Fia had always been relatively reserved and kept to herself most of the time, certainly the better end of a little sister and maybe not so great of a big sister. She didn’t linger on the ways she should be caring or interacting with her new younger siblings, though there was always that thought of how great Avacyn had been with her and even Saracyn at times though he could be a little rough around the edges. She thought just from her few reactions with the tinnier pups that she related to him more. Maybe. She couldn’t be entirely sure.

She had been given more freedom that came with age, but she still wasn’t bounding and ready to dart out on her own to explore. It would be different with someone around that wanted to come with her. But her only friend Stolas had moved further away and she wasn’t much one to go out looking for others clearly.

So when she wasn’t out training for patrols or other responsibilities like that, she was usually out walking around the grounds or sometimes outside the borders. Never really far. Or one of her most favorite past times these days, which she was doing today, perched up on the stone of the mountain ranges soaking in the sun’s rays when she could. Most days were cloudy, and the weather was growing cold in their almost northern island. So anytime she got the opportunity on a day like today she’d find a place outside of the more common areas and stretch out comfortably on the rocks. She had been known to be quite the lazy type after all.

"Fiametta"

Elysium had even more little Mendaciums running around now that his mother had popped out a couple more trophies of her and his father's sexual proclivities. Fucking great... Just what the world needed—more surplus Mendaciums. To say Saracyn was less than thrilled about the arrival of his second set of younger siblings would have been a gross understatement. When Fiametta had been born, Sara had mostly been coldly indifferent to her existence. These whelps... well, they barely had a purpose in this life, let alone in their family. That was one aspect he still didn't fully understand about their family. A pressure to breed and create a new line of Mendaciums he got, but when only one of the Matriarch's offspring would ever amount to anything, why did Manea continue to reproduce like it was her divine purpose in life? She had her heir with Avacyn, her spares with himself and Fiametta, so what the hell were the other two here for?

Saracyn opted to avoid all of the family drama by simply keeping his distance from the new whelps and going about his life as if they didn't exist. It was far easier to maintain the peace that way, and now that he and Avacyn were no longer living in their parents' den, it was easy enough to do. The rogue prince ambled his way along the mountain paths, hoping the walk would help soothe the aggravation harbored inside himself. Should he have been doing something productive like patrols or hunting? Yeah, probably... But was anyone going to say anything or tell him off? Absolutely not. No one dared to cross the temper of the hotheaded Mendacium prince. So, left to his own devices, Saracyn whittled away the time wandering the winding trails of the mountain range. Winter had taken over the land, a light dusting of snow settled over the forested island down below in the early part of the season, and a cold wind whipped around the craggy mountains. Saracyn quite liked the cold.

Rounding one corner, Sara spotted the vibrant hued form of his younger sister sprawled out on a rock, taking in the sunlight while it lingered before wintery clouds could come and swallow it up. The crimson-furred prince watched her for a moment with bewilderment. She was a strange creature, that Fiametta... Choosing the most bizarre of places to sunbathe. He almost pitied her having to still live with their parents and be subjected to the new puppies all the time. He thought of maybe offering her one of the spare rooms in his and Ava's new den just so she'd have a place to escape to if she wanted some space—but then he thought about how awkward that would be to have his little sister around when he was essentially mated to Avacyn at this point, and their sex life was highly active. "Run into any bears?" he called out to his smaller sister as he approached where she lay, a teasing smirk on his face while he called back to the last misadventure they'd had up in these mountains together.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Saracyn's presence wasn't a nuisance to her though she wasn't eager to jump up and greet him either. Typical for the both of them probably. A dark eye poked open as she noticed him where he appeared, she could at least easily muster a small smile.

Her eye closed again, humming a bit humorously in reference to his more comment than question. "Actually yeah, our moron of a brother thought it would be wise to jump onto the back of a polar bear." She took a few seconds before her delicate paws stretched forward, claws extending out onto the stone stretching the rest of her body as she stood much more like a cat than a wolf. "Did you consider letting fate take it's course with me that day? I wouldn't hate you if you did." It was more genuine than meant to be funny, but a glimpse into how she may have felt relatable to him. Or she thought at least. She wouldn't really know until he responded.

