Mountain of Dire Dragon Bones

For @Inna and @Kyrios. The discovery of Kjors' death.

Karina. She was all Aleksei could think about. That seed of worry planted in his heart had grown, wrapped its roots tightly around his heart, woven them between his ribs and fed on his sorrow. As little as he knew, he had to do something. He couldn't leave her out there, alone. Yes, she'd made a stupid mistake—Aleksei had made those, too—but did that mean she deserved to be condemned to exile?

Karina had been so stupid, yes, and so naïve, but she was Aleksei's sister and he knew her; she had always followed those who watched over and protected her. If anything, he took the blame upon himself. Had he stayed, would she have strayed down this path? Would she have become so desperate for one man's attention and affection?

Aleksei couldn't simply wallow in his own misery any more. The knowledge that Karina may be out there, freezing and starving, with a man too proud to join another's pack and a child, was enough to spur him into a decision: he would find her. He would get his pardon from Lachesis, and he would find Karina, if not to bring her to Hearthwood River, then to find her somewhere safer, somewhere she would be looked after, somewhere she and her chosen family would survive.

It was the reason he found himself ploughing across the mountain.

Each step Aleksei made caused his paws ache, the biting cold against his toes far more numbing than he had anticipated. It didn't help that there was snow, jeopardising his confidence even more. Every action had to be measured—one wrong step, one small slip, and he'd tumble down, down, down. Thank the heavens that it wasn't accompanied by a shrieking wind, whipping up a blasted blizzard. The snow fell heavy, yes, but slow. Still, regular rest was necessary, as the night only brought lower temperatures. He needed a chance to warm up, conjure fresh energy. But it was not only him, was it? Inna was close to his side, struggling along with her eldest sibling through the onslaught of obstacles. She had demanded to come, refused to let Aleksei go alone. She had been stubborn and because she cared. He couldn't say no.

But he had to protect her. He had been firm in telling her from the moment he buckled to her will. He would make sure the path ahead was clear. As far as Aleksei was concerned, his sister had more life to live and more to give than he did. Regardless, was Karina not her sister too? Inna knew things that Aleksei did not—it was her who had told him what had happened, and why Karina had left.

“She followed Kjors.”

It was the middle of winter. There was a child taken—his niece. What the hell had she been thinking? If she died, because he had been too late, Aleksei would never forgive himself. What if she was already dead? He may as well throw himself willing down the mountainside and face his judgement immediately. God, it didn't bare thinking about. It left him empty inside. Don't give up hope, he told himself. Not yet. She'll be okay—a bit dishevelled, most likely, but fine. For all her fragility as a youth, Karina was a Baranski, and Baranski wolves were tough and they were survivors.

If only he knew what a sorry state she had already been in before she left, Aleksei might have already resigned to a darker prognosis. A refusal to eat most meats leaving her already skinny and weak, hallucinating that she had a ghostly deer following her around that was, in some way, a representation of herself, believing in some magical lady in the sky called The All-Mother, and taking every little thing she was told by any one who claimed some level of spirituality as gospel.

Yes, that most certainly screamed “I am of solid mind and have not, in any way, shape, or form, lost my path”.

“Once we find shelter, we'll rest again,” he called behind him, to his dark coated sister. “It would be stupid of us to push ourselves now when we've come this far.” Breaking a bone atop a mountain was never a fun scenario to imagine, let alone to actually experience first hand. If such a problem did occur, then the chance of making it down before the spring melt would be slim … unless some hermit healer that lived up here—like Karina, perhaps—found the two siblings.

At the end of the day, broken legs and icy mountainsides tended to not get along. “Are you holding up okay?”

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 05:35 PM by Aleksei.)

