The world continued to change, and Hypatia did not like it. It would be one thing if only the leaves continued to fall and the forest became naked. It would be another if her mother healed, and her father spoke to her. Hypatia was changing too. She didn't know what this meant for her. It scared her. What else would happen?


When seeking the creek for her reflection she had found herself staring at an open mouth wolf that did not look so little. The beauty had orange eyes, bright and burning like the autum leaves. It was her face, longer pure fluff of light color with hints of brown did she jerk back. It was more dark, wrapped with silver. Kyros, yes he grew large, but why was he white like mother, like father? Why, why was she like this? Often thought she would turn white, and had not minded when her coat had began to show other colors. The leaves changed, why not she? Oh, she was just a silly girl. The Agryris-Tainn let her shoulders sag, with the flop of her tail. She needed out. Where no one looked at her like a princess.


A sigh, she shoved from the rocks, and intentionally drifted from the borders. Trotting across them with such quick steps, even her gangly limbs would not prevent her from leaving...not today. There had been talk at the meeting about lions, and guards, but she didn't care. She wanted to be free, she wanted to see what exactly was outside of the "safe" zone. Wanted to see the world without someone telling her not to venture.

@Hypatia



He had made his choice, and he intended on following through without any distractions, though following through was something Erebos had never been good at. Still, Erebos was determined to never again run into Phineas or any of his Magnolia Glen wolves. Rather than confront the distress his brother's unreasonable actions created within him, he would ignore them completely, starving them until they died off. It was the easier route, or so he told himself. It would create as little impact as possible.



Yet from the get go, this determination was put to the test. On the red-dust winds, Erebos picked up the scent of his dear little niece, Hypatia. The sign was so unexpected that it forced him to freeze in place, questioning whether or not he was imagining things. He had not seen Phineas' pups since shortly after their birth, and had not thought of them when mulling over his options. They would not remember him, and he was not anything an uncle should be, yet he felt a tug at his heartstrings when he realized that it was not his imagination; Hypatia was nearby, somewhere. The indecision was short lived, before he broke the rule he had just the day before laid down. This was a plausible exception, no? The youth had done nothing to offend him, and as much as he wished to rid himself of that particular branch on his family tree, he could not deny that she was his. Was it possible to prune the branch but still hold onto the twigs?



Erebos sought her out swiftly, easily tracking her to the strip of land where the orange dust melded with the brush of cold water creek. There was a blatant look of determination upon her little face, and he marveled at how foreign she looked to him. She was a stranger, not the whelp he'd seen tucked against Borlla's bloated belly. It fascinated him.



"Hypatia... ?" he called out to her, nearly uncertain, though his legs never faltered in bringing him closer to her. Would she scared of him, or would she know? And what was she doing, so alone all the way out to the hills?

Orange eyes took in the mounds of dead leaves at her paws. They were damp, and covered in ugly dark marks. Curious she bowed her head, testing them with her nose. She had no idea she had been spotted. The young lady was about to carry on when she heard her name. The sound of it filled her heart with dread. She was quite determined not to simply submit, admit guilt. Brows rising above her eyes, her brown nose finding its way up, with a high tilt she turned her head. For a single second she managed to look brave, and bold. When she saw orange eyes in a silver and white face her jaw dropped.



"Uncle Erebos?"She gasped. She had not seen him since she had started leaving the den. What..what was he doing here? Spying on her. The thought made her angry, and she closed her mouth, partially biting her lip. Was he any good or bad like father? Like Thanos? She didn't want to trust him, but he had left. Did that mean he was better? Brown ears tipped back, and her eyes shuffled left than right. She had no idea what to think any more. In her heart she knew she was lost, scared, but instead pushed it aside. It would be better to be angry.

"What..what do you want?" She asked pointedly, eyes suspicious despite their warm glow. As badly as she wanted to trust him at the same time she didn't. Giving someone trust meant they could use it to hurt you. Hyp had to swallow back a thick tightness. More than anything she wanted to embrace him and see if he could explain. If he could make her feel better. Kyros was not here or she would have told him all her secrets.

The man couldn't help but grin; she remembered. Yet that display didn't last for long, for the conflict on the young girl's face caused him confusion and even a few drops of worry. What exactly was going on? This did not feel right. Closing in the last of the distance between them, stopping close to her. He reclined back, a somber look settling into his features. There was a fire in her eyes, and her question was void of any sort of fondness. Rather, it was almost bitter. And so, lost as to what was running through her mind, Erebos decided that the best course would be that of honesty.



"To say hello, before I cross over the range. I wasn't expecting to run into you; where are you headed to?"



He hoped she would cooperate with him, talk to him. So long as he felt she would be safe, he didn't care if what she was doing was against her father's wishes. She was growing, she would be curious, and act on the impulses that came with such a nature. It was something an uncle could support, for he lacked the fatherly instinct of keeping her all but tied to his foreleg.

