Of all places Askan didn't know why Deron wanted to meet here, up on this hill in the middle of bloody nowhere. He didn't mind the rain, after all it was a nice change from all the snow but couldn't his uncle have chosen a nicer location? Or at the very least somewhere that wasn't so far from home? Deron had always been a cautious guy, slow to trust and quick to dismiss, so Askan could  understand why he wanted to meet so far from his packs borders. This was neural ground and on top of this hill they were equals.

But no matter his reasoning, why did he have to pick such a spooky place? And what was with these stone columns? By no means was Askan a believer of the supernatural-neither was Deron- but there was something about this hill summit that put Askan on edge. In fact, this whole damn situation was strange, and no matter how many times he paced back and forth he couldn't put his paw on it. Deron had never sought him out before, not like this, so what had changed? What could be so drastic, so important that Deron would go against his very nature? His uncle never cared about anything, and he made no secret of it. He didn't even try to lie, he was just that blunt. So what was it?

"Ughhhh" Askan groaned, his frustration clear, as the sky above him darkened as the rain clouds pulled together. He paused mid step and glanced up at the sky and his mood became all the more sour."Just what I fucking need."

If his uncle expected Askan to wait for him in the pouring rain than he had another thing coming. Up here, amongst the stone stacks and the weird wrong feeling that lingered in the air there was nowhere for Askan to  hide, or take shelter from the elements. Which...Come on, was Deron taking the piss? Was this his idea of a joke? Whatever he urgently wanted to talk about it better damn well have been important.  Because favourite uncle or no-not that he had much competition, Savion was a right prick- Askan was gonna give him a piece or two of his mind.

When he finally decided to turn up, that is.

Savion asked for a smile, but instead all he got was a grimace.

What the hell was he doing here? Adelayde had said that he'd called himself Deron and yet the man standing in front of him was anything but. Had she misheard him, made a mistake? Surely not, even she could tell the difference between two names which clearly weren't the same. So he'd lied then. What a big surprise, Askan could barely contain his shock! But no, really if anything he was disappointed to find that his uncle hadn't changed a single bit in the past few months. He was the same as always, with his smarmy grin and serpentine words.

To be honest, Askan had never liked him and the passage of time had done little to improve their relationship. He was a strange sight really, it was like seeing a fish out of water, trying to swim on dry land. Unnatural, like something he might dream about, an odd concoction of images that simply made no sense. But he said so himself, he'd travelled all this way just to see him. Surely that had to be another lie, or at the very least he was twisting the truth to serve his purpose. The Guardian knew full well that their feelings towards each other were mutual, there was no love lost between them.

Instinctively, Askan took a step back for every one Savion took forward. What the hell did he want from him? Askan had nothing to give, nothing he could possibly want and yet there he was, having just emerged from the grey like a ghost.Like a nightmare.

"Uncle." Askan finally greeted, his voice brittle and terse.

It seemed as though he hadn't changed physically either. Savion had always been large, at least within Selwyn standards, but at his age Askan assumed that he would have started to show some wear and tear. He seemed to be as strong as ever and frankly, Askan would have been a liar if he claimed not to be at least a little intimidated. He was a beast in every meaning of the word and it was clear to see he hadn't gone soft. Not even a little. That wasn't to say that the younger Selwyn was weak, or cowardly but...The fact that he was here wasn't a good sign, it couldn't be.

Gritting his teeth, Askan lifted his head high and righted his shoulders. He was not afraid.

"What brings you this far south? And don't  lie to me, I'm not a child anymore. I'll know."

There was something about the way he was looking at him that put Askan on edge. It was more than just his usual brand of sneaky bullshit, it was almost as though he knew something Askan didn't. Like he was dangling it above his head as though he was supposed to jump, to try and grab it, only to find that Savion would just yank it out of reach.  Savion had always enjoyed these sorts of games, like he got a kick of beating someone when they were down. Well, if he wanted to play then he'd have to find someone else. The Rye wolf was not rising to his bait, he'd take the high ground and he would... And then he heard what Savion had to say.

A moment passed and then another, and another and Askan's legs began to tremble.

He made a choking noise as though his lungs were being sucked out of his chest. As though a constrictor was coiling around his neck and squeezing till his eyes bulged out of his sockets. But as much as they hurt, he wasn't at any risk of loosing his sight. No, his eyes were fine. Except that he was crying, practically sobbing as the meaning of his uncle's words settled into his mind, echoing over and over again like an agonising mantra.

How could he be dead? It just wasn't right, nor did it even seem possible. Terrell Selwyn, a pillar of strength and dignity, how could a man, a legend like that die? Askan had spent his whole life in his shadow, he loved him, he resented him but had he ever wished him dead? Admittedly, he had. How was he supposed to compare? How was he supposed to continue the Selwyn legacy when he wasn't even half of the man his Father was? When the idea of being with a woman like that made his skin crawl and bile rise in his throat?

And now he was gone and it was too late to say sorry for all the awful things he'd said and thought.