She shouldn't have told him about Karina and had she known this was his plan she might not have. Yet here she was following him into the mountain in search of a sister she wasn't even sure wanted to be found. For a long time Inna had worried about Karina and especially her affinity to the dragon. There had been times when she had wanted to express that worry to her sister but in the end she didn't think it would do any good. Kjors had a hold on Karina that Inna hadn't ever understood and still didn't, she wondered if she ever would. Traveling alongside her brother as the trudged through snow careful of every step they took she understood his drive to find Karina. He had grown up with her and played with, learned to hunt next to her. If given the opportunity and a lead on where to look Inna would be doing the same for Lekalta. She didn't have those things though and Aleksei did, it would be wrong to deny him this chance. However, she would not let him go alone but instead be at his side going through the same difficulties he was. There was part of her that hoped they would find their sister and she would agree to come home with them and everything would be fine. Another piece of their family returned to where they belonged. Their mother would be happy to have three of her children back and their father could be proud in his resting place. However, Inna couldn't be sure that was realistic, would Karina even be allowed back in Hearthwood after what she'd done, what Kjors had done? Inna couldn't answer those questions, only time could. It wasn't just Karina out here at the mercy of the dragon or the weather, it was Bennet too. Inna was angry with her sister for dragging the child into a life where nothing was certain, what if something had happened to her. She was so young and didn't deserve to be caught up in all of this. The truth was Inna didn't know what they would find if they found anything at all but she did agree they had to try. It was important to bring their family back together and she felt that maybe bringing Karina back would be a step in the direction of making Hearthwood great again. She wanted to bring Bennet home where she would be safe and could grow up with those who cares about her. So she continued on with Aleksei because she couldn't stay home again and wait for someone she cared about to return. She couldn't be in a constant state of worry for him and be angry with herself if something did happen to him. It didn't help her determination that she had just got him back and the state he was in, he needed her even if he didn't know he did. If something happened she wanted to be right there with him to help him however she could. Inna didn't remember the previous winter when she had been on her own to have been this bad so she was much more cautious. The snow as it fell covered her dark pelt and she would have to shake it off to keep the wetness from soaking through to her skin. She didn't want to let herself become discouraged though because as much as her brother wanted to protect her she wanted to do the same for him, help him to see this through. Having fallen back a little behind to make it up the mountain Inna’s ears came forward at the sound of Aleksei's voice. “A nice cave would be great after being in this snow all day,” she called back, “But you're right it would be stupid, we must remain careful and alert so we stay safe.“ She didn't want to imagine what it would do to their mother if something happened to them. His voice came to her once more, ‘was she holding up okay?’ “I'm doing fine and I can keep going as long as we need to before we find shelter to rest. Are you doing okay?” She asked because just as much as he worried about her she did him.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2017, 10:10 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

@Kyrios, you're welcome to post whenever, if you still want to!

Aleksei found Inna's concern for his well-being touching—she really took after Kisla in more ways than one. He agreed, a cave would be nice, though he wasn't quite sure they'd have luck finding one. As he glanced around, all he could see was sloping white and rocks. And some more white, and some more white! If he had to admit, it was all very disorientating. Aleksei had found himself feeling nauseous more than once, worried he'd led them in a big circle. It wasn't the time for panic and anxiety though, he had a job to do and he was going to do it right. He had to keep his head in the game, so to speak.

Luck would have it that Aleksei had, indeed, gotten a bit lost. Where he had been leading Inna up the mountain, the snow and the wind had turned him around at some point, and they'd slowly been arcing down. He'd chalked it up to they'd found a large—an impossibly large—snowdrift. Thank the heavens he wasn't a navigator of any kind, and that the dark clouds overhead had snuffed out any form of reorienting—the sun was hidden from all eyes.

“I'm doing fine, Inna. Don't worry about me.” Really, she should be worrying about herself. He cast a glance over his shoulder, frowning ever so slightly as he paused, waiting for her to catch up, to maybe take shelter against him. “If we just keep pushing forward a little longer, I think I can see clear ground.” A flash of green against white, a sprinkling of white-topped trees, in the distance. “Do you see it? We'll make our way there.” And so, he got his head down and pushed.

