He desperately wanted to talk to his mother about the thoughts that consumed him — keeping him outside pack borders most of the day and making it difficult for him to be struck down by sleep. However, with the discovery of Isolde he couldn’t… his departure would have to remain delayed, despite his mind screaming at him to leave. Willow Ridge would always be his home; blood would always be more important to him than any other relationships he formed outside pack boundaries (Kyna included… maybe). Even if he sought out another pack, the shadow prince would do anything for his family.

It did not take him long to realize that he was being followed; however, it was who was doing the following that took him by surprise. It had been foolish to think that his sister had not noticed his frequent absences. The majority of the time he was doing ‘scouting’ duties — keeping an eye on the locals and ensuring unwanted strangers were not trespassing onto Ridge territory. They were proud wolves and would not allow just any riffraff join their ranks; wolves had to prove themselves and show that they could pull their own weight. Greer wouldn’t allow just any Joe Blow to take his place.

His sister’s voice called out, causing the shadow to immediately turn around. He stepped forward, his ears drawn back as a sign of respect as a lop-sided smile rested lazily against his lips. “Morg.” The single syllable dripped off his tongue, suspended in the still air between them. His tail wagged softly behind him to show that he was pleased to see her. 

Despite his sister being a powerful and conniving creature, he still cared deeply about her. Family always came first to the Archer brood; they would do anything for each other. While the display of affection given by his sister had taken him by surprise — the boy was never keen on physical contact — it was still warmly received. His brows narrowed slightly at her question but his lips curled in amusement. Just as he as about to give his answer the fiery-eyed siren admitted she was hiding — how peculiar. What had caused the Queen to go into hiding?

“Greer hide also,” he responded quietly as he stepped forward, accepting his sister’s silent request to go for a walk through the marsh. Walking was definitely preferred; the shadow felt so awkward conversing at a standstill. “Willows feel … different,” he commented quietly as he fell into step with his sister. He would have to monitor his speed with his bright-eyed sibling; she did not possess legs as long as his. Smiling at the discovery he glanced at his sister from the corner of his eye, his expression soft as he recycled her question: “Why Morg hide?”

The shadow stiffened at his sister’s response, his stone-coloured eyes narrowing sharply. While Greer was particularly fond of his family members — as they were the only wolves he could stand being around — his uncle was an exception. He did not trust the older Archer and his boisterous attitude. Although he had been wary of his brother’s presence at the top of the willow ranks, the spidery yearling had trusted Skoll far more than Nicolo. “Greer not like uncle,” he admitted in an annoyed voice, his nose wrinkled. “Why uncle break home?” He hissed in the same tone as his tail flicked in anger, his mercury gaze fixated on his older sister. Willow Ridge would always be his home, regardless of where he chose to go next — he cared deeply about his family and did not like the idea of his uncle ruining everything.

Her question brought his focus back to the present, his ears falling against his skull. He did not answer right away; his lips tightened over his teeth as he fell into step with his sister. Everything felt different, but he did not know how to explain it to Morganna. She had much more important things to worry about that the troubled shadow — he did not want to bore her with what plagued his mind.

‘What is Greer hiding from?’ The soft voice caused his velvet ears to twitch. Everything, his thoughts repeated bitterly as his expression hardened, lips quivering with words hesitating to fall. “Too much change. Greer worry,” he admitted quietly, his thoughts immediately filling with images of their fallen sister and blind father. Even their mother, the powerful priestess, was no longer in her prime. Greer worried the Ridge was taking a turn for the worst — or he was just being paranoid, which seemed more plausible. “Greer not trust uncle. Hide from him. Hide from change.” 

He growled at her words, his annoyance evident as he grinned his teeth together. Nicole’s presence was a looming unwanted shadow in the willows and always kept Greer on his toes. It had also halted his plans on leaving as he was far too concerned about what was going on at home. He could not leave his sister — his family — just yet; not until the threat had been subdued.

“Uncle need go,” he said absently through his teeth, brows narrowed darkly as he trudged through the damp earth. “Morg good crazy; smart crazy. Uncle bad, very bad crazy.” He nodded, as if he was confirming, or agreeing with his words. “Uncle go,” he muttered again, almost to himself as he dismissed the words with a flick of his tail. Surely Morganna was thinking the same; she clearly did not trust the older Archer and did not approve of his presence. Their aunt — Adele — he was not so sure about. Perhaps if Nicolo was removed her loyalty would shift back to Morganna and co; or would she attempt her own uprising? It was hard to say.

His thoughts were pushed aside as Morganna interrupted them, her teasing voice causing his cheeks to flush scarlet beneath his inky pelt. “No,” he mumbled, his mercury gaze desperately avoiding the prying gaze of his older sister. “Skoll stole Greer girlfriend. Greer not good enough,” he huffed, a low growl rumbling inside his chest. “Ok though. Greer not need floozy. Greer made Plateau friend.” The shadow prince was worried about telling his sister about Kyna but he trusted her; he was, after all, telling her about the Hecate situation. She seemed to be quite fond of the Archer males. 

A frown pulled his lips back as his sister laughed at his comment, the whites of his canines exposed. If there was one thing that Greer didn’t like as much as disloyalty, it was being ridiculed or laughed at. Swallowing back a growl before it could slip past his teeth, the boy flashed his sister a frustrated look out of the corner of his eyes. “Greer not like Hecate. Not trust Hecate.” His words were bitter as they left his tongue but they held a truth to them. “Go behind Morg.” He added with an annoyed flick of his tail. There was something else going on — something that did not involve Nicolo or Adele, but was just as troubling.

The frown was quickly replaced by a soft smile as his sister announced that he was far too good for the floozy. While he knew this now, it was still painfully irritating that the green-eyed ghost had so quickly dismissed the shadow for the older Archer. Power, he realized; power was what she was after. How had he not seen it before?

He nodded at his sister’s words although his expression dropped. Greer had forgotten about the dispersement of the Plateau wolves after their leader had fallen. “Yes but Plateau no more,” he started, his frown returning. “White King fall. Plateau split up.” The shadow was unsure of where some of the wolves had gone; he knew Kyna had moved to the Bend with her mother, but the location of the other wolves remained a mystery.