Sibling Reunion

Unpleasant as it was, the sky itself was littered with ink colored clouds. The traitorous sky sprayed the vegetation of the woodland below in a shower of rain. Droplets of rain came crashing like bombs, impacting through the forest canopy below in a muffling roar silencing out most of the sounds carried throughout the night.

Diamond Mine sighed, shaking herself slightly as she trudged through the forest; it wouldn't do much against the pouring rain. She jumped and practically sprinted towards the village at high speeds for once not caring how flighty her pelt got.

Flickering rapidly in a frantic dance to remain alive amongst the harsh weather were sixteen pairs of glowing flames outlining a stone entrance of a small village. Strangely enough a handful of villagers themselves seemed quite lively with activity outside the gates during the late stormy hour bustling miniature boulders no bigger than a skull to-and-fore from the forest to the wall while others stood guard further from the torches glow the light hitting them from behind revealing their bodies as black silhouettes against the rain.

As she neared the village a new fixture of a gate laid partially built around the village. The snow leopard looked up at the glowing flames before glancing around quickly at the surrounding silhouettes around her. Though there were no visible gates to the wall, in their place were two guards whose attention she had caught.

Diamond cursed under her breath and backed up slightly, were those royal guards? A low growl rumbled in her throat, the fur along her spine started to stand up as her tail lashed.

From what was noticeable in the rain she could see no royal marking upon them.  In fact, their armor didn't appear well put together ether. But out of the handful, a middle aged goat stomped his front hooves spraying mud around him as he bayed out at her in a feisty tone. "Who are you, state your name Stranger!" Though it seemed he had a temper, the old goat didn't hold his weapon out in her direction. When she didn't respond within seconds of him asking he gave a snort of annoyance. "Well common cub. You gonna spit it out or stand in the freezing rain all night." By his accent alone she could easily tell he wasn't a royal guard and that he in fact seemed quite familiar.

"Who are you?!" Diamond growled, her ears lying flat against her head, "You'll forgive me if I don't trust any kind of guard."

The goats face furrowed in the rain at her remark. "You sure have a sharp tongue now don't you little kitty." His facial structured softened as he stood up straight. The natural water had soaked his fur and his goatee flowed with the wind as he stood before her. "If you don't trust the royal guard you could start trusting us.  As for who i am, My names Stopper. Now m'lady who are you?"

"Don't call me "ma'lady"!" Diamond snarled, her tail lashing, "No, no, no."

"Well what d'ya know she's a whiny little kitty too." He spoke loud enough for her to hear him clearly over the downpour. "You're more than welcome to stay out there in the mud getting that lovely coat of yours filthy and cold. All I'm asking for is your name, if you don't like it you can turn back or meet up with the cougar."

Diamond's eyes went wide with fear, her ears pinning back against her head as she started shaking excessively, "C...c....cougar....? No...no...nononono..."

Stopper's ears angled forward showing his mild surprise at her reaction, he gave a quick glance at his foxy companion behind him who simply just shrugged in response to his concerned look. "I'm taking you haven't been around here for a while little kitty." He spoke facing towards her with a kinder face than the one he had shown her earlier. "He's got a reputation with his attitude, but he's quite the leader." his hooves sank in the mud as he took a few steps towards he squinting up at her face, once their eyes connected with each other he grinned. "you got no need to be frightened of anyone here little kitty I'm sure he'll help a young lady like you out. Especially now that I know you both share the mark."

Diamond's head tilted slightly, her ears flicking slightly forward, "Mark...?"

"Yah’ your left eye is marked with an unnatural shade of red that only appears on those marked as a one of the deadly sins." He stood up, taking a straight position again. "Both you and our leader share that same mark. Now getting a better look at you kitty, you lived here a few years back." He cocked his head to the side and nodded it in the villages direction. "Common I'm sure there's a person inside you've been wanting to see for a good while, miss Diamond Mine."

