I'm gonna cast a spell on you,

She had grown out of the bullying phase — but wasn't going to apologize for it. She saw it was a hierachy between herself and her siblings, and found herself being on the top. Whether or not that was true, she would claim it is ; as so the natural order of it. Just like how their mother, Hydra, was the Alpha of the whole empire, with her father, Dirge coming as a close second and so following to Antares. Then so did the latter fall, of those to respect who shown their place within Empyrean. Soon, even Ara would find her place within those ranks and desired to be within a place among her family.

She didn't immediately go full bonkers on them anymore, and gradually, was forming slow bonds. At the very least it seemed her and @Cygnus developed a sort of bone-hobby together, where he more or less donated to her cause. Which was nice, at the very least. The only sibling she really went against at times was Nysa, who the two spared on a few more occasions. Two young cubs who couldn't face their peers fairly, it was well in good practice.

But she couldn't say she recently spoke often to Raiden of Scorpius.. Both wildly different individuals. Curious, on what they were doing these days, the dark devil sought one or the other.

---

@Raiden or @Scorpius perhaps?

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Funnily enough, Ara would find Scorpius looking for the other brother she sought, for he sought @Raiden also. Different though they were, he had gravitated towards Raiden when they had been mere pups, and this had forged a sense of camaraderie that the young prince was glad for. It was nice to have a best friend. Nicer still, when that friend was your brother.

But recently, as each one of them had started to stretch out and test the boundaries of home, Scorpius had found himself busy with getting to know the rest of the pack. There were many faces around him - important, in their own rights - and still so much to learn. @Osiris took him climbing often, and many times at Scorpius' own request. He knew how to navigate the lower reaches of the forest, and soon, he hoped he would master the peaks, as any true prince of Empyrean should.

Today, though, his aim was Raiden. Hoping for a little reprieve from the blossoming responsibility of children on the cusp of their youth. Instead, he found Ara, and seeing her put him on high alert, for he recalled the many times he had stepped in to help either Raiden or one of the others shove off her vies for dominance.

"Ara," he said through the crook of a smile, "you seen Raiden?" He was nonchalant enough in his approach, casual in the way he carried himself, yet if she showed any signs of dominance he would mirror whatever body language she showed him as if to taunt her.
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She looked over to her brother, one of the individuals she was looking for ; just for mild curiosity. Like the rest, he was growing into his features. Though, Scorpius took after their father more, as his tones of tawny were coming through within that mixture or browns and golds. Though.. A major difference is he took upon their mothers eyes, alongside Nysa as well. The rest of them did not care to that color and faded elsewhere. Only he, keeping those baby blues in the making.

She shook her head — Ara hadn't seen Raiden in some time. She didn't show any aggression or attempt to topple him so, and only titled her head to the side with a 'why are you looking for him' attitude within a curiosity. When she lifted her snout to see if the brother was around, she could smell him ; and everyone else.. But the trail was dead where they were in the mountain, and assumed he was on a different side.

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He was accustomed to her wordless replies and understood enough of what she said to learn that Raiden wasn't here.

"That's a shame," Scorpius said, "it's been a while since we've done anything together."

He wondered what Ara herself had been up to these days. Truth be told he didn't actively seek her out, and when they crossed paths, it was often in instances like this. Yet he was surprised she hadn't tried any of her old antics on him yet. Not to say he really trusted that.

"The trails were cold when I tried them too," he remarked, maybe in a small way to show he'd thought of doing that too. Maybe in part because he wasn't sure if she was mocking him in doing so, and he realized he hardly knew Ara at all, only the girl she was when they were smaller, when he could have been certain that's what her every motion meant, "which is why I thought I'd just ask you."

And he made to move past her, curious to see what she would do.
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Grown and bored, lackluster and now settled upon an older age of no longer kid antics. Though she would never deny a spar or brawl whenever a sibling sought her out, but often or not it was never her brothers to do so. She couldn't deny that maybe a slight disappointment in the matter, as their differences were quite large in the mixture. A bond that struggled to make, but could be adjusted possibly.

When she lifted her snout within the air, he was right that the trial was cold. Her nose twitched lightly, but he was around one way or another.. She wasn't particularly too interested in searching for him anymore, now that find Scorpius ; but he was more keen to find Raiden, "Do you want to check the river?" Ara offered, her snout shrugging over to one of the various streams that ran around the mountain. He moved past her, and she turned to look at him.

Maybe he was there.

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Was this... kindness from Ara?

Scorpius had half a mind to think she might've had tricks up her sleeves, even though he did step ahead of her, did turn his back to her, did leave himself exposed to a wrestle if she'd had the want to spar, or simply stir up trouble.

And she had just kind of looked at him.

"Yeah, good idea," he said, and they were on their way, it seemed. He'd never held Ara as a talkative one, or one of much peaceful company. She was strong, and he was strong, but in their... different ways. He looked away from her while they walked. Watching out into the woods that sloped down the mountain towards the river, and whatever lay beyond. "Ever think of seeing what's outside of Empyrean?" Such had been on his mind lately - and was, in fact, what he was finding @Raiden to talk about, since he knew of his interest of the lands beyond their own. But what did Ara think?
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cameo tag me if they find him

---

Raiden may have always been law-abiding to his mother and those of his family who offered guidance, but that did not mean he was not one to press limits. Often his paws sought grounds just out of reach be they upper elevations or the sprawling woodlands past the dragon's teeth. While his ambitions were known, on more than one occasion would he sit on his desires in silence testing the waters where eyes pried less.

However, today his attention was stolen elsewhere. Where he had originally traveled to see the outer reaches his paws strayed along a slow-moving river formed from summer falls that cut stone and dirt alike. The boy was certain no river laid here before, yet now water ran just deep enough to cover paws. He knew he was not mistaken, so with a sparked interest, he searched for the source.

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