It had been awhile since Greer had pursued the silence of the sea beneath the mountain. Since the formation of Aurora he had been too busy to re-visit the water-logged cavern. Between marking the borders and tending to both his mate and daughter, the shadow had little time to himself. But he did not mind too much. He had expected this when he and Kyna had made the decision to start their family. It required him to (temporarily) abandon his recluse lifestyle but he knew it was worth it. He wanted nothing more than to make things work between himself and the strawberry blond. She had been the one constant in his life since they met. His family had always come and gone—disappearing just as quickly as they had appeared. The ebony skeleton did not know what happened to his brothers, for they had vanished from the Ridge long ago. Sköll had even wandered off after failing to claim the willow throne as his own. Kyna, however, had always been there, even if distance had separated them. They had always found a way to see each other throughout the years, even if the time between their visits were lengthy.

As he slipped down into the underground sea the shadow was greeted by the familiar cool air. It caressed his dark fur and embraced him like an old friend. A sigh rolled off his tongue as his paws met the cold stone, his tail swaying gently behind him as his steps echoed through the cave. Immediately he put his nose to the air and inhaled deeply to ensure that he was alone. Another relieved sigh escaped him once he was positive that there were no intruders lurking about. His silver gaze focused on the mirror-like lake to his side, the familiarly of the scene causing his lips to curl upward. Closing the distance between himself and the pool Greer lowered his hindquarters to the stone at the water’s edge, his tail curling neatly against his side.

The last time he had been here was the first time he had encountered Iyes. The curl in his lips deepened at the memory. It was one of the few times that the stoic Archer had let his guard down around a stranger. Now the dark yearling was one of the founding members of Aurora. Kyna had done well in selecting wolves to join them. She had worked so hard to ensure that the mountain pack would succeed and Greer was determined to see her dream come alive. 

The silence, to most, was overwhelming. To the shadow there was nothing more comforting.

It was, however, always short-lived. Unless he travelled by night, as most (sane) wolves succumbed to the moon, he could not avoid crossing paths with another. Despite being the leader of a pack Greer sought out solitude frequently—when he was not spending time with his mate and their daughter, of course. He did not get much time to himself and even when he did he felt guilty. Unfortunately it was not a trait he could shake. From birth the Archer-Lyall had always been a recluse, seeking the shadows and shying away from both his siblings and his packmates.

That did not change as he aged. Instead it intensified.

The only difference was now he had to be more of a conversationalist, even if his words were limited. There were wolves who followed him—who looked up to him. It was a frightening thought.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a frown tugging at his lips. He swallowed his doubts as the sound of echoing footsteps filled the cave, his ears twitching at the presence of another. The tawny wolf carried the Aurora scent but it was fresh; this must be one of the two new wolves Kyna welcomed in. As the stranger spoke Greer turned his slender maw toward him, his mercury gaze narrowing as he responded with a slow shrug. “Not intrude.” That was a lie, but the dark-eyed wolf did not need to know that. “Greer.”

The tawny male was in fact intruding but his scarlet wife would scold him if he did not try to entertain the new members. He could not hide in the shadows forever—especially now that he was the leader of a pack. His shoulders twitched at the thought but he remained quiet as the dark-eyed wolf approached, introducing himself in the process. Pyriel. The shadow nodded in response, his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth as his silver gaze hardened. Small talk was not something Greer was good at either; he did not know how to converse to pass the time.

Pools of mercury returned to the sea before them as the agouti spoke, commenting on the expanse of water hidden beneath the rock. The shadow frowned slightly as he responded with a small shake of his head, his neck stiff. “No sure,” he added, the words hesitating in the back of his throat before spilling out into the cool air. “North claimed. Greer not explore.” He had been meaning to venture further up the mountain range, retracing the steps that he and Kyna had taken to get to the heights. He knew there was a lake between Aurora and Whitestone but the pair had skirted it on their travels for it was claimed by a neighbouring pack.

His mouth grew dry as he struggled to add to the conversation, the corners of his mouth falling. He did not want his subordinates to think he was incapable of doing his job because he did not speak as much as his mate. Truthfully he was along for the ride, as this was Kyna’s dream, but he would never share those thoughts aloud. Especially not with wolves who followed beneath him. “Like heights?” He asked suddenly, nearly flinching at the sound of his own voice as it filled the cavern. 

There was still much of the mountain that remained unexplored by the shadow. He had limited his patrols since the birth of his daughter, sticking close to Aurora and the surrounding territories. He was unfamiliar with the east, as he had lived on the western side of the mountains before moving north. The furthest east he had gone before claiming the heights had been to the cliffs where he would meet Kyna. Now he was able to make the trek down the mountain and explore the territories that had always been an enigma to the Archer-Lyall. He kept his adventures short, however, as he had a family to return to; a throne to return to.

Once his daughter was able to join him Greer would take her east—show her the land he had not been able to see as a cub.

He nodded softly in response to the dark-eyed male’s comment, the ear closest to the agouti flicking in his direction. The underground sea was one of the shadow’s favourite retreats, as it was often missed by travellers who were too keen on their destinations. The less the merrier. Greer enjoyed his solitude, even if his rank asked for the opposite.

A soft smile was offered to the tawny male as he answered Greer’s question. Whether he was lying or not, the shadow did not care. Pyriel appeared to be telling the truth and, for now, that was all that mattered to the Archer-Lyall. “Where from?” He asked curiously, his mercury pools focusing on the dark-eyed male. Greer was not usually so talkative but if this was one of his new subordinates he figured he should get to know him. Make an effort.

For Kyna, of course.

His toes clicked idly against the cool stone, his ears pinned forward. Bloodbreakers. He could not deny that his curiosity had peaked at the pack name but he bit his tongue—for now. It was a peculiar name and he could not help if the pack was as violent as it sounded. Sounds like a place Sköll or Morganna would like, he thought to himself, his lips curling in silent amusement.

“Friend too?” The shadow asked after allowing silence to embrace him once more, his mercury gaze returning to the dark-eyed wolf. Kyna had announced that Pyriel had arrived with a companion; a female. Either the two wolves had history between them or had found each other during their adventures. Greer, being a good leader (or trying to be one), figured he should know the dynamics of his packmates. Small talk. He mentally cringed but remained stoic, his tail curled tight around his hindquarters.

“Why leave?” He asked, succumbing to his curiosity once more as the words tumbled off his tongue before he could catch them. If Pyriel did not want to answer Greer would not push him—it was none of his business why the agouti had chosen to leave the Bloodbreakers, but he was curious nonetheless. His tongue fell still between his canines once more, his lips drawing tight as he waited for the tawny wolf to respond (or not respond, for Greer did not know what to expect).