He wasn't sure how much time passed until his paws touched grass, surprisingly warm underfoot. A spring? Aleksei glanced to Inna, offered a reassuring smile, before venturing further into the oasis of colour. And then it hit him. Like a bulldozer, it knocked the air out of him and he gasped, flinching. That smell. It was familiar, it was straight from his past. Different, thanks to the company she had kept for so long, but there was the signature of her beneath it all.

Karina.

He ran. All the desire for rest had dispersed and suddenly he was filled with panic. He needed to find Karina. He needed her, needed to know she was alive and well and—was that blood?

“KARINA!” He roared her name without thinking, not even registering whether or not Inna was following. Aleksei raced down the stream, paws thundering against the ground, the air against the back of his throat burning hot.

He turned a corner suddenly, and there was a pile of rocks, disrupted, spilling across the ground. There was fur and, oh god, no, no, no, don't let it be her. He skidded to a halt, chest heaving as he stared, approaching slowly, tail tucked firmly between his legs.

But it wasn't her, was it? Too dark to be Aleksei's sister. It was another wolf, someone different. Their body, half exposed, had been picked at by scavengers, before the freeze had settled and made it too hard to pull flesh from bone. And now that the snow had melted, thanks to the storm's pass and the spring's heat, the stench of rot permeated the air, causing Aleksei to gag, to step back. The tell-tale signs of nature taking course became apparent the more he stared with morbid fascination and disgust—he couldn't look away.

“Don't look,” he groaned as he heard another approach the raided grave, “don't look, you don't want to look.”

Instead of a runaway, exiled princess, they had found the beast that stole her.

They had found Kjors.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Getting out of the cold and snow for even just a little bit was Inna thought the best thing for them, a chance to rest after fighting the wet snow all day. So far they hadn't found any sign of Karina or Bennet, not a scent, paw print, or even just a broken twig. The ebony Baranski worried that maybe they were too late and that Karina had moved on with Bennet too long ago for the signs to still be there but Aleksei wouldn't give up and she wouldn't either. They were in this together and when she had made him being her along she had also promised to be in it to the end. She tried to not lose hope in the scene of white everywhere she looked but at times it felt they weren't moving at all. Inna followed her brother on and on trusting that he knew where he was going in this landscape that was unchanging with each step. At one point though it seemed they had changed direction but she didn't think much of it. This was his mission and she had come along to make sure he was safe, she would following him wherever he went. Having fallen just a few paw steps behind his voice carried to her telling her not to worry about him, “It’s my job to worry about you,” she reminded him. As his sister, little or not it was and always would be her job to worry about him. Inna saw that he had paused in his steps which allowed her the chance to catch up to him. Quickening her steps just a bit she came level with his shoulder and pressed her nose into his fur for just a moment. “Then we will keep going,” she stated meeting his gaze before she turned her head to look in front of them and saw what he did. An area the looked so different to what they had been seeing. It renewed her hope that they were stuck in the seemingly never ending sea of white. “I do see it, maybe it will hold what we need.” Meaning some clue as to where Karina and Bennet might have gone without the snow to wipe away the clues. Without the sun it was hard to know how long it had taken them to cross the ground to their destination. As soon as her paws touched the green grass she felt the warmth of it, she hadn't ever come across something like this before. Looking to Aleksei she saw the reassuring smile and returned a smile of her own. When he moved forward she fell in level with his hip moving with him. At the same time she heard the gasp from him the scent hit her to, one that she had been an almost constant since before she could see, Karina’s scent. Another scent was with it which she recognized to be Kjors leading her to wonder if they were traveling together. Without warning her brother took off running leaving Inna but only for a second before she was running to catch up to him. Careful to not lose sight of him as she ran behind for fear she would lose him not knowing what lay ahead. The scent of blood came into her nostrils which made her push herself harder to catch up with her brother. His voice carried back to her loud, she'd never heard him sound like that which made her worry he may not be thinking clearly. Still she followed him down to the stream gaining on him, “Aleksei,” she called as she ran to catch up to him hoping he didn't get himself into trouble if Kjors was with Karina when they found them. Inna didn't think the dragon would be happy to see them. Shortly after Aleksei disappeared around a corner Inna came around the same corner to find her brother stopped. She came to a halt just behind him and peered around him to see what had stopped him so quickly. At first the scene didn't make sense to her, why there was a pile of rocks in this place but as she looked harder examining each detail more carefully she saw it. At first she feared they were too late to find Karina, that she laid beneath the rocks and the thought of how their mother would react to the news of what they had found ran through her mind, it would be devastating for Kisla. Her hope they would find Karina returned when she realized the fur did not belong to their sister, it was much darker. Inna realized it was in fact the dragon that laid beneath the stones and worse were the signs of his body being picked at by scavengers that stood out against the dark fur and stones. Her shock of seeing what was left of the Dragon almost caused Inna to miss the smell of rotting flesh all around them. It was almost too much to bear the sight before her, the stench, she wanted to vomit. “Too late, it couldn't be helped” she whispered to her brother when he told her not to look. Inna pressed her face into his side when he stepped back her mind a flurry of emotions as she remembered the man who had been so nice to her as a pup but then had challenged Lachesis. She didn't know if she should be sad about his death or happy about it. What she did know this was not a dignified ending for such a proud man. “We have to find Karina,” she stated her voice shaky as she failed to keep her emotions out of her voice. A tear ran down her cheek as what she was feeling threatened to overwhelm her.

