Naiche was determined to make sure he gave his son as much attention as he could while Arc was still young.  Naiche wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of his family and break apart.  Arc would grow up knowing his dad loved him and was proud of him.  Naiche imagined lots of time spent training and sparring until the day Naiche’s child would come out the winner.  That was the future of course, for now, he had a young child that was still learning the fine details of fighting.   Today Naiche wanted to give Arc a chance to show off.  Naiche was no master hunter to train in hunting but he knew Arc was getting lessons from Asla.  She was a great hunter and surely taught the boy well.  How far along was he in hunting?  How much time did he spend training in hunting versus time spent training in fighting?  Did he play in any way besides fighting and hunting?  Naiche thought back and remembered being a pretty carefree pup with little concern for the dangers of the real world or need to be a great fighter.  He had been a naïve fool.  Arc was far more aware of the importance of training. So after taking Arc to patrol the border he would set out for the weeping woods, as normal Pan riding on his back as they went.  Naiche would stop just a bit inside the edge of the woods before glancing at Arc, “I know your mom’s been teaching you how to hunt.  How about you show your dad how good you’ve gotten at it?  I imagine you’ll be better than me at hunting once you’re a bit older.”  He’d gain in experience and continue to grow stronger and faster. A fresh layer of snow was on the ground though not to deep.  Spots of moist grass could be seen where their paws kicked up the snow.  Hopefully, it didn’t get deeper than this.  Naiche hoped to never see a blizzard again.  Occasionally the wind would blow, sending the branches swaying and picking up some of the snowflakes and sending them dancing.  The waterways weren’t completely frozen through but there was ice at the edges.  This wouldn’t be as nice as hunting in spring but stomachs don’t only growl in the spring. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Doing these patrols with his dad had become a pretty usual staple of his day. Most of the time nothing really exciting happened, but just on the off chance that it did he wanted to be there! Plus it usually meant he got to go do something with his dad after as long as he didn't have something else going on. Today as they finished up their patrol his dad started leading him out toward the willow tree forest that stood just outside of the pack's borders and he looked up at his father with perked gray ears as he suggested he show off what he had learned about hunting. Arc grinned wide at that, giving an eager nod. There was really only one thing he liked doing more than fighting and that was hunting! "Okay!" he agreed, puffing out his fluffy chest with pride as he eagerly accepted the opportunity to show off to his father. Usually it was just him and his mom hunting together so he hadn't gotten the chance to show his dad all the stuff he had learned yet, but he was excited to!

With that in mind he turned his attention to the willow forest and started trying to pick up on any scents or sounds of any prey near by and a hint of a deer's scent caught his attention, making his sapphire eyes turn in the direction of it and his steps slow so he could scent the air more closely. He lowered his nose to the ground, smelling the trail until he finally caught the foot prints in the snow leading away from them. He cast a quick grin back at his dad before he started following the trail quietly, stepping carefully so he didn't make too much noise in the crunching snow. He did eventually find a lone doe hidden among a few of the willow trees. He stopped where they were still hidden behind some of the draping branches and glanced back at his dad. It wasn't entirely confident that he could get it himself, but with his dad helping he could!

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Naiche would be a part of every piece of Arc’s life as much as he could be while the boy grew up.  Hunting might not be a skill Naiche ever mastered in but if Arc was going to be an expert hunter then Naiche wanted to see him in action at times.  The boy found a scent of a deer and Naiche followed along.  It brought up a memory of when he had taught Rue to find rabbits to chase.  That was a bitter moment to recall but the excitement of his son helped it to pass. Spotting the doe and his son looking at him ready for them to chase it down brought even an older memory back.  One of the first group hunts with his family band.  Naiche's sister making a mistake and their mother shoving his sister aside so she didn’t get hurt.  Mom took the blows of the fleeing dears' kicks and ended up dying.  It had stopped Naiche from wanting to go after larger game for a long time.  Ironically when he tried to learn from Asla how to hunt larger game she had gotten a bad injury saving him from an unexpected large boar that had leapt out of hidden brush. Another deer hunt.  A lot of bad memories came up with hunting.  Maybe a good memory of hunting with his son would help chase away some of those horrors.  To be honest fighting a bear sounded more enjoyable and safer.  Did he show that to his child? Of course not!  The boy wasn’t going to see any hesitation.  Naiche just gave him a smile, “This is your moment.  So you get to tell your dad what to do.  I learned a lot by teaching others to fight.  Maybe this will help make you an amazing hunter even faster.” "Naiche"

Arcturus grinned when his dad this was his chance to tell his dad what to do. It was the first time he had been put in charge of something like this and he didn't want to let his dad down or make himself look like a fool so he started digging for all of the things he had learned about hunting already. He nodded and looked back toward the doe for a little bit, watching her as he tried to decide the best way to approach it. "Okay... I'm going to sneak around to the other side through the willow trees and you go that way so one of us is on either side. Then we can leap out at the same time. If we both go for the front legs we can get her down on the ground and then I can finish it off," he explained in a wiser, glancing toward his dad to make sure he got it all.

