Lachesis was not quite sure how to deal with the recent occurrences in his life. The long-legged healer was growing immensely troubled as the days went on, but he had not voiced any of his woes to his fellow River wolves – nor did he want to.

The first of his troubles was Bastet’s absence. She had arrived to Hearthwood with them and had promptly disappeared. The situation was irritatingly similar to Capella’s infinite absence; both female’s had left, without a word uttered as to why. XIX was beginning to wonder if he was always going to be abandoned by those he loved… the thought caused a knot to form in his stomach. Anastasia. He hoped, for the sake of their friendship/relationship, that she would inform the healer if she were to leave him behind. He had just wished that Bastet would’ve done the same, considering the progress in their relationship. Exhaling hard through his nose, Nineteen stomped through the forest, too distracted by his own thoughts to even think of collecting herbs.

Which led to troubles two and three. Amisun had also disappeared; she had vanished during their travels and never made it to Hearthwood. As concerned as he was, the boy was also irritated by her sudden disappearance. It seemed that the River wolves had a problem recruiting those who would remain loyal. Now that he was the only healer within the pack, Karina also seemed to pull back from her lessons (the third trouble). XIX was frequently worrying that he had done something to push the River princess away from the life of a healer. Had his lessons not been interesting enough for her; had they been too slow paced? Perhaps her interest in herbs had only been a phase… this time, the ghost sighed into the warm hair, his pear-coloured gaze focused on the lush ground below. Lachesis blamed himself for Karina pulling away from his teachings as much as he blamed another influence that had weaseled its way into the pack…

As much as the healer did not want to blame a newcomer that he had not yet had the (dis)pleasure of meeting, XIX felt as though Kjors had something to do with Karina’s sudden lack of interest. The aloof recruit had quickly become Lachesis' fourth trouble as his friendship with little Karina strained as the duration of Kjors' stay increased. He knew that the pack’s other second, Naia, had her concerns about the one-eyed male – which had only been strengthened by the rank challenge that occurred between him and Karpos. The ghost was overwhelmed by joy to learn that Karpos had succeeded in defending his position within the pack, but he was also worried that his own rank was at risk. While the healer shied away from violence, he would defend his rightfully earned title until he could no longer stand – especially from a wolf who, as far as XIX was concerned, did not belong. He knew it was not right of him to be so critical of a wolf he knew nothing about, but the gut feeling was hard to ignore. The feeling was similar to the one he had gotten from the alabaster loner Reaper, who had tried to reel Ana into his sadistic ways. He did not know what Kjors’ plans were, but he knew that something was not right.

He moved with an eerie grace as he slithered through the forest, his brows narrowed darkly as his thoughts consumed him. XIX was not sure where he was headed, he just knew he wanted to be as far away from the pack dens as possible. 

As the trees crowded around him Lachesis slowed his place and his breathing in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Negativity affected the healer like a virus; it consumed him, making him weak and vulnerable. He was irritated by the presence of his negative thoughts, yet he could not shake them. XIX knew it was wrong of him to be so judgemental of the newest addition to the River wolves – he knew that Anastasia would also give him grief for being so quick to judge. It came from his days spent as a cautious, skittish loner after his departure from the Reserve. The wolves that he lived with behind the fence had been so open, so honest (aside from his troublesome brothers); there was no reason for secrets. However, beyond the fence… the feral wolves did not like sharing things; they kept to themselves, and Lachesis had quickly learned to do the same and found it difficult to trust the ferals.

Things had slowly progressed during his time in the Lore. The blue-eyed china doll had helped him open up to others more (when he felt it was necessary, of course) and did her best to teach him when to be cautious. He was still wary of others, especially those who left a sour taste in his mouth – he doubted that would ever fully disappear. The healer figured it was better to be wary than to be too accepting, like his closest companion. This, he believed, lead to too much trouble; trouble that the ghost did not want, or need.

The ghost was still often fueled by his loner tendencies and  found solace being completely surrounded by nature. The fresh scents, along with the soft sound of birds chirping in the distance… it soothed the healer perhaps more than his closest confidants. The leaves crunching beneath his paws satisfied the slender male as he continued his pursuit through the trees. As much as this new forest reminded XIX of their previous home among the cedars, it still did not feel like home. He knew that he would have to venture beyond the trees to get properly acquainted with the new area, but the troubles that plagued his mind were holding him back.

It was almost as if his thoughts had called upon the newest River wolf – an unfamiliar scent caused his movements to cease, a scent that could only belong to the older male that Karina was so fond of. For a moment XIX considered sprinting off and avoiding the confrontation, but he knew that it needed to happen eventually, whether it was today or a week from now. They were now packmates regardless of Lachesis’ predetermined opinions on the one-eyed male. The healer remained where he was as the older male approached; his body instinctively adopted a dominant stance, his pear eyes hardening as he studied the rugged dragon. His voice carried a heavy, unfamiliar accent – it was not as wild as Bastet’s; however, it suited the older male’s demeanor and appearance. As Kjors spoke XIX realized that his previous assumptions (and worries) about the male might be completely off, but he was hesitant to relinquish his them. “Nineteen,” he introduced automatically without realizing that if his apprentice had mentioned him at all, she would have addressed him as ‘Lachesis’. He did not correct himself, as sharing his assigned name was not uncommon of him. With his dark lips drawn shut, he observed the one-eyed dragon with curious eyes. 

The older male’s accent was different from the one that Bastet possessed but it still captured his curiosity. If he was not so suspicious of the one-eyed dragon perhaps he would of questioned the dark male on its origin; instead, he studied Kjors’ body language in silence. The rugged River wolf seemed… “normal” enough – he spat out too many words to attempt light conversation with an inviting tone. XIX almost felt guilty for having such negative thoughts about the one-eyed male prior to their meeting when he seemed so… so average. However, appearances were deceiving and Lachesis’ trust would be difficult to earn, especially after the newcomer had already challenged his nephew for his rank.

“Can’t say I’ve seen many in the Lore,” he commented absently in a feeble attempt to respond to Kjors’ rambles. His lips tightened immediately following the dropped words as his pear-coloured gaze lingered on the male’s rugged physique. Although the dragon had size and experience on his side, Karpos possessed youthfulness and speed; he was springy and full of impulse, which was precisely why he had won the rank challenge. Pride was also a factor – Karpos was extremely proud of his accomplishments and was constantly in the pursuit of achieving more.

Silence was broken by the male’s gruff voice once more as he questioned the name that XIX had given. The healer was not partial to either name; he would give both and answer to both, just as he always had. Although his assigned name, by the two-legs that operated the Reserve, was a reminder of his past and what he had (unwillingly) left behind, he still liked it. The name – or number – was a part of him and helped define who he was.

At first, the slender ghost shrugged in response, his lips tight as his brows narrowed slightly. “Nineteen or Lachesis – it does not matter. I was given two names and I will answer to both.” While he usually preferred to give his assigned name to strangers, or those he planned on not seeing more than once, the name had fallen from his tongue before he could catch himself. It did not matter – the wolves of the River called him by both, so Kjors was bound to hear ‘Nineteen’ uttered by another. XIX knew that his blue-eyed china doll favoured the number when addressing the healer. To him, it did not matter – he was both, and always would be both.