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 06:47 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Keeping to the long post trend

Listening was a skill that got amble training when you were a pup considered too young for most conversations. Since the dragon's banishment, Kyrios had practiced his listening a lot! He wanted to make sure nothing ever caught him off guard like that again; Next time I'll be ready! So he snooped, he stalked, he spied. Whenever anyone lowered their voices, went out of their way to speak privately, he would perk his ears, follow along out of sight. The more the whispered, the closer he listened. So he heard. He heard when the Baranski wolf spoke to Inna about his mom, and listened in as they asked to go on their search. And he decided; This time I'm not staying behind! He'd become quite good at sneaking with all that prying, and so he snuck after them, slipping over the borders in their tracks, and following at a safe distance. They wouldn't have let him come if he asked, he was sure of that, so he had wholly neglected to even try. He was just a pup after all, and they were too caught up in their own feelings to even consider his. Kyrios had been torn in half ever since Karina and @Bennet left the River. When they'd first gone, he'd been unable to choose between those two halves, it wasn't until later that he realized his stupidity, how obvious the answer was. After all, Atropos was with their father, as safe as could be within the protection of the river. It was his little sister who needed him most. But he hadn't seen that then, he'd been too shocked. He'd been scared to make a choice and so it had been made for him. And se he had been stuck, he couldn't bring himself to leave, partly because he knew he wouldn't be able to make it on his own. So he'd waited, his stomach writhing and legs aching, but never straying further than a day from Hearthwood. He didn't have the skill to track them down on his own. But this was his opportunity! Now he thought the both of them were, maybe not stupid, but deeply misguided. They wanted to find Karina and drag her home, for some reason they thought they could. They thought, he thought, that he would be able to turn her around. How truly magical he must think himself, that Baranski wolf, to think he could do what no one else had been able to. To think that he could make Karina return, when she had left her children already. No, Kyrios was not invested in this plan, he only needed their help tracking down his family. But then, they took an awful long time doing it. For the first part of the journey, the youngster was grinding his teeth in frustration; Why are they going so SLOW?! They would keep a low pace, and even stop, time and time again, to rest. The pup was tying himself into knots, didn't they understand the pressure? This wasn't a leisure trip. But he soon learned better. His trips along the river over the past months had trained his lungs and hardened his legs, but they were nothing compared to this. From struggling to keep a proper distance, he went to fighting to keep up, to not lose their trail. Especially once they started climbing the mountain and it began to snow. Their rests became a welcome chance for him to catch up. He had no energy left to fret now. Head ducked against the snow, chest heaving with the effort, the pale youth climbed the mountain, trying to ignore the tired ache in his legs. Over and over he told himself he had to keep going, had to continue what he'd begun; She needs me, she needs me! The mantra played over and over in his head, blocking out the howling winds. Then he heard voices in the distance, carried to him, like the snowflakes, and he paused, perking a weary ear. They were talking about pausing to rest; Good, good. He needed that desperately. But apparently they changed their mind, because they kept going, a few more sentences thrown back and forth as they went. It was funny really, how similar these three musketeers motivations were, they all wanted to protect their family. Of course Kyrios had no energy left to notice or ponder such things. Instead he dreaded that they would be trekking much longer, his legs growing heavier with every step. That was until he suddenly heard the outcry; Karina! His mind echoed, and exhaustion was forgotten as he raced ahead, breathless now, not just from effort, but excitement; Have they found her? The boy hardly noticed the scenery as he crested a hill and got the two older wolves in sight, hurrying towards them, too eager to keep hidden. For a second, he wondered why they were standing so still, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, leaning against each other; Where is she?! Then he reached them, rounding their silhouettes which had been blocking their find. And came to a screeching halt. Like Inna, the Aegina took a while to decipher what he was seeing. The scent filling his flaring nostrils reminded him of food, that weird, sweet aroma of a kill that had been exposed for a while. But it was different in a way, and as deep golden eyes surveyed the scene, he quickly realized that this was no deer or caribou. Instead he saw long slender legs and matted, bistre fur, the evidence of scavengers clear on the body, half uncovered from its rocky tomb. There was blood and bone and, oh heavens; No..! He recognized the face, the faded scars on long, dark muzzle, both eye sockets now empty; But this was Kjors Sørenson. The dragon had fallen. Frozen in place, Kyrios stared in disbelief. His chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, the young wolf tried to wrap his head around this impossibility. The dragon was dead. "N… No," He finally stammered, voice small and strangled; How… This could not be true; "He can't be dead..!" Word count: 1023 ”Speech” Thoughts