With that he gave Naiche another grin before creeping out through the trees, snaking through the willows and using the draping branches as additional cover. they had mostly lost their leaves at this point, but there was still enough coverage between the branches and the thicker bushes and brush that he could get pretty close fairly easily. His paws carried him quietly, all the practice he had done with sneaking and tracking coming into handy. He got into position within pouncing distance of the doe and looked out across the clearing to catch a glimpse of his dad's golden fur, waiting for them both to get into place before he made a move.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Naiche matched Arcturus grin, glad to see no sign of nervousness when put in charge.  “Sounds like a good plan,” Naiche agreed.  As his boy went one way Naiche turned to go the other.  For all Naiche didn’t have as much experience in hunting larger game he was still good at stepping quietly, all his days traveling in a variety of terrains coming in handy in these situations.  The wolf kept a side gaze between doe and son until they were both about evenly placed on either side.   The doe had raised her head up to look about nervously.  Sure, she was fidgety but deer seemed to be fidgety the majority of the time.  The moment his son gave queue to leap forward Naiche would make a straight line to sink his teeth into the deer as it tried to flee.  This was one reason fighting was better, your enemy didn’t try to flee.  Fighting with two predators intent to win was always the best.  Naiche missed his first snap of leg with the deer fleeing, but as the deer lept again Naiche got his teeth in her leg and braced to see if indeed Arc and himself would be able to get the doe down.   "Naiche"

Arc left out of his hiding place as soon as his dad the the same, the two golden wolves darting forward toward their prey. The doe immediately tried to leap away, but Arc was faster and bit around the doe's ankle, making it falter enough for Naiche to get a good hold on the opposite leg. That was enough to trip up the deer, its momentum and flailing from trying to get away making it tumble forward and fall to the ground. Arc immediately acted, letting go of the leg so he could jump forward and bite deep into its neck, his protruding fangs sinking through the skin and puncturing its windpipe. His fangs weren't their full length just yet, but they were plenty big enough now to mortally wound the doe and after a few more moments of struggling and choked, panicked noises from the deer, it finally fell still and he was able to let go and give his father a proud, bloody grin.

"We did it!" he exclaimed with a chuckle, swiping his tongue over his lips and fangs to clean off the blood on them. If the deer had been any bigger than this doe had been they probably wouldn't have been able to do it, but his dad was strong and he had enough talent with hunting to make up fro what his dad lacked so the two of them managed fine. "See? You're not so bad," he joked before he started turning his attention to the doe at their feet. "I guess we should get it back to the pack, huh? It's way harder and messier to cut it open out here and then try to move it and there's too much for us to eat it all in one sitting." As much as he liked having the meat that was really, really fresh, it made more sense to eat after they got back.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Naiche had to give his son credit, the boy had done well.  There wasn’t much chase to it, and as the deer had gone down Arc had been swift to give the killing bite.  He made it look simple but Arc surely worked countless hours and hunts to find the exact spot to bite with that appearance of natural ease.  The boy waited out the deer like a pro. Naiche didn’t interrupt the choke hold until Arc let go but as the boy grinned at him Naiche moved over to push his shoulder up against his son’s in a sort of camaraderie, “Well done.   You not only completed another successful hunt but you were the lead role in the hunt and instructed your partner in what to do.  I bet this won’t be the last hunt where you’ll find yourself the leader.”  His child in charge of others?  Of course he would be.   Naiche nodded at the mention of taking the food home, “Looks like you fed the family to-“ The rest of the sentence was cut off at the sound of a well defined roar.  The sound was all too familiar yet slightly different.   “Forget the deer,” Naiche’s proud dad voice switched to commanding general. “Let’s get out of here.” He loved a good fight but not when his son was at risk, Arc wasn’t old enough yet. The bear wasn’t going to give them time though, even as Naiche was urging Arc to leave.  A polar bear was rushing through the woods straight at them.  The monstrous white bear let out another roar.  Naiche positioned himself between the bear and Arcturus.  White, large, and clearly it woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Weren’t bears supposed to be asleep now?  Naiche showed all his teeth, flattened his ears and made a warning snap at the air towards the bear.  Not today.   The bear gave the deer corpse a glance, then raised up on its hind legs to swipe a huge paw in Naiche’s direction.  Naiche leapt away from the paw but jumped right back to his spot, sunk his teeth into the front paw before letting go just a moment later.   Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Arc glowed with pride at his father's praise, grinning up at him and leaning into his side. Hunting was one of the things he actually enjoyed and it just so happened to be a helpful thing that made it so he could take care of his family with it so it had easily become one of his favorite things and it felt good to know he was doing a good job. There wasn't much time to bask in that feeling though because just as his father was agreeing with him on getting the deer home, a loud roar interrupted him and made Arc's fur stand on end. He looked around with wide, sapphire eyes, trying to find the source of it. His dad was commanding for them to go, telling him to forget about the deer, but just as he was about to turn and run for the Armada border a massive white bear came out of nowhere and faced off with them. He stood there frozen, looking up at the huge beast, until his dad shoved him out of the way and got between him and the bear.

