Ooc: trying to move Justice forward so I can actually post with her again, so I'm being vague about the details. Doesn't really matter which Ancoras show up because she doesn't really know any of them anyway lol.

The events up in the north had coagulated into a a deep numbness.

Her father was dead.

Justice felt set adrift, like a boat that had slipped it's moorings with no rudder. She was only a yearling. She shouldn't be without both parents already in her life. All the while she had been away from Celestial as a pup, it had been her determination to see her family again that had kept her going forward. It had been hard to find, upon her return, that her mother was catatonic and her father was distant. But knowing he was dead, knowing what had happened to him and to Valor... it changed things. She felt numb, but beneath the numbness lurked a tingling, hot feeling worming it's way slowly through the numbess. Lurking just beneath the surface.

With Valor safely in Paladin's paws she had begun to feel useless and ill at ease. She wasn't trained as a healer, as much as she wanted to be, and she felt helpless to do anything for Valor. She felt... trapped, there, and restless, as though there were something she should be doing that she couldn't quite grasp. So for something to do, she had taken it on herself to let the rest of the Ancoras know about Creed's passing. She knew he had been close to some, though she hadn't ever met any of her relatives. Valor had, though, and so had Fable, but since he had abandoned them when she had needed him she couldn't get him to show her the way. Instead she had spoken with Valor and gotten the best directions he could remember.

Which apparently hadn't been great, or she was just not good at following them, because it had taken her quite a while to find this place. She hadn't brought anyone from the pack with her- she didn't want the company. She wanted to be alone, wrapped in that numbness. It was Ancora business anyway, and with Fable gone and Paladin being the pack's only really active healer, and Valor and Exodus both still recovering from their own ordeals, that really only left her to go alone.

Justice sat on the edge of the borders for quite some time in silence. She was reluctant to call for anyone, because if she called she would have to explain why, and putting it into words would make it more real. But finally she lifted her head to call for the Ancora... aunt? Cousin? She really didn't know, and hadn't asked Valor for a name either. It hadn't been important to her at the time.

He'd been getting a drink of water at the farthest edges of the land, one of the only small pools left thanks to this season's drought. There wasn't much left, so the water her drank was mostly dirty and riddled with silt. It certainly wasn't the most refreshing drink he ever had, but it was all there was now without having to make a long trip in search of it. Kimahri crouched at the edge of the miniscule puddle, green gaze watching the alpha male. There was no way he was going to drink dirty water, and the thought of it disgusted him. Unlike Dragon, the feline had the luxury of leaving the lands whenever he wanted and without notice to do as he pleased. The earthen male, however, had alot of duties to tend to. As Dragon drank, a howl split the silence. He rose from his spot, confused and curious. The howl wasn't a familiar one, but whoever was calling didn't sound the least bit happy. Without a word, he set off as quickly as he could, Kimahri following behind. A ton of thoughts raced through his mind. Who was it? What did they want? Why did they sound like that? He wondered if these questions would be answered, though when the wolf came into view, he grew concerned. The scent told him it was one of his kin, an Ancora obvious by the way she looked. One of Creed's? Why was she here? Did she need help? He had met two of his other cousins, so this was no doubt their sister. He approached, almost outof his breath from his trek from the far side of the lands. "Hello..." He greeted cautiously, wondering what was going on and if his mother was coming. No doubt she heard it, but since he was the alpha, she probably thought nothing of it. "What can I help you with?" He questioned, unsure as to what was going on. "Speech"

Justices gaze had dropped to the ground as her howl tapered off and she settled in to wait. It didn't take long though before the rustle of pawsteps heralded someone's approach and raised her purple eyes again. It was a male, unsurprisingly a stranger to her though his cinnamon brown coat bore the unmistakable stamp of the classic Ancora markings. Not the triangular tear-marks, though, undoubtedly because he hailed from a different branch of the family tree. He was put of breath, as though he had run to not keep her waiting, something she might have appreciated more if she wasn't too mentally exhausted to think. The creature who followed him earned a much more curious study before she answered him though - she had never seen a big spotted cat like that before. Cougars yes, enough to know to avoid them, but no spotted cats.

Finally realizing she had been staring blankly at the cat for long enough to have been rude, she shook herself out of the dazed stupor with faint irritation. The cat wasn't so fascinating as to have captured her attention so long, though she was interested, but rather she had blanked out for a moment. She was just so... tired. But every time her eyes threatened to close she could see what had happened, and that shivery-tingly feeling started to spread through her limbs and her chest beneath the numbness... she was half-surprised to feel her muzzle twitch half into a snarl at the thought.

But she brought herself to focus on the male who had come to greet her. "My name is Justice Ancora," she told him, in a voice flat and slightly off. "My father is Creed Ancora." Was. "I was told we had relatives in this pack that he was close to. I'm looking for them. I came to let them know..." She inhaled a sharp, pained breath, then slowly let it out. "I came to tell them that my father is dead." Dead. Her father, dead. The numbness shivered around her. She fixed the male with a gaze as flat as her voice. "He was murdered by a female wolf from the far north. We think she partners with another wolf, a big male, greater than eleven paws tall. He raped one of our pack's females in the same area and she remembered him talking about his mate. They were cannibals." Her voice didn't change as she imparted this knowledge to the male, though her lip did twitch into another unconscious snarl. "The female tried to kill my brother too, but he escaped, badly injured. I thought I should let my father's family know, and warn your alpha so your pack is safe."

