She walked away from the fight with Avalon's blood splattered on her mouth and chest, a wide grin on her chest. Mercy wasn't unscathed though, she too was bleeding and more than a little bruised. It wasn't too bad though, it was mostly her face that was cut open and bleeding still. Dragging her tired paws, her adrenaline was starting to wear off from her battle. She thought about seeking out Lykos, but it probably wasn't the best idea. She had just maimed Ivalice's alpha, if she lingered much longer she had no doubt that someone would come after her and try to tear into her. Well, bring it! She wasn't even that injured, she could still take on someone else. Smirking, she let out a large sigh and walked into a large forest, very unlike the one she had just left. Slowing down her pace now that she was clear of Ivalice's borders, she stopped to itch her aching paw. Ugh, all she wanted to do was crawl into a cold river and soak for awhile. Tipping her head upwards, she took a deep breath of air. Mmm, didn't smell like there was any water here. Tsking her tongue, she got up and walked slowly around the looming trees that slowly got further and further apart. The pale woman, now stained with crimson, needed to stop and catch her breath for a bit. Leaning against one of the redwoods, her tongue flopped out of her mouth as she started to pant lightly. Ever so slowly her front limbs stretched out until her belly hit the earth, and she let out a sigh as the cool ground touched her belly. It was a huge relieve, and felt amazing on her sore muscles. It wouldn't last long though, with the sun still pouring heat across her back. While it was still cooler here then down south, the sun wasn't powerless. Resting her head on her front legs, her back ones turned to the side as she rested on her hip. Yawning, her purple eyes narrowed as she kept her body alert and ready. She wasn't far off from Ivalice, close enough that someone could easily track her down. Mercy wasn't fond of being startled, so her ears twitched at every sound she heard. As much as she longed a nap, it wasn't safe enough here. After a small rest, she would find a shallow stream and just lay in it. Maybe that would be a better place to take a nap. It was warm enough that she wouldn't catch a cold. "SPEAK!"

Art by OldFashionedBlue

Kharnage had about had it with being a good boy and staying within the borders. So far all it'd gotten him was a very boring healer meeting and not much else. Not that he'd been completely good, but he supposed better than wandering off and being a lazy little asshole that he typically was. Granted he'd already encouraged a pup to leave the pack borders, like they weren't supposed to do, but he didn't rightly care. He'd already figured out that the world was a cruel place and if you didn't thrive you died and it was as simple as that. Pups weren't excluded from that rule. He slunk away from Ivalice. Overall he wasn't in a bad mood, but he was sick and tired of confining himself to the pack territories. There was nothing to do, no one was actually teaching him, and his mentor was a goddamn joke. The male hadn't even called for him once to start any training and Kharnage had all but given up on the members of Ivalice. They were all worthless in his opinion and he was getting sick of waiting around. If no one was going to teach him there then he was going to find someone who would. He hadn't wandered far from his den when he came to the borders. the scent of blood was quite dominant here and he could smell the blood of his mother and a stranger. The woman's scent was also scattered around the territory but it wasn't quite as fresh. Had his mother fought someone? Curiosity got the better of him and instantly he was off to follow the trail of the stranger. He was honestly a bit sad he'd missed the fight. Who had won? He absolutely had to find out now. The female hadn't gone very far, though she'd managed to go a farther distance than he'd expected. Her scent was stronger among these trees and he'd stare at them. They were sparser than the ones at home, but that was all the inspecting he did. He hadn't come out here for the scenery. He quieted his steps now as he slowed. He wasn't trying to be completely stealthy, but he didn't want the female to possibly run off before he got a look at her. He could smell her and her blood more strongly now. He came around a few more trees and then suddenly there she was. She was large, about as large as his mother from what he could tell, though it was hard to tell since she was laying down. Her white pelt was stained with blood and despite possibly being tired she seemed very alert. "So who won the fight?" He questioned her curiously, not caring about introductions. Caution was to the wind and instead he'd stare at her inquisitively from a safe distance. If she'd attacked his mother he didn't want to be in the same boat, but he sure as hell wanted to know more about her and how her fight had went. Walk, "Talk" Think

