LANGUAGE WARNING.

He had learned all too quickly why the Armadas had taken to the North originally, its was because of the fucking heat. This was insane. Summer had only just started and he felt as if he had stuck his head inside a volcano. Not only was it godforsakenly hot in these lands, but it was also wet. The humidity caused his fur to stick together uncomfortably, and cling to his sides and rippling muscles. He panted without ceasing, making his way toward a source of relief - or so he hoped. He could hear the river in the distance, and although his breathing had already grown ragged and rough he would not cease his wandering until he made it there. He didn't care if it took every last ounce of his strength, he would find some relief from this godforsaken heat. He knew he would have to get used to this heat if he was going to live in Imperium, but he just wasn't built for it. His dark fur and born-in-the-north exterior would not adjust easily. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped into the pleasantly luke warm water. Hey, it was something. He dipped his head beneath the surface of the water before rising to his full height again, relishing in how much cooler the air felt now that he was wet. He certainly hoped that Imperium had some form of water source he could swim in - else he would have to rethink his choice of homes. “speak,”

Why she had left, even she wasn't sure. Kyarst's return, coupled with the news of Roman and Drashiel's relationship and thriving pack had left her feeling wildly uneasy. She ought to have been happy to be among family again, and though she had initially wanted to join them in Regium, she hadn't been able to actually take her siblings up on the offer. So like that, she had fled -- quietly and without a word, leaving as Kyarst once had and likely would do again. It seemed she was growing used to abandonment by her family. A slight sneer had drawn itself onto her features as she made her way south. It had taken her some time to find his scent again, but she knew instantly she didn't want to leave his side once she reunited with him. Kyarst was nearly all she had left in this world. Drashiel's loyalty to her had wavered long ago and she doubted her father's return, especially anytime in the near future. And so she was determined to find him. Likely his reaction wouldn't be too pleasant when she finally found him, but she was past the point of caring. She was tired of being alone, despite her own insecurities and doubts -- though she would never voice them -- and she knew she had to hang on to the few things she had left. The air was hot and humid down south and she found her fur clinging tightly to her lanky frame, her tongue lolling somewhat dramatically from her jaws as she traveled through the heat. A child of the north, of the cold and the snow, she was unused to such scorching heat and she found herself silently wondering why Kyarst had decided to travel so damn far from lands they knew as home. It took her a long while to find him -- she'd tracked his scent for days, through the woodlands and the fields, persevering through the awful heat and the relentless summer sun, before she found him. He looked no different than the last time she'd seen him, though he looked considerably more miserable. For awhile she would watch him from the distance, scrutinizing him with her hazel green eyes as she considered just how she would go about this. Finally she made her move, moving swiftly toward him. "Is that my dear brother?" came her sweet, sing-song tones as a devious smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, ears flicking as she drew closer to him. "How I have missed you!"

His lungs were burning, though he wasn't certain if it was a product of his condition or the damned heat. Whatever the case, he furiously lapped at the lukewarm, dingy water. It was better than dying of dehydration, though not much better. It was nothing compared to the crystal clear water of the north, that which flowed directly from the mountains and filtered through limestone and pebble-strewn rivers. That water was pristine, delicious, and absolute perfection. This, this was shit. At least it was according to his foul mood. In all reality the water was probably fine, but being alone again and unhappy about it was enough to make him loathe anything in his path. He turned to exit the water finally, grumbling inaudibly, and caught her phrasing. He froze, tail whipping behind him once, then twice. “You little bitch,” he spat - though it wasn't nearly as venomous as it could have been. “After giving me hell for leaving you, you turn around and do the same.” As he said this he twisted his mask toward her, eyeing her dangerously - with just a note of hurt instead of true anger. “What do you have to say for yourself, dear sister?” He remained where he stood for a moment, shaking off his fur - sending little droplets of water flying in every direction possible. With his fur damp and fluffed, he strode toward her, head and tail high in an expression of dominance. “Where have you been?” he would query, very nearly demanding the information from her. There was a hidden note of sadness in his tone, for he genuinely had missed her and had hated losing her for even a season. “speak,”

