Gaios had been traveling south, bound for the lands his family had called home at the time of his departure. As it turned out, he would not have to go far into the southern lands at all before encountering the unexpected yet unmistakable scent of his family on the wind. Had they moved or simply grown, he wondered. There were some strange new scents intermixed, but the familiar among them could not be mistaken. Drawn in, he eventually found their clearly marked borderline and his suspicions were confirmed. Its just, this was not at all where he had been expecting them. What on earth had happened while he and Amon were away? When Amon had called his youngest son away to play messenger, their father had claimed stake in lands farther south, and his elder cousin just recently in the northeast. He frowned. Toeing the border, Gaios took a long breath and rolled his shoulders. He was excited to see his elder brother of course, and a few others as well, but he was also rather nervous. A persistent whisper in his mind urged him to find confidence. So what if he had tarried a bit on his journey home? He had no lack of faith in Malleus as a leader, the pack would be fine. A moon or two had made no difference, surely. Of course... finding part of the Empire relocated was... a bit worrisome. Finally, Gaios tipped his head back and howled, announcing his arrival. Gaios moved a few careful paces over the boundary and took a seat, and schooled his expression into a mask of calm bordering on carelessness. He had been raised as all Abraxas were, but if there was one lesson which spoke to him above all others, it was that the ability to control your outward emotions could be the difference between life and death. It gave a wolf the gift of controlling conversation, playing the emotions of another, steering events, if you were wise enough to recognize your cues. As far as Gaios was concerned, Amon had mastered the art. He reminded himself that Malleus was not their father, who seemed to be able to pick out your wrongdoing from a single hard glance. Formal meetings with Amon had terrified him, both as a pup and a yearling, and Gaios wondered worriedly if this anxiety would be with him forever. If you weren't so weak you would not have this problem, the voice whispered. For a brief second Gaios' mask of calm slipped into a silent snarl, and then was back in place. He stared upwards at the rolling clouds above, at last forcing his mind to empty while he waited for Malleus to arrive. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

The howl that rose up over the garden struck Malleus as familiar, but he wasn't able to place it immediately - something he was going to blame on the howler's youthfulness the last time they'd spoken. Upon realizing that it was his younger brother calling for him Malleus was filled with a dread so fierce that it soured his stomach and dried his mouth almost immediately. It wasn't Gaios exactly that filled him with fear. No, it was what Gaios represented. The younger Abraxas had disappeared at the same time Amon had and it didn't take much to put two and two together. Gaios had gone with Amon which meant that Gaios now brought word of Amon. This belief alarmed him. Malleus felt unprepared for whatever waited for him at the border. There wasn't a single answer he felt prepared to receive. What if his father was dead? What if Amon planned on returning? What if he'd sent Gaios to take control of the pack? After swallowing his fear Malleus forced himself to answer the call and in no time at all he stood before his younger brother. "Gaios," he greeted with a warmth he didn't feel because of the growing knot in his stomach. "You are a sight for sore eyes. I'm glad you've returned; you look well." He fought the urge to ask about Amon and willed himself to let his brother get in a few words before he grilled him.

Gaios fought against his anxiety, and by the time Malleus appeared he was hopefully betraying little of his own worry. He didn't notice Malleus' own discomfort, being so focused on his own, and his brother's warm greeting was taken at face value. Gaios smiled, truly relieved to see him after so long. "As are you," he returned quietly. "It's been a long time coming" For fear of seeming soft, Gaios did not say that he was immensely grateful to be home. The pack and lands Amon and Malleus had both been born in were vastly different than what Amon had built here. He might have considered it a blessing to have been born in different times, but he would keep those thoughts to himself. He shifted his paws, knowing it was best to just get on with it. He wondered how Malleus would feel, knowing that Amon intended to stay and rule in his namesake's stead, now that their grandfather was dead. He looked healthy and strong, as if the life of leadership suited him, but Gaios didn't want to assume. "Father sent me back to deliver a message. He has dethroned our grandfather, and intends to stay and hold the remaining pack together. Grandfather's rule had become tumultuous and unstable, so Father disposed of him. He said that he trusts you with the Empire, so long as you hadn't let it fall in his absence." Gaios repeated his words verbatim, as he'd sworn to do, but after grinned and tacked on his own, "But you appear to be in good spirits and I know the scent of an Abraxas border as well as my own. It seems you are doing well, brother." Gaios had become more relaxed as his speech went on, finding the words easier to say than he'd ever expected. The weight of Echevira still hung in his mind, but it was easier to mask the more he slipped back into the mind of Gaios Abraxas, instead of merely Gaios. "TALK" "YOU" THINK

Malleus listened with trepidation as Gaios spoke. It quickly became apparent that his worry was unwarranted. Amon would stay in the homeland and The Risen Empire would remain under Malleus' command. This was exactly what Malleus had been hoping to hear. He'd have complied with his father's request had the elder Abraxas dictated he stand aside, but in all honesty Malleus didn't know if he could go back to being a follower. Yet, anyway. One day, when his kids were grown, retirement might suit him. "I'm glad father is well and that his mission was a success," he said dutifully. He was also quite pleased that the man had seen fit to leave the Empire in his possession, but thought it undignified to say so. Malleus returned Gaios' grin and this time it was genuine. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He chuckled, then said, "Better than well, little brother. The Empire has grown in your absence. You are an uncle."