It didn't take very long for her to hear someone following her trail. Her head lifted as her narrowed eyes shifted towards the trees. After several moments, a tall boy came up towards her. Flaring her nostrils, she could easily pick up the scent of Ivalice all over her coat. But below that, his scent was somewhat similar to Avalon. A single black marked brow rose, a son perhaps? Mmm, curious. Licking her lips again, his mothers blood on her chops, she slowly rose herself into a seated position. Her muscles screamed from the motion, but this conversation would just be too sweet to stay laying down. Her purple eyes roamed across the boy lazily, it was easy to see that he was related to Lykos. But who would he take after, his mother, or his brother? He asked who won the fight, and she looked back up to meet his blue gaze. "I did, otherwise you wouldn't see me outside of your pack lands. Your mother tried to claim me, so I gave her a pretty new scar on her shoulder," she said in a sickly sweet voice, her head tilting to the side. What would he do, now that he knew what his sweet little mother had tried to force claim her? Humming softly, her elongated tail thumped on the earth a few times behind her. Still smirking, she just looked at the strange boy. It wasn't sexual like her gaze usually was, she would never do that with one of Lykos' brothers, she liked their friendship too much for that. Mercy didn't often get friends, so she tried to keep the ones she had. Her gaze narrowed slightly, trying to place his name. Lykos had talked to her about his brothers, about how she thought that they were all pretty much stupid, except for Gryphon. So was this Dragon, Gryphon, or Kharnage? "You were in Imperium, but I'm afraid I don't remember your name. I only really spoke to Lykos, and I also had a fight with your mom in there too. At least, I am assuming that you belong to the family. You look like Lykos, and you smell like Avalon. Your brother told me about you kids, so I have a one in three chance of getting it right..." She broke off, looking up as she tossed a random name out at him. "Dragon?" Mercy asked, looking back down to see if she was right. "SPEAK!"

Art by OldFashionedBlue

She'd risen from a seated position which proved his theory that she'd at least been alert. He'd stare at the blood coated wolf and he couldn't help but wonder who's blood coated her fur more: his mother's or her own? He'd stand still as she looked him over and she was rather quick to respond to his question. He would have relaxed if it hadn't been for the answer she gave him. He felt his muscles stiffen as she mentioned that his mother had tried to claim her. He felt a growl bubbling within his chest. What the hell was wrong with his mother? First she made Lykos heir, took an idiot for a mate and had kids with him, and now she was trying to force claim wolves into her pack? "I'm glad you scarred her then. Maybe she'll think twice before trying to fuck up someone's life by taking them a prisoner." He growled in an irritated tone. He almost didn't recognize who his own mother was anymore. Ever since she'd created Ivalice she'd changed and so far he didn't like it. He would have asked her what she had done, but then he remembered her scent all over the territory and he thought better of it. Maybe that was it? Even if he'd wanted to ask, she started talking again. She mentioned Imperium and his ears would prick forward. So she'd been in the old pack as well? She mentioned Lykos and he tried to hide the disgust that grew on his face, but he failed miserably at that. His lip ended curling up as he thought about his larger brother. She tried guessing at his name and his mood lightened slightly. She'd gotten it wrong. "I'm Kharnage. Dragon is the lighter brown one." He told her. "So what did Lykos say about me?" He asked her as he sat down. "Nothing good I presume." Walk, "Talk" Think

Both her black marked brows rose at the boys speech. So, he didn't care much for his mother? Her head tilted to the side as she studied him, his growl making her ears perk towards him. What a dysfunctional family, how very easily they seemed to drift apart. How easy it was to detach from your parents and betray them, just as she did. This was just getting more and more interesting, and the exhaustion that had plagued her was starting to ebb away the more he spoke. "I already beat her once, I don't know why she thought that she could overpower me. She is a foolish woman, your mother. But do you follow in her paw steps?" Mercy asked, slowly lifting herself to her weary paws and taking a few steps towards him. Her purple gaze stayed on him with a curiosity burning in them. "You don't seem to be on the same page as the bitch that birthed you, and I wonder why...?" she asked in a soft tone. It wasn't demanding or patronizing, just... wondering. She herself had left her parents at a very young age, would this boy do the same? Mercy laughed when she say the male reacted when she said Lykos' name, it would seem like the dislike was mutual. His face changed when she called him Dragon, correcting her and naming himself Kharnage. "Ah well, close enough," she giggled, tossing a wink his way. Kharnage sat himself down, and after taking a few more steps towards him, she too flopped to her rump. Her legs splayed to the side, and the woman licked her lips again. Damn, they were getting dry after all that yelling. She could still taste blood on her lips, and was surprised that he was so calm while she was painted in his mothers blood. Even though she wasn't close with her parents, she... well actually she didn't know if she would freak out. Hmm... interesting. Shaking her head when he spoke again, asking what Lykos had said about him. She tried to think back to the day in the barn, about what he had said. "He complained more about Dragon than you, actually," He hadn't really said much about his other brothers, other than they were stupid with the exception of one. "Seems like this goes deeper than sibling rivalry, you boys just can't get along, can you?" She said in a teasing manner. As much as she wanted to keep this up, her front limbs started to quiver. Once again she stretched out on her belly. Ahh, so much better. "SPEAK!"