This damned place seemed an awful place to visit, let alone to live -- though she knew so much of what had once kept her in the north was all but gone now. Even still, the colder temperatures of the north were far more pleasant to her and she eyed Kyarst for a long moment with confusion in her gaze. Even if she might pretend not to care for him quite as much as she did, it was obvious he meant a great deal to her if she had traveled so far just to find him. Her posture stiffened a bit as he turned to her, seeming surprised and initially quite furious. "And doesn't it feel fucking great?" came her own quick and scathing remark, a bit of bitterness audible in her tones. Though his sharp words stung deeply, she tried to maintain some semblance of composure as she took a few bold steps closer. Her own tail curled above her back, unwilling to back down to him, despite his quite visible rage. "The great Armada family, splintered like limbs from an old tree." A snort would sound as she shook her head. Was this all that was left of them? Still she wondered where her other siblings had gone, for she had found no signs of them in the north before she had traveled down to find Kyarst. "I couldn't handle it," Lysis would admit after a moment, eyes narrowing as she dodged him slightly, pulling away and letting her ears flatten against her skull. "My own littermate, abandoning me, forming a life with Roman without even thinking of me. I just couldn't imagine staying with them, in Regium, though imagining being without you was what drove me to leave." There was nowhere else for her to go, though; perhaps that was why she'd been so unsure of what to do. It seemed stupid -- to leave someone for fear of losing them -- but it was what she had done, and she stared at him tentatively, waiting for the further rage that she was certain would come. "Though I've come back now, haven't I?"

He had missed her stiffening, given his blind rage and hurt insides. He did, however, notice her bold steps forward, and he would meet her in the middle - bringing their distance to a mere few inches between the tips of their muzzles. “Feels like shit,” He would comment. He could feel her hot breath tickling his whiskers as she chastised their family for the divisions they had created. If he were feeling particularly honest he would have no choice but to agree with her. A moment passed, and he would remember those he had seen of their family. Drashiel, and Roman. The others, he knew not where they might be hiding. An Armada shouldn't hide, he surmised, but it seemed not all carried the banner of their family so proudly now that Isardis had gone. She pulled away from him, her ears flattening to her skull as she admitted she 'couldn't take it'. Couldn't take what? Reality? He snorted, the right half of his upper lip twitching idly. She went on, and he found his ears and tail lowering ever so slightly, a degree or two at best - but enough to notice. They fell back further as she noted she had left because she feared losing him. “You worried about losing me, so you left me..” He had nothing more to say, it made no sense to him - and yet made all the sense in the world. It was what he would have done in her same situation. He would rather inflict pain upon himself then give someone else the option to do the same. He twisted his features toward her upon her last comment, a final note of venom dripping from his maw. “Dammit Lysis, next time just say something.. you've always spoken your mind before.” She certainly had when it had been him who left her all alone. “speak,”

Still she panted quietly, a combination of the heat and the sudden uncomfortable rage that she was faced with from Kyarst. Though she hadn't expected anything else from him, there was a small pit of disappointment burning in her gut; rather than acting like somehow they were even now, he seemed frustrated and angry, and she found herself seething slightly in response to his own reaction. Last time she'd seen him, she'd struck out at him in anger, and she half-expected him to do the same, but he didn't advance when she pulled from him. "I didn't want to leave," she further explained, her words coming in a low murmur. "I wasn't really thinking." Part of her had feared that things wouldn't work out, that one of them might stay in Regium while the other decided not to join, that somehow she would not find a place where she belonged -- and so her reaction had been to leave before her decision grew too heavy to bear. Things had been confusing without her father their for to go to for help, without her brother at her side, and she'd found herself acting chaotically in the absence of their guidance. The woman's nose would wrinkle slightly, knowing he didn't understand, though she wanted him to at least attempt to. "I'm back though," Lysis reassured him, head tilting slightly as her tone softened. "Even if the reign of the Armadas is over, I can't imagine being anywhere but with you." It certainly seemed like their family had left the north, for she hadn't been able to find any of her siblings there. "And I know there's no one you'd rather put up with them me." Again her lyrics were sweet, teasing even as she smiled a bit at him. Despite his rage, she was certain he would forgive her, just as she had him.