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Aleksei closed his eyes, though he dare not take a steadying breath—the overpowering smell was not welcome to his senses. Kjors … well, that was certainly a touchy subject for him, wasn't it? When he had first met the dragon, Aleksei had been captivated by his charming demeanour, his ability to see a yearling as an equal in things, his skill at hunting, even with one eye missing.

But that opinion would not be held. Fate would not allow a young man to have two inspiring role models. Aleksei, on his return, was suddenly alerted to the fact that Kjors' scales had been those of a snake—dragons were not real, and this leech was not worthy of comparing himself to a majestic creature of myth. What kind of wolf stole a princess and manipulated her so cruely, that she would take her only child and steal away into the wild? What “honourable gentleman” was so quick to challenge for leadership, when so many were mourning the death of not one but two wolves? What “advisor” would not offer his leaders compassion, and would instead use it to further his own future?

What man would trample over the grave of a king to attempt his chance at the crown?

Not one that deserved respect.

And yet, as Aleksei stared at the corpse and felt Inna press herself into his side, he could not help but feel a deep sorrow in his heart. Kjors had been there to help raise the youngest Baranski litter, hadn't he? He had been there to teach them alongside their parents. Had this been Lachesis, Aleksei knew he would do all he could to honour the man's death—no wolf deserved this. A ransacked grave was a pitiful, infuriating sight; pity for the dead, and rage to those who would dare disturb them.

He figured Inna would be feeling the worst right now, considering his own whirlwind of emotions despite not having been in the Lore for so long. “It's all right, Inna. It's all right to be sad. It's all right to cry.” He shifted, lowered his crown so that he could press his nose against her cheek. At least the dragon wasn't suffering any more, however he may have passed on.