Arcturus got behind Naiche, peeking around him at the polar bear that was way bigger than any predator he had ever seen in real life. Panic and worry hit him as it swung a massive paw toward his dad, but of course his dad jumped out of the way and then jumped back in just in time to land a bite on the bear's retreating paw. Why was he worried? His dad was one of the best fighters around! He could fight a bear! But he still didn't want Naiche to have to fight alone and he wasn't really big enough yet to really do anything to help much. He had to get help! But he didn't want to leave his dad alone either... His ears perked with an idea and while the bear was giving an angry roar from the bite it got to its paw, and he quickly looked around for Bream, spotting him in the tree behind him. "Bream! Go get Mom!" he called to his companion and the osprey immediately took off and wheeled away toward Armada's lands to go looking for Aslatiel.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Naiche would have preferred the boy take off home himself but Naiche wasn’t being given time to tell the boy anything else. The bear rushed straight at them as if it thought he could just plow them down.  Size and strength wise it damn sure could but Naiche wasn’t going to let it get to his child.  Cardinal rule to Naiche on bears was not attack where the teeth and front paws were located.  Moving gave the bear a better shot of his child.   The bear at least was using its front paws to change instead of try to tear Naiche into pieces which meant the only weapon was bulk and teeth.  Naiche sprang up as it got close to sink his jaws into the bears muzzle and sensitive nose, as the bear rose up to grab at Naiche the small wolf leapt away. The next roar from the bear was a mix of pain and rage and had a dark grin appear on Naiche’s face.  It deserved pain for going near his child.  Both the bears teeth and paw had missed Naiche that time, likely due to the bears surprise that Naiche would even attempt such a stupid attack.   When had he last felt fear?  Amongst the adrenaline of excitement there was also fear for his child’s life.  Arc had sent his bird to get Asla but how close was she?  This sort of fight wasn’t likely to last long meaning she probably wouldn’t be here until the victor had already been decided.  The bear had hesitated long enough for Naiche to get out, “Arc –“ and then the bear charged again.  Naiche’s next word would have been run.  Too late now. "Naiche"

Arc skittered back after Bream flew off and the bear started charging at them, putting some more space between him and where his father was meeting the bear head on. It felt like his fur was all standing on end, anxious and worried as he watched his dead jump up to bite the polar bear on its muzzle and nose, making it stagger back a couple of steps with a pained roar. It was so massive and loud - even its paw was bigger than he was! He glanced up at his dad as he said his name, but before he could finish saying whatever it was he was going to say the bear started charging at them again. At the very least Arc caught on to the fact that he needed to get out of the way and quickly darted away off to the side while the bear went for his dad again.

He hated feeling so useless though so as he darted away he went for the bear's huge back foot instead, leaping in quickly and sinking his fangs into its ankle. With how much smaller he was than the polar bear it probably wasn't more than a small pinpoint of pain on the huge creature, but it was at least enough to pull its attention for a moment to hopefully give his dad a little bit of an opening. He didn't hold there long, letting go and running toward one of the trees to get out of reach before the bear could fully turn toward him. He just kept willing his mom to get here over and over in his head, watching his dad with worried eyes as he fought off the massive bear.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

