Clandestine Brook Serpents And Assassins

Roma tensed as Vesper asked about Athena. So many emotions zipped through her as she struggled to keep them all tightly locked away. This was it! The wolf he was taking her to was Athena and she could finally confront her about their father! Still, Vesper now knew that Roma and Athena were related and this put a damper on Roma's excitement. Her brain raced to quickly add up what Vesper knew for sure and what he did not know. Carefully and in a disinterested tone, Roma answered: "I never knew her. She was from an older litter and left before I was born."

From what Roma head conjectured, Vesper knew that Athena and her were related. He might know that Athena had killed their father, if she had told him that. What he absolutely could not know was that Roma was here to seek closure from Athena, even if that closure was brought on by violence. No one knew why she was looking for Athena, so this is what she had to keep secret from Vesper. Everything else was fair game and she should stick as close to the truth as she could. Eager to deal with her emotions in a physical way, Roma sped up her pace hoping that it would not actually take an entire day to reach their destination. She reassured herself that if Vesper asked why she was in such a hurry, she could explain that she simply wanted to meet her new pack mates and to meet her sister. Surely most wolves would be interested in meeting a long lost sister, right? Letting a hint of excitement show, Roma glanced at Vesper and asked, "How is it that you know my sister?"

I think you can close this out in your reply. Then we can continue at lost lake with Athena. @Andromache

Some day you too will know my pain

Vespertio Vuesain

And smile its black toothed grin

"I never knew her. She was from an older litter and left before I was born." was her disinterested answer, informing him of their age difference between the sisters and the lack of contact. If she never knew her then why was she searching for her? It made no sense to him and again he pushed it aside. Eagerly the older woman began to pick up the pace, setting the speed at a light job now versus their earlier stride. 'Someone was in a hurry to get to their sibling.' Vesper thought to himself as he easily met the standards of their new pace, keeping to her side. Excitement lofted off her aura, allowing his body to only slightly relax despite the quickened pace and sway his tail behind them before the silver lady spoke once more. "How is it that you know my sister?" He gave a wolfish shrug of his shoulders in response as he contemplated the right way to answer. Athena was as much a mystery to him as her sister. There was nothing he knew about her aside from the scars that marred her face, the blazing fire of her one-eyed gaze and the confidence that evidently both sisters shared. "She was the first wolf I came across when I entered these lands." Short, but honest.

A tiresome yawn broke past the lining of his lips, indicating that he was growing bored of their conversation. If she wanted to know so much about her sister she would have to wait until the two were face to face and she could ask for herself. He wasn't the right wolf to ask on all things Athena Moon and he wasn't gonna come between the two Moon woman either. The last thing he wanted in his life was to be caught between the drama of two females again. Talk about an earful of annoyance. So making it apparent that he wouldn't speak another word to Roman of the subject, his mouth fell silent, contenting himself with the ground that kept melting beneath their paws and the thinning of trees the nearer they got to the opening, the looming mountain finally starting to become visible.

Vesper seemed content to go at Roma's pace, but she paid little mind to his comfort. She was more interested in the answer she was waiting on and when it finally came she was disappointed by its brevity. Vesper's body language made it clear that he was not interested in discussing Athena. Roma briefly considered pushing him on the subject, but he seemed as stubborn and as smart as she was. It would be difficult to get him to talk if he didn't want to and by trying to coax him into it she ran the risk of making another foolish mistake and giving away her intents.

Roma let her gaze fall on the trees in front of her, her determined icy stare searching for the answers she had been chasing after these past few days. The same ones she had been running from for years prior. With a stranger at her side, Roma pushed onward, following a path that she hoped would lead her to the closure she was seeking. What Roma had failed to consider was what exactly that closure might entail. The only thing she had opened her mind to was the chance a violence, a physical confrontation that would relieve her of the pain she was running from. Only that relief would be temporary. In order to truly find peace, Roma would have to turn away from violence and learn to open her heart to what family she had left. Unaware of this, Roma trudged on, ignoring the exhaustion in her limbs, fueling her body with blind rage and battle lust.

--Exit--