The tiny figure pelted head long through the mist, seemingly unaware of the cold dampness that clung to her fur. Luck was drenched in truth, though not because of the mist, she had been running for what felt like a life time but could have only been a few hours. She was running from everything, from the pain of seeing Bacchus in the state he was, from the hate pouring off the purple girl, from her own fears and pain. She wanted nothing more than to see her parent’s faces and to cry into their fur.

But they were gone, everyone she knew was either gone or missing or… laying in a cave potentially dying because of her inability to heal them. That idea was enough to stop her in her tracks, stone figures rising up in the distance and the small Destruction girl found herself drawn to them. Settling herself in the heart of the stone ring she did her best to bring herself back under control.



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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus was taking a break from patrol to see if he couldn't find some herbs to bring back for Zuriel and Kavdaya. So far, he'd found a good haul; mint, yarrow, a bit of marsh mallow root. Kavdaya had said they were good for teething pups. They didn't have any pups in the pack at the moment, but he'd caught the glances his mother had been casting toward his father, and he was well aware of the changes in her scent. So, maybe he'd have more little brothers and sisters come Autumn. That would be perfectly fine with him! His jaws were gently wrapped around his finds as he ghosted along through the marsh, wilderness craft in use. His paws were lowered carefully, intuitively finding the quietest, softest places to settle, and if he's been white instead of vibrant red, he could have been mistaken for a ghost in the heavy fog that was rolling in. Summer or not, this place seemed untouched for the most part by the dry weather of the west. It was a peaceful place, and he liked it. He stopped abruptly, one paw raised like a pointer hound's, as fast, small pawsteps raced past. Were those Ganja's? Sounded tiny enough. Why would Ganja be running like a madwoman through the moor, though? He followed at a distance, taking his time to pick his way along a path, considering his next move. Ahead, hidden in the mists, the paws stopped. Regulus continued on, stopping just outside the ring of standing stones, fathomless sapphires roving the monoliths before trailing to the center and landing on a small figure. His nose was full of mint, yarrow, and mallow, so he couldn't catch her scent all that well, but she looked kinda familiar. Brown and cream, though her face was away from him so he didn't catch that detail quite yet. He lowered his bundle of herbs to the ground, circling silently around the tiny female, wanting a better look. Oh, hey... He knew that face. But the last time he's seen her, she was an excited, happy, bubbly pup, but still instilled wit the politeness of her parents. Her name was a memorable one. And he'd nearly stepped on her. "Luck?" She looked distressed, upset. His baritone, accented voice was gentle as a result. Regulus ventured forward a few steps, unconsciously still setting his paws down silently, though at this close a proximity, there was the faintest thud and rustle of weight and foliage.

The small Destruction girl had all but missed the other presence in the moor, a striking thing really considering how much the red man stuck out; especially here. Her head was tucked to her chest and her own shaky breathing was distracting enough that she didn’t even realize he was there till he spoke. If his scent crossed her mind at all it had been ignored in her distress.

“Luck? The girl’s head suddenly shot up, brilliant blues scanning the horizon with a feverish nature. When the familiar face entered her view there was a visible shift in her demeanor. Relief washed through her, painted clearly upon her face.   “Regulus!
She breathed his name.

“Regulus, gods!” Luck’s voice lilted into a hysteric tone as she spoke the last word. Her body moving without consciously deciding; the tiny girl found herself closing the gap between them, pushing herself into his larger frame. It was a too brief moment of comfort.

Suddenly Luck remembered where she was and who this wolf was. The last time she had seen him he had been a pup, she had been a pup, and he was as much a stranger as anyone else at this point. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She muttered, dropping her gaze and suddenly pulling away from the contact, almost shrinking in upon herself.


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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

His voice seemed to startle the Destruction. Her head jerked up, and he watched as her eyes flitted feverishly about before she spotted him. Well, at least she knew who he was. His name came on a breath. The next moment, she exclaimed much more loudly. The hysteria in her voice distressed him, and as she made contact with his frame, he automatically welcomed her in, lifting a large paw to gently drape over her back and lowering his haunches to the ground, long-haired, fluffy tail flicking to curl around his hips. "You're safe, Luck. Safe." The vibrant red Future meant it. If whatever she'd been running from came at that moment, he'd be ready to defend his little friend. The contact was brief, before she jerked back, apologizing. "Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. You look like you need a hug, anyways." Fathomless sapphires searched her heart-masked face as he lowered to his belly, hips canting to rest on their side, offering a warm spot to curl for her. "What's happened?" Wait a tic... He thought back a bit, then realized something. "I saw you at the Challenge for Fiori. Didn't really realize it, though. I was focused on other things..." The Challenge had ended in Leo's favor, something Regulus was glad about, for all the Adravendis' sakes. While he knew his mother would gladly have taken them into Celestial, he knew from the stories that having your pack taken in a Challenge was a traumatic ordeal. Luck was Varda's little sister. Frith and Novella's daughter. "Varda's in Celestial, you know. She's one of our hunters... Well... Our only hunter." He offered the grain of what he hoped was hope to the Destruction woman, searching her face for any sign that this news might calm her.