Arc knew he needed to get away and that was great, though Naiche’s heart somehow fell to his stomach at the sight of his brave boy biting the polar bear’s leg.  Naiche would tell the boy how foolish and brave it was later as Arc had managed to get the bear to at least cast a lower glance at the pup.  Those rage filled eyes on Arc for a moment weren’t fully on Naiche.   The bear got two solid attacks at that same moment.  Naiche had jumped to aim for the bear’s throat, and a pangolin dropped down from a tree onto the bear’s head.  Gentle Pan threw a clawed-hand into one of the polar bear’s eye, using his other clawed-hand to dig into the shoulder muscle to try and get solid purchase. Naiche’s teeth dug into the neck and was blind to Pan’s assistance.  The bear let out a new fresh roar of pain but the wolf was surprised when the bear’s paw waived away at something above.  The other paw came out to make a wild swipe and Naiche had to jump back.  That was when he saw Pan perched on the bear, blood coming from its injury and blood oozing where one of his eyes had been.  Damn.  Naiche didn’t have time to waste thinking on how awesome his pangolin was.  Naiche started a lunge in for the neck but the bear raised up high taking his neck out of reach.  The bear managed to grasp Pan and pull him off, the bear’s shoulder opening more as the claws were pulled out.  The pangolin rolled up tight as it was thrown rather like the curled ball he was. Naiche jumped up to snap at one of the bear’s wrists while it was plucking at Pan, the yellow wolf hanging in midair a moment as he thrashed his head.  This time it wasn’t a bear paw that was coming at him but the bear’s muzzle.  Naiche let go and tried to step clear when a slap of a bear’s paw to Naiche’s backside sent the small wolf tumbling over himself.  Now they were both bleeding.  Naiche didn’t mind a bit of blood, the bear had to be worse.  Mostly it had been just paw that had hit Naiche but there was a deep puncture that had barely missed his spine.   Naiche was getting up even as a fully enraged, partially blind, beyond thought polar bear attempted to stamp on top of the wolf.  Naiche staggered clear and found himself between two deadly paws, lunging up he bit into the same spot of the neck as last time, going deeper now that he’d already started on it.  This wasn’t a bite and let go, Naiche twisted and shook at the neck trying to tear his way through the throat.  The bear reared up, Naiche dangling from its neck.   Naiche dropped back to the ground but didn’t try to distance himself.  Naiche felt how shaky his backside was and the bear was neither dead nor likely to run. Asla wasn’t here yet to protect Arc. Naiche flashed a grin as the bear lowered it’s head, both paws aimed at Naiche.  The wolf jumped to get the neck again, grinning as he knew how to kill the bear.   The bear wrapped a paw around Naiche and attempted to yank Naiche off his throat.  Naiche squeezed his eyes shut and crushed his grip into the neck.  The bear was stronger and did pull Naiche away, those horrific claws digging into the small wolf, throwing him so that Naiche’s body rolled across the wintery ground.   Naiche watched the bear.  He watched it stagger, it grunted, it panted as its life blood flowed out of it and eventually crashed into the ground.  With the polar bear down Naiche turned his attention for his son and Pan.  Naiche tried to get up but his body refused to allow it.   "Naiche"

It all happened so fast that Arc didn't really know where to look and he most certainly didn't know what to do. He stood there frozen, watching while his dad grappled with this bear. At some point Pan dropped out of the tree near by and Arc watched with his jaw dropped as the pangolin stabbed a claw right through the polar bear's eye. When Pan was tossed off to the side in a rolled up ball of armored scales, he ran over to where the companion had landed and made sure Pan was okay, making him unroll so he could check him before he refocused his attention on the fight that was still going on. He still held out anxious hope that his mother would show up any second now and would be the thing to tip the scales in his father's favor and they could beat the polar bear together no problem!

There was more and more blood all over the snowy ground and as the seconds ticked by and both his dad and the bear got more and more injured he felt even more helpless and hopeless. When his dad bit into the bear's neck again and was dangling there for a moment he watched with wide eyes, gasping when those giant white, bloodied paws came swinging at his dad and yanked the golden wolf off and threw him to the ground, its huge claws ripping into Naiche in the process and causing all kinds of tears and lacerations all down his stomach and sides. "Dad!" he yelled as the bear staggered back and collapsed as well, but he didn't really care that the bear was dead - all he cared about was how hurt his dad was and how when he tried to get up he couldn't.

"Dad! No no no, you're going to be okay, right?" he questioned as he rushed to Naiche's side, falling down into the snow beside him with his ears pinned back against his skull, afraid to look at all the terrible wounds that were all over him it seemed like. "W-We'll get you home and Mo will fix you up! Yeah! Or Goss! There's lots of good healers!" It sounded like he was just trying to convince himself as he started nudging his dad's cheek with his nose. "Mom's gonna be here any second now! She'll help!"

"Arcturus Fatalis"