Diamond froze, keeping herself low to the ground and her ears pinned back in a show of uncertainty and caution as she starred up at Stopper with wide eyes before anger covered her face. She snarled, "There is no one I want to see, I'm alone, I'll always be alone." Her tail lashed out behind her before she continued in a quiet growl, "It's better that way…"

"Then why run all the way here on a stormy night to only turn away at the gates?" The goat asked.

"That’s none of your business."

"Alright, if you'd rather leave and stay alone in this miserable weather then so be it." He stated flatly towards her before he turned and trudged back through the mud to his post.

She snorted at him as he walked away, "Whatever, I don't need anyone's help. Least of all some guard."

"Then I bid you farewell." He announced out to her with his back to her as he reached his post. "Our leaders worked hard day and night to keep this village safe for our families. But if you can't trust us or go meet another sin like yourself it'd be best to be on your way dear lady. For without trust you surely won't find an ounce of help here."

"You can't trust anyone..." She muttered.

"Then I feel sorry you little kitty." The goat cooed toward her

"Don't patronize me old man."

"I believe I can do as I please out here little kitty."  He grinned at her in a familiar way.  "Besides I'm not hurting you in any way other than your pride that is." He spoke in a mocking tone at her, his hooves made sloshed in the mud as he pawed the ground showing his enjoyment of her reaction.

Diamond Mine frowned faintly, shaking very slightly. "Shut up!" She hissed furiously.
Stopper nudged into his colleague behind him, "Look there’s the snappy cub I remember." He chuckled out looking back at her. “I'm sorry, I find this whole situation extremely entertaining.” The goat grinned playfully at her but his teeth appeared more pointed, similar to that of a predator's. "Especially now that I know you don't recognize me little kitty. Here I'll give you a hint to help you out. " As he spoke, his dark brown eyes changed briefly for a few seconds to lime green and the unnatural red hue she shared in her left eye.

Diamond snorted, turning away again after seeing his eyes, "I've no need of other sins, leave me alone." The snow leopard's voice seemed to crack slightly as she started walking way, "Nothing ever good comes when they hang around me..."

His posture slouched as he rolled his eyes over dramatically in response to her. "Ooooooooh common drama queen!" He loudly groaned out behind her, his voice seemed to carry out over the stormy night. As if he had magically teleported, the goat stood directly before the upset leopard with his face that in a pout staring up at her with innocent eyes. "You're just going to leave again and not even say hi too little old me...?" His once gruff ragged voice transformed into a softer pitch exactly like a young male teenager.

Diamond frowned, her fur bristling around her neck as she glared angrily over her shoulder at him, "Fuck. Off."

Unfazed by her need to be alone the supposive goat continued on after her. "It's nice to see you after; ooooh how long it been, three years wouldn’tcha say?" He paused halting in his tracks taking notice that she’d continued on ahead of him. "Hey where are you going?"

"Look. I have an idea on who you are and I really do not want to deal with you." She snarled, her tail lashing, "And knowing where I am, I have no desire to see him either."

The goat pranced practically as a deer, disturbing puddles in his pursuit as he skidded through the mud stopping before her. "Well you don't need to see the big purple grump. You're talking with, so please don't tell me you've forgotten my name,” He sounded upset towards her. “That'd be extremely hurtful coming from the likes of you."

She merely glared at him in response, her claws extending as silvery mist began flowing around her soaked forelimbs. “Get out of my way Cricket…”

The goat peered down at her claws for a moment then back up at her face. His ears dropped to the sides of his head and as if her vision was failing her the supposive goats body shimmered against the rain reshaping his figure as a young teenage dire wolf who she knew far too well. Though his fur had remained the same bright red he’d been born with, he’d definitely grown since she had last seen him. "I haven't seen you in ages... Please just talk with me at least before vanishing on me again..." He seemed to begged her.

"He made it clear that he didn't want to see me." She snorted in disgust, "Why do you?"

