WOLF

Brothers and Sisters

Taree bristled at the sight of the man, standing over her mother. He towered above her by almost two heads, and looked far stronger than her, looking to be only in his mid-twenties rather than the woman in her mid 50's.

Vic pulled in a surprised gasp, catching Taree's arm before she did something stupid. The man turned and glanced at them. His skin was tanned and his hair was black, like ink. It was pulled back into a ponytail, which ran down past his shoulder-blades. His yellow eyes reflected Vic's in a pleasant surprise, as he opened his arms, invitingly.

Vic darted forward, abandoning Taree by the door, and hurtled into the man's arms. The man beamed at him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Hey, kiddo," The man chuckled, "Haven't you grown? How old were you last I saw you?"

"Thirteen," Vic replied, stepping back as though he knew the man would want to inspect him.

"Really? Six years..." The man sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Too long... Anyway, let me look at you." He circled around Vic, pulling a disapproving face at his long, tattered hair.

"Mate, you need a cut," He chuckled, crossing his arms.

Vic pulled a playfully sour face, "I will when you do."

Taree huffed, fed up with being ignored by a stranger in her house.

"Vic," she snapped, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe, "care to explain?"

The two young men glanced at her, as though they'd both forgotten about her existence.

The man smirked, and elbowed Vic playfully, "Got a girlfriend, huh?"

Vic flushed, and turned to snap at the man, but Taree beat him to it, "Shows what you know about him," She scoffed, "Even if we weren't related, I wouldn't date someone that arrogant."

The man blinked at her as though she'd just slapped him, "Related?"

Vic forced a chuckle, "Yeah... Uh, this is Taree... Our sister..."

Taree paused, the words sinking in for both her and the man.

"You mean we're related?" The two cried simultaneously, staring at Sharon.

Sharon smiled softly, "Yes, Jan. You may have given up hope, but Vixen never did. He kept looking for her and finally, she came home."

Taree smiled softly at her, "I don't think Vic did much, if you ask me. You gave me the address, and Wendy kicked me out..."

"Ah, but if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have met mum," Vic added, attempting to defend his position in Taree's return.

Taree shrugged, resting her hands on her hips, "I tend to get familiar with the coppers in every town I go to. We would've met eventually."

The man chuckled at their playful argument and stepped towards Taree. He pushed the door closed behind her and held out a hand for her to shake. She glanced at his hand, noticing the delicate fingers, almost designed for detailed work, like art of some kind. She gingerly took his hand, meaning to give him a firm handshake. Instead, the man pulled her closer into a warm hug.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "You don't get away with just a handshake, sis. Name's Janeir, by the way," He added, releasing her, "but you can call me Jan."

Taree smiled. She had a feeling that she would like him as a brother.

"Hey, Tat," Quin called from the balcony. She was wearing a loose singlet and shorts that seemed too small for her. She leaned over the rail, her long red hair slipping over her shoulder and hanging past the railing; Taree could tell she'd only recently woken up, "You watch out for him. He's a heartbreaker. Don't get too attached to him; He's just going to ditch again."