The moment that Bream cried out for Aslatiel's attention, she knew that something was wrong. The note of panic in the avian's call brought a surge of panic tightening in the woman's throat as though she was being throttled. Arcturus was with his father and Satira was with her own. That had given Asla time to herself today. It seemed that this was both a blessing and a curse. Had the children been with her, Bream wouldn't be coming to her in a panic right now. Wasting no time, the cream and grey fae threw down the hide that she had been processing and thundered out of the territory in pursuit of the bird. Naiche wouldn't have taken Arcturus far, she told herself. Whatever the trouble was, she would be able to arrive quickly and right the situation. Everything would be fine, she kept telling herself. Everything would be fine. In the back of her mind, however, Asla had a feeling that this wasn't true. She was just lying to herself. As she ran, Aslatiel begged whatever gods may have existed to keep her child safe. Arc was her priority. If anything happened to her son... The woman shook her head roughly and put on a surge of speed. No. No she wouldn't think of it. She refused. The snow affected her speed and more than once the striped fae stumbled, getting a face full of snow. With a snarl, she always got back to her paws and continued. The osprey was a good guide and his course seemed to take Asla on the path of least resistance. The snowy plains gave way to the willow filled wood and Asla's speed was hampered by the protruding roots and crisscrossing frozen streams. Asla smelled the blood before she saw hide nor hair of Naiche and Arc. "No..." she gasped, willing her burning limbs to move faster still. The shrill, panicked voice of her son cut through the blood pumping in Asla's ears and she pushed through the trees and onto the horrible scene. Blood was everywhere, marring the otherwise perfect and pristine snow. The small wolf skidded to a stop beside her boy, pulling him to her and giving him a once over to make sure that he was whole and well. When Aslatiel's eyes moved to Naiche, tears instantly welled up in their galactic depths. "Oh Golden Boy..." she whispered as she looked down upon the broken and battered body of her former lover and the father of her child. Reaching out, Asla brushed a bit of bloodied fur away from Naiche's golden gaze. The wound in his abdomen... there were things showing that should never see the light of day. Blood flowed steadily from the wound and the rasping sound as the man breathed made Asla believe that he'd suffered a lot of internal damage. Somehow she knew that there was no coming back from this. Maybe if her aunt was still alive, Naiche would have a chance, but she was not. The scent of bear was thick in the air, so Asla didn't have to ask what happened. White fur was scattered in the puddled of blood and clung to the froth on Naiche's yellow cheeks. Again she stroked the dying mans cheek lovingly. Tears finally fell as she spoke. "You did good, Golden Boy. You kept our son safe." Knowing Naiche's code of honor and righteousness, she knew that the man couldn't ask for anything more. One foreleg remained locked around Arcturus, holding the boy against her chest, but the other continued to touch Naiche as though her very touch would keep him clinging to life. "Speech"

The satisfaction in killing the bear, the relief in knowing his son was safe was sliced through with the boy’s fearful cries for Naiche’s safety.  Naiche had sworn that he’d be there for the boy while he grew up.  Naiche wasn’t a healer but the gold wolf knew what his injuries were without looking and some things you just don’t recover from.  It was better Arc live without a dad then die because his father wouldn’t exchange his life for his son’s. With the adrenaline fading the pain was starting to kick in but the pain wouldn’t last forever but he was no weakling.  “Hey, Arc,” Naiche offered the boy a weak smile, taking in the boys scent.  His eyes looked at his son, wanting to soak in the image of the boy for what time he’d had.  “You did really good.  Look at you, you already bit a bear.  Reckless as your dad,” Naiche tried to find the words for the boy.  He wanted to tell Arcturus it would be alright but Naiche was sure it would be a lie.  Nor could he tell his son the pain he felt would go away soon.   What else was there to say?  A lot but where to start?  Asla arrived on the scene and pulled Arc away.  Naiche quietly watched her check the boy out, seeing he was well.  Pan was making his way closer now, those clawed-hands curled inward as he moved close to the group.  Both his claws had the bears blood still on them.  Pan looked hopefully at Asla, wanting her to assure them there was a fix for this. Naiche’s tail raised brushed the ground some as she spoke to him.  Naiche made a small nod of his head to Asla, and gave her what would have been a proud grin but it was diluted now with the ache of knowing the only outcome to all of this. “Sorry I didn’t let you in on the fun.”  Could he have fended the bear off longer and Asla and him taken it down together without this fate?  Maybe.  Uncertainty nagged on if he’d done the wrong thing but had he chanced playing it out longer it would have meant more time for the bear to potentially get to Arc.  No, no regrets there. Naiche tried to push up more but it just wasn’t happening, resigning himself to where he was the golden wolf tenderly licked licked Asla’s paw at a point when she touched his cheek, sad eyes looking up at her.  The words of a true ‘I’m sorry’ was on his lips but he cut those out.  He was leaving them and he didn’t know how long he had.   Naiche had seen Asla in pain of loss before and Naiche knew it all to well himself.  He’d rather be torn in pieces than cause Asla and Arc this pain.  “You should have seen Arc,” Naiche chose instead of pointless apologies, “we hunted a deer, he did all the real work and even assigned me my role in it.  Good hunter and ability to lead others.” He really was proud of his son.  “when I wanted him to run he did, after still taking a bite of the bear,” which was really horrible in how he’d risked himself but that was his son, still a pup, biting a damn polar bear. “I love you,” the words first were directed at Asla since he’d been talking to her but then his gaze slid to Arc, “I love you Arc.  You are the best part of my life.”  There was too much Naiche still wanted to do with them.  Too many activities he imagined and the joy of wanting to see how his son grew up was being ripped away.  Not yet.  Not yet.  The proud wolf felt the water forming in his eyes, sliding down his muzzle.  Men don’t cry but maybe, just maybe this once could be an exception. "Naiche"

