[spade]

Originally Posted by fenic!

Hamlet had been rather busy in his den lately-- apparently, there were a lot more Dusk Syndicate cats getting into border skirmishes with SkyClan cats recently, since they now shared a border with the newly-arrived clan. He didn't care too much for the clans in general, and he'd happened to visit one awhile ago- RiverClan- with a rather handsome- though terribly agressive- tom named Storm. Working in his small space in the empty den by himself, he sorted some of his herbs accompanied by only the silence in the area, which he'd loathed at first but now happened to be getting used to. However, at the sounds of ruckus by the den entrance and a scent he didn't seem to recognize at first, the now full healer's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of his long-lost sister, Bellatrix.

"...Bella?" He exclaimed, his face filled with both surprise and happiness as he gasped. She'd disappeared while the two were still trainees together, and never bothered to tell him where she'd be going from there. He'd assumed she was killed by a fox or executed in secret for something like treason, though he didn't know why- she was much too cunning to be defeated by a fox, and she was more of an ideal Syndicate member than he was. "I can't believe you're back- where have you been all this time?" Hamlet asked, his fur still bristled in the surprise of his sister's sudden return. At a quiet time like this, it wasn't at all what he was expecting.

At her brother's surprise, Bella managed to stifle a laugh, shaking her head. "You didn't really think I was gonna be gone forever, did you?" she mewed, not bothering to answer his question. It wasn't something she was going to discuss here, where others could potentially overhear. She had resented coming back, but now that she was, her game face was on, the unreadable mask that she learned to wear in the Syndicate. She took a couple steps forward and halted before her brother, sitting down and simply glancing at what he was working on. Herbs, of course. She hadn't expected anything different, because unlike her, Hamlet was kind and good, and fit right into the world of helping others and healing them, despite the disrespect he must have endured by choosing that position within the Syndicate. A heavy weight of guilt fell on her shoulders as she realized she hadn't been here to help him through that. It showed on her face for a brief second before disappearing altogether.

Shaking her head, she looked up at Hamlet, studying his expression. Shock, for one, which was understandable. Bella knew eventually she would have to explain where she was, a thought that internally made her quiver. But not here, and not now. Instead, the brown feline looked towards the entrance, her deep blue eyes glazed over in thought. "What happened with Renn? It seems like total chaos here. And what's this about a SkyClan I've been hearing about?" she inquired, returning her gaze to meet her brothers. Her forepaws flexed beneath her, anticipation racing through her veins.