"Fiametta"

Now that Fiametta was older, Saracyn wasn’t quite so apathetic to her existence as he once had been. Time and age had mellowed out his teenage angst around feeling superfluous in their family somewhat, and he realized fate wasn’t going to take Fia out any time soon, so he had to at least respect that. Fia chuckled and mentioned the antics their younger sibling had run into, earning a nonplussed sigh and a somewhat exaggerated roll of cerulean eyes from the young adult wolf. "Fucking idiot… Too bad the bear couldn’t finish the job and spare us all his stupidity." A dark chuckle rumbled past the brute’s lips as he sauntered over to come lean against the rock his adolescent sister was laying atop. Really now...a puppy taking on a polar bear of all bears? Their baby brother had a fucking death wish...

While Fiametta stretched herself out, Sara gazed out across the tundra island that was their home and kingdom. He did love Alias and all its natural beauty, it made for the perfect home for them. Fiametta was the one to break the silence between them, asking if he had ever considered letting fate deal with Fia the day she had fought the grizzly bear in the mountains with him. Sara's lips pursed as he thought back on that moment, rolling his shoulders in a casual shrug. "Maybe for a moment. But then I thought of all the wailing Mom would do and how pissed Dad would be at me and I decided you weren't all that bad." Saracyn spoke as casually as if they were discussing some mundane topic like the weather rather than the concept of allowing his little sister to perish a gristly demise. "Besides, nobody gets to pick on you but me. Mendacium rules." He cast a glance up over his shoulder to Fia with a roguish little smirk on his lips. Yeah, she wasn't all that bad after all...

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Fia had taken a seat up on her perch as her brother had come to lean on it beside her. Fia made that familiar squint down at her brother who was looking over the lands of their home, a gentle grin on her own maw as he spoke. She could tell they were in fact the same at least in this way. She knew if she just left Malico to fend for himself that it would have put a strain on the rest of their family. Some part of instinctual need to take care of her own blood she supposed. It would have taken a little more convincing had it been any random member of their pack. And the least likely if it were a stranger.

"Oh Saracyn," She flicked her paw onto his rump with a little tap, drawing that same paw into her chest with this huge look as if her brother was admiring her. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." It was a joke by the way she smiled down at him and raised a brow, but also she was quite flattered. Saracyn had always been a little rough around the edges, even at the times he was being nice to her. It was just a matter of acceptance really. It may not have been easy for everyone but maybe just growing up near him made her a little more persistent.

She rose to jump down from her place on the rock, coming around to his side with the same smile, "I'll try to remember that. But I think with where we come from I can handle things just fine." She carefully spun her back legs around him, still facing him as she took a couple steps backwards inviting him on a walk down the other side of the mountain, maybe where he had been heading originally even if he hadn't necessarily had plans for the rest of the day. She turned in step to face the trail and start heading down, only glancing over her shoulder to continue their almost silly conversation. "I guess you'll have a lot to live up to since our brother is a fucking idiot." Was she acting cool for Saracyn? Definitely. Maybe in attempt to get a little over not all that bad. "I'd like if you just stay you though." It was in reference to the general majority of a son following after their father, not that Fia didn't think highly of their father. But she felt like Avacyn had these enormous paws to fill, so maybe the same was expected of Saracyn. She believed she had it much easier. "You think mom and dad are going to have any more kids?"

"Fiametta"

Although his humor could come across as dark or morbid, hearing his sister play along with him with a giggle and a swat to his hindquarters did bring a playful smirk to the prince's lips. Saracyn chuckled under his breath, finding the fact that he and Fia had developed a similar sense of humor quite amusing. "Yeah, well, what can I say. I guess you rubbed off on me or something," he teased her back with a shrug of his shoulders. The rough angst and irritability that he had in his adolescence, while not entirely gone yet (if ever), had at least been tempered down with his coming of age. He could appreciate Fiametta for who she was and her importance as his sister. He still very much felt that he and her were the "spare Mendaciums", but with an even younger litter coming from their parents, and pups cursed with disabilities at that, he at least didn't feel so superfluous anymore.