Ooc: I figured paws as being the same distance as hands, like the measurement of a horse, so about four inches.

He waited for what seemed a while for a response, though the younger girl was somewhat recognizable. Though he'd never met her, he could see the faint signs of her heritage. Her coat was incredibly dark, but upon her were the unmistakable markings of an Ancora. Furthermore, she smelled like Creed and his other cousins, that he had met. Fable and Valor. He was about to ask if everything was alright, but the way she seemed so...exhausted and the way he saw her muzzle twitch with what he thought to be a snarl, told him something wasn't right. Finally, when she tore her eyes away from his companion, (not the first time someone had stared at Kimahri that way), she spoke. She didn't seem alright, and right away he could hear it in her voice. When she told him her name and who's child she was, he nodded in acknowledgement. Creed was the only other one he could think of that she looked like, markings wise, anyway. "You're in the right place." He murmured, though not particularly loud as to feel like he was cutting her off. His ears twitched and a slightly confused and concerned look crossed his features when she inhaled. Almost as if she didn't want to tell him what was wrong. But then...she said it. And his eyes widened. And he looked incredibly shocked. His ears flattened and his head pulled back slightly. Creed? Dead? No...While he didn't know Creed long or as much as he would have liked to know him, the news was still shocking to him. He said nothing as he stood there, allowing her to continue speaking uninterrupted. He processed the information almost as slow as possible, but the more she spoke, the more it began to register. Someone had killed Creed. No. Murdered him in cold blood. Not only that, but she had an accomplice who hurt others too...and he didn't even want to think about the cannibal part. He knew Creed and Valor were going to make a trip up North, and he was supposed to go with them. But the pair had wanted to stop in Celestial for a little while, so he had returned home to Talis to tend to some duties before returning for them. But it seemed he had been too late in regrouping with them, and they had gone North without him. He felt his body tensing up. Would Creed still be alive if he had been there? He felt like he was going numb. Like part of this was his fault. Like he could have done something to save Creed. He should have stuck around to make the trip with them, but instead... Finally, the male found his voice. Though his jaws opened a few times before he could actually speak. "I...I can't believe this..." He looked at the ground, brows knitting together as he cast his head back and forth in disbelief. But the way Justice looked. The way she spoke. He knew it was true. He took a moment to collect himself before returning his gaze to hers. Hardened green gaze was full of a range of different emotions. From shock and sadness, to anger and pure rage. "Creed was a valued member of our family and very loved. As are all of you. Whoever did this, will pay with their life. One way or another, as the Alpha of Talis...I will make sure of that!" He growled. His fur bristled, and then he came to the realization that he should call his mother...but then...he didn't want Justice to have to tell her story again. He knew it was hard, but his mother needed to be here to know. He'd call her in a moment, first he wanted to speak with Justice alone. "Where did this happen? And how long ago?" Walk, "Talk" Think

She just kept her eyes vaguely focused on the earth-toned male, the frozen numbness in her center holding her in a static state, too emotionally exhausted to even think. Finally he spoke and her gaze drifted to his. His obvious rage resonated with that trembling spark of something that the numbness was barely holding in abeyance. It woke an answering tremble in her ears, a quiver of her leg muscles as though preparing her to leap, a tiny clench of her jaw. But it was quickly smothered beneath that strange apathy.

"Nothing any alpha can do is going to bring my father back from what they did to him," she told him tiredly. "My brothers and I will get justice for him and for Valor when Valor's well enough to stand with us. We don't need anyone else's help. I just thought the rest of his family should know what happened."

The alpha asked more questions, and Justice shook herself enough to bring her concentration back to the present. "It was autumn when they went missing and I went to look for them. My pack's alpha and I found them north of the wall in northern Boreas. We tracked the killer back to some human thing - a ship? But neither of them were there. They must have had warning somehow that we were coming and escaped just ahead of us. I don't know who could have warned them." She shrugged, a sharp, frustrated gesture.

"Nothing any alpha can do is going to bring my father back from what they did to him," He remained quiet. Mentally cursing the world. Was fate this cruel? Cruel enough to descend upon those who didn't deserve it? She continued, and his gaze darkened. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. Perhaps a numbness that went straight to his core. He cared a lot for those in his family, he'd do anything to protect them, but not even that would ever be enough. He knew that if these murderers were still wandering and one of his own wandered across their path, there was no doubt that they'd meet the same fate. The thoughts were driving him mad, and it was a whole new feeling for him. He always considered himself a warm soul. Prideful and sometimes hard headed, but now...now he felt cold. He looked at her, gaze hardened as she she told him more. So...it happened around the time he was supposed to go with them to the North lands? They were going to visit the Ancora's old homeland, but...it seemed that Creed and Valor had gone on without him. And he blamed himself for not being there to stop it. He was convinced now that the fates were indeed, quite cruel. "I was supposed to go with them...the ship you speak of, I know it well. I know all the north lands, and I've never caught sight of such unruly bastards," If he had, he would have burned them to the ground, he was sure. He wasn't the world's best fighter, but he was young and he was undoubtedly faster and stronger than Creed had been in his old age. He bared his teeth as the thoughts consumed him. Regardless of what Justice said, he'd make it his mission to find them. "Thank you for coming to tell me. I know you are tired from your ordeal and having to travel here..." He sighed, gaze cast to the sky. "How's Valor doing?" "Speech"