Swift flicks her tail up, halting Kiri in his path. "Something is here. Far side. Come on, let's go." She jumps, claws pulling her effortlessly into the branches. She darts, flitting along branches with nary a leaf disturbed by her passage.

Kiri lopes by her side, darting over trees, easily clearing great distances, far beyond the earth's mortal bounds. He catches her with his mind, shifting her aside as her feet hit a bad branch. He shoots her a grin.

"Thanks. You're getting good at that." She shoots back at him.

Kiri nods. "Yep. I've been practicing while hunting."

"Oh is that why I have been pulling the weight for us?"

Bladen takes over for Swift, ignoring her indignant squeak. He barely dodges a tree, feet slipping slightly under him.

Swift shoves him back aside with a crash. She launches upwards, nearly falling short as she regains herself. "What was that for?!"

Bladen resettled himself in her mind before retreating to the corner.

"Seriously? You are going to sulk now?" Swift grumbles. "Bladen is a moron Kiri."

Kiri slows, examining the beach. "What is the disturbance here?" He laughs, "What? Are you trying to blame your klutz like nature on him again?"

Swift draws his eyes to where she looks, her tail pulling his chin in the correct direction. "There. Something washed up. I felt it a good way out. It's Dukari." She gives him a mental huff. "It is his fault! He took over while I was running."

"D'vala says that's a skill you need to learn." Kiri points out. He nods. "Are we approaching with utmost caution?"

"Yep, and make sure you look older then you are. We don't want her realizing just how young we are. We-" She shuts up, a different voice bouncing into her skull.

"Attention packs," Alpha Frost's voice hums across the line, dead and emotionless. "A pack member of the immediate alpha line has vanished. She is only 4 months. Please bring her to base if you locate her."

A thinner line of communication sprang up, only meant to be between the established Alphas. "Firestorm, warn your people. The young female pup from your most recent litter vanished on us today. If you find her, kill her. She's useless to me."

Firestorm snorts. "I'll keep her here if I find her. Not kill her."

"Same difference. You killed the last one you had, and you actually needed her." Frost replies before shutting down the pack link.

Swift creeps along closer to the creature lying on the sand. "Kiri, I think that may be my sister." She whispers.

Kiri stops her with a thought, "Then we approach with more caution, not less. You are dead to them. Don't make yourself dead to me too."

She grumbles and rolls her eyes. "You are so dramatic. What's the worst that happens?"

"Your father kidnaps you and keeps you as a pet?" Kiri suggests. "I mean, he's looking for her."

"Not very hard. If he finds her he will kill her. Just because he can." Swift mutters. She moves close enough to hover above her. "She looks so young. No scars, no adult fur. Purely baby."

"I guess we just had to get older faster." Kiri leans against her with a sigh.

Swift shoots him a guilty look. "Sorry."

"Dont be. I rather have you here then not. My father would've turned on me anyways, just like he turned on you. I'm just sorry they punished you for it." Kiri nods to the pup below them. "We should go see if she's breathing."

"I don't know if I can." Swift admits. "What if she recognizes me? I don't want to go home."

"You don't have to. We can just move again. They won't find us. You can be fully aquatic for gods sakes. They don't ever look under the water." Kiri jumps down, his form increasing in size and fullness. He noses at the half dead pup, absolutely dwarfing her in size.

Bladen laughs softly. "Not an adult Dukari there Kiri, you're barely 5 in that form."

Kiri flips him off, "Buzz it B."

"B? B?? That is not my name. Call me by Bladen you insufferable snippet." Bladen seethes, going back to pouting in a corner.

Swift rolls her eyes and drops down beside Kiri. "Do you feel any mental awareness Rian?" She asks

Kiri shoots her a look of confusion before closing his eyes and reaching out to check.

The pup comes up off the ground with a fearsome growl, though well offset by the fact that she was barely belly height.

Swift gestures for Kiri to step back, doing the same as to not crowd the kit. "Hello there, what's your name?" She asks cheerfully. "I'm Shadow, that's Rian. You washed up on the beach here. Are you ok?"