With an almost catlike fluidity, Fia slid off of the rock she was perched atop and circled around him, her movements drawing Saracyn's gaze while he followed her with his eyes. She wordlessly invited him down the mountain path with her body language and he would follow, pushing his shoulder off of the rock and falling into step with her as they meandered their way on a leisurely stroll along the rocky path. He gave a rumbling hum in response to her mention of being able to handle things just fine. Of that, he had no doubt. Any Mendacium that could live with him and make it past their first birthday would do just fine. Fiametta teased him with a clever quip about him needing to live up to their brother being an idiot, earning her a barking laugh from the young brute and a wry grin of serrated teeth, blue eyes flashing with mischief. "Oh no, how will I ever live up to that legacy?" Sara jokingly mocked with an exaggerated sarcasm dripping from his voice. When Fia said she'd like him to stay himself though, that struck something in the wolf. His expression shifted, gaze turning down to her for a brief moment before he looked back up again. "No worries there. There's no one I'd rather be." It might have been a way to subvert the emotional impact her words had on him. Saracyn still didn't really know how to handle raw emotions well.

The final question Fia asked brought a scoff and a shake of his head from Saracyn, cerulean eyes rolling at the thought. "I mean, most likely. With the way those two fuck each other, it's almost inevitable until they become too old, right?" Saracyn didn't know if Fia had been given "the talk" yet, like he and Ava had when they'd become yearlings, but given how sex positive the Mendacium family was it would have surprised him if she was totally naive to adult subjects. He had no qualms speaking candidly to her about such things, especially since she brought the topic up. As far as if he wanted more siblings... "I suppose they get to make that decision since they're the alphas and all. Our opinion on the matter isn't going to stop Dad from pouncing on Mom every chance he gets."

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Fia wouldn't catch on to that bit of emotional strain behind Saracyn's thoughts. Maybe if they had still been up on the mountain rocks, but not while they were walking down the path. In fact she'd think quite the opposite. At least Fia was very strong about being herself and didn't care about what others thought of her. It may have been obvious. She had always kept to herself for the most part but when she had to come out for meetings or learning how to start patrols and things like that, she never had a fake mask to put on. She wasn't entirely friendly and she didn't care. She liked to believe Saracyn could feel himself as much as she did. Probably a hope that came along with being her brother.

She did shudder a little as Saracyn had answered her question, definitely not in terms she would have expected. Though that was mostly due to the amount of maturity her brain still needed to work through. Fia had learned about sex sure, but it wasn't anything she thought was so great. Maybe typical for her age. "God, Saracyn, please." She wasn't mad at him or anything, just generally bothered by the thought of her parents being together like that. She had known them both as passionate for each other and maybe that gave her a solid idea of what she wanted for her future. Not anytime soon. She did stop to turn a glance towards him, but reverted. She continued her steps forward with that gentle grin rising again, "I can settle for you being my favorite brother." What she had held back from him was that tiny thought of her being the only in her litter. Not necessarily something she regretted, she couldn't control it after all. But she couldn't help but feel a little different or a little left out because of it. She had secluded herself in her even younger days. So really maybe the feeling was her own fault. She could think so when she did take the moment to consider. She did wonder the possibilities of having another single pup to share or even validate her feelings."I'll never understand the hype though." The hype about the pouncing and the fucking that was. How wrong she could be. She still had a lot to learn and seasons to go.


"Fiametta"

Saracyn had known his response to Fiametta's question had been crude and direct, but it had gotten him such a hilarious rise out of his sweet, innocent sister that he couldn't bring himself to regret giving it. He barked a laugh and shot a cheeky grin to her as she shook her head. Yes, he was incorrigible, but subtlety had never really been his style when it came to giving his opinion on things. She had asked, and he had answered. "Hey, you asked. Not my fault Dad won't stop sticking it to Mom. At least you never accidentally caught them in the act," he retorted, perhaps being a bit purposeful in his phrasing this time around since he saw how it had made Fia react before. He was reminded of the time he and Avacyn had caught their parents coupling together in the middle of the night when they were pups. They hadn't known what they were witnessing, of course, but as they grew older and more mature, that memory was unfortunately stuck living rent free in his brain. Talk about a fucked up core memory...

Fia made a comment about him being her favorite brother, and although Sara outwardly reacted with a snicker and a shake of his head, he was actually touched by her statement. "Not that it's hard to do when my competition is our idiot bear-chasing half-pint. I'll try to defend my title from him." His comment was sarcastic, but he was appreciative. Maybe she would tell by the way he didn't directly dismiss her claim, or by the way his tail gave a bit of a wag behind him as they walked. Being a twin, Saracyn wouldn't know the internal conflict Fiametta felt being an only child from her litter. Perhaps it was because he had never had to consider it before; he had just always had Avacyn. It did make him think he should be including Fia in more of their activities. She was getting older, growing up with them. They may not be littermates, but they were siblings, and siblings stuck together through thick and thin. "You're my second favorite sister and sibling, but only because Ava has first place for life," he replied, moving over to playfully nudge her shoulder with his own while they walked, shooting her a proud smirk. She was becoming a proper Mendacium now, not just some little nugget he was forced to share a den with.