Don't smile at me, she wanted to exclaim. Hyp found her throat dry, and all she could do was stare at him, dumbfounded when he settled near her. She wanted to ask him all the things she didn't understand. Why he had left. If he knew about dad. What that all was suppose to mean. The images in her head were a lot like that badger when it had hurt her mother. They were terrible when picturing her hero with a red stained muzzle. Nothing would come out, and she cast her eyes down not to see his face. He answered her despite how rude she had been. How could she continue to be mad when he wasn't the one who had caused this terrible feeling? She fond the emotion still burning in her chest, making it hurt.

His answer was no good either. Why wasn't he headed back home? Why was he going even further? Trying to keep a dam on her emotions, she sucked in squeak of a breath. "Away," she finally replied. That's all she knew, not when or if she would go back. Orange eyes continued to stare at the dead leaves, where she would not find what she sought. Erebos was on his own, and he could not help her. He wouldn't, she thought. It seemed family didn't mean a lot to him if it was so easy to walk away. While young, she wasn't entirely stupid. If he had not seen her he would not have found her to say these things. He had said so himself. So wrapped in her world she had no idea they were being watched. Likely, she would not have cared.

ooc: i don't know what the plan is w/ beez, if you want him to stay hidden or if you don't care either way, but i figured if he's close enough to see them it's pretty unlikely erebos won't at least know they aren't alone, so i tried to leave it so things could go whatever way you wanted. owo


His concern was multiplying as her attitude failed to lighten, and she only became more withdrawn. While occasional attitude here and then was typical for a pup, the oppressive atmosphere she was generating seemed something more troubling than that. Erebos knew he needed to do something to open her up quickly, before she shut him out completely. Certainly, he couldn't leave her like this.



On the fall breeze, he picked up the scent of another, but in a neutral territory such as this the presence failed to gather much attention from him. Not only was he preoccupied at the moment, but it wasn't unlikely to catch whiff of a traveler now and then. While remaining alert in case the stranger crossed too close, he mostly dismissed the knowledge. Instead, he focused on how best to coax what was wrong out of his niece's mouth. She seemed so... angry.



"Can't stand it there either, huh?"



He imagined how pissed Phineas would be if he was aware of the turn Erebos was willing to take this conversation, that he wouldn't mind encouraging a bad taste in Hypatia's mouth regarding Magnolia Glen. It would've been a fact to spur him forward, but this wasn't just a trivial thing to use against Phineas; this was a cucial moment in Hypatia's life. Any negative feelings held as a pup could haunt one for the rest of their life. Still, as long as Erebos could assure she was safe, why shouldn't she be able to pick a path other than being the perfect pack princess? And she didn't belong only to Phineas; Erebos loved her too, so why shouldn't he try to help her in his own way?



"I'm not going to know what you're struggling with unless you tell me, Hyp, but I can promise that it's okay for you to have such strong feelings. And it's okay to want to get away. I've left two packs now... out of anger. And while many have thought me selfish and immature for doing so, it was my choice, and I haven't regretted it. That's what matters, Hyp. The worlds too big to think anything is your last chance."



Was he saying too much? He hoped anything got through to her, that the reassurance would give her reason to open up to him. To leave without making progress with Hypatia... that would be a regret.

"Can't stand it there either, huh?" The girl had to stop and think, let the question hold her mind. No, she did not hate the Glenn. Couldn't stand it, like her Uncle just admitted. She did feel...trapped. If everyday she would feel uncomfortable in the one place she shouldn't. That was no way to live. She didn't have the courage to ask her mother, or father about any of it. "I..I don't know. I just wanted to leave for a bit." Maybe, she didn't want to leave forever. Surely, she wanted to put length further from the figure of her confusion and discomfort. Though, that hadn't really helped.

Sighing, ears perched back by her irritation. They ended up drifting up when he began to speak more honestly. The fact he was being straight with her, instead of trying to console her eased her own anger. Had her finding comfort he wasn't telling her she was being silly. It made her understand, even though she did not know what had made him angry enough to leave Magnolia Glen permanently. Yes, if she was going to get answers and he was offering why not confess? He surely wouldn't give her worries to her mother, her brother. It took a lot to form all those tumbling emotions into questions, statements. Taking a deep breath, she finally met his warm gaze.

"Well, it's about my dad." Voice was small, but it did not quake, or stumble. Hypatia found it easier to look away when she began to explain because the words she would speak would become frail. "I was at the borders when this strange wolf howled. All quiet I went, hiding to see who it was. Dad came, and it turned out to be a brother. They didn't see me, and they were talking. Dad..dad said he he killed....someone's parents. I..don't..I don't know why." Hypatia was doing her best to hold back her bewildered tears, and the strange sadness she didn't want to overcome her. Maybe, Erebos could tell her the full story she hoped and then she could decide how she should feel.