Deep from his lair somewhere deep within the heart of Willow Ridge, the dark prince stirred in his sleep. Tucked up against his cheek was something that was once easily recognizable. What was once pristine white fur was now a dull, sandy brown; the tail had long since fallen off... Since Piety had left, Sköll had dug it back up from its shallow grave. Pressed along the area under his right eye, he liked to imagine now the possibility of having another mate or another child to dote his affections upon.

If the Archer royal could have had his way (and, usually, he did...) he could have slept all through the night, but his routinely schedule beckoned and his mind had already insisted that he had had enough rest to function like the nocturnal creature he was. He crept from his tomb-like den, scratching his right shoulder along the side of the nearest willow tree and bowing deep enough as to splay each inky digit on his large paws. Tilting his head to one side and then the other, he smiled in satisfaction at the number of pops that sounded out into the evening air.

Once standing on all fours, he set off on his usual route with a yearning to seek out his littermate. It had been quite a while since he had last seen her and talked to her properly without feeling as though he were being monitored. The more he thought of it, he supposed he hadn't seen her since that little encounter in the meadow...

He set his nose to work, sampling every other conspicuous shrub and willow branch curtain as he went until he caught wind of her and then some. While he much preferred that they talked on Willow Ridge territory tonight (he actually had yet to track down his son, just to mental note of his own comings and goings), he supposed he was only a little irked when his sister's freshly marked path began to lead out to where the fireweed still grew vibrant and red among the dying grasses.

A growl built up in his throat, threatening to rumble through his clenched teeth as he soon came to realize that Morganna might not have been alone. As he broke through the tree line, his guard was already up, his silvery eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. He mounted a gently sloping hill and the meadow easily gave her away. Against the beige and crimson knolls, Morganna was a stark shadow, whose eyes could have easily matched her surroundings.

By sight alone it was apparent that she was on her own. A second scan across the landscape showed that there was actually no other lupine creature in sight. He slowly descended from his hillock to join her, closing the distance between them one calculated step at a time. Surely, he assumed, she would have known to expect him. Especially at this hour when dusk had only just arrived.

He stopped a wolf's length away from her, withholding his usual greeting of a kiss to her chin and a nudge of his nose to her ear. If one hadn't been looking properly, they might have missed the frown that distorted his midnight black face and drew his lips into a taut line. "Not missing Renier at all, I see," he sneered with the wrinkling of his nose. His tail lashed out from one side to the other behind him. "You reek. What'd you do? Gather the hoi polloi and make them kiss your feet and worship the ground you walk on?"

She came back with a quip that stung at him from within and he decided that this was a test. His fur bristled along his spine as he observed her, watching at just how casually she regarded the ground, searching for something. A particularly nasty remark formed on his tongue but he retained it. He had to remind himself that he was not dealing with the likes of Piety or some other weak-willed woman - this was his sister and any verbal weaponry he might have unsheathed would have been drawn right back at him or rendered as ineffective. Morganna was a power all her own, shaped by their mother and protected with the sort of armor that was fashioned from his very own venom.

He merely glared at her, daring her to see what flickers of distress showed in his face. She should have known that she was better than these men. If Skoll was even capable of having control over her, he would have specifically hand-picked suitors for her so she wouldn't have to leave Willow RIdge at all. Truly, he did worry about her well-being in-between their little meetings together. A part of him wished Renier had not left.

She continued when he didn't say anything and he was peeved even more with how she smiled. As his sister, she knew just how to hit each and every chord just to get under his skin. His jaws parted to flash the points of all four of his canines, partly appalled by how confident she seemed. "What're you playing at?" he all but snapped. For once he didn't want to play and he wanted his sister to give up the game. "Just tell me."

As if to execute some kind of calming tactic, he braced himself as she nestled up against him. He could feel her bury her face into his shoulder then reposition herself as to adjust her head. He longingly leaned into her, a bitter taste well-settled on his tongue as she told him that she was going to have cubs of her own. He swallowed but he said nothing to counter or even disagree with her. He would not deny his sister life's pleasures. His nostrils flared once more but never again as a whirlwind of thoughts briefly overcame him. If he had been any other rogue, fashioned into a nobleman within Elettra's court, he would have sought the Lady Morganna's heart. As it was, brothers and sisters were not meant for anymore than what love he and Morganna already had; and, Skoll Archer was not that sick. Determined and selfish and possessive, perhaps, but not demented or perverted. No, with all the love and affections he lavished on his littermate, he only wished to see her well taken care of...

A prickle of heat raced about the ruff of his neck; his hackles lowered and his muscles loosened. Even his tail came to rest at his heels in a gentle outward curve. Twice, his tongue dragged down the front of his leathery nose as he listened to her. She was like their mother after all... and, that alone, brought him some sense of comfort. Had they been human, he would have wrapped his arms around her and slowly rocked her into something a sluggish dance. He had missed her, and in the time that she had spent away from him, she had actually found Piety. His toes dug into the soil with the muffled rustle of grass.

After what could have been a lifetime, he let out a rather sad whine that was more whimper than whistle. "So be it," he sighed. "I think it's apparent by now that I..." He faltered and a grimaced formed on his face. Why did speaking of her always have to feel like his heart was being gnawed on by a thousand mice? To continue, he had to clear his throat so that his tone went on with a steady note. It was almost too monotone for the likes of him, "I don't need her."

He wished he didn't have to be the one to pull away from her, but he peered down into his sister's face. "They can have her," he added, the bitterness getting to him at last. "I already broke her..." Uncharacteristically, he averted his gaze, his lips pursed as he stared across the vast expanse of fireweed. "What... what use is she to me now?"

“You don’t," she consoled him with a gentle touch to his cheek. "None of us do.” There were no tears or remorse anymore for this. He had already wasted so much of his energy towards Piety and her retrieval. The fact that Rook and his guard were probably keeping their eyes peeled for him further dissuaded him out of trying again. Morganna went on to tell him, convince him, that Piety had known what she was doing. It wasn't just him trying to manipulate her, but she had done her own share of altering with changing the way Skoll behaved just by being with him.

Her laugh and the brief display of her teeth had done nothing but fortify him. If he ever needed to regain himself, all he had to do was to look at his sister and find in her image his own reflection. He wasn't even sure when he had first forgotten that... "You're right," he almost choked on his words and had to clear his throat again, this time with a little more force to recompose himself. He looked back at his sibling's dark face. "You're right. Thank you." He draped himself over shoulder and back, resting his jaw on her spine with another soft whine. "I'm done with her. I'm done with this."

"I don't know if I would have recovered if it weren't for this, for you," he murmured, zoning out on the trees in the distance. "And, I'm not cross with you, Morganna, I just... want to know that you're okay." A deep inhale in and an equally long exhale out. "Please don't forget about me," There was a small smile that tried to form on his lips, "while you're out there."