Askan was so distraught, so beside himself that he didn't even have the awareness to notice how amused his uncle was, how he watched him as though he was some little display, just for his eyes only. But then he spoke again and his words were impossible to ignore.

"I...You what?" He blinked quickly, trying and failing to rid his eyes of tears."You're joking...You have to be. I can't...Why?"He paused, watching his uncle's face, waiting for him to make pity on him, to say he had died peacefully. But he didn't, he just kept staring and smiling, and it grew wider and wider and all the more maniacal.He was seriously, deadly serious."Oh Gods, why...Why would you do that?" 

It just didn't make sense, even after Savion explained it to him.

He fucking killed them because he could, just to prove a point? His sisters, his mother and all the others, were they dead too? Were they cold and rotting in the ground? Oh no oh Gods oh no. They couldn't be. Not them, anyone but them. Not them all. I can't be alone, please Gods no.

That thought alone was more than enough to make him feel sick, to make his throat tighten as he squeezed his eyes closed, willing his hideous thoughts away. But it was pointless, they swirled around in his mind like a maelstrom and no matter how many times he put up walls to block it all out they'd be knocked down in an instant. And then he'd see Savion towering over his family, eyes glinting with evil and blood dripping from his lips.

The Rye wolf took an unsteady step back, he needed space he had to think he had to fight this, but it was so hard when the tears just wouldn't stop coming.

Askan had always known that Savion put little stock in their name, that he didn't believe in the family legends. After all, he'd made no secret of it. But to go as far to claim that the other's saw him as a half-breed, where the hell had he gotten that from? Perhaps some of the more traditional members of the clan felt that way, but he doubted anyone would have said as such to Savion's face. They were all scared shitless of him, and rightly so. But of course, all of that looped back to the fact that did he truly have to go this far? Askan wasn't there, but oh Gods did he wish he had been. Surely there could have been something he could have done, anything. But it was too late, the Selwyn clan as he knew it was no more.

That being said, he wasn't-even in this state- foolish enough to believe every word he was saying. There had to be more to it than he was letting on. Because come on, it was unbelievable  that a man would go this far just to say he was right. His reasonings had to be an excuse, as though it absolved him of his sin and made him blameless. The whole, 'it wasn't my fault they didn't listen, I was just trying to help them understand.' It had to be bullshit, did he really think that-

Despite the fact that his chest was still heaving with sobby-hiccups, a snarl managed to tear from his throat as he took a stomping step forward.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU! MERCY? YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS EVEN IF IT BIT YOU ON THE ARSE! I'D RATHER FUCKING DIE THAN FOLLOW YOU!" He roared, all of his emotions exploding out if him like a once dormant volcano. A man could only be pushed so far before he reached breaking point. And Askan had just found his.

Without warning, Askan lunged forward with a monstrous growl. He'd do it, he'd avenge his family and put an end to this monster masquerading as a Selwyn.

A strange, pained choking noise was loud in his ears and it took,for what felt like forever, for Askan to realise that he was making the noise. That somehow he was lying flat on his side, atop something hard and jagged, instead of on his feet like he usually was. Pain ricocheted through his side and crawled into his airways, tightening them and making it hard to breathe. His vision, which was usually so sharp and focused, was blurry and when he tilted his head to try and listen everything seemed muffled and distant, like someone had stuffed cotton into his ears.

It was all so disorienting and it hurt , really really bad, like he'd been crushed underneath one of those stone columns.

But he wasn't, he could move. Sort of. His front end was being pinned down by something heavy beyond belief, but after a moment he realised he could move his legs and his tail. He kicked, he struggled to get a footing, to try and brace against one of the many surrounding rocks but despite all of his efforts he just couldn't. The pain was too great, the weight holding him down was too much and it only got heavier.

A whine passed through his lips as he struggled for breath, for each and every one was like a scalding knife digging into his chest and tearing its way up his throat. It hurt, it hurt so bad. It just wanted it to stop he didn't understand.He wanted his mum. He didn't want to die. Not alone. Not like this. Though he wasn't one hundred percent certain, he could have sworn he heard someone hush him. And when his glazed eyes flickered up he saw a man standing above him. Savion. That bastard.

A new rush of fury hit him and he began to struggle, wiggling and kicking and trashing as much as he could, with what little strength he had left. He wouldn't go down without a fight, no Selwyn ever did. And yet, the harder he fought the more weight bore down onto his throat and the pain increased tenfold. He coughed and gagged, his eyes watering as he squirmed like a fish out of water. But it was no use...It all... He glanced up again, his eyes a light with terror at the man grinning down at him. Who just seemed to take delight in it all. Such a sick bastard...First his family and now...

Askan blinked and his thrashing began to slow and became sluggish. He was tired, couldn't muster the energy to even try anymore. He blinked again, slower this time and as the black corners closed in he couldn't help but sleepily think that it was okay to give in. That it wasn't worth the fight, that a little bit of rest wouldn't do him any harm. If he just...closed his eyes for a second.