It was time. Paradox left the pups by the barn as she went to search for her brother. It was time for the pups to leave, and she would go her own way. The only problem was, she had no idea where the male that the kids belonged to was at. Her last little trip to Auster yielded no results, the pack he belonged to was no longer there. The only other option she could think of to get rid of them so they would never find her again was to just throw them in a river. Abandoning them somewhere gave them the chance to track her down. But she didn't want them. She never really wanted kids. Perhaps if her father had been alive she would have, but he had been dead for years now...there was no empire for them to need soldiers anymore. She spotted him sitting on top of a hill, so that's where she made her path. She said nothing as she came to sit beside him, blue eyes gazing out across the horizon. And together, they sat in silence. "Speak"

He had been sitting out here alone for quite some time. Thinking about Paradox and her pups. He knew she didn't want to keep them. He knew she wanted to get rid of them by whatever means necessary. The unnamed children, however, deserved better than to just be thrown in a river or something. Whenever he asked her about them, she never really gave a clear answer. She was unhappy, and it was plain as day. She didn't play with them, didn't really feed them, or do anything a normal mother should. No, he was always bringing them food and making sure they were well looked after. And he knew it would be up to him to give them a better life. Or at least, lead them to where they would be better off. He scented his sister before she even came to sit beside him. But he said nothing for a long while, and neither did she. It wasn't until the silence felt so thick that he finally spoke, "It's time, isn't it?" He would ask without looking at her. He needed to know her plans with them. If she was going to throw them to the sharks or just abandon them and let nature take its course. Whatever the case, he would do his best to save them. Part of him wondered why he was so concerned...had it been in years past, he wouldn't have cared. But now? These kids were a part of him. They were all he had left asides from his sister. Forsaken was gone, Ganta was dead...there were his other niece and nephew from Ganta, but he didn't know much about them to just barge into their lives. These kids though, he spent every day with them. And he cared about them. "Listen to me talk," and know my thoughts.'

After a long bout of silence, her brother would break it. A question that barely made her ears twitched, and silently she nodded. He knew how she felt about all this and had she knew what he was thinking then she still wouldn't have cared. She was heartless, she knew. They were Hellstrom blood, but there was no legacy to really continue. She didn't have the drive to continue what her father had left behind, and neither did Enigma. Forsaken was gone, and everyone else was scattered to who knew where. "You knew I didn't intend to keep them. Truth be told I should have killed them the moment they were born." Damn, she really did sound heartless, didn't she? She flicked her tail, making it known that her decision was made.

His heart dropped when he heard her speak, and he didn't really know how to respond. The three young pups didn't deserve this, that much he knew. He always did what he could for them, but he could only do so much when all she wanted was to get rid of them...even if that meant sentencing them to die. He sighed, golden eyes filling with emotions he couldn't quite name. "They didn't ask to be born, you know this. It's not their fault that you see them as nothing more than an inconvenience. Perhaps you should have done something before they were born, the moment you found out. But you didn't, why?" He was curious. If she really didn't want them that bad, then why didn't she terminate them the moment she realized she was pregnant with them?

"I thought maybe I would feel differently after they were born. That I would feel what our father felt when he had us." She shrugged. Her father had always been devoted to his children, even if he was the bad guy in the eyes of many, he never was in the eyes of his kids. "Evidently I didn't inherit his love and devotion." She muttered, blue gaze hard as she continued to stare out over the knolls. Why did he even care? They weren't his. They were just little leeches that whined and got in the way. She didn't ask for them either, but here she was. Planning what the hell to do with them. "Why do you care so much anyway? They have no benefit to us. We have no empire. No need for soldiers. Unless you plan on finishing what he started, am I right or am I wrong?"

He listened quietly to her explanation, and it only served to confirm what he always knew. Para wasn't cut out for kids, that was painfully obvious. He couldn't have his own, so maybe that's why it bothered him so much. Before the war, he never really considered having kids of his own. But now that years had passed, and after having spent time with his niece and nephews, his perspective changed. "I don't plan on continuing what he started, not anytime soon anyway. Father would be disappointed in you. And you know that." He turned to look at her, his own gaze hard now as he stared at her, "You know I'm right. You know he always wanted the best for us, and that he would want the best for any children we had too." His fur prickled, hackles rising in irritation. "You're stupid for wanting to just throw them away like that. They did nothing wrong." He growled. If she wasn't willing to try and find a better life for them, then he would.

Para's fur prickled as she whirled on him, ears flattened and her stained teeth baring. "You're going to sit there and tell me I'm wrong!? He went and got himself killed! And we ended up inheriting his wrongdoings!" She hissed. They had no other family now but each other, and she would do what it took to keep it that way. "I didn't want them, and I didn't ask for them. You think I really give a shit what happens to them now? I expected you to be on my side about this, brother!" She was pissed, that was for certain. She didn't understand why he was so adamant about this whole thing. Sure, she knew he couldn't have kids of his own, but that didn't matter. She would get rid of these brats one way or another! "If you think my methods are wrong, feel free to leave. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!"

"I never said he was perfect! Arian made her bed and she slept in it, or did you forget she was the one who challenged him to the death, and her mate came after him because she lost!" He snarled back at her, his temper rising. He didn't get it. He felt like she was blaming their father for her decision now. "Worse things have been done by others in this world, but those kids have done nothing wrong!" He glared at her, standing now as he barely held himself back. "What happened to you? I thought I knew you better than this, but it doesn't seem like it. You're starting to sound more like Forsaken, and for once I'm glad that I actually changed." He had to admit, after all this time and growing older, he really did change. And it all happened when he ended up taking care of his younger, blind brother. He wondered briefly what happened to Obscuro and the rest of the litter...but the thought was fleeting. He had to do something before his sister did, or else it would be too late.

Turning on his heels he decided distancing himself from her would be his best bet. "Since you think you have everything figured out, you don't need me around anymore." He hissed. As much as he wanted to rip into her, he felt she didn't even deserve that much. "Don't call for me anymore. From now on, you're nothing more than a stranger to me. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life." He turned away from her, deciding now was the best time to gather the pups and take them before she could hurt them. And if she ever tried to, she would regret it...

-exit-