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Echo shifted uneasily from foot to foot as she waited, turning back to regard her brother before turning back to fix her gaze on the distance. Flawed had promised them that he'd come back, and she'd trusted that then... almost as much as she trusted that now. But it had been so long, and the twins had been so long without their companion.... everything had to be perfect.

Her brother was curled already in a hollow just off to her left, carefully nudging a creamy, rather slimy egg such that its other side now faced the crackling fire. With the weather threatening to freeze, it was difficult to keep the temperatures right, and more difficult still when one's sister insisted on staying on the high ground to keep an eye out for their wayward companion.

"It'll be all right, 'Cho," the buck soothed gently. "Why don't we cover the fire, and tuck away into the den?"

She paced a bit, chewing a lip with worry. "You're right, you're right..." she trailed off, craning for a moment before rearing on hindlegs to check. Was that...?

Flawed had been gone awhile he knew. He'd gone wandering, and exploring on his own. He'd needed a break from the caves he'd called home for some time now. Had needed to breathe the swamp a little. It had been lonely yes, but he needed the loneliness, the quietness that came from traveling on his own. There had been a brief visit with Keeper, only staying part of a day, sleeping and leaving soon after the two of them had woken. It had been nice to see the buck he called dad, but he couldn't stay long. He needed this time.

Travel had been hard, and he'd grown lean from the hard traveling. It was due to a few smaller meals, and even some skipped ones as the days had grown colder. The cold is what drove him to go back home, though a part of him wasn't sure if he should. He'd never meant to be gone as long as he had and now...he was full of uncertainties.

Would they want him back? Would he be welcomed back? Were they mad at him for being gone so long? Would they turn him away? Yell? It's what had made his steps slow, and his pace drag. He was worried about going back home. Was it even still home? Sure the children he shared with the twins lived there, and were as much his as theirs but... maybe they didn't want him there either?

Even now, he was so close to home. He could make out the flickering of a fire, the smoke coming off it, but not much else was clear to him. Still, he finally took a deep breath, and started on the last part of the journey home. Or to where he hoped home still was anyhow. "Is that..." his voice was soft as he paused a moment, spying movement, a kin far enough off he couldn't make out details, not with how the sun was in the sky, blinding him. "...maybe I'm seeing things..." a rational explanation after so much solitude.

He was here. Echo excitedly nosed her brother, then kicked dirt over the fire, impatiently stamping at the embers until the source of warmth was dead.

With the heat from the outdoors gone, Cave Yell moved to gently roll the egg into its turtleshell, then started the process of moving things.

'Cho, once she was certain her brother had things well in hoof, took off through the winding tunnel at speed, until she found herself at the watery entrance. She took the plunge without hesitation, wading out to greet the kin she'd recognize from nearly any distance.

Someone was coming, and he wasn't fully sure of who yet. He could see and hear the movement in the water, he'd heard the splash, and he could make out the plastered pale hair.

Flawed was sure it was one of the twins, the water just hid which one it was, from him. He paused at the edge of the water, not because he didn't want to go in, but because it'd be easier for whoever was on their way to him to talk if they weren't treading water.

The one tip that helped differentiate Echo from Cave Yell was the way they swam. The doe had a flair for the dramatic, often dipping herself entirely below the water when she swam, and completely unphased by opening her eyes in fresh or salt water. After all, one could never know when one might find a prize... This time, however, the prize was at the shoreline. After a dive and brace to propel herself forward, the doe surfaced, quickly working her way to the edge of the pond, and shaking herself... if not dry, then damp.

"You're here!" She was slightly breathless as she leaned in to press her damp flank against the buck. Then, with a note of slight reproach- "You're so skinny. You've lost weight-- have you been taking care of yourself?"

Flawed watched as Echo came closer, and he was able to tell about halfway through her swim who it was, and he waited mostly patiently, though also half impatiently. He wanted whatever was going to happen, to happen already.

There was a low laugh as he found himself getting sprayed by the water, and he shook himself off a little, not that he had much on himself, but still.

She seemed happy to see him though, and he released a soft breath of air, a little of the tension in his body fading. Some. Not all. One twin was here, where was the other?