Whilst she was right, they did have to find Karina and make sure she was safe, Aleksei would not feel good if he simply left the body of Kjors' out in the open to rot. “We should bury him again, first. He doesn't—he doesn't deserve this as his final resting place.” Even with all his unforgivable acts of disrespect towards Aleksei's family. “I know he must have meant a lot to you,” he mumbled quietly, sighing softly. And to Karina, too.

It was in the moment that he went to step forward, that another raced forward, and Aleksei could only stare. In horror, and in outrage. The boy's name immediately sprang to mind: “Kyrios?!” How long had he followed them? Why? What on Earth was he doing out here? “What the fuck are you doing here? You- did you even think for one second how Lachesis would feel? How he will feel when he finds out how stupid you have been to follow us?” He was boiling with rage—there was so much pent up inside him, it was unbearable. Stupid, stupid little child!

Aleksei suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the younger male by the scruff so that he could drag him backwards. Idiot. He would use his power and size to his advantage, yes, but he would not be cruel and he wouldn't dare harm Kyrios. He simply wanted the lad away from here and sent back home, where the pup belonged.

“Inna, I—I need you take him home and tell his father what he's done; he can't be here.”

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2017, 12:07 PM by Aleksei.)

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

The sight that lay before her and Aleksei was one that Inna knew she would never forget it was so much different than how her father had looked after he passed. He had been so peaceful as his body lay in the ethos but this...It was not an end befitting the man that lay half covered with rocks. Her opinions of Kjors were so mixed from what he'd done to her sister and Lachesis but the memories she had of him before all of that. She didn't understand everything the dragon did but she knew he could have a kind side. Inna also knew that the man had been too ambitious to the point he had taken advantage of her father and Naia’s deaths when the pack was in mourning. What kind of man could do that to those who had taken him in made him one of their own. Inna hated Kjors for disrespecting her father in such a way. Figuring out how she felt about it was all too much for that moment but she couldn't keep the sadness she felt at bay. No wolf should end up as Kjors had no matter what he has done while he had lived. It was all she could do to press herself into her brother's side seeking the comfort that his presence gave her. She hoped that she could bring him some comfort to when she had no idea what he could be feeling in this moment. They could share in the relief that the wolf they had found was not Karina and that there was still hope they would find her alive. Tears fell down her face wetting the fur on Aleksei's side, his words were a comfort to her. They let her know that what she was feeling in that moment was okay, that despite all he had done feeling sadness for the man wasn't wrong. She felt his nose against her cheek, “You can too, if you need to.” She didn't know if he needed to or wanted to but at least he could know it was okay. If this is what had happened to Kjors there was no telling what had happened to Karina so they had to find her. Aleksei was right they did need to bury the dragon again, “You”re right he doesn't deserve this, we should bury him so this can't happen again.” They should do it for Karina too because whatever Kjors had done Inna was sure her sister had loved the man. “In some ways he did but it's all so complicated now,” she admitted when her brother mentioned what Kjors had been to her. She had been as honest as she could but she didn't even know how she felt so how could she explain it to him. Before they could even start the task of taking care of Kjors another wolf rushed passed them both. It took a moment for Inna to realize that it was Lachesis son, Kyrios, and the thought of what their leader would say if he knew. Inna was sure the healer didn't know the boy was out here with them since they didn't even know. Aleksei yelling at Kyrios brought her out of her thoughts and for a moment she was glad she hadn't been on the other end of it. “Aleksei stop…” she wanted to say more but her brother then lunged at the boy. A second later he had Kyrios by the scruff dragging him backwards and Inna followed trying to grab his tail or anything to get him to stop. Then Aleksei was sending her to take the boy home and Inna put her foot down. “No, I will not,” she stated firmly, “He may belong at home I don't disagree with that and I'm sure Lachesis will be plenty angry when he finds out but Kyrios needs to see this, he needs to see where the actions of this man,” she gestured toward the grave with her nose, “Got him. He also deserves the chance to help find Karina and Bennet, he cares about them as we do and as your Karina's big brother he is Bennet's. Would you not want to do the same if you were him?” She said trying to remain calm for all of their sakes but she to was angry with the boy for not staying behind. Still she understood why he didn't ask to come and had followed on his own. She did not believe sending Kyrios was the right decision, he needed to see the harsh realities of life just as she had that day.

