He was cursed, that was all there was to it. Whatever deity ruled over snow and ice in this land must be scoffing him. The snow, which had been light only moments before, now fell in heavy blankets over him and covered the darker half of his coat quickly save for a few select places. His ears, now heavily covered with snow, fell to the sides and his eyes narrowed into a glare at the powdery white substance. "Melt." He whispered through gritted teeth. "Melt, melt, melt."

"Alleo?"

There was a subtle transition that came over the stallion. He went from glaring at the snow and wishing it to melt to letting his senses all go back on high alert, cursing himself silently for allowing the snow to distract him enough for someone to sneak up on him. Someone that knew his name, though? The stallion's snow crusted ears lifted and he strained over the deafening silence to hear the sounds of any others that might be lurking in the forest.

"Alleo."

He cleared his throat and rotated one of his ears back to face the one standing behind him. The sneak. "Yes." He answered, his voice soft yet clear and concise. "Now that we've established that..." His voice trailed off as the wind shifted and her scent seemed to wrap itself around his muzzle. His heart thumped and he turned his head to look as his youngest sister came to stand beside him. The sobs pulled at his heartstrings and made him drape his strong neck over his littlest sister and pull her close and snug against his muscled chest. "There, there." He hummed quietly, gently squeezing her. He had longed for this moment for months. Had agonized over finding his two lost sisters and now he'd found one of them, but where was Lakota? Where was his baby sister that he'd raised from a newborn until she could stand on her own four hooves and defend herself? He had one half of his heart standing there with him, where was the other half?

"Lakota?" He asked as he brushed his muzzle over Hana's side. "She's here, too?"

Alleo snapped to attention rather quickly when he heard the increasing tempo of crunching snow. Quickly, he let go of Hana and pushed her behind his bulk, stepping up to take on the dark figure that was now racing toward him.

But she stopped.

His eyes closed and he leaned back slightly as snow showered him from the dark one's sudden stop. He shook out his mane then opened his eyes and found himself staring into a face that he knew only too well. He was reminded of the day she was born and the way that she'd looked up at him with those violet eyes so innocent and trusting. He had promised himself then and there that she would remain pure and innocent under his watch only to fail time and again.

When she spoke a slow smile curled the corners of Alleo's mouth. "Lakota." He said after clearing his throat. He welcomed her into his embrace as she stumbled toward him, her face hiding against him as she cried. "Shh." He said as he hugged her close the same way he had Hana. Tears gathered in his eyes and he tried to blink them away, but they still fell onto his baby sister's dark coat where they would freeze, no doubt. "I'm here, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere." He wasn't the one who had left in the first place, but that was splitting hairs. "I'll be here with you until you don't need me anymore, my heart." He whispered.

The stallion lifted his head long enough to motion Hana close so he could hug both of his sisters and hold them tightly against himself. The two halves of his heart finally together with him to complete him and make him whole once more. "I love you both." He murmured to them. "So much."