Then it was Fia's turn to catch him off guard with her comment about not understanding the hype around sex, making Sara blink in surprise, glancing to his slightly smaller sister at his side. "What, the hype around fucking?" he asked for clarity to make sure he was on the same page as her. The crimson brute rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "I guess you won't really get it until you try it for yourself. It's pretty great, so I get why Mom and Dad always have their paws on each other, but like, c'mon, you don't need to keep making more Mendaciums just because you're horny. You can have your fun and not keep making more wolves." Cerulean eyes rolled in an exasperated manner as Sara sighed. He enjoyed indulging in sex as much as any red-blooded male, but he at least knew to heed his parents' warnings to use contraceptives when indulging himself. It seemed their parents did not share in that mentality.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Fia may have been a little over dramatic in her reaction. At least typical for her age and the talk of their parents. But she wasn’t completely hellbent on being disgusted by the thought. In a way that didn’t make her hate her brother for prodding on in the ways that were humorous to him. She’d still play along seeing that it made him laugh. It was the best part.

Her tongue stuck out a little with a twinge through her lips as he gave her the idea of walking in on them. She was lucky to somehow avoid that situation. At least to her level of maturity now. It didn’t need to be burned into her brain for the rest of her life, that was sure.

Big sad eyes, fake eyes turned to Saracyn for a moment as he had said she’d be his second favorite sister, "Careful, you’ll hurt my feelings." clearly just a little more joking sarcasm that the two seemed to share. Fia would have expected no less than coming second best to Avacyn when it came to Saracyn. The same in relation to their younger siblings too. She was learning how to find her own friends outside the family.

They came to the base of the mountain trail as Saracyn had asked her if sex was what she was still referring to. Fia hopped up onto one of the smaller boulders down below before taking a short leap into the grass. Maybe unnecessary but maybe showing that little bit of nervousness in her hidden emotions. "Well, yeah." there was nothing she would hide from her two older siblings. They took a pause at the bottom of the mountain as Fia turned to face him more and he went on. That little squint in her eye as she tried to relate and believe what he said. Far from anything she had ever experienced. "Cant say I’m interested. I’ll take your word for it though." That’s how she truly felt at least. Her young mind not seeming to want to change. It was something she’d need to learn for herself, in due time. There were already changes in her body as she was growing closer of age. And maybe that’s what made her think the acts were so gross to imagine.

"Fiametta"

Another bark of laughter left the crimson prince’s lips when Fiametta put on a dramatic show of being so offended by his dubbing her the second favorite sister. "Oh I’m sorry, did I wound your pride, Princess?" he teased her in return, flashing his razor sharp serrated teeth in a big amused grin. To many, Saracyn came across as a giant prick. He was short tempered, aggressive, and cold, but in reality he just simply didn’t tolerate anything less than the best. He had a lot of pride in his family in particular, and aria was high on a very short list of wolves he actually held dear to him.

As their conversation shifted to more risqué topics as they reached the base of the mountain path, Sara felt the scrutinizing gaze of his younger sister upon him. He glanced up at her from her perch on the boulder to see her eyeing him with doubt, earning her a perplexed look from her bigger brother. When she clarified that she still didn’t find sex interesting, the dire brute rolled his shoulders up into a shrug. "I didn’t find it interesting or see what was so great about it when I was your age too. It’s one of those things that you don’t know how much you’ll like it til you try it." Saracyn thought back to his first time mating and how it had come totally unplanned and unexpected. He hadn’t been planning on getting laid, and then suddenly boom! He was a man. "But you’ll find out someday. Whenever you find a boy who can keep pace with our family and treats you the way you’re supposed to be treated. Or a girl, whatever turns your head. Our family doesn’t judge. I mean, look at Mom. She’s got how many lovers besides Dad?" Maybe Fia hadn’t noticed all the other wolves Manea spent her days flirting with and bedding besides Alastor. Their live-in nanny Irilyth had been the first time he’d realized their parents were not in the belief of a monogamous relationship.

"Saracyn Mendacium"