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2017, 02:06 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Kyrios had known death his whole life. All wolves were raised knowing about the circle of life, it came with the reality of being a predator. And the Hearthwood twins especially had not been sheltered from these truths, they'd been told about their mother who had passed, she was gone, but somewhere better. And of course there was Maksim, another one who'd been buried in the earth, his body no longer breathing, no longer living. But stories were a far cry from actually seeing a body, someone he'd known and loved, picked to pieces like any other kill. He could do nothing but stare, eyes widened into perfect circles. His world was shattering. What he was seeing could not be true, for dragons were immortal, the myth himself could not be dead. He was so shocked that at first he didn't even react. The voices was nothing but white noise in the distance, and when Aleksei grabbed him, the boy just let himself be pulled, slag just like when he was a tiny pup and the adults would pick him up. Of course he wasn't so small anymore, he wasn't a baby, though he would never reach the towering Baranski in bulk, his legs scraped along the ground as he was dragged away from the defiled grave. And as the grisly image grew blurry before his eyes, the ice that had numbed his senses and feelings cracked, sounds and smells rushing back over him, smothering like an avalanche. The former words of his captor replaying in his head, now crystal clear, Kyrios started to thrash, struggling with all his might to get free of the hold, not caring what damage he might cause to himself in the process. "Get off me!" He screamed, voice half-crazed with fury; "Let go of me you fucker! Let go! Let go!" He kept fighting, while the two of them argued about sending him home. Spitting and fuming, he scratched at anything within reach, whether it be cliff or snow or flesh. He wasn't theirs to tug around, he wasn't anyone's! He just wanted to get back to the dead dragon, to find out what had happened, how it had happened. "Why would I care about his feelings?" The boy spat, rage burning – almost like fire – in his throat; "He didn't care about mine, no one cares about mine!" Feelings, they were the root of all this mess. Meanwhile, surprisingly, Inna was arguing against his return home, or perhaps just her own. If he hadn't been so distraught he might have send her a thankful look, now the only part of her speech he really noticed was the names; Karina and Bennet! The shock of finding Kjors dead had clouded his mind, but now he realized the implications. Kyrios' fight seized briefly and he grew limp, eyes now staring straight ahead, rather than at the desecrated corpse. All the former anger now gone from his voice, it sounded almost cold, small as he voiced what he should have thought of instantly; "Where are they?" There was no trace, someone had buried the dragon, but now they were gone. Feeling cold all over, the pale youth finally turned his gaze to face his unwilling guides, wide-eyed and with sagging ears; "If they're not with him, where are they?" And more importantly, who was protecting them now? Word count: 560 ”Speech” Thoughts

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

And just like that, the whole world suddenly went mad. Kyrios' wild flailing and shrieking seemed to be doing little at first, but the dramatics suddenly changed when one single claw caught Aleksei's lip and drew blood.

There was nothing but silence from the eldest, a frightening kind of quiet that betrayed internal turmoil. The screaming from the pup was enough to instil a white hot rage in the eldest—how dare he. How dare he speak such vile things about his father, how dare he take the man for granted. Lachesis, who had done nothing but tried his damned hardest for his kids. Raised them without their birth mother, cast a wolf that could not be trusted from their home, only to have his only son claim he didn't care about the Stark's feelings, because, allegedly, Lachesis had never cared about his.

How dare he?

And then there was Inna. She rejected the idea of taking Kyrios home. Her words shook him to his very core, a shivering rage thrumming its fingers along his spine. What did she mean by “he needs to see this”? How could a fiery, disrespectful little bastard possibly hope to do anything more than hinder the siblings in their task to find their family? Carelessly, Aleksei dropped the pale pup and simply stood. Where he might have appeared a pillar of strength from his pose—shoulders squared, legs spread, head ducked down—inside he was screaming with rage, his ferocity obvious; lip curled back, teeth shown, so close, so close to the young Aegina-Stark.