There were so many conflicting emotions swirling around inside her, she wanted so much to just melt into his touch to let herself be swept away by the concept of safety but still she jerked away from him, avoiding his gaze as she apologized. He told her not to apologize and she breathed a deep sigh, tiny frame rising with the inhale and sinking in upon herself as she breathed out.

He lay down and despite herself Luck found herself curling into the curve of his frame laying down upon the ground as well, allowing herself a brief moment of peace as he spoke again. She closed her eyes, trying her best to organize her thoughts. The comforting feel of his body against hers was familiar one, she was used to feeling dwarfed though by her estimation Bacchus was ever so slightly smaller than the red boy.

Regulus mentioned Varda and despite it all Luck’s tail unconsciously swished against the ground a weak show of the news of her sister helping to lift her spirits some. “I’d like to see her soon if that’s okay.” Her voice was soft, slightly hoarse and she cleared her throat before she spoke again.

“His name is Bacchus, after my family left he was sort of the first wolf I gave my company too… it sounds silly, I hardly knew him, but I decided I would follow him anywhere as long as he was willing to have me. I didn’t know that would mean having to watch him fight and injure himself.” She paused for a moment, voice wavering when she picked it up again. “My family is made up of many more healers than fighters but I didn’t get to learn to much before they all picked up and left… I’m doing what I can for his wounds but I’m not certain I can provide the care he needs.”

Oh gods she hadn’t meant to allow herself to cry in front of anyone, but it was quickly becoming clear she wasn’t going to have a choice. Her tiny frame shook as the water works began. “He doesn’t talk to me about things, I know he doesn’t, and I try not to let it bug me but sometimes he would leave in the middle of the night and converse with strangers. He’d come back in the middle of the day with the scent of other women on his pelt… I really don’t know him. “ She shook her head, laughing sadly. “If that was the end of it I’d be able to put it out of mind but now I don’t even have the option to try and forget this, a purple wolf was also at the challenge… she’s some old friend of his or something and she’s determined to make me remember that I know nothing about him… she’s jealous of me or something and I just-” Luck had picked up her pace, words slurring together as it all poured out of her.

“He’s all I’ve had for the past two seasons and before that I was alone… I just can’t lose him!” There was raw emotion in her voice as she spoke the last sentence, burying her face in her paws. She had so many things she couldn’t understand about how she felt about her shining knight, she was starting to pick up on a few things in herself, but the fear of never having the option to explore them further was crushing anything that might normally have been exciting.



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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Despite her initial withdrawal, Luck readily seemed to take the mute offer of comfort Regulus extended to her. As her tiny form curled against his side, he tightened his frame gently around hers, tail flicking to cover what he could with it while his front end tucked around, his head aiming to rest lightly over her. A sort of full body hug, if you will. He had curled like this around his little sister when she was still a tiny pup, whenever his mother decided to take a break from nursing her second brood and take a walk, or a drink in the ravine. Someday, he'd probably do the same for his own kids. It heartened him a bit to feel her tail respond to the mention of her sister, and he answered easily; "My mother offered a home to any former Threar wolf, Destruction or no, that needs a home. Varda was one of them, Miksa's another. If you came to stay, I think that would help Varda feel more at home, too. And of course it's okay. I think she's maybe thinking her family's all gone." Whether Luck would accept the offer he extended on behalf of his mother or not would remain to be seen. He listened to her story, his ears planing out to the sides as she spoke of Bacchus, and about the purple female. He remembered, seeing a purple coat. And a red one, too. But he'd been too busy watching the challenge to really take note; shockingly enough. It wasn't too often that he saw others of unnatural coloring, though after meeting Mithras, he was pretty sure no one could come close to the Argead leader and his kin, though Regulus could only guess at the spectacularity of their coats. He wasn't sure how to answer the raw emotions he heard in Luck's voice, but as she broke down, though clearly not meaning to, he tightened his curl in an attempt to comfort and bolster her. "Does Bacchus know his... friend.. treats you like this? As for healing... Well, I could always ask our Master Healer and my mother if helping would be okay. Bacchus being the one who tried to Challenge for our family's pack... But My grandmother would help, if she were still alive. And that's something that my mother tries to emulate. But if he knows and still lets his friend treat you badly... Is he worth your pain?" His jaws shut with a click. Gods that sounded callous of him. He hadn't quite meant to voice that last thought aloud; it had more or less slipped - big surprise - but now that it was out, he reiterated. "Meaning is he worth your time, not is he worth having his life saved. I think he has family in Fiori, as well. One of the wolves there, a female, looked a bit like him, if in coloring, and she looked..." His tongue clicked against his teeth, a habit unknowingly inherited from his long passed grandfather, Nova, as he thought over the expressions he'd read on the woman's face. "Conflicted?" He turned back to the matter of her family, something he hoped would help lighten the mood. "Have you checked out Abaven? There's a Destruction there, Bass. He's the leader there. Maybe some of your family migrated there. Mother wants to go see if that's the case. Your parents and she were friendly."