"I never wanted you to leave in the first place." The young teen spoke quietly. "I missed you and so does your brother."

"Liar."

Cricket seemed taken aback from she response to him for his discolored eyes shifted down towards his mud covered paws. “He does though… I’ve can feel it even through his stubborn pride.” Without moving his head, he gazed up at her face.  “I can even feel that you're upset at him, yet at the same time you’re extremely heartbroken…” He placed one of his paws gently on hers, his soaked ears angling up towards her.

She flinched back, pulling her paw away from his causing mud to splatter across his face, "I don't feel anything anymore, don't tell me how you think I feel." She hissed, "He made it clear that he didn't want to see me again!" Despite her words, there was hurt in her voice as if she was holding back tears.

He frowned wiping the filth along one of his shoulders while she backed away from him. As she hissed at him, the stubborn teenager grew quiet, walked up to her again and wrapped his muddy front paws around her own neck holding her tightly in a wet sloppy hug. His head rested under her chin like it always had when he was a small pup remaining silent holding her in his forearms.

Diamond shook slightly, ghostly icicles spiking up from her fur, "Stop...touching me...."

His voice came out in a mumbled tone from being buried in her under her neck. "You two are constantly headstrong to admit you want others to care about you. And the one you want to care about you the most is in that village worried sick about you. He's searched for you, even helped build this village a protection zone to keep you and others like us safe...” His voice drifted and his own body beginning to shake. “Sis we've Just been waiting you to show up...."

"It’s better to be alone sometimes...I've met two of the others. They're alone too and I know why."

"Is it because they were hurt too much to even try to connect with others...?" He mumbled into Her fur.

"Something like that..."

His paws still laid wrapped around her neck. "That seems so unhealthy... too remain alone."  He commented quietly. He drew his head out from under her chin gazing up at her face, it was easy to tell he'd be taller than her in no time, but he still had a slight childlike appearance to him. His ears slowly lowered lying flat against his head. "All living things need a connection with another being of some-sort. You'll go mad by yourself." He released his hug on her and placed his paws on her shoulders. "You are far too beautiful for me to allow you to go completely bonkers."

"Tell Sloth that he needs a connection to survive, I guarantee he'll shred you. Envy will probably just run away from you." She tried to push him away again, "I don't need to be patronized, stay out of my business."

His paws fell back into the mud as she pushed him again. Stubbornly he frowned at her, "You know what no!" He barked at her, standing his ground before her as the fur along his back rose in the air matching hers. "Why can't you see that out of everything that's happened that others still care about you!"

She snorted at him, glaring down at him, "You don't know anything do you?"

"No, but don't you go acting all high and mighty like you know everything..." He stated gruffly at her, his eyes stayed locked on hers. "You're hurting, I get it.  We've all had our own share of pain. But you have family here." He nodded towards the village. "Stop the drama already and come home...before I have to drag you in there"

"You're going to have to drag me then cause I'm not going in there."

He stated flatly his gaze still locked onto hers, “As you wish then little kitty.”

As if on cue his mismatched eyes pupils dilated before her own shifting from round spheres to an eerie upside down cross. “Wha are yo-?” She stumbled, slurring her words from a sudden jolt of fatigue. Diamonds body slowly began to sway in sequence with the harsh wind for a numbing sensation was rapidly creeping inside her spine gaining speed attacking her blood system. All of this was causing her to severely become lightheaded in the manner of seconds to the point of blacking out.

And as sudden as it had happened, the dreaded weather around them vanished, transforming into that of a descent sized room. Cricket was now surprisingly standing before her instead of sitting and he eyes appeared as if they had never changed at all. “Wakey Wakey Sleeping Beauty.” He cooed mischiefiously at her. Though obviously exhausted, Cricket instantly appeared in a better mood than the one she had previously seen him in outside the gates.

