Riddle Heights no song unsung

@Erebos - <3

Wren was… frustrated… angry, like a tortured artist in their ATELIER and there was nothing he could do about it. He had gone looking for his father with Kyna, and he hadn’t been able to find a trace of the man – it was all starting to set in and get to him on a more emotional level as he fell through the stages that would eventually lead to acceptance over the fact that his mom was resting, in an eternal sleep, and that his father had run away from his responsibilities as a parent. And yes, Wren was extremely pissed off because of it. Why would his father run away from him… his sister… the pack? He hadn’t the faintest idea, but it had effectively shattered the young boy, albeit it was a delayed shatter.

It was one of the reasons he had for shutting himself down, barricading himself from the rest of the pack with one thing: silence. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel or what he was supposed to say, so he didn’t feel anything or say anything to anyone. It wasn’t like anyone would believe him over the two other wolves that backed the now-missing Aponi Aquila. Yes, Wren had noticed the missing scent and he was glad to have that wolf gone, though he did worry for Kyna since he knew what it was like to lose a mother. He felt for her, he really did, despite the fact that her mother had caused him to lose his. He had never told her, and he never intended to bring it up with the other pup simply because he didn’t want to mess with the friendship that they had developed.

The tawny boy was moving gracefully over the territory, breaking into a run as he set a goal in his mind for that day. He was going to attempt to run the borders, or at least a part of them. His dad had been a guardian, his mother too, and he was supposed to protect his sister from harm which meant that would be his job too. Therefore, he needed to train and condition himself to fit a mold. It would take hard work, but he dreamed a dream that told him it was what he was supposed to do. He could do it, and he would make his dreams a reality at that. It was in his blood, the need to run and protect those whom he thought needed protection. His sister was a delicate flower, and @Maeve needed him to be her rock, or so he thought. The emerald eyed pup continued to keep his pace, moving his puppy legs as fast as he could as he rounded a corner.

The boy was soon learning that running for long periods of time messed with both him and his body, so he rounded another corner, one not near the borders but in fact it started to move him towards the heart of the territory. He was heading back towards the den that he had his sister continued to stay in after the disappearance or eternal sleep of their parents.

Once more, Erebos awoke that day with the realization that all of his information was nothing more than scuttlebutt. So focused was he on himself (nothing new there), on rebuilding his muscle and strengthening his skillset so as to be a better guardian for his brother, that he had once again slipped away from the pack, isolating himself. Occasionally, he heard talk, and several facts were impossible to ignore. Aesire was dead, a fact which had somehow come about during a rank challenge with Aponi. Thankfully, the harpy was absent as well, abandoning the position she had fought so lethally for in order to pursue an old vengeance, and by now not a single trace of Ace could be found within the territory, nor anywhere close by without it. This left @Vitani in charge, and since their discussion the man had come to feel that perhaps at last Silent Moon Plateau had found a suitable queen.

Still, there was too much that he had missed, and it would not do to sweep it all under the rug. While Aesire might permanently downed by her eternal sleep, both Aponi and Ace were, to his knowledge, able to return any day to further threaten his brother's throne. To be better prepared for either situation, he figured he ought to do some information gathering. Thus, after completing his morning rounds, the man turned his paws inward toward the thick of the territory, intent on finding anybody with which to communicate.

It was pure chance that led him to Wren, the boy's scent being the first he had come across. When Erebos picked up on the fact that the boy was running, he increased his own pace, chasing after him until he came to be neck to neck with the kid. His fiery eyes passed over the youth's body, momentarily stunned by just how big he had gotten in such a short amount of time.

"Yer really been outta the loop, Ere," he muttered under breath, before lifting his voice to beckon the boy to cease his racing. "Hey, Wren! Stop a minute, we need ta talk."

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Running… and running… and running… the boy was starting to slow into more of a trot than a run simply because he could not keep up his run for any longer when a familiar yet vaguely strange voice caught his attention, causing him to turn with ears perked and tail lashing from side to side in a not-so-friendly manner. It took a few seconds for him to realize who the wolf coming at him was and even a few more to calm himself down, casting a slightly relieved yet cautious look. He hadn’t really trusted anyone, not since he had seen what he had saw happen.

What he had witnessed had scared him to heaven and to hell, that much was certain, and his blood was boiling yet ice cold at the same time. Overall, the boy was utterly confused, unsure of how he was supposed to proceed. Perhaps it was denial, or anger, or one of the stages of grief, he could not be sure. “Mr. Erebos, sir.” He greeted with a slight dip of his head, unsure of where such proper titles came from though he had a sneaking suspicion the death of his mother had reinforced her teachings of manners… plus they just kind of sounded right to him. His breathing was labored slightly as he was still catching his breath, and part of him was thankful that Erebos had stopped him because it gave him an excuse to catch his breath.

But then that brought up the question… what did the man want?

As the boy slowed so did Erebos, more thankful than he normally would have been that the boy heeded him. The sprint necessary to catch up with the child had winded him, and as his steps slowed his breathing increased in pace, lungs desperate to catch up. His coral tongue lolled from betwixt his jaws and he took a moment to answer Wren. So polite his greeting had been, he felt it to be odd. No really ever spoke to Erebos like that, and he begrudgingly acknowledged that perhaps Aesire had done some right in raising her kids.

