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Backdated a little to when Raisa returned from the Tourney! For Serafina

Raisa could hardly believe her nose. She'd thought, at first, that she'd been imagining things, or finding stale traces of her only sister within Ichorwood after being gone for a while. But after accepting Stream into their ranks and giving her a tour, she'd caught fresh scents. It took everything in her to remain polite and not abandon the poor fossa to navigating her new home alone after she'd taken such a leap of faith in joining a group of mostly canines; but excitement for the new member kept the queen genuinely engaged, and it wasn't until after making sure Steam was comfortable that Raisa set out on her mission.

She tracked down her sister quietly, keeping her paws light, her heart beating against her ribcage like an upbeat melody only she could hear. She would do what she must to try and keep herself quiet, her unfettered joy shaking her into mischievousness.

The striped coat, so much like her own but stripped of the blue, was easy to pick out amongst the bloody forest, and Raisa crouched. She offered no welcome, to scolding, no words of any sort. With quick steps, the Sovereign loosed a yowl just as she pounced to tackle Serafina.

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She hadn't really been paying much attention to anything since she'd come home, her relaxed nature coming more into play lately as she'd mostly kept to herself, she'd been looking for Raisa... And probably could have found her faster if she hadn't been being so lazy... today she'd caught a scent and had been following it in circles until she'd stopped to catch her frustrated breath and huffed as she lowered her head to take a good whiff around when she heard something behind her.

She turned her head over her shoulder slowly, too slowly, and watched as the dark blue striped woman launched at her sister and slammed into the lighter woman, sending her slamming into the ground and pushing her a bit into the dirt.

Mmph! She grunted as she clenched her eyes shut tight, though a small smile started to play on her features as she opened a single eye through a squint and let out a tiny giggle. сестра... (Sister...) She whispered before sighing a bit and sending a lick to her sisters cheek from her position underneath the heavier woman.

There might have been some small sense of smug victory that siezed Raisa as she pushed her littermate into the dirt between reminiscing over their childhood and a punishment for being gone so long. That's what happened: squished, smothered with love, oh the horrors!
Sera didn't expect the hit and went sprawling, and Raisa lay atop her prize long enough to rumble a happy sound and lick her sister across the forehead.

After another long moment, she moved to let her sister up.

I've missed you, she admitted softly, eyes shining with happiness, Have you come to claim your place as Lady of Seiiki?

A new name she was toying with, and this was the first she'd spoken it aloud. Still, she hoped Serafina would accept; she wanted her littermate to know she meant the world to Raisa.

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After a few long moments and a lick to her forehead Sera smiled as her sister removed herself from atop her. Serafina stood and shook her striped coat out as she listened to Raisa's words carefully, she blinked a few times at her words and waved a plume full of tendrils at the sovereign of Seiiki. Jade eyes glowed as she nodded after a moment of rolling around Rais words in her brain. I have! She responded with a bow.

Her head was held low as she flicked her optics up to her larger relation. If you'll have me... She added bashfully, she'd been gone for quite some time and she wasn't sure how welcomed back she would be. The tackle was probably a good indication of things but just to be sure Sera left her reply open ended to let the leader of the pack speak her two sense.

It would be good, to have Sera home again. Raisa didn't think Andrei was still lurking (perhaps the misunderstanding with Koku hurt his feelings more than he let on), but maybe one day all three of them would be together again. Even if their parentage had always been a bit... unconventional, Raisa shared a special connection with the two siblings who'd gone through the same things she had, who might understand the way she felt. Cirilla and Benkei, they just couldn't, Raisa thought. How could they? Just like she couldn't imagine how it felt to be separated, told to keep a monumental secret, they couldn't understand what watching everyone die or abandon her had done to their Sovereign.

But Serafina was home now, she was staying, and Raisa grinned wide from ear to ear even as her littermate dulled under her own anxieties.

"You'll always have a home at my side, Sera."

Not that coming and going for long periods of time with no warning would be well received, but Raisa didn't see fit to punish her sister for adventuring and seeing all the sights young wolves like them should've been enjoying, especially after the travesties that were their short lifetime.