Last Arc Family (Sirius the Jaeger)

Canis Major

It was a sunny day in the ever wintered woods, yet the rays of sunlight did little to melt the pearly snow, warm the ground, or the nine year old Lure standing with her back against a tree who tapped her foot, waiting impatiently for her companion on the other side of the snowy clearing to get himself together. Qiuyue pushes the apple that was on her head back into place for the sixth or seventh time now. "Come on and shoot the apple already!" 

"I'm trying to get into position!" Alexei argues back as he reshifts himself on the ground again, trying to make sure everything lined up perfectly. If one thing was off, the arrow could go flying and hit anything that wasn't the apple, specifically Qiuyue. She wouldn't be too happy with him if that happened. "Well it's been five minutes! It doesn't take this long to get into position! A two year old beginner takes less time than this!" 

"Just wait a minute, okay?!" Qiuyue watches as he moves the crossbow for who knows how many times at this point. She squinted her eyes and made a face, "Alex, I'm not that tall!" 

"I know that!" Alexei was now a bit tempted to purposely shoot Qiuyue at this point with all of her nagging, but he wouldn't do that. She was the only friend he had in this frozen wonderland. He sucks in a deep breath of cold air and holds it, taking his final aim and lets the arrow split the cold air as it makes a beeline to Qiuyue. Both mint and blue eyes watched in anticipation as the arrow made its course across the field, thinking it would finally hit its target. That anticipation and excitement was quickly replaced with defeat as the arrow hit the tree that was next to Qiuyue instead of the red fruit on her head. The Lure retrieves the arrow and walks over to her friend, "Wanna try again?" 

Alexei sighs and shakes his head as he takes the arrow, accepting his defeat. "No. I think I used up all of my daily dose for failure for today." He gets up and brushes the snow off as they start their way back home. "Besides, I have to get back home and get ready." 

"Get ready for what?" Qiuyue asks as Alexei hasn't made any mention of him or his family going on a trip in the past and he wasn't a very secretive boy. Mainly because he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. The ravenette takes the apple, that she was previously idly switching between hands, and tosses it high into the air. As quick as it went up, it was quick as Qiuyue took out the small knife and threw it at the apple, making a clean slice through it. The young Lure caught her knife in sync as the apple fell into the snow in two clean and even halves. Alexei playfully scoffs, "Show off." 

"Hey, you can be a show off too if you let me teach you." She picked up the two halves and bit into one of them. "So, where are you and your family going?" 

"Oh it's not just my family, the entire circle is going." He clarifies, "We're going on a trip to our other home." 

"Other home?" Qiuyue questions, a bit fogged before it clicked as to what he was referring to. "Oh! You mean Goucūn." 

"Oh course, what other place would there be?" 

"I don't know. I don't know every detail about the history of Sirius. Heck, I don't even know every detail about the Lure's lore yet." Qiuyue admits, "Hey, you should ask someone older in your tribe about that, the history of your people, like your father." 

Alexei snorts, "Yeah like I'll get a clear and straight answer out of him. He likes to speak in vague riddles and sayings in between him telling me how disappointed he is in me." "Your father doesn't say that." 

Nicholas didn't have to verbalize it. Alexei could feel it and see it in everything he did. The way his father spoke to him when Alexei wasn't following along with what was being told to him, the way he looked at Alexei when he did something out of order. Everything Alexei did right or attempted to do right, didn't seem to matter in his father's eyes and that hurt at first. But after every discussion he had with his father in that cold crypt of a basement, his mother was always there to comfort him. To give words of reassurance that he wasn't a disappointment, he wasn't a failure, and, just like humans, he made mistakes and that's okay because no matter what he did, Alexei would always be her precious pup. Nothing would change that and that's what mattered the most to Alexei at the end of the day.