Art by OldFashionedBlue

He'd watch as Mercy would study him and he'd watch her back. She seemed almost ... well she definitely seemed curious by his actions. He supposed the growling was a bit much, but he didn't care. It was like someone had taken his mother and replaced her with someone new. She wasn't the Avalon he remembered from when he was a pup and he didn't like it. Was it Vereux who had changed her or had becoming an Alpha somehow gotten to her head? Or maybe it was both? It was hard to tell. Mercy mentioning beating her once already and Kharnage wasn't very surprised. If she'd won this fight then of course she'd won the last one. His mother was pretty big, but he already knew you couldn't beat everyone. Regulus had taught him that when he'd shown him the scar he'd gotten from the tiger. He found insult creeping up as she asked him if he followed in her paw steps and he furiously shook his head. "Not at all. She's my mother and I don't hate her, but my family seems like strangers now. She's changed so much that I barely recognize her anymore and that stupid pack... well it's full of idiots and they're all worthless." Okay maybe he shouldn't have been complaining to a stranger but it was the first time he'd ever actually gotten to talk to anyone about it. Dragon was about his only friend in that pack and he hadn't dared say anything to him lest he get scolded or told that he needed to get over it like with the Vereux situation. Not to mention he probably would talk to mom since they were closer and he didn't want that either. So he was left without anyone to talk to. Mercy would laugh at him when he made his dislike for Lykos evident. Well at least someone found it funny. He practically hated the male, but he supposed his other littermates were okay. He never talked to Gryphon and Dragon he liked enough at least. Did Mercy know about the younger ones yet? He felt like asking, but it didn't matter. Lykos probably complained about them too now that he thought about it. He was more than surprised when she said Lykos complained more about Dragon than him. He rose an eyebrow at this and cocked his head. What had Lykos told her exactly? When she mentioned sibling rivalry he snorted. No he supposed it was deeper than that. "Dragon isn't stupid, I don't think so anyways. But he's probably mad we hate him cause he's an asshole. He's stuck up and irritating to be around and walks around like he's the coolest thing in the entire world just cause Mom promoted him to heir." He paused for a moment before adding. "Which I don't see why she did anyways. The rest of us followed her to her new pack when she made it while his ass stayed behind and was going to stay in Imperium if it hadn't disbanded. Then he shows up and she makes him heir when he hadn't even been there. So she's stupid. She's not even that old... I don't see why she needs one." He didn't want it. He didn't know about Dragon or Gryphon but he would have taken either of them over Lykos any day. Walk, "Talk" Think

The way he shook his head was almost too hard, and she stored all this away for later. It would seem that there were two boys who didn’t care for their mother. A brow rose, but she held her tongue as he spoke. "Then why are you still a part of it? If you feel like you don’t belong, just leave. There is so much more out there than being with your stupid family, and better wolves to meet," Mercy’s lips curled upwards, she was not a fan of parents. She had been upset about being barren but then she realized that she wouldn’t have to stress about her kids. Hell, she would have been a far better parent than hers ever were. She was far from an advocate of families, they were far too needy and clingy. Once she left and joined Imperium, she finally found herself. Maybe the same thing would happen to Kharnage, and perhaps even Lykos. They needed to get out there and figure shit out for themselves. "You aren’t going to grow in a place you feel so stunted," she said with a casual shrug, and then regretted the action. She flinched a bit as the movement pulled on her bruised shoulders and aching muscles, but nothing more. Mercy wasn’t really surprised that he found it easy to talk to her, she could only imagine the pressure on the alpha’s kids to be perfect. Was he even able to talk to his mother about anything? She doubted it, and the thought made her snort. What a terrible thing to do to your kids. In Valentine’s kids she saw the determination to make their father proud, but he was such a strong wolf that she didn’t blame them. Hell, she worked hard to impress her then alpha as well. It wasn’t hard to want to show him what you had, but with Avalon? She couldn’t even beat a loner in a fight. How much longer would this pack be around for with a leader like that? He went on to complain about Lykos, and her ears flickered slightly. She cared for the boy, obviously not in the way that she usually cared for males. He felt more like an actual friend, maybe even a younger brother. She had siblings out there, all the half siblings from her whore of a father, and even her mother. Seems like sleeping around ran in their blood. It was interesting to hear that he pranced around the pack like he was all that since becoming heir, and a single black marked brow rose. "Really? That’s… interesting. He came to me to complain about being made heir and said that he didn’t want the rank, but felt like he had to take it," So who was he lying to here? Or was it as simple as different perspectives? She honestly didn’t know why Avalon did either, unless there was a fear that she would slack so soon? Or maybe take years to train him up? She had no idea, and she didn’t really care. She was more interested in just how different he acted with her and then with his family. "Maybe she had a backup plan. He even said it didn’t make sense but he still took it," That was the part that she didn’t understand, she had no idea how someone could make you do something like that. "SPEAK!"