His breathing had grown ragged, and he found his hips inclining toward the earth of their own accord. This heat was for the birds. Still, he knew that some semblance of their family was here, and he would hold onto that truth for as long as he could. She murmured something about not wanting to leave, but he wouldn't respond to it directly. Instead, a snort blew from his nostrils in a tacky, albeit justified response. Lysis Armada had always done what she wanted, and he suspected in some small way she had wanted to leave - or else she wouldn't have done it. She assured him that she was back, and although it didn't wipe away her abandonment, it did something to quell his frustration with her. Perhaps just having her back had done the trick, he didn't know for sure. It was much better to be angry with someone you could actually yell at. But he didn't want to yell anymore, and so he didn't. Her teasing comment led him to twist his emerald gaze toward her and let loose a quick response. “Certainly not anyone I can think of.” She was, perhaps, the easiest wolf to put up with he'd met to this day - even if she did drive him crazy from time to time. His features softened and he allowed himself to slink a bit closer to her. He would then twist his muzzle toward the river, “It's nothing like the springs up North.. but it will cool you down and quench your thirst,” he commented. “There's a pack here in the south, Imperium, that harbors a few splinters of our family tree - a few of which you'll be quite interested in, i'm sure.” He would remain vague, it wouldn't do to let her know of Drashiel's death just yet. His children were there, though, and Kyarst knew that Lysis would certainly take an interest in her nieces and nephews. “speak,”

Once, things had been so simple. Despite the illness that had plagued her early childhood, she remembered things being much more pleasant back then -- though she couldn't help but wonder if her memories had been distorted over time. It was no different than how she herself had changed over the years, growing from a sweet, tender young child to something much more fiery and spontaneous. There was still a pleasant sweetness in her expression, a thinly veiled ruse spread over her delicate features in the form of a cheeky smile as she gazed at her half-brother with burning curiosity. Her own stiff posture slackened, tail twitching as it fell limply behind her lanky form, shoulders drooping ever so slightly.  "Then it is settled," she stated matter-of-factly as she slipped forward to recline at the river's edge, leaning down to lap at the water thirstily. It was not ice cold, but significantly cooler than the air, and the liquid felt refreshing as it cascaded down her throat.   "I'll stay with you awhile." Honestly, where else would she go? She'd said the same thing last time, though this time she knew with certainty that she didn't want to end up on her own. His words were mysterious, and slowly she would stop her drinking, lapping droplets of water from her snout as she turned to eye him. What family was in this Imperium that he spoke of?   "Who's there?" she'd ask eagerly, her words more demanding than a simple inquiry, and she found her tail twitching idly behind her.

He watched her move toward the river, eyes lingering a bit longer than they should have along the curves of her midsection and hips. She was a svelte girl, and yet held her curves. Of course, he'd yet to meet an ugly Armada. He watched her take a drink, and then snorted as the words fell out of her mouth like the droplets of water had. “Just a while, sweet sister? What, are you afraid you'll get bored of me once again?” Perhaps his phrasing was a bit more biting than he'd intended it to be, but her leaving was still a sore spot with him - it might always be, the proud thing he was. He should have known she would be curious as he vaguely spoke of their kin, and immediately he would regret saying anything at all. “Well I guess you'll see when we get there, won't you?” He knew that he couldn't bring himself to tell her about Drashiel, and he honestly didn't know how to tell her about Roman either. He did know, however, that the children were in Imperium, and that Lysis would certainly take an interest in them. Not to mention others were in Imperium, though they no longer bore the Armada surname. It did bother him that they went by another name, but what was he to do about it? He rose to his paws, tail twitching idly behind him. “I don't know much about the place, but it's the only pack I'd consider joining now that Regium has dissolved.” “speak,”

Though she truly did care for him, it'd never seemed so easy to just connect with anyone, even her closest brother. This constant give-and-take between them seemed common; they'd been nothing short of fiery toward one another since the moment they reunited.    "Maybe," she'd tease with a snort, though was content to leave him hanging for a moment longer as she leaned to take another greedy drink from the river. The temperature of this place was far higher than she was accustomed to, and she knew being dehydrated on a summer day was not her idea of a good time.   "Perhaps you'll just have to try a bit harder to entertain me this time, Kyarst." Though her words were slightly scathing, they were playful too, and her smirk grew a bit wider as she eyed him.  "Assuming I'm coming with you, I see," came another amused remark, though she wouldn't argue. Lysis would be content to go wherever family members were, though she knew nothing of this pack or even what family Kyarst alluded to.   "I saw no signs of either Drashiel or Roman when I returned to look for you," came a solemn admission. It hadn't been pleasant to discover that their home was vacant -- even though she'd left, part of her had expected everything to stay as it had been, for her if nothing else.   "I can only hope we find them in this pack you speak of."