He heard the pounding of paws rushing toward them and he looked up to see her familiar form skidding to a stop beside them. He jumped to his paws, but before he could say anything he was being lifted and inspected and checked for injuries. He wiggled against her hold at first, getting a couple objections in and some insisting that she needs to take care of his father before he saw how she looked at him with these tears in her eyes and heard the sorrow in her voice as she spoke to Naiche. It made him stop and look up at her with wide, confused eyes, watching as she brushed his face with her paw. His brow creased and he looked between his mother and father with his ears pinned back against his skull. Death wasn't a foreign concept to him. He hunted and practiced hunting all the time. He knew if something living got gravely injured it would die. But connecting that concept to his father was more difficult even as he looked back to his dad and saw how much blood was everywhere and how the deep gashes along his sides and stomach were revealing parts of him that Arc had only ever seen when they were breaking down a prey animal. It was so hard for his mind to accept that it was too late, that the damage was done, and that's why his mother was was acting like this.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he leaned into his mother's chest with a grim realization settling in on him, looking down at his father with little hiccuping sobs while he spoke. His praise of his hunting skills and his bravery didn't lessen the guilt and sorrow that squeezed at his chest. He was completely helpless when it came to helping his dad with the bear and he hadn't even managed to get anyone here to help him before the worst possible outcome happened. He thought about Tira and how he had promised to protect her from anything, but if this was something that could happen even to someone like his dad what chance did he have in protecting any of them? His attempts to hold back his sobs failed when his dad looked at him and told him that he loved him, heavy tears rolling freely down his cheeks as he pulled away from his mother's embrace and sank down to the ground again, pressing his forehead to his dad's. "I love you too, dad," he managed between gasping sobs, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to pretend that none of this was actually happening and the smell of blood in the air wasn't actually there and his father wasn't actually dying.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

The moment froze in time and it would be one that Aslatiel would never forget. After praising their boy, Naiche told her that he loved her. A sad, laughing sob pulled from the fawn colored fae and she gently stroked the golden man's cheek, ridding his for of a bit of clinging blood. Whether it belonged to him or the bear, she didn't know, nor did she care. "I love you too, Naiche," she spoke aloud, though her voice wavered. No matter who her heart belonged to, the woman had realized that there was room within that heart for others. She loved her children beyond measure but she also loved this dying man. He had been her friend and more for so long... She would sorely miss him. Today would be his last. The last time that they saw one another. The last time that he looked proudly upon their son. The last everything. She wanted to put his mind at ease as much as she was able to. One last gesture of friendship and love before the end. She could see the realization slowly settle on the boy's face and the tears ran anew. Arc sank down to lay beside his father and Aslatiel curled herself against the grey and gold boy's back while also keeping her head close to Naiche's. She pulled the little pangolin into the pile as well, having seen his sorrowful, pleading gaze. This was the end. She knew enough of anatomy to know that he wasn't coming back from this. Gut wounds, especially ones where viscera was severed, were a slow death. She wouldn't allow that to happen. Naiche was too good a wolf to be left to die long and slow. No... she would stay with him or she would expedite the process. One last gesture of friendship and love before the end. Aslatiel placed a gentle kiss upon Naiche's golden crown. Her voice was a soft whisper. "Tell me when and I'll help you, Golden Boy." He would read the hidden meaning behind her words. Already she had a plan in place so that Arcturus wouldn't see his mother end the life of his father. It would be a mercy. One last gesture of friendship and love before the end. "You don't need to worry." One paw gently wiped the tears from Naiche's muzzle, though tears ran freely down her own as well. "I'll keep him safe. You and I are the best hunters and fighters that the Armada has ever seen. The best genes. He'll surpass us both." Asla placed a soft kiss upon the head of their son and gave his shuddering frame a light squeeze. "He'll grow big and strong and smart. He and his sister both." Asla slid her muzzle between Naiche's ears. "I swear it." The woman tried to soothe whatever fears he might have for their son. One last gesture of friendship and love before the end... and the end was drawing ever closer. "Speech"

