Strength was returning to him. The advanced aging of his joints and thinning muscles had ceased, and some days he dared to believe it was reversing. The stability the pack provided, in shelter, rest and food all nourished his ragged body while the peace of finally coming home nurtured his mind. The weariness was absent now from his strides, his the twin fires that served as his eyes had been rekindled and roared high as they had when he was young. Brighter, even, for now there was purpose stoking the flames.



He spent a great deal of time concerning himself with learning these days. If he wasn't inquiring to @Phineas about different happenings within the pack, not to mention all the events that had transpired between now and the last time he'd seen his brother, the Argyris sibling was exploring his new domain. The travel was difficult for him at first, and he would exhaust quickly and retire early in the day. With time, practice, and an uncharacteristic persistence his stamina grew and it became easier with each and every sunrise.



Soon enough, he mused, he would be of real use again, and not just to himself. This time, he wouldn't jump ship when responsibility bored him. This time, he felt true loyalty tying his heart, not by string but teflon, to this home and to his family within it. This realization also helped to work wonders on his mood, though any sunshine that might light his face would only be presented to those who he cared about; to everyone else, he was still the same grumpy old man by word.



Today, Erebos decided to test how far up the Heights he could push himself. It felt great to use his muscles, to accomplish things he'd forgotten he was capable of, and thus would often put himself through minor trials here and there to intensify this feeling. As he traveled, he thoroughly enjoyed the solitude and quiet of the thin mountain air. It allowed him to focus, eased the clearing of his mind. That was, of course, until that seclusion was stolen by him, the knowledge rendered onto him by a shifting of the air and the scent of another filling his expanding lungs.



A scowl overtook his maw. Erebos had never been a fan of any kind of stranger, though where before he had been likely to turn the other direction and flee, a sense of indignance rose up within him like heat. He had set out with a goal today, and he would reach that goal, dammit. Continuing forth, the graying man made no effort to alter his course in the slightest, stubbornly pushing onward. Unfortunately for him, this caused his projected path to cross directly with the foreign woman's, and when she came into sight the consideration of changing course became far more appealing.



Erebos hesitated, halting in his tracks, but still was not ready to turn back. Instead, he stood still, staring the woman down, sunset orange eyes glaring at her from his grayscale skull.

She did nothing in response to his presence, merely watching him in return. A moment of still silence passed between them then as Erebos only continued his glaring, hoping that she would either speak up and give him something to react to, or get on and get gone from his space. When neither occurred, the aging man took a begrudging few strides forward. She wasn't entirely close to his brother's pack, though she was within enough distance to become nosey, and he didn't have any reason to doubt that she would. Thus, he had half a mind to chase her off, certain that he could use his still hulking frame to his advantage and give her a little scare.




The only problem with that thought there, though, was the chance that she wouldn't be intimidated by him. If she was cocky or saw through his bluffing, she could easily rear around on him and cut him up good. Erebos had never been a fighter; he'd really never had anything to fight for, excepting his own survival. He certainly wasn't in shape to be one now, even if the tone was returning to his muscles and his coat once again shone with health. It would take consistent sparring and practice to build himself back to what he should've been in his youth given his abundant size.



And yet, despite all of the possibilities telling him it would be most sensible to just turn around, Erebos simply didn't want to. This woman, just simply by existing here today, had ruined the solitude of his routine venture and thus he didn't really want to let her go without bothering a little bit back.



"What're ya doin here, woman?" he asked of her gruffly, silver and gray fur bristling.