"What the flying fuck did you do to me?!" She hissed, her fur bristling once again.

"It's a thing I like to call magic, but you might call it mind control." He grinned at her, his tail wagging tiredly behind him. "It's a little trick I learned I could do since we last met. But hey, I think it's pretty neat.” He said kindly with a shrug. “I'm still getting the hang of it with people not realizing I'm doing it to them.” A light chuckle came from him. “And man you couldn’t stop talking about your pelt being filthy, so I got a spare towel for ya. You’re more than welcome to go take a shower or whatever in my bath while you’re up here unless you’d rather go to your old room.”

She snorted at him, her tail lashing angrily as she glared at him.

“Oh don’t give me that attitude, you basically told me to drag you up here.” The red wolf cooed again at her walking over to the bed in the room and jumping on top of it.

"I'll give you whatever attitude I damn well feel like."

“Okay your majesty,” Cricket yawned laying his head on the bed, showing he was growing exhausted with each passing minute. “Why don’t you go take a shower or something for the time being.” He mentioned towards her curling his tail up to his furred belly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She marched out of the room, tail flicking angrily behind her.

He watched her quietly for a few seconds from the bed. Though he laid tiredly across it, his red fluff of a tail thumped slowly against it. “Despite what you think about staying alone, I’m still happy to see you.” He managed to mumble out behind her as he watched her leave his room. Finally giving in to his exhaustion gravity willingly took control over his head bringing it down upon the surface of his sheets.


-----

Diamond took to wandering the house, her ears pressed flat against her head, she was more than a little pissed off at this turn of events. This was the last place she wanted to be.

While wandering around the house it didn’t take long for her to realize it had been the same one she and her brother had lived in for years when they both had arrived at this village. Despite almost being gone for three years, the inside of the house looked like it had hardly changed in her absence. Almost everything looked as if it had been left untouched, except for the photos. There wasn’t a single photograph insight throughout the entire home, leaving the once covered walls now seemingly naked.

"What the hell..." she muttered, staring at the blank walls, "What happened to all the pictures..." The walls carried her voice as a faint echo around the house as she explored it, telling her she was the only one awake in the empty place.

Diamond frowned, she could easily sneak right back out, but part of her told her that wasn't a good idea. As if on cue, the creaking of a door swinging open could be heard from the front of the house. A simple click followed a few seconds later notifying her whoever just waltzed in had closed the door behind them.

Her ears twitched at the sound as she looked to see who had walked in. No, she froze stricken with fear.

With the front doors off to her left, her eyes captured the figure of a large male cougar whose pelt was purple and black. He stood leaning his backend against the door, shaking himself to get as much water-mud off his drenched pelt.  Even from where she stood it was as clear as crystal how toned and muscular this male was. Her breathing eventually caught the attention of the male cougar, and his head immediately turned in her direction with a menacing glare gunning her down. As her eyes locked onto his darkened face due to the lighting in the house, the color of gold stood out in one of his eyes, and she soon realized that this cougar was a deadly as it gets.

Diamond bristled slightly, no no no, it couldn't be him. She'd outrun her father months ago, she started backing away from him, panic causing her breathing to come in quick and shallow gasps. Her mind was too clouded with panic she growled nervously at him, her tail curling underneath her as she seemed to be trying to make herself smaller and smaller.

The cougars’ ears flattened to the back of his head as his eyes narrowed in disapproval on the panicking snow leopard. The male soon began a slow-silent pursuit after her as she frantically retreated away from him until cornering her against a wall of the hallway. He never uttered a single word to her, but rather studied her from a forearms reach.

Realizing she was showing fear towards him the fur along his back arched from his neck to his tail in a growing distaste. Since he was now within reach of her, his face had become more readable to her eyes by the lighting in the hallway and the pair of glowing eyes glaring down at her. Without removing his eyes from her ball-like form the cougar seated himself directly in front of her. Though his eyes were set in a rather unfriendly glare, the cougar waited in silence for a few minutes until he released a rather upset sigh and looked away from her.