He should have known she wouldn't let it go. He wouldn't have either, had the situation been reversed. He hadn't wanted to be the one to bare the bad news to her, but it seemed he was the only one who could. Who else in their family would step up and do the same? Who else even remained? He would near her, slowly, deliberately, and with a solemn and yet unreadable glimmer in his eyes. “Lysis,” he breathed, barely more than a whisper. “We won't find them there.” he spoke with finality. “There was an attack, a bear..” he started, his voice wavering slightly. He purposely brought himself nearer to her, blocking her so that if she ran she could only run into his form or the river. “Roman didn't make it,” he breathed. He remembered the last time he'd seen her, and Drashiel. It had been the day he had returned. She had offered him a home, and he hadn't taken her offer. She had sensed what was going on between he and Lysis, and had excused herself and Drashiel. She had been so wise. “Drashiel lived, but only for a short while. His injuries, i'm told, were too great.” There was a deadness in his voice, as if some part of him had died along with them - and he hadn't known it until now. “I only found out a short time ago, I didn't want to be the one to tell you - but I had to.” He had heard it from a near-stranger, she deserved to hear it from him. He couldn't stand it, not knowing what she would do, how she would react. He needed to touch her, to be her foundation. He had had no such thing when he had heard the news. He had to be brave, but he would not force her to do the same. He strode forward in one powerful swoop, aiming to press against her hard enough to let her know he was there, that she needn't do this alone. Head and neck would crane up and over her neck as his chest pressed into her shoulder, hoping to encase her in an embrace. He would tuck his chin down, curling as closely to her as she would allow. “speak,”

His tone changed suddenly, and she felt a burning curiosity deep in her chest. Was he being purposefully vague about this pack? Why hadn't he told her which family members they would find in Imperium? "What?" she asked quickly, feeling a bit uncomfortable with his tone, unsure what it meant and why his demeanor had shifted so rapidly. She was fine with his ferocity and his rage -- she could take all of it without complaint. And yet this sudden seriousness, this sadness that crept into his tone, was not something Lysis was used to. He explained that there had been a bear attack. Her hazel stare was guarded and she nearly flinched as he moved closer to her, her gaze unblinking as she listened to his surprising words. Her chest tightened, confusion washing over her at his declaration. Roman had not made it. And yet it was Drashiel's death that truly hurt the most; a stinging, piercing pain that gripped her heart. Slowly her jaw unhinged, and she felt panic flood her body. Her own littermate was dead? How was it even possible? Stunned into silence, she recoiled at Kyarst's touch, though only for a moment before she felt herself growing limp in his embrace. "No.." her voice quivered, void of its normal strength, painfully small and quiet as she leaned into his touch. Lysis felt her limbs quake beneath her even as she lay reclined on the earth, against her half-brother's strong grip. "What the fuck, Kyarst..." There was a bit of anger there, though sadness overwhelmed her suddenly and rapidly. Now, he truly was all she had left in this world and she regretted leaving him, not only because it had upset him but because she had never gotten a chance to spend time with Drashiel again, as they had as children.

He wasn't the best at emotions, he hadn't been raised around a plethora of them. The most he'd learned was that whatever you felt needed to be used to drive you toward some type of action. Anger led to revenge, sadness led to revenge, most everything led to revenge, actually. It had been his first inclination when Valentine had uttered the news - but it had been impossible. Two lost lives could not be avenged, not against a bear who was probably long gone by now. Roman and Drashiel wouldn't have wanted to be avenged anyway, not in the way that he would want to avenge them. He had learned, perhaps even in his wanderings, that anger could be expressed - and it made you feel better. Sadness, however, was not something he was used to getting out in the open, and even now he felt numb all over save for the parts of him that were touching her. He could feel her shaking, and as he lay pressed against her he knew that at any moment she might fall apart like a rosebud in a harsh wind. He would let her, if she wanted, even if it meant he was the only one who could put her back together. He could sense the anger in his tone, but he ignored it. He had been angry too. Rather instinctively he craned his chin closer to the nape of her neck, nibbling idly at the thicker fur and skin there. It was something his mother used to do when he was a boy, and whether or not it helped it was certainly worth a shot. He continued to nibble idly at her fur, almost unconsciously. He had to give her hope, had to give her something to hold onto. “The children,” he breathed between chewing on her fur. “..they are in Imperium,” he voiced. It was them that drew him there, them and the hole his half-brother and half-sister had left. The hole he wanted to fill. “speak,”

