1st, Winter 518av
Day one of Winter saw Sinna dragging his carcass-like self all across Sunberth in search of a certain boy in a shyke load of trouble.
It's an unquestionable fact that Sin loved his brother, adored him to the ends of Mizahar and back. Much like Syna and Leth revolve around one another, the hunter's life revolved around Zuko's. Still, he had long been well aware that he could not be around all hours of the day to watch over him. While he would much rather prefer that his brother were not always left alone, the mixed-blood trusted that Zuko was mature and quick-witted enough to watch out for himself. Most of the kids in Sunberth had a tendency to wander about, regardless, and Sin wasn't so dumb to think that his curious cat of a brother was any different. He knew the younger had a love for exploring and wandering about when Sin was out making a living, which was fine as long as he stayed within the boundaries Sin had set, and kept him aware of where he'd be going.
Which, by the way, was exactly what his dearest brother seemed to have decided to forgo. Sin had returned early and exhausted from a hunt to a quiet apartment, which hadn't raised any alarms until a few bells had passed and his brother had yet to set foot past the door. Past midday, Sin decided that he'd wait no more and unhappily took to the streets, first scouring his brother's favourite haunts nearby and subsequently hounding their neighbours and street lurkers on the whereabouts of a doe-eyed boy with wild chocolate curls.
There's a little runt like 'im running somewhere down tha' way, Bay-wards. Two bigger ones on hi' arse. Yuh'd best hurry - from the looks uh'v it, they ain't playin'.
Elsewhere along Baroque Bay, the missing cub was in a similar hurry, only, he was hurrying away from a pair of older youths. Slinking through the crowd and ducking past corners and stalls, breath burned in his lungs as his pursuers behind voiced the futility of all his running, sneering and promising a most painful retribution once they got him. He certainly did not doubt their ability to make him suffer, having already witnessed the aftermaths of past instances. Mangled corpses of creatures large and small, young and old. The pair after him was only in their teens, but were nonetheless notorius animal abusers that he'd crossed paths with a handful of times, and today he'd boldly acted against them. Proof of his defiance lay bundled up in his arms, patches of fur stained with grime and blood, tiny heart pattering loudly in tandem with the heavy pounding of Zuko's own.
Gods help me, send someone, anyone, he prayed in the silence of his mind. Ideally, said saviour would be in the form of his brother, who had had to pull his arse from a fire on more occasions than the young tailor would've liked to admit. Sin was awfully protective and a tad bit too overbearing, but at the very least reliable. Strong. Decisive. And at the end of the day, the boy had no doubt in his brother's love and concern for him. Except, he had been gone on a few days' hunt and was due to return the day after. This time, the younger was on his own, or so he thought.
Rounding a corner, he cast a fleeting glimpse behind, heart plummeting to the pits of his stomache as the blurred figures of his pursuers magnified, hoots and hollers increasingly loud as they drew closer, the sound of their heavy footfalls heralded Zuko's coming end. Time, they were running out of time. He, was running out of strength to maintain his current pace, and wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, not with the weight of two lives on only a single, scrawny pair of legs.
He had to think. Fast.