Drooping Willows do not go gentle into that good night

i'll take the road & fuck it all away

His venomous words had been not just a declaration but a threat. There was no room for Niles to lift his head and hold it up in the Ridge that Sven desired. And if he tried to interfere? He was going to be cut down. As far as the pale teen was concerned, he'd given up his rights when he walked away from his home not just once but twice. There was nothing that could be said to convince him otherwise, no matter if others in the pack might wish to continue to coddle him, and why wouldn't they? He was Skoll in a more polished package, with white armour rather than black. Both suits were made of tin, but all anyone seemed to care about was the image. He would remind them what substance meant.

Enoki's barked command reached his ears, but there was something in his would-be rival's eyes that held his gaze. He saw the curl of the other boy's lips, the inhale and the defiance before the spray hit him. Like gasoline, it encouraged the fire to swell and roar. Finally Niles had pulled a snarl from him, the sound raw as it tore through his throat, fangs parting to snap at the air before the other's face once more. There would have been more, if a sudden force hadn't slammed into him.

Caught by surprise, the contact was jarring. Instinctively he allowed the momentum to move him, nimble paws wheeling him around to face this new adversary as a warning bark accompanied the flashing of his teeth. When twin moons finally recognized her, his ears leaned back and his tail curled at his hocks. Hers wasn't the dominance he'd been seeking to challenge, but like a cornered viper it was clear within his eyes; should she try to punish him, there would be retaliation. He would not be cowed, would not be made to feel like he was the villain they all had plainly expected him to grow into.

Niles had deserved this.

But now... Sven's jagged edges slowly began to soften as he realized; the pack was gathering, slowly but surely. It would not be long now before @Elettra was here, before she discovered her mate's corpse. His eyes fell upon Angier, and he had to blockade against the whine that threatened to escape his chest. Not for the man, but for his wife. Sven did not want to see her pained. A part of him wanted to turn to Enoki and beg that they not tell her at all, and because of that he knew that he needed to find her now, to bring her here. Postponing it did none of them any favors.

"I'll get Nonna," he uttered, his voice hollow as he slunk away. Turning toward home, his eyes lifted to catch Attica once more. Even from that distance, he could see the pained sheen of her eyes, and his heart sunk as he realized she knew. At her side in a heartbeat, he moved to comfort her with the pressure of his crown against her temple, gently pushing her away.

"I'm sorry, Atty," he whispered; not for what he'd done but what he had been unable to do. If he'd known she was near, if he'd noticed her running to them sooner, he might've been able to stop her from seeing Angier like this. It broke his heart any time she hurt; she was so much gentler than he had been at her age. Maybe he'd made the world too soft for her, but he still held out hope that her innocence was something he could preserve, without it backfiring on either of them.

"We need to find Nonna, alright?"

in this twilight, our choices seal our fate

NILES ARCHER LYALL

"Enough!" Enoki's call had not even stopped the boys. In fact, the row did not even stop until she forcefully pushed Sven off of him. "I said enough, Sven." Niles' lips pursed and he exhaled as he watched the more dominant woman brush the Archer aside. At least he had gotten the last laugh; that little bit of spit off his tongue, splattering all over his nephew's face and chin, had stoked that fire that the Lyall had wanted to provoke. The higher the flame, the faster the burnout...

The girl in the background had been forgotten as Niles breathed a sigh of relief, tears returning to his eyes as his mind caught up to what had happened. There were other words being spoken, more of Sven's chattering, but the darker youth merely stared up at Enoki, pushing himself back onto his belly with his right elbow. "Kiki?" his breath shuddered from him, the tone of her name presented with sadness and the sort of wistful longing that needed to be comforted by someone he deemed 'close to him.' Again, his jaws parted, but the words wouldn't come; he couldn't say it. His father had been unable to reach Willow Ridge and Niles had been too late to reach him.

As if to keep the Leader's attention, he let out a low whine to gauge just what kind of welcome he would receive without his mother or his sister present. If the wolves of Willow Ridge really didn't see Niles worth their while - with Angier's spirit drawn away in the coming of the fog - then he was more than ready to leave.

rage, rage against the dying of the light

Two toned frame remained rigid where she stood, smoldering gaze watching the pale Archer use the momentum from her sudden and unexpected impact to wheel about and face the woman. Skin wrinkling just a tad bit more over the length of her marred snout in response to Sven's defensive flash of teeth, her head lowered over her throat until gradually the recognition of whom he was dealing with began to register across his facial features. The backward splaying of his ears and his tail curled at the hocks, but a fire still burned within the depths of his ghostly eyes she was unsure would ever be doused. A wordless promise that if provoked he would lash out, but Enoki had no intentions of punishing him.

An ebony ear twitched in response to the hollow words that fell from Sven's lips, smoldering amber gaze watching him turn before slinking away to gather his sibling and saunter off in search of his grandmother while a heavy sigh escaped from Enoki's lips. For a moment the darker boy had been forgotten as her mind drifted toward Elettra and the pain that would be induced upon her heart yet again when her eyes fall upon the fallen silhouette of her husband, her throat clenching at the thought and a prick beginning at the corner of her eyes until a saddened version of her childhood nickname broke through the mental fog.

Blinking away the early onset of tears, an ear tilted back toward the sound of Niles whine before her entire body followed suit, once harsh gaze now softened as it settled upon him. "Sh, I'm here.." She murmured quietly in an attempt to reassure the boy, lowering her head to press the top of her muzzle into the dampened fur of his cheek where the tears of his sorrow and pain had flowed. "Everything will be alright." A salmon tongue leaving the confines of her mouth to lick away some of the salty liquid from his face. But would it? She may have been there to intervene now, but there was no guarantee the magpie could be his guardian angel all the time.

crawl on my belly til the sun goes down

Her response helped to soothe his nerves, and he could see her regain her composure, using her strength. It made him feel proud, and validated the trust he had placed in his sister. Where others balked, Attica always understood. It was the only always he had. He placed a single kiss atop her crown in thanks before moving on. They needed to get this over with.

It was Attica's tone of voice that told him which he she was referring to, and he did not look back as he answered.

"Our uncle, Niles Lyall. The one passed, he's Angier. Nonna's mate. They took off together without a word, then Niles just dumped his dad back here, couldn't even make sure he made it all the way or take a minute to tell Nonna he was alright, to see how his family has been doing."

The disgust he held for his age-mate was clear in his tone, and especially so as he declared, "Don't ever trust him, Atty."

i'll never wear your broken crown

NILES ARCHER LYALL

The Leader, once her attention had been stolen, doted upon Niles, washing away the tears and assuring him that everything would be all right. Continuing to snivel, he bowed his head at a loss for what else to say. She had seen how Sven had treated him, the hostility and brute force; and, there was no need for Niles to 'milk' any more comfort from her. He had been coddled all that time away from the Ridge; but, even though, Angier was gone, the boy had been given more than enough attention to simply take comfort in the magpie's closeness. Anything to ward the shock away.

For the time being, Sven and his sister were forgotten as they returned back into the depths of the willows. It went without a second thought to assume that they would bring someone else out - perhaps, anyone and everyone who would want to know that Elettra's mate had passed. Niles trembled, inwardly bracing himself for what his mother and sister would do and say. He knew he would have to apologize, but what he would have to do (if anything at all), he had yet to discover... At this point, he couldn't be certain he would be able to return home or what his age-mate, his future queen, @Ravenna might think of him for attempting such a stupid, foolish feat as returning to the distant kingdom of Torbine.

rage, rage against the dying of the light