Emotion had never really been her forté either, and yet this news... the news of the death of Drashiel felt like it might break her. Her feelings were often flighty and spontaneous, her moods fluctuating as quickly as the weather often did, anger quickly giving way to amusement, but that was how she had always been. Perhaps her early brush with death, with the sickness that had nearly taken her, had permanently marred her -- left her with a rather whimsical attitude toward life. And yet now all she could feel was sadness, pouring over her like the skies had opened up and begun to rain without mercy, with the faintest hint of anger welling up from deep inside. There was nothing she could do to change anything. Why hadn't they ran? What could've prompted either of them to try to fight off a fucking bear?  "Fuck," she murmured again, instinctively leaning in to his touch. She hadn't expected much more than a passionate reunion and perhaps an update on what Kyarst had been up to.. certainly not anything like this. This time she didn't flinch at his touch. It was comforting, even if she wouldn't be the first to admit it out loud. Slowly her eyes would close, breathing deeply in and out of her mouth, her chest heaving slightly with the sobs that threatened to fall, that she tried to stifle. It was their children that lived in Imperium, and she knew now why he hadn't wanted to tell her right away which family he meant. "I want to know them," she said quietly, feeling tears well in her eyes, though she kept them firmly shut. Crying was not something she was used to, and certainly not in the presence of Kyarst.  "I want to be there for them." Without parents, they needed someone to look up to... and though she and Kyarst might not be the best role models, she knew damn well someone had to be, and an Armada would fit the role best. Her own mother had never really been there for her, and she didn't want these children to face the same scenario. Her body would continue to quiver, though the initial panic had begun to fade at his rhythmic grooming of her neck and she felt herself relaxing a bit more at his touch.

He continued to nibble relentlessly at her flesh and fur, not realizing it was calming him as much (or possibly more) as it was her. It was the rhythmic biting and chewing that left him feeling responsible for her ability to keep it together. He would do his best to help her, and so far this was it. A moment would pass, not a particularly long one, but a moment nevertheless, in which she determined she wanted to know the children. He had figured as much, and he found himself nodding in agreement. His movements changed just then, switching from the frantic nibbles to longer, smoother swipes of his tongue across the fur he'd ruffled. His head arced outward and then reeled back in as he combed through the fur on her neck with his tongue. “We will,” he murmured between swipes, “I'll make sure of it.” His eyes narrowed to little slits, and finally closed altogether as he realized how relaxing this was for him. There was something about comforting her that he liked even more than pissing her off. There was something to being the only creature alive that could keep her rooted to the earth. His lips twisted in the oddest and smallest of smiles as he continued to groom her, breathing a sigh of contentment here and there. It wasn't as if he was happy about what had happened, and in fact he was quite upset by it all, but he was happy that he was able to be there for her. “speak,”

There was a frenzied sort of rage that boiled below the surface, even as Kyarst began to groom her and try to soothe the pain that had come suddenly and with little warning. She, too, felt someone ought to be held responsible for what had happened to her siblings, though she knew it was nobody's fault. Still, there was a sudden need to punish someone, to yell and to scream and to let all the rage inside out... though it would not be taken out on Kyarst. Not now. His touch was comforting, and reminded her of when they'd been children and things had been far simpler. Though she had always considered Drashiel her closest sibling, it had been the male that embraced her now that she had truly been closest to, that had known her the best. Even now, at this horrible news, she couldn't imagine anyone in the world she would rather be with. Her breathing grew steadily more even. The tears that she had tried to contain spilled down her cheeks, from her closed eyes. Everything had changed, and now she knew with finality that nothing could ever be the same. Not without her brother, and not without Roman. Lysis had never expected that this would come of this meeting and certainly didn't guess that her angry brother would end up comforting her so intimately. His touch felt like home and for a long moment she lay with him, content to feel him grooming her and trying to calm her. The attention was something she always craved, especially from him, though this felt infinitely more rewarding than pissing him off. A quite murmur left her lips as she leaned into him, basking in his warmth and his familiar scent for a moment longer.  "Are we far from Imperium?" her soft inquiry came after a long moment of silence, wondering how soon she might meet these nieces and nephews of hers, and wondering what other wolves might await her there.