Art by OldFashionedBlue

"Then why are you still a part of it? If you feel like you don’t belong, just leave. There is so much more out there than being with your stupid family, and better wolves to meet," He could only look at her and blink. He hadn't really pondered the idea of leaving. Sure he'd thought about it here and there, but it'd never actually been a true thought. He'd always pushed it away and hoped things would improve for him. How could he leave his family after all? But her words played in his head over and over and the more he thought about it the more he was okay with the idea of leaving Ivalice all behind. He had wanted to explore more and be independent. Maybe leaving wasn't such a bad idea and as Mercy had so kindly put it, he really wasn't going to grow in a place he didn't feel like he belonged in. What was he missing past pack life? Considering her words, he felt like he was missing a lot. It was certainly something he wanted to think on. The thought of abandoning them still left a sour taste. He'd berated Lykos for betraying them by deciding to stay in Imperium. Would he be doing the same thing? No surely not. He'd given Ivalice a chance at least. he'd tried his best. He'd shown up to the crappy meetings everyone had called. He just couldn't find his niche there. At least he hadn't abandoned them. Lykos had only come crawling back when Imperium didn't exist anymore. The thought made him snort. Yeah he definitely wasn't that awful. Besides... he'd have to ask to leave first. Now that conversation he dreaded. The words she spoke next were interesting enough. His mood soured further as she mentioned that she'd talked to Lykos and how he'd felt like he'd had to take the position of heir. His nose wrinkled at the thought. What a liar! Lykos was just full of himself... his thoughts could have went on forever about how much he disliked his similarly colored sibling, but he pushed it away. "He probably only took it cause I'm sure he thinks me and Dragon are stupid and incompetent for the position. Which I admit I don't want it and I didn't. I'm not sure about Gryphon though, but hell, he'd be a better heir than Lykos. For a wolf who didn't want it he sure did flaunt around like he was the shit." Walk, "Talk" Think

This had been an interesting conversation to say the least. One of them had to be making shit up, or they just were pesky little brats who liked to tattle on each other. She inspected the smaller man with a raised brow, slowly nodding her head back and forth. "Well kiddo, if you do decide to make a name for yourself, hit me up. I wouldn't mind training you a bit in fighting, I do get bored from time to time," she said with a smirk, stretching out her sore muscles. She needed to go and get some healing done, her face stung like a bitch and she was fucking horny from the scent of the blood all around her. Poor Kharnage didn't need to be anywhere around her when she was like this. Not that she would ever make a pass on him, but damn it was tempting. Licking her lips, she withdrew herself a few steps before turning her back on the kid. Glancing once over her shoulder, she couldn't resist to wink at him. Time would tell if he would call on her or not, but she was looking forward to a conversation with Lykos, there was a part of her that knew he would have a lot to say. -exit unless stopped- "SPEAK!"

Art by OldFashionedBlue

Kharnage eyed her curiously as he waited to see her response. He was half expecting her to take up for Lykos. He didn't care that he was openly shit-talking about his brother. For all he cared they weren't really siblings. Maybe by blood, but Kharn didn't have to actually consider him a brother if he didn't want to. Lykos had done nothing to form a bond between them and Kharn certainly wasn't going to try. If he wanted sibling bonding time he'd go hang out with Dragon. The response he got wasn't what he was expecting. The subject change would have been nice, except for her leaving, but he nodded at her. He certainly was excited at the idea of taking her up on training. If she'd beaten his mother then surely she must be a great fighter? So he grinned - he felt much better than he had a few minutes ago. "See ya." He said, before stalking away. -exit Kharn- Walk, "Talk" Think