Naiche had known his son loved him but it still felt surprisingly nice to hear it.  Ever since he’d been apart from his real family Naiche had never had expectations of love from anyone.  Asla had told him in the pasts how she did care for him and Naiche had told himself that was enough.  He was not a weak wolf to need another’s love but when his son said it the words brought a small sincere smile to his face.  How badly Naiche wished he could stop his child from experiencing this. When Asla said she loved him though it should have lead Naiche to an early death right there with how it felt his heart stopped from surprise.  The gold wolf remembered all to well how she had explained her heart had belonged to another. Naiche’s mind whispered they were kind words said to a dying wolf to help their last moments be better.  That didn’t sound like a thing Asla would ever do but it was a hard concept to take now.  There was a moment of agitation at only getting her love moments before he would die.  Given a wonderful treasure only to know it was too late.  The agitation didn’t last long though, only learning now was a trivial matter in the big scheme of things.  Asla truly loved him?   His vision blurred for a moment more as those tears filled up his vision before he blinked to send the salty teardrops sliding down his cheeks with the rest.  It wasn’t just his son, Asla had also loved him.  When had that happened?   Naiche was dying and losing everyone, making them lose him and for some stupid reason he felt happy as it sunk in.  Asla loved him.   Naiche had his crying son there pressed into him, rubbing his chin over the boy’s head, feeling the reality of his son for a few final moments.  Then the numbers grew to include Asla and even Pan all surrounding him.  The phrase ‘able to die happy’ would fit fine at this moment.  Naiche didn’t have to choose who to make contact with now.  His jaw rested gently on Arc’s head, his muzzle stretched out to press against Asla and there was Pan so cautiously patting his neck.  They were all going to end up bloody but that hardly mattered. Asla’s words of choosing when he was ready helped lead Naiche’s mind to where the finale would be in all of this.  Eventually, this moment would end and everything would end for him.  What else did he need to do before that?  Naiche’s body was actually in a great deal of pain if acknowledged but everything else simply mattered so much more.  Arc didn’t need to spend a long time watching his dad die though, certainly Asla didn’t need it.  How much pain had she already suffered through loosing others?   Naiche’s mind recentered itself away from enjoying the moment, nodding at her words with a small smile, “I have no doubt he could someday lead a pack of his own should he ever choose too.  You are both an amazing hunter, and a better mom than I ever thought you would be,” a choked soft laugh as he remembered their earlier days when she seemed that annoying sister instead of the wolf he loved now. “I’ve never enjoyed a fight more than when it was with you.” That said his gaze drifted to his son, “Arc, I mean it.  Whatever you decide to do with your life I’m sure you will be strong enough to achieve your goals.” What else?  This pile felt so good, how had Naiche not wanted to be in a pile of those he loved before now? Too late. “Just remember if you say you are going to do a thing, you do it.  Be brave but not stupid.” Naiche recalled some of his younger tasks and wondered about where the line was drawn on that brave versus stupid on some of his fights.  What would Arc’s story be like?  “If I can watch over you in someway from beyond then nothing will make me happier than seeing you achieve your dreams.” It hurt more.  Emotions of the moment and goals needing to be achieved could only hide pain for a span of time but there was nothing to be done for the pain, well, there was.  “Arc, your mom’s gonna watch over you but I need your help too.” Naiche bopped his nose against one of Pan’s hands, giving the scaly head a little lick.  Even Pan had tears in his eyes.  “Pan loves cuddling and he’s not use to being alone much.  He’s going to need you to take care of him.  Take care of your sister, take care of Pan.” “Pan, I could never have asked for a better companion to share my den and travels with bud.  Make sure you give Arc the same care you gave me.”  It was a short goodbye for Pan but then neither one of them had ever talked much to the other.  Both had understood well to read the unsaid. His gaze finally went back to Asla. “Thank you,” It was a thank you for so many things.  For their days shared, for the promise to care for their son and for the horrible final favor she would be doing soon.  Soon Asla would stop the pain and would kill him.  Naiche’s throat constricted, eyes squinted threatening more tears, swallowing he regained composure.  He had lived a life of composure and he’d damn sure die as he had lived.  Tears were for the weak and he didn’t want to be remembered that way. “Well,” the gold and bloody red wolf spoke out more clearly, a final lick and deep nuzzle of his head into his son’s fur, a lick to Asla, “Nothing to gain in just lying about.”  That was a good enough cue.  How long did he want to keep them all in a pile trying to put off the inevitable.  “You are one of the bravest wolves I’ve ever known,” the words softly for her.  How many could force themselves to do what she could?  Killing an enemy wasn’t hard, killing someone you loved was as bad as it got. "Speech"

Arcturus felt his mother wrap around him and felt Pan beside him as he leaned into his father and all he felt like he could do was cry as he was with both of his parents for the last time. He heard all the nice things his mom said about how he would surpass them both, but he didn't fully believe it in that moment. His confidence had been so unshakable even just a little bit ago after he had brought down the doe with his father, but now he couldn't imagine ever being good enough to be as great of a fighter or as great of a hunter as either of them. Logic of the situation didn't stick here. It didn't matter that he was far too young and small to have done anything about the bear himself. He hadn't been able to fight with his father and now his father was dying so in his mind he had failed. Even still, he tried to put on some sort of brave face as his father's eyes turned toward him again, fighting off the little shuttering hiccups from his sobs. He nodded as his dad told him to achieve his dreams and do whatever he said he is going to do and to brave, but not stupid. He took in all these last little lessons since he knew this would be the last things he'd get to hear from him, memorizing every word.

