and the stars in their orbits shone pale through the lightof the brighter, colder moon

The distance between the farmer's market downtown and the clustered apartments of the River Dale neighborhood would have made any other tired. There were perks about being a Were and an increased stamina was one of them. Nadya's relaxed gait shuffled slightly along the sidewalk, toeing at a rock and nibbling on her bottom lip in thought. The thought of finding her brother was a welcome one but was also hesitant to look as well since she didn't want to feel that disappointment if they didn't find him. And what if he didn't want to be found? Or didn't remember her either? Or even like her? Who was to say that over the years he hadn't enjoyed not having a younger sister following behind him. Her fingers tightened on the strap of her backpack, shifting the pack slightly on her back in a nervous gesture. Nadya's gaze finally broke away from the marbled pebble that skittered across the cement and off the side into the gutter.



"Tobias, just don't be upset if it takes us a while to find him ok?"



Nadya didn't have the heart to tell him not to be upset if he turned them away, putting that worried thought into his mind right now probably wouldn't have been a good idea. He already seemed fragile about the subject. She stopped at the black iron fence that surrounded a particular group of apartments. Being that it was in the middle of the day and in the middle of the week there was hardly anyone home which worked out perfectly for her plan. Neither Nadya nor Tobias had the money to rent anything like an apartment or even a hotel room so squatting was going to have to do. It wouldn't be the first time she had accomplished a breaking and entering but it required a certain type of skill and a way to get in that wouldn't set off any possible alarms. She tested the door to the fence and found it open, quickly slipping through leaving Tobias to follow her in. Her shoes trampled through the overgrown lawn off the main pathway. The apartments looked to be more like cramped two level duplexes which meant there were fewer options. The first apartment she approached had the soft droning of a television on somewhere in its depths. Moving on to the second she braced her small hands on the windowsill, having to lean over a flower trough below it. It seemed quiet enough so she leaned closer to take a better look inside only to have a dog suddenly lunge up at the glass, teeth bared and barking at the possible intruder at his window. Nadya leapt back in surprise, stumbling slightly over her feet before quickly gaining her balance again a safe distance from the window. Her own lips curled back slightly in disdain for the animal in the window. She had been chased by a rather large stray pack of dogs not too long ago and while she could take down a wild prey animal she had never been trained on how to actually fight.



Her soft grumbling as her quickened heartbeat took its time returning to normal carried on as Nadya moved on to the last apartment on this stretch. This time she didn't get too close, instead she stepped back a couple paces. A large tree grew by the old stone building, gnarled from ill care and harsh winds, trying as it might to stretch to the heavens it only leaned precariously to the upper level. On the upper level a window had been left cracked open to allow the beautiful spring day breeze in. Nadya was well aware that she could easily shift into her feline form and scale the tree but she was afraid of there being another dog.



"No one is home in this one. That window up there is open. Can you use that tree to get in and unlock the front door?"