With his golden eye directed away Diamond started to slowly creep around him. Her movements stiff as she eyed him cautiously in her attempt to rid herself from this creatures’ presence.

Though his face was directed away from her and his eyes were shut, his tail smacked into the ground missing her face by a couple of centimeters. An extremely low growl escaped from deep within his throat to signal he had no intentions of being ignored by her any longer. “Two years, eight months and 13 days is how long I’ve been searching for you. Ever since you left this place I’ve been worried to the point to where I was sick wondering if you were even still goddamn alive…and yet here you are acting like I’m the one who doesn’t exist anymore…” His words came out like acid burning through flesh at his caged rage. The cougars voice was rough and had a natural growl accent to it, but his tone was lighter and younger than that of her father's despite the emotions coursing through him.

Diamond's voice came out in a similar growl, "You made it very clear when I left that you didn't want to see me again."

He shook his head in disbelief while laughing at her remark. “Really that’s your damn reason for up and leaving, because you believed I never wanted to see you again...?” His teeth were now clenched together as he turned around facing her so their eyes locked.

She hissed at him once he made eye contact, "You fucking told me you never wanted to see me again!"

His eyes glowed dangerously at her in the dark but he ceased moving. “Nothing hurt more then you growing terrified to be around me. You started acting like I was that monster when I’m your goddamn brother!” His tone hinted hurt as he hissed at her. “And I almost forgot what that pain felt like until you just slammed it back into my soul reminding me I’m a fucking monster...” He closed his eyes and turned his head away from hers once again pain clearly noticeable on his face.

"You think I want to see you as a monster? do you?" She growled, her voice took on a slight undertone that sounded like scrapping glass, "You're not the monster here."

“Really….?” He stayed at the same low growl as he responded to her. “Then explain to me the reaction of terror on your face from a few moments ago when I came through that door.”  His claws dug into the stone floor before her, his ears lying flat against his head. “Explain to me why you went to cower from me in this part of the hallway.” His growl softened as he shook his head at her. “Having your eyes staring up at me in terror and acting as if I would ever lay a paw on you while you're trying to hide yourself from me… How am I not to feel like a monster…?”

"He's been chasing me for months now, I reacted badly." She snarled, her tail lashing, "I'm the monster here."

A snort escaped him as he turned and faced her again. “You reacted badly? Oh okay…Like that changes a damn thing...” He growled rolling his eyes at her. He stood up to all four and walked a few feet away from her his head shaking in pure disbelief. “If you were in trouble why didn’t you or come home, you would have been safe here…”

Diamond's body seemed to turn to glass as mirror shards appeared in the air around her, "I don't need anyone's help!" She cried, her glass body shattering only to reform into a creature that seemed to be made of white gemstone, the glass shards continued to shimmer and drift in the air around it. It had no visible mouth but its eyes appeared as glowing blue spots on the head; a long mist like cloud came from behind it like a tail, "I've never needed help." Its voice was scratchy, like someone scraping against ice.

He stood watching his sister’s body transform in her sin form right before his very eyes, with the look of shock on his face. His shock quickly was replaced by his stubbornness as he frowned at the being in front of him. “Well I for one am not just anyone…I am your damn Brother, and like it or not You're stuck with me to help you out of any hell hole you’re in...” His voice held firmly towards her but didn’t hint any anger.

"I need no one." It said coldly, it's head lowering down to his level, "Vanity needs no one."

He remained unmoving from where he stood, the gray in his eyes darkened to where it was nearly black as he remained in eye contact with it. “You’re not truly Vanity without Pride. So yeah I’d say  you at least need me...”

"You know nothing.” Several of the glass shards circled around Chomper.

The cougar remained posted where he was. Chomper seemed completely unfazed by what she was doing around him, as his eyes only focused on her. "Common tell me why I know nothing."