"I'm gonna be blunt with ya," he spoke up after he had regained his breath. "Direct. 'Cause that's the world ya live in now, alright?"

Given his orphaned status, the pack might continue to care for the boy and his sister, but no longer would he be coddled. Despite the plateau's support they were still, in a sense, alone, and thus even if his age relative to others born this spring was not so significant, this twisted life event rendered him old enough to be spoken to without finesse. He would have to mature quicker, if he wanted to not just survive, but to thrive.

"What d'ya know about yer parents? Bout what happened to 'em?" It was likely the child didn't know anything, and perhaps it was inappropriate to ask him. But Erebos had never been sensitive, and he wasn't about to start for the sake of a treason-born bastard, even if the kid wasn't so bad. If he wanted to be sure he had the truth, he needed to approach every angle, even the most innocent of ones.

(This post was last modified: Nov 28, 2015, 06:47 AM by Erebos.)

@Erebos

Wren shifted uncomfortably when Erebos said he was going to be blunt and direct, claiming that was the world that they lived in. Wren gave a simple nod to that; he had learned that when he saw what had happened to his mother. If that hadn’t been blunt and direct, he didn’t know what was. He asked about his parents, causing a rather nervous shift in the boy as he tried to form his thoughts into words. Why did it matter? The former queen had lied and everyone had believed her over a pup, so why did it matter if he told the truth?

It mattered to him, but he was willing to bet it wouldn’t matter to the man before him. “My dad disappeared shortly after my mom died… my mom… I saw her die…” He began as he gave a nervous flicker around, looking for other wolves listening in perhaps, since others had seen her, and had gone ahead with such a lie. “I saw Kyna’s mom push her during the rank challenge, off the cliff.” He explained as he looked down towards his paws. That had been a reality check for him, watching that… it was also had he had been the first one down there, he had seen it and he hadn’t missed a beat to make the venture down and see if his mom was alright.

He had expected the boy to respond dejectedly, sad, as of course he was expected to be having lost two parents that, despite their shady history with the Argyris lineage, had been nothing but loving and attentive to their children. Yet as he watched Wren fidget, he couldn't help but note that this wasn't quite the same. He was nervous, and Erebos had not a clue why such a question would elicit that feeling. His dark gray ears pressed forward, eager to take in all the words given to him. Ace disappeared, yes, that was obvious, and he shouldn't have expected the boy to be able to say anything else, even as he hoped that something had been uttered to the boy to give Erebos any clues at all to go on.

Then Wren said he was a witness to his mother's death, and a deep frown cut through Erebos' muzzle as he considered the trauma that must have planted within the child. Even as much as he despised and mistrusted Aponi, however, the final admission of Wren's was an utter surprise. Pushed? For a moment his mind stuttered, but as it regained itself and set into motions, all the pieces began to fall into place. No, after all the conniving she had committed, Erebos could not put murder outside of the realm of possibility. And truly, Wren was far too young to be so bitter about what happened as to fabricate something so horrible. Whether or not his brother agreed, Erebos found himself utterly trusting this version of the story.

A soft growl leaked from his maw as his tail lifted and curled, hackles rising as anger trickled down his spine. Never did he want to see the loathsome bitch again, so wretched was she within his head. To have taken advantage of his brother, to birth Kyna as nothing by a tool to gain leverage within the pack with, to have murdered Aesire for a position she would then promptly abandon along with her own child...

Realizing that Wren was still present through the crowding of his thoughts, Erebos forced himself to calm.

"She ain't ever comin' back, Wren," he solemnly swore to the boy. "Aponi ain't ever setting foot on this mountain again, and she isn't gonna hurt anyone here anymore." Perhaps the kid wouldn't comprehend what all was meant by the statement, that there were violent intentions brewing within the man's head. Aponi could try to worm her way back into his brother's life, but she would only be successful over Erebos' dead body.

His ember eyes burned brightly, but then the light diminished as something different overcame him. For once, he felt guilt beginning to flutter within his chest. He'd thought he'd been doing so well, and yet he had let this snake of a woman commit such heinous crimes and get away with it.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry we didn't stop her, Wren."

He kept his eyes focused on his paws, his head down as he fidgeted in place for a few seconds, trying to keep everything controlled and contained like he had since he saw what had happened. The man made him a promise, saying she wasn’t ever coming to the mountain again and there was a soft smile, a genuine one that was quickly replaced with a soft frown. There was a fugacious feeling, a transition between the elated feeling he felt he should feel and the sense of despair he actually did. He knew what it was like to know that his mother was never coming back… Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything at all.

“But… what about Kyna, Mr. Erebos? If she ever did come back… Kyna needs her mom.” He would know, wouldn’t he? He’d felt lost without his for a while, somewhere between sadness and frustration until he managed to find a niche he could hide in to block it all out. He wanted what was best for everyone… not just revenge. Hell, he wanted revenge… but he couldn’t do that to his friend, now could he? What kind of friend would he be if he caused, directly or not, the same pain that he felt.

He didn’t know the likelihood of Aponi returning or how soon she would return, but he was apprehensive. He loathed her, hated her with every fiber… but her daughter was another story and he was looking out for his friend, arguably his best friend since Maeve’s cold nature towards him took effect, just as much as he was himself.

(This post was last modified: Dec 10, 2015, 10:00 PM by Wren.)