He would groom her for a while longer, honestly unsure if it was helping at all. It was, however, the only thing he knew to do for an upset wolf, and so he would continue even if his efforts were in vain. His mind wandered to Drashiel and Roman, remembering the last time he had encountered them. It had seemed so odd to see them together, and yet not because they were kin (for that type of coupling was normal for the Armada line) but because they hadn't let on at all about their whirlwind romance. Granted, he had been gone for some time, but even Lysis had been shocked - she more so than he, it had seemed. He had never pictured the two of them together, and yet there they had stood, naive and perfectly in love. So naive, in fact, that the two of them would face a bear together instead of doing the sensible thing and running. Perhaps it was the pride of the Armadas that had truly led to their untimely death and the orphanage of their children. He liked to think that pride or no pride, he would not endanger himself so soon after spawning. Still, he couldn't bring himself to truly hold it against them, and so he would mourn them alongside his half sister as he tried his best to console her. Her voice would bring him back to reality, and he would ponder her question for but a moment as he ceased grooming her to speak. “We are not far,” he spoke. “I met the King at this very riverside only a week ago, I didn't join him then because I wanted to make one last attempt at finding your sorry hide,” he jested in hopes of lightening the moment. “I am almost certain he would take the both of us, if the heat doesn't kill us first.” Though a lighter comment, he wasn't entirely joking about dying of the damn heat in the south. It was highly probable. “speak,”

Lysis would not deny that her brother's presence was comforting to her. Whether he was pissed off at her, or holding her close like he was now -- it didn't matter as much as it might to another creature. The high of emotion was comforting to her, as strange as it sounded, and she certainly would prefer to feel something with him than nothing at all. The moment lingered, though not as long as she would've liked, before she felt the tears dry on her cheeks. It had taken her awhile to regain her composure, though she still felt shaky as they broke the tight embrace they'd shared. "Good," she commented, a bit of the fire returning to her voice. 'It's too fucking hot to have to go too far." She could only hope this pack boasted a giant, cool lake... or maybe a river that ran from the mountains in the north, though she highly doubted this was the case. A snort would sound at his comment as she pulled away slightly. Though Lysis appreciated his closeness, it wasn't something she was entirely used to and there was worry that she might grow to like it too much. A part of her was afraid he, too, might disappear -- might try to do something stupid like fight a bear and get himself killed, and only leave her hurting even worse than she was now. A sigh left her lips as she nudged him away from her, shaking her head slightly to fluff the fur that he had smoothed down. "We better get going then," she commented, slowly pulling herself to all her four slightly shaky paws. "I think I could go for a nap when we get there." She felt exhausted suddenly, not only from the heat and the journey south, and she knew a long day of rest might help her collect her emotions and calm her frenzied mind.

When he had ceased his rhythmic grooming he found himself absent of anything else to do. It had felt so natural to comfort her, and when it was no longer necessary he wondered what other excuse he might find to caress her. He found himself laughing as she commented that it was too hot to go a long distance, and his quick wit allowed him to formulate a comeback in only seconds. “Yes you are,” he breathed with confidence and charm. Okay, so she hadn't directly said she was hot, but that didn't mean he couldn't. The smallest of smiles graced his features as he reluctantly stood to his paws. He didn't like the idea of separating his form from hers, but it was necessary if they were going to get anywhere. His tail switched idly behind him as he shook to remove any debris that might have clung to his fur. He chuckled as she nudged him away, and he purposely took an extra large step away from her. She commented about getting going and needing a nap, and he would nod his head slowly. “I could go for a nap.” He paused for a moment and pondered which way Imperium was. It didn't take him long to orient himself, and he adjusted himself so his rump was toward the middle of her bodice and he faced away from her. Casually and quite purposely he would flick his tail toward her face before pacing forward. “Come on, it's this way.” He felt like a child again, leading her off on one of their great adventures. They had been quite the pair of youthful explorers, and even now in their adult state he wondered how many more adventures they might get the pleasure of going on together. - exit Kyarst “speak,”