then a look to the man behind her, a small distance away, before crystalline eyes flit back to saira, questioning her about the man, the woman he followed, and this place.
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it was a different kind of home—the cleft between her sister's neck and shoulder. a place of familiarity and comfort, it had always drawn her in like a flame, pale fingers clutching tightly to the cloth of her sister's composure. it was with reluctance that she allowed her sister to pull away, hazel eyes taking in her sister's expression for all that it was.

an eager and teary-eyed nod shook her head. she was well, better now with the presence of her sister. she was unharmed.

“home, kamaria. people of the sand, pharaohs. they are harmless to us.”

fear set in like a wildfire, widened eyes taking in her sister with a fervency she hadn't had previously. “you are staying, yes?” oh gods, saira wouldn't know what to do if she didn't. how quickly it would be to give up a home to follow her sister, but what purpose would she have clinging to kamaria's tail? what life would that give her aside from a life with her sister?

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there had always been safety here. comfort. her sister's presence was a boon to her soul and it showed in the way her shoulders finally relaxed. there was a deep trust in her littermate's assessment and opinion, and so when saira described this as home, kamaria immediately lost some of that deep rooted mistrust.

to the question posed back to her, she gave her sister a look. if one was staying, then so was the other. her form twisted to look towards @Toula to give her a pleading look, beseeching the woman to let her stay here, with her sister, burden though she may have been.
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