"You think everything can be resolved through regret and apologies."

The cougar seated himself, His tail twitching showing his slight irritation. His eyes narrowed at the shards of glass around him as he spoke, "We've both shared our own regrets with each other, so why don't we just calm down together and talk it out?"

"I don't need to calm down."

"Then why am I talking with vanity face to face, and not you...?"

"I am as I should be."

He growled lightly at her. "As what. The monster that you claim you are?"

"Yes."

"You know very well who the actual monsters are, and they're out there hunting not only the both of us, but every other soul born as a sin."  He spoke roughly towards her. As he finished he closed his eyes an angled his face directly towards the floor. "...I'm sorry I pushed you away to the point you believed you were better off alone." His voice changed to a sincerer tone as he continued. "It wasn't my intentions to hurt you. I regretted everything I spat at you during our fight it as soon as it left my mouth… I’m imbecilic for going and hurting you through my own pain. " He looked up at her face with a familiar sternness returning in his voice. "But If you damn think I'd let you go call yourself a monster and not help you out of any trouble you’re in, you're a damn idiot. "

"I am nothing..."

As the storm outside worsened, lightning began to ignite the inside of the house with a vibrant glow every few seconds. After she had spoken a clap of thunder boomed as if it were in the house itself and lightning’s radiant flash raced past her and hit her brother silhouetting his figure. For that split second of light his shadow stained the wall behind him. What should have been the shape of a cougar had the appearance of something more monstrous; an unholy evil. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" he roared up at her, clearly angered by the response she given him.

The true form of the sin seemed to glimmer slightly as it vanished, leaving Diamond laying on the floor with her face hidden in her paws. Her tail curled around her. Diamond seemed more ashamed then anything, she hated her true sin, it was ruled by nothing but contempt and isolation.


He stayed standing before her, the fur along his spine raised showing his rage. Both of his pupils were shaped like crosses as he glared down at her. After blinking a few times, his eyes flickered and returned back too normal. As if breaking out of a trance Chomper soon noticed his sister lying on the floor, his rage immediately faded changing into that of regret upon realizing what he had just done. Chomper lowered his head, releasing a sigh in the process. Taking a moment to make sure he was calm he took a few steps over to his sister and laid down behind her curling himself around her body.

“Dia look…” He finally managed to get out in a quiet voice, his eyes glued to his front paws while he spoke. “You’re not nothing to me…” Taking his head, he nudged it gently into the side of her neck in a comforting manner.

The snow leopard fidgeted slightly, moving so she could look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Thanks."

Chomper remained facing his paws while she gazed at him, as if to keep the tension low between them from causing another fight. His red eye illuminated the left side of his face in the dark, revealing pale maroon circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. “...I hoped that after all these years when we saw one another that we wouldn’t go right back to fighting.” As he spoke both of his ears angled behind his head showing he was upset with himself.

"Don't be sorry, it’s my fault." she sighed, looking up at him, "I shouldn't have panicked like that."

His fur was soaked to the bone and covered with mud, but it was noticeable that the spots he had shared with her as a cub had faded over time to a pure black a purple coat all expect for the grey streak on his nose. “I’m not the cub you remember. I’ve changed.” His head rested on his front paws and tilting his head so could see her face. “Hell we both have…”

"Yeah, we have..." She sighed, her tail wrapping around herself, "I can't decide if it's a good or bad thing."

“Who says it has to be either of those two choices.”

“I…I don’t know.”

He scooted his head under her chin gently nuzzling into her fur in an attempt to lift her spirits. "How about we call it Neutral?" He stated, pulling his head back from under her chin. He gave her a smile that she hadn't seen in ages. "From the way I see it, we both have had our ups and downs due to all this change. It only seems fair to go ahead and call it neutral."

She smiled a bit, laughing a bit, "Yeah, guess it’s neutral." And for the first time in almost three years, she was finally home.