She manages to get even fluffier in her annoyance. "Not your business." She coughs, "Where is here? When can I go home? My daddy is worried about me. He told me we were going on a special trip."

Swift shares a glance with Kiri. "Uh, away from the main land. I think we can get you home, but first can you tell me your name?"

She bares her teeth and growls. "Not your business."

"You're Thermal, aren't you?" Swift guesses, watching her twitch. "Alpha Frost's daughter?"

"No." She looks away, her feet shifting uneasily.

"Look, I think you should go visit your momma. She's the easier one to get you back to." Kiri suggests. "And she has wanted to see you for months."

"Really?" Thermal asks excitedly, her fear forgotten, "My daddy says I shouldn't go see her. It's not safe. But then again, he also told me to go see her today..." Her tail droops. "He was being really weird on our special trip. He took me to the river and told me to swim it. It was really fast. I leaned over the edge and fell in. He is looking right?"

Swift nods. "Yes he is." She shifts a foot to cover Kiri's for a moment. "I think I can create an ice float to get us to the main land for her, can you keep her unaware? I mean, I could probably make it by swimming but that does not sound appealing."

"Yeah, I can shield her mind. How exactly are you going to get their attention-"

Thermal tilts her head. "Swift?"

Swift stills for half a second, her ear flickering back.

"Swift? Is it actually you? You're so big!"

"No." She deadpans. "My name is Shadow."

"You're lying. You can look real big like that but your mental voice is still the same as I remember! Why didn't you ever talk to me when I called to you?"

"I uh, well, I never actually heard you Thermal." Swift stutters slightly. "I can hear the packs though."

"But not me? Why would you block me?"

"Swift, you can't hear any of your immediate family." Bladen points out.

Swift considers this, "There is something here I think, I can't hear any of my family. Not you, Sky, or even your parents."

"Our parents." Thermal corrects.

"No, yours. I don't claim them these days. Not after Firestorm gave up looking and declared me dead barely a week after I vanished."

"But you just said you couldn't hear them."

She shakes her head. "I couldn't hear them calling for me privately. I can hear all the annoucements on pack lines."

Thermal frowns, "I see."

"Actually, you try. Can you reach Frost from here?" Swift suggests eagerly.

Thermal reaches out, following his mental link. It quickly fades to nothing. She paces, slapping at the wall as she tries to find a way by.

Swift huffs a light laugh, "Told you."

Kiri smacks her hard, "Don't mock her." He hisses.

Thermal trots over and sits on his feet. She stares up at him, studying his face intensely. "You aren't from the packs."

Kiri leans back, trying to free his feet. "Of course I am."

"Thermal, don't bother him. That's rude." Swift chides. "He's a friend, that's all that matters."

"No it's not! Daddy says-"

Swift cuts her off with a snarl and snap of her teeth. "Yes, it is."

"What? What is she talking about?" Kiri asks

Thermal glares at Swift, her tiny claws digging into Kiri's foot. "He's an alpha, just like you. You know that they should be reported and monitored."

Swift flicked a paw out, catching Thermal upside the head. A low crackle spreads over her shoulders, her fur flickering with faint flames. "He is mine. Not to be taken back to the packs to be kept as a pet. He is my friend, my pack member. And you will not mention in any way shape or form that he exists as an alpha Dukari, do you understand?" She snarls, power running deep with her words.

Thermal submits, rolling onto her back with a flinch, "Yes Alpha." She cringes.

Kiri sinks his teeth into her tail as Bladen shoves Swift back out of control. The flames silence themselves with a hiss. He steps back away from Thermal. "You have your orders, I expect you won't break them."

She stared up at Swift's body, fear soaking her body in a sickly scent. Bladen's emerald green eyes glare down at her from void like features. He raises their lips, faint scars pulling their lips tight against pure white teeth."

"Kiri, I think it's time." He suggests.

Kiri blinks, staring at Bladen in shock. He gives himself a good shake before nodding. "Right." He reaches out, seizing Thermal's mind in a death grip. "Do you want me to alter anything?"

