Even with @Minka so close to birthing, Gent found himself far over the hills away from their new home, back to the place where he and his matriarch had found their fallen alpha. Despite being able to gather any clues from the decayed body, it was undeniable that Tokino's death was a result of foul play. While the man was aging, he wasn't anywhere near succumbing to a natural death. Gent considered other possibilities; an accidental death, an unforeseen illness or internal injury, but with the Downs' sour relationship with several packs and the threat of war he could only place his bet on murder. Perhaps it hadn't been intended, perhaps someone had just wanted to ruff the old man up a bit, but that wouldn't matter. Witnessing Minka so heartbroken had pulled viciously at his heartstrings and the Lieris man was determined that somehow, he would bring her the justice she and Tokino deserved.

Thus he sought clues, activity, anything that might bring him closer to this goal. Anything that would even be a start. Secret Woodlands and Whisper Caverns wolves were of course suspect, but it would be stupid to travel south to seek information. He came to the place of Tokino's death, dipping his head in respect before moving on. Several hours passed as he walked the ravine, passing through brush and budding wildflowers, avoiding the torrential water, fed by spring melt, for it would carry nothing of interest. Finally, as the sun began to burn through the second half of its journey overhead, Gent resigned. He did not feel comfortable being gone for so long.

However, as he turned to begin the trek home, finally a wolfish scent hit him. His muscles went rigid as his head swiveled to look behind him. Cresting one of the many hills was a yearling of particularly large proportions. Gent was immediately reminded of himself, though his coloration was slightly off, a deep brown with steel gray eyes. Narrowing his glacial eyes, the Crest subordinate maintained his position, only letting out a single bark to draw the stranger's attention. For all he knew, this whelp was Tokino's downfall, a rogue attacker. It was highly unlikely, but Gent would rather brace himself than be caught off guard. He turned his body to face the boy, waiting for him to heed his summons.

Glacial eyes closely monitored the youth as he approached. In this neutral territory, nominal ranking did not matter; authority was only giving to those who took it, and Gent would be damned if he'd let any vagrant take command. He maintained his posture thus, head held high and tail aloft, while his dial carried a stern mask that dared the yearling to mess with him or otherwise challenge his unspoken dominance.



This stranger's posture and tone spokes volumes about him, and Gent wanted first most to put him in his place. Clearly he couldn't know the gravity of the Lieris heir's intentions, but he would not be kept in the dark for long.



"You're prince of nothing here, boy," he leveled. "A man was murdered where you stand. Would you happen to know anything about that?"



Piercing blue eyes were steady, ready to capture the slightest of muscle spasm that might hint at something the yearling but be unwilling to say. If he had any involvement or information to do with @Tokino , Gent would find out. Only if the boy proved completely and truly oblivious would he slacken the harshness of his demeanor.

Gent studied the boy intently as he reacted to his dismission and accusative question. Pale eyes roamed his face and frame alike, determined to find the smallest spectre of guilt. Luckily for the self-proclaimed prince, he seemed to be utterly innocent. The Round Stone subordinate's muscles visibly slackened as he relaxed, though only slightly. With that suspicion cleared, he was able to concern himself with other aspects of the boy's presence. Starting with his clear indignation at having his title thrown to the wind.



"No, you're not," Gent mumbled, directing a disappointed sigh toward the ground at his forepaws. He glanced to the side for a moment, considering taking his leave, but felt it might be worth it to stay. Focusing his attention squarely on the yearling once more, he chose to continue the conversation.



"I suppose I could have said it more nicely if I cared to know that you're so sensitive about it, but you go prancing about like you own something and you're likely to get your head bit off, and I don't mean that figuratively."



"I'm sure you are a prince back home, most of us were born to one alpha pair or another. But once you leave your family's domain, you're just as good as prey until you prove yourself better."



Gent finished his abnormally long explanation, before narrowing his eyes in slight confusion and asking, "How do you not know that?"



Irresponsible parenting, he supposed.

"You're not standing on his grave," Gent clarified, a clear snap in his voice as the combination of disappointment and the boy simply misunderstanding him quickly grating his nerves. He swiftly remembered, however, his ordeal with Raela and the promise he had made both to her and himself to keep his temper in check. The man pinched his blue eyes shut, taking a breath and second both to smother the flame that wanted to desperately to lick at his heart.



With a sigh, he opened his eyes once more, looking now at the youth with a much calmer demeanor overtaking his features. The boy simply didn't know any better, but if Gent that to agitate him and drive him away, he would never learn and Chemical would find himself with his neck broken in the dirt one day for being too haughty in the wrong wolf's presence. If Gent remained calm and got through to the yearling, however, he could earn himself an ally.



What is it with me and all these kids all of a sudden, he grumbled internally, quickly running over the list of youths that he had made a point to take under his wing and or protect. It certainly wasn't the future he'd seen for himself, and it was more stressful than he would have expected. Especially when everyone wanted so badly to pursue chaos rather than order nowadays. And yet, Gent was far from walking away from the responsibility.



"You're not understanding me," he spoke plainly, voice level but with a stern edge to it. If the boy refused to listen, he would only cause his own demise. He needed to see that Gent was trying to help him, not offend him. Ice eyes watched cooly as the boy explained his predicament, and was overcome with emotion. Not even the smallest flicker of emotion passed over the man's face as he watched the self-proclaimed prince shudder and gag.



"Chemical," voice flat, "Breathe."



He waited a moment, allowing the boy to try and regain his composure.



"I'm not saying you aren't who you claim to be, or trying to strip you of your inheritance. I left my family with a mission as well, to claim my own birthright as a prince. I come from a strong bloodline, I am meant to be a king, but the second I stepped off my father's land, I wasn't. When you're home, your story is written by blood. When you leave and walk amongst strangers, it must be written in sweat. Do you understand what I'm saying? No one knows who you are here, and words will mean nothing to them. You can't just tell them, you have to show them."



Another pause, and then, "You say your family is counting on you, and I'm telling you that posturing and throwing a name no one knows around is not going to help them. So what will you do about that?"