He looked to Pan when his father mentioned how Pan loved to cuddle and didn't like to be alone, asking him to take care of Pan and his sister. "I will," he promised, his voice ending up being like a rough whisper. He reached over and curled a paw around one of Pan's little clawed hands, reassuring the pangolin as much as he was reassuring himself. He was already beginning to cling to the pieces of his dad he had left and was actually relieved to have Pan to keep with him through all of this. He returned the nuzzle his father gave him, feeling a bit of panic welling up in his chest at the finality that his father's words held. Wide, blue eyes looked back and forth worriedly between his mother and father, his gray ears pinning back against his head. He couldn't be going already, right? It was so fast, it was all so fast.

"Arcturus Fatalis"

The moments seemed to slow and time stood still. With every breath that Naiche took, Asla could see the puddle of blood grow larger. He didn't have long, but she wouldn't let him bleed out and suffer. She couldn't. The dying mans words about fighting her brought a sob of sad laughter and she placed her forehead against his. "Same here, Golden Boy," she assured him. Never had she seen him more passionate than when they were fighting. He never held back with her and she did him the same service, never holding back. After Naiche spoke heartfelt words to his son, giving him instructions and sharing his hopes with the boy, Aslatiel sat up. She took a step away, giving the trio a moment together while steeling her nerves. She would do this because she had to; because he deserved this from her. Never in her life had Asla shrunk away from difficult tasks and today would be no different. She did the things that were too difficult for others to do. Once the pair were done speaking the fawn colored fae moved back to his side. He thanked her and she once again stroked his cheek with one paw. Tears began sliding anew down her cheeks and she raised that same paw to wipe the tracks of wetness from the scarred side of her face. He called her brave and maybe she was, but at the moment, she didn't feel brave. [She felt helpless, like she should have been able to get there sooner to save the man that now lay dying before her. The man that she would soon kill. color=#ffffff]"Arc, there was a stream a ways back that wasn't frozen over. Go wash the blood from Pan's claws. He's your responsibility now."[/color] She figured that her order and the words that she used would get the boy moving and eventually he parted ways, but not before she placed one last kiss upon his head. No doubt he had no idea that his mother was about to end his father's life. Aslatiel watched until boy and pangolin were out of sight. Only then did she turn her full attention back to Naiche. The emotions that she hid from Arcturus now began to pour free. Asla dropped to lay before Naiche and buried her head against his chest, grey ears on either side of his chin. The woman sobbed hard into his already soaked fur, holding him close. By the time she was finished, her eyes were red rimmed and her head was pounding. Not many were ever able to see Aslatiel truly feel, but Naiche was one of the lucky ones. She trusted him not to judge her for the outpouring of emotion. "I don't want to do this without you, Naiche." Do this... parenting? Living? Whatever it was, she didn't want to go alone. Didn't want to, but she would. Neither of them had a choice. Pulling back, Asla's paw once again reached the dying mans cheek. She lowered her muzzle and gave him a good, long, passionate kiss. Asla could taste his blood on her tongue that almost made her dissolve into sobs again, but she forced her emotions to wait. She had one last thing to do for the man. "I'm sorry, Naiche. I truly do love you." Before he could respond and make the situation even more heart wrenching, Asla's jaws wrapped around his throat. She squeezed down hard and she could feel her teeth pop through his flesh. The blood that pumped into her mouth was tepid and the force behind it was weak. She held on even as his body began to struggle against her grasp involuntarily. She held him there, teeth latched into his flesh, not allowing him to breathe until the thrashing stopped and his body stilled. How long had she stayed there with the dead body of her son's father between her jaws? She couldn't say. In time, Asla's jaws were sore, her body quivering with fatigue and sorrow. The woman released the golden man's throat and took a step back. She looked down at him, broken, battered, lifeless... He wasn't there anymore. That wasn't Naiche. He was gone. Somewhere else. Somewhere better. At least she hoped so. Aslatiel looked down at him, her galactic gaze wide in shock... and then she screamed. A deep, guttural scream of guilt and sorrow, anger and fury, pain and loss. She screamed until her throat was raw and her voice gave out. Aslatiel felt this loss so keenly. Naiche had been the only wolf that had whole heartedly believed in her. He had challenged her, supported her, loved her. And now he was gone and she had never felt more alone. "Speech"