It had been just over a year since Aponi had been brought into the world, and already she had had her world ripped apart and had to rebuild it more times than most adults. Born to a cold woman in a pack interested only in themselves, almost smothered by the first snow storm and forced to flee down the mountain amidst a famine. Falling for an orphan boy and begging for his acceptance, to be lost in a snowstorm with one of her peers whom she detested only to fall for @Mercy when he saves her from starvation. Returning home to recuperate her former crush accused her of being selfish and unloved, only tolerated, causing her to flee with Mercy once more. Finally life had seemed okay within the Glen when Mercy disappeared as well as the female alpha, crushed that her mate would abandon her she sought out her old home. To her surprise her sister was also searching for the original Pass and promised to come find her once she had told their parents she was leaving, then showed up months later claiming their dad was dead. Long story short; Aponi was a survivor.

This was how she had composed herself enough to ask permission from Phineas to go searching for her father, with every intent to return as soon as she found him. That had been just over a week ago, it had taken her a few days to cross the mountain range again but she still hadn't returned to the Keep. Refusing to stay in the den her and Mercy had once shared when they had fled she had climbed high above the falls, finding a small grotto and claiming it as hers, at least for now. She knew that she ought to just get it over with, find her Pa and make sure he was safe and then return back to her alpha, but she couldn't do it yet. Returning to her old home just seemed like accepting defeat, like she needed them which is something she certainly didn't.

Instead of heading down like she had planned to do she stood at the top of the grotto overlooking the rest of the falls. Blue eyes held no emotion, they were cold and calculating just like her mother's had once been and finally it seemed Aponi had completely morphed into @Naira. This wouldn't be a pleasant reunion in the slightest, especially if it was her mother who greeted her instead of her father. Truthfully she hoped she could find Mapplethorpe without seeing the rest of the Keep wolves and disappear as quickly as she came. Little did she know that her sister had been right about everything; the Keep was no more, Mapplethorpe was dead and their mother had long since disappeared.

As luck would have it her birth pack would not be the only thing she had the displeasure of re-visiting in the coming weeks. There in her vision stood the dark-pelt of her ex-suitor except he sported a new scar covering his eye. The blue eyes swept over his appearance noting he had filled out since she had last laid eyes on him....it suited him, even the scar. The venom in his voice rolled off of Aponi's shoulders and she smirked in response, her only greeting a flick in her tail. So he still hated her, typical Karpos, he was so hot and cold either he was madly in love with you or he despised you. Aponi knew this because the yearling had felt both about her in their short lives.

Silver brows rose at his question and the demanding way he voiced it, this wasn't the Karpos she had fled from so many months ago; it would seem he was finally a real wolf. Still, Aponi hadn't changed much except to grow even colder towards others, Mercy leaving had really broken her for the last time. Flicking her tail once more she responded, "Since this is neutral territory I don't see how that is any of your business." Ice eyes focused on brown in direct contact, she didn't want to fight him but she was too proud to let this encounter go without at least a small challenge. She had been raised to be a smart wolf, but a proud one and in the end her pride would always outweigh her intelligence.

Karpos' displeasure only fueled Aponi's amusement, it had always been so easy for her to get a rise out of him and it seemed nothing had changed on that front.  Still, he had grown a backbone which was an appealing trait to the silver yearling even if it was held by someone who had once been as pathetic as him. Snorting at his words of 'business' she said nothing, the land was neutral so he could interrogate her all he wanted but she had every right to be there. When he finally finished snarling at her she smirked, "Thankfully for you I stayed gone, though it was your words that convinced me to go it was the memory of mother dearest which convinced me to stay away." The silver tail flicked behind her in annoyance at the very mention of Naira, though she was by blood her mother Aponi had never felt any love for her.

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of her father but that was the only sign of her infamous temper flaring. She wouldn't give Karpos the same satisfaction she felt when she taunted him no matter how hard he tried. Smiling coldly she snorted, 'Funny coming from the boy who got so mad when I didn't return his feelings that he threw a fit. Also seeing as you were thrown out on your ass I would say that you were the dim one in that situation." oh Karpos, how Aponi loved to hate him and this was exactly what she needed before she faced whatever was to come in the woods. Suddenly her heart panged at the thought that her father truly was dead, the boy across from her knew all about the feeling that Apon was just coming to know.

Karpos sneered at her and Aponi smirked back, once they had been so unequal but now the wolf before her finally had a backbone.  An insult was hurled and the ice blue eyes rolled in return, "That may be true, but unlike my mother at least I know not to bring children into this world just to force my coldness onto them. My mother and I may be alike in many ways, but I am not a fool like her." The smirk on her face grew then, reaching up into her cheeks and causing her eyes to sparkle with malice. Taking a step closer just as the dark form turned away she hissed, "Besides Karpos....what do you know of mothers?" The yearling laughed then, but not with humor or joy, with torment, the silver tail swished behind her in anticipation to how her 'toy' would react.

With Karpos' last comment the game Aponi's game came to a crashing halt. Taking a step backwards in shock the blue eyes widening until they appeared like saucers on her face. Suddenly her jaws clenched and her words were uttered like a snarl through her teeth, "How long have you known? How long have you known my father is dead?"  Had this bastard known for longer than she? Had she been fooling herself on this errand the whole time while this pathetic snake knew her father lay decomposing in the ground? Suddenly the very sight of the boy that stood before her made her feel ill and Aponi had to fight back the bile that threatened to rise up her throat.

It was confusing to say the least, Karpos had tormented her with the dissolve of the Keep and yet he seemed shocked at the news of her father's death. Narrowing her eyes she was silent for a time just observing his movements and listening to his words. It would seem that maybe for the first time Aponi actually needed the yearling in front of her, and it was a feeling she detested. Everyone that she had ever needed had treated her indifferently or disappeared without a word, not one wolf had ever followed through for her. That is, except her father and now he had been murdered.

Suddenly the silver yearling's body changed, from frozen still she began to tremor as she fought back the emotions swelling inside her. Anger, hurt, fear and despair fought over which was the most prevalent and in the end Aponi felt suddenly exhausted. Dropping her head away she murmured, "I don't know... I had already gone....I...I was gone." A lump formed in her throat and the Aquila girl swallowed loudly trying to clear it, it had been a long time since she had felt anything but anger.

In the end it was anger that won out, and with it came a determination and certain blood lust. She wanted to torture and torment whoever had taken her father from this world and she wanted their family to know what it was to have someone stolen from them.  Whipping her cranium her icy eyes glinted with fury, but it wasn't directed at Karpos, "Please Karpos help me avenge him, and in return I will do everything possible to help you get revenge for your father's murder. "  The words were passionate, finally she had a purpose in life. Even if she was to die in the process she would bring the vengeance that her family deserved, her whole life would be devoted to it.