There was a nod of his head at the question. "H-hard travel...and c-cold weather....f-food was getting hard to find the l-last...week or so?" he lightly rested his neck across her own damp one and breathed a soft note. "M-missed you..."

At the explanation, the doe let herself relax. No point in chastising someone if they were trying to do well by themself. "Well. Food's easy to come by here," she said instead, leaning into the embrace for a moment before letting herself separate from the buck. "Cavey's been so eager to see you. We've got... well, we should go in. Get you something to eat, find someplace nice to cozy up...."

He relaxed even more. This was still home.

He was still welcome.

That was two huge worries off his mind.

That Cave had been eager to see him eased a third and he breathed a soft note of relief really.

"T-that sounds perfect honestly." he was already a bit chilly and the swim about to happen would make it worse. That was okay. He was also hungry, and travel weary.

Settling somewhere warm with food, with the twins sounded amazing just then, and without hesitating he waded into the water to swim home with Echo, eager to see Cave again after as well after so long away.

It didn't ever take long to swim through the lower entrance, and there was ample room for multiple kin to settle in there at once. Echo was fast to lead the buck in, then busied herself with shaking off once again. As her long waylaid mate found his way back in, she waited for him to dry off, stepping forward only to help readjust the tuft of hair that so often liked to block his eyes.

"We've got a surprise for you," another voice said warmly. Cave Yell couldn't keep from smiling as he stepped forward.

He swam along side her easily enough, he was used to this swim. Swimming in general had happened often on his traveling. Another reason he looked so thin, and his small stature didn't help with that either! There was another low laugh as she shook off just as he stepped out and he stayed back a moment, doing the same himself not wanting to soak her again.

There was a warm thanks for the hair being moved from his eyes though he didn't really need it moved from the one eye that bore the same scars he had on his chest from the incident when he was a colt, he didn't see so well out of it anyhow. But the other eye? He was more than thankful to have the hair moved from it so he could see clearly.

"A s-surprise? For m-me?" Flawed looked towards the familiar voice, wondering what sort of surprise the two of them had for him. "O-okay." a nod of his head as he looked between them curiously before he stepped forward to greet Cave Yell finally.

Cave Yell was happy to take a position on Flawed's other side, leaning in as 'Cho paced around them, moving to find the now-unattended egg. Was it warm enough? She'd worked to make sure to shape some clay and leave a shallow puddle for it, as the slimy eggs seemed to benefit from regular bathing... she busied herself, happy to wait for the two bucks to reacquaint themselves as she worked on providing the burgeoning life with a suitably warm and wet environment.

"...we missed you. So much." Cave Yell nuzzled the buck, eyes mostly shut, trying not to comment on the buck's boniness. Someone hadn't been eating well... but he was here, now, and that could be fixed.

"M-missed you too. Both of you." he rested his head against the other buck, and there was a soft, sheepish laugh.

"Was gone so long I....d-didn't know if....I was w-welcome back or not..."

His words were definitely loud enough for the both of them to hear, though he couldn't quite see where 'Cho had gotten to at this point.

"I'm s-sorry I was gone so long. I didn't m-mean to be."

Cave Yell leaned further in at the words, shaking his head. "I promise you, even if we got miffed by something like that, you'd never be unwelcome."

That made the last of the tension he felt melt away and he relaxed against the bigger buck with a relieved sigh.

"I'm so glad." more than could be put into words.

Finally he spotted Echo as they walked in a little further, wondering without asking what she was up to but he'd wait patiently.

There had been mention of a surprise, this might have something to do with it? He didn't know, and he wouldn't press, it wasn't his nature to do so. Though there, a gently teased "I k-know I'm thin. Echo already told me s-so. Hard travel, and the c-cold coming made food hard to find is all."

Flawed... he always seemed to know what was on his mind. It was part of what the buck loved about him. "There's food in the sleeping den," he said. "Food, and your surprise."

Echo daintily pranced out Flawed's way as he turned towards her, letting him see the scene.

The furs for the sleeping den had been moved out of the room, and the dim lighting from well-kempt coals lit what had become a strange new centerpiece to the room. Clay had been formed into a bowled shape, holding a water and something pale and translucent.

Echo was the first to speak. "We waited for you." "We missed you." "And when we found this egg, well--" "...we thought of you."