"You probably should make us both look completely adult. Do her memories reek of us being alpha line Dukari?"

Kiri checks a bit deeper, gritting his teeth as she whimpered. "Yeah, she's trying to keep that information pretty hidden since she wants her dad to find it."

Bladen nods. "Let her keep it. Just make sure she does not associate it with the female being her lost sister."

"Done." Kiri tilts his head, "How are you getting her to the mainland?"

Bladen laughs. "Oh I'm letting Shadow deal with that. Come with us Rian."

"Oh the fact that you think I might be left behind is hilarious." Kiri retorts.

Bladen steps back as Swift takes over again. She gives herself a hard shake. "Annoying beast. I was in control."

Kiri knocks Thermal out completely before grabbing her by her scruff. "Shall we?"

Swift trots out onto the water, ice forming right under her. It bucks and weaves under her feet, nearly dumping her back into the water. She digs in her claws, freezing it down to the sand below so it wouldn't rock. "There. Let's go!"

Kiri steps up beside her and sets the pup down, looking uneasy, "Is this safe?"

"I won't let you drown. We might fall off on occasion though." Swift warns.

"Oh, thank you. Greatly reassuring." Kiri grumbles.

Swift scoops Thermal from between his feet and takes off, ice exploding out from under each paw as she runs.

Kiri follows, cautiously at first but quickly picking up speed. "Do you coat the tree branches back home in ice?"

"Sometimes." Swift holds her head up high, power rippling under her skin. "This is incredible."

Kiri catches up quickly, "It is." He agrees, his fur slicked back against his lean form.

A wave buckles the ice bridge just in front of them, sending a crack down between their feet.

Kiri clears the bump first, landing feet first in the water. He desperately paddles back to the surface and back to Swift. "What the heck was that?!"

She set Thermal down long enough to heave him back onto the bridge. "Sorry. We're close enough to be seen now. We have to move our bridge under water."

"Huh?"

Swift grabs the pup again and jumps over the end. She lands with a splash, only sinking to her belly on that path.

Kiri sighs. "Warning would've been nice you know."

She shrugs and trots off, quickly picking up her pace again.

Kiri chases her, the water meeting him at mid chest height. He groans and starts bounding, leaping and out of the water to make any decent headway. "Swift! I can't run in this, it's too deep!"

Bladen huffs at him. "She's laughing at you."

She slows as they approach land again. She leans against Kiri, trembling overtaking her.

"You nervous?" He asks playfully. "All we have to do is walk up and lay her down on the beach and then we can run away again."

"No I know. I'm just.... I don't know." She heaves a sigh through a mouthful of fur before trotting forward.

Kiri flicks his glance upwards as he follows her. "I think we're already being watched."

"I agree." She walks just far enough up the bank that the little one won't get soaked before laying her to rest on the sand. "Kiri, can you grab some driftwood so we can make sure she's shaded?"

"Yep, will do." He glances around before trotting down the beach towards a tangle of sea debris. He grabs a large branch, nearly lifting himself up as he drags it back to Swift.

She gestures for him to stop nearby before moving Thermal to the pile. Her ears flatten as Firestorm's pack link hummed. "Alpha, there are 2 rogues on the border. They are trying to bury a puppy on the beach."

Firestorm's voice rang clear, strong and powerful, the sound of a feline born to lead. "Just wait. We don't have anyone nearby right now."

"But Alpha, we can manage it. They don't look tough."

"You 2 aren't capable of taking on 2 rogues. Seriously. Just wait for backup. Follow them instead."

"We are though alpha!" Swift regards the trees with interest, "Look their eyes aren't even red. Maybe they haven't broken yet." Images flash, showing Swift staring just slightly off to the side of their actual location.

"Don't even think it Swift." Bladen warns, "Not a good idea."

Kiri steps towards the water. "Shadow, we should go." He whispers.

Swift looks away from the tree and nods. "Yeah, probably. Let's go."