Are you all mad?! Have you truly lost it?!

Perhaps it was Aleksei himself who had lost control.

He didn't know when it started, and he could not put a filter on his words for he hadn't expected it, but he roared his response. It was raw, it was fresh anger, it was spurred on by the copper taste in his mouth and the white hot burn in the back of his throat. It was scorn, disgust, betrayal, self-loathing. It was too much to keep back, and all at once it burst out.

Kjors liked to consider himself a dragon, but he had never let loose fire from his belly. As it stood, it was Aleksei who was now the beast of legends and stories, coated in scales of bronze and iron, with wings outstretched. Unlike the one-eyed man, dead on the cold ground, the Baranski spat flames and magma. It was unquenchable in its desire to burn, burn it all. Burn everything to the ground and let the phoenix that would be his life rise anew.

Let it out, get it out, stop holding it back—just open the flood gates.

“Let him see this? Let him see a half rotten carcass that he once loved, let him see a man who had been there for him since birth left dishonoured and dead? Let a boy who could die, ten times as easily Kjors did, wander out in the wilds with us as if we are capable of constantly watching over him, when he doesn't give a fuck about his family?” Aleksei's honesty was blunt and disconnected from empathy. He didn't care any more. What was there to care about, when the boy himself said no one gave him a thought?

The fire turned fully to Kyrios, blind and wild. “He said so himself, didn't he Inna? Confessed it! He doesn't give a fuck about their feelings, doesn't care what his father would think if we brought back news of his son's death! Doesn't give a shit about the grief he would put his own sister through if she were to be told that her brother was dead and gone because he thought no one cared about his precious feelings!” His chest heaved, his tongue sharp against the bitter chill of the wind.

Aleksei's eyes were fixed on Kyrios. “You are so very wrong,” he hissed coldly, hackles bristling as his tail came to rise up above his back. “How dare you speak of your father that way? He was there when I was born, he helped raised me, treated my family when we were sick. I have met no other wolf who cares and loves as much as he. How dare you say such poison! As his own son! You take him for granted, you know that? You don't deserve him. You don't deserve him at all! You take everything he gives and then throw it back in his face when it no longer suits you! If he suddenly passes, takes to sickness, will you still not care? Or will you regret every horrendously ungrateful thing you've ever said about him?”

Aleksei's eyes were wet and he hurt, he hurt so much. At some point, he had blurred the lines and now he was staring his younger self in the face, a foolish and hotheaded boy who never stopped to think about the consequences of his actions and choices.

“When Lachesis dies, will you even be sad? Or will you continue to see a manipulator as his superior? A wolf who stole a young girl's mind and twisted her very grasp on sanity to his advantage.”

He whirled around with a snarl, teeth snapping in the air above the defiled corpse. “Damn you to hell, Kjors! Even in death, you can't help but ruin everything my father strove to build up! Take your grave as it is, know that you deserve nothing better!” He whirled once more and ran. He would do this alone then. Inna and Kyrios could make their own way, it mattered little to Aleksei now. Clearly his opinion meant shit all to the younger wolves, so let them play as if it were all a game.

He had been closer to Karina than any of them. He had been her shield, her stalwart paladin, her guardian.

And, if a lick of that were true, how had he allowed himself to fail her so badly?

Karina's scent was so strong here, it burnt his nose. He couldn't handle it any more. He had failed his family time and time again.

His sister could be dead. There was so little esperance left in him now.

No more. No more.

Aleksei sobbed. Karina's childhood guardian dropped to the ground and wept.

No more, please.

He had no belief in the spiritual, but for once he found himself begging. He pleaded to the wind. To the heavens. To whatever divine deity that treated him as its puppet. “Just give her back,” he choked out, voice strangled and pitiful. “Just give me my sister back.”

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying