Artemis stalked from the mountains foothills and into the cool shadows of the Red Forest's outer depths, swathed in barely restrained fury. Hers was a wrathful warpath only a mother could walk. With a sharp, "Keep up!" she had instructed her children to trail behind her, and spirits help them, they had better have heeded her command because she was in no mood to play games today. After the stunt they had pulled this morning, she didn't exactly want to see their deranged little faces for a few days. She loved them of course, but that didn't mean she wasn't a rat's tail from breaking their tiny necks. It struck her then that she didn't necessarily have to do this alone, if she wanted some peace for a few days. Artemis had bid them follow and follow close as if their lives depended on it. The land she had met their titanic father in was now Dauntless' territory as well, so Artemis led them to what she assumed would be the next best option. The canopy provided by the colossal trees above meant the snowfall below was relatively light, at least compared to most northern regions. Even though spring had arrived, drifts and shadowed patches still had plenty of the cold, slushy substance to be an irritant, but less so than on their home slopes. Artemis cast her nose across the prevailing wind, trying to pick up any scent of Angelus. You damn bastard, where did you make off to. I'll drag these brats to Auster if I have to, she thought to herself. She tipped her head back and let out a soft but demanding howl. She didn't necessarily want it to carry, but if he was nearby he ought to have heard it... "Talk" "You" Think

A howl was carried through on the breeze; low and demanding. Unaccustomed as he was to receiving commands, the titan remained still for several long moments. The picture of repose, he lay with his eyes closed and his head on his paws. Finally one eye cracked open. That was Artemis, wasn't it? He was still for several more seconds before the weight of that knowledge registered. In an instant he was on his paws - nap forgotten - and careening in her direction. He slowed to a trot once she came into sight and then slowed further when he noticed the irritation she exuded. That didn't bode well, but it couldn't possibly be his fault (could it?) so he guilelessly pressed on. "Artemis, is everything alright?" Sour as her mood seemed to be, Angelus was pleased to see her.

Aerndis walked sullenly behind her mother, a pout on her face. It was entirely Jupiter's fault! Sure, she'd gone along with it, she was supposed to be learning after all. She'd wanted to learn how to put together pits to catch animals and be a mighty hunter just like Jupiter was because it was only fair. How was she supposed to know her mom was going to walk right into the pit? She sniffed a bit, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying. She wanted to ask where they were going but a sharp command from her mother kept her silent as she tried to pick up the pace. "Mom! You're going to fast!" She scrambled through the underbrush and the snow that had yet to finish melting. When she finally caught up to her mother she spied a strange, ginormous man. She squeaked in alarm and ducked behind her mother's hind legs, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the stranger. "Talk" "You" Think

So Mama was mad. That much was pretty much obvious. And okay, maybe he and his siblings deserved a wee little bit of her ire, but it was all Jupiter's fault! Sullenly, ears pressed flat to his head, he trudged along behind his mother but not quite close enough to be in easy earshot, hoping to escape tirade of yelling at least while they travelled. Undeniably, Orion was a bit of a Mama's boy and he was pretty darn scared about whatever it was she had in mind for them. Was she going to just leave them the forest for some super crazy scary forest thing to find? No. She wouldn't do that!.. Would she? Orion shook his head, trying to clear out the troublesome thoughts. Up ahead he heard a soft howl from Artemis and he quirked his ears. Who was she calling for?! It was a scary forest thing, he thought with shock and awe. Were he and his siblings gonna have to fight it or something. He began to try and rev himself up, getting ready for... for whatever! He came into the clearing just behind Aerndis, to find they'd been preceded by a huge man Orion had never seen before. Orion stared at him, trying to look him in his eyes, then blinked. He ran forward, angry a little bit, to stand at his Mom's heels, coat puffed up like this was the thing they were gonna have to fight. Or did they maybe have to protect Mom? Well... Fine! His coat fluffed up around his ever-lankier puppy body. His limbs were starting to turn from pudgy to lanky, transforming his version of fierce from 'Awww' to 'Awkward' but he didn't mind. In his mind he looked awesome and that was all that mattered. Bring it on!"Who are you?" he demanded, glow flaring up a little brighter than it had been before. "Talk" "You" Think

Far behind the rest of his family, humming contentedly, wandered Jupiter. They were going on an adventure! Sure, what had sparked the trek into the wilderness was their mother's fury, but hey, an adventure as an adventure and he'd take them however they came. He was really hoping they'd go beyond the forest. He'd never been on the other side and if their mother was gonna leave them somewhere he wanted to be left in a place he hadn't explored yet. Still thinking he was falling behind, Jupiter skipped into the clearing and almost ran into the back of his mother's right hind leg. The boy stopped just in time and carefully sidestepped, treating the limb as if it were a snake about to strike. He was having a good time; the last thing he needed was for his mother to direct her anger towards him. If she was paying attention to him he couldn't do what he wanted. The looming shape of another adult drew Jupiter's attention away from his mother. Oh, whoa! That wolf was tall. Immediately he was in awe - he wanted to be that big too! If he were that size all the monsters would be scared of him. "Wow, you're big! How did you get so big? Is it because you eat a lot?" Oblivious to the tension around him, Jupiter beamed up at the giant. He wanted to know all his secrets!

Artemis' frustration was at a tipping point. She loved her pups, she really did. Seeing them sweet and sleeping together in a pile made her heart warm and swell in ways she had never anticipated. It was when they were up and about that she had issues. It was in remembrance of those rare peaceful moments she had decided not to drop them each into the ocean individually. When Angelus finally arrived, she decided to point her ire towards him instead of towards the children. Maybe it wasn't fair, but it was probably the better choice. He immediately sensed her displeasure upon his arrival, and yet had the gall to appear pleased with her presence. Flattering as it might be, (alright, so she softened a little bit because damn it, he was rather handsome,) it would not steer her off of her war path. Without a word of further explanation she declared to the pups, "Children, I'd like you to meet your father." Turning back to Angelus she said, "It's your turn to babysit for a day or three. Good luck! And if you value your sanity, keep a close eye on Jupiter." With that, and a flourish of her tail, she spun on her heel and stalked back into the forest. She didn't bother telling them to behave, because she knew they wouldn't. Why waste her breath? Call it reckless and irresponsible if you will, Artemis was convinced the alternatives would be much worse for her children. She just needed one moment of peace and freakin' quiet. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so, according to her children. Besides, Angelus seemed more than capable of protecting them. There wasn't much to protect him from them, but that was no longer her issue. -EXIT- "Talk" "You" Think

The words were barely out of his mouth when out of the shrubbery popped not one, not two - jesus! - but three iridescent fuzzballs. All three were fat, sassy and oh dear god, were those eye spots? With his heart creeping up into his throat, Angelus eyed the children. Were his ears ringing? Why did he feel faint all of a sudden? Artemis was speaking to him. Slowly - dumbly, really - Angelus turned his gaze from the children to their mother. He was struggling to concentrate on what she was saying and it showed; his brow knit together and he squinted dumbly at her as if making his forehead wrinkle would help him understand what was happening. Angel's eyes flew wide as he suddenly understood what Artemis had said. His characteristic charm abandoned him, leaving in its wake a panicked stutter, "Art-Art-Artemis, wait!" Already she was walking away. He took several steps after her, but froze to look back at the pups. He looked between Artemis' quickly retreating form and the children hesitantly. She was serious, wasn't she? He couldn't just leave them. He tried one last time to get her to stay. "ARTEMIS!" And then she was gone. Turning back to look at the pups, he eyed them with an expression that was equal parts fear and wariness. "Hello..." Where to start? Maybe their questions. "As Art- as your mother said, I'm-I'm," This wasn't going to work. He took a deep breath and willed himself to be calm. And authoritative. If he wasn't careful they'd smell his fear and walk all over him. "I'm your father. My name is Angelus." Now, which one of these little beasts was Jupiter?

Aerndis continued to eye the giant man suspiciously while her brother's confronted the stranger. That was just fine with her. They could be the test dummies and she could decide what she wanted to do after seeing what happened with them. However, when Artemis stated that the man was their father Aerndis felt her stomach turn over and drop right through the earth. Her legs felt numb as she tried to process this. She stared up at Artemis then back to the man. He was… her daddy? What? Why hadn't they ever seen him before? Suddenly, her safety leg was gone. She squeaked, startled and upset as Artemis just stalked back through the forest. Emotions were tumbling through her. She didn't know how to feel so she just turned to glare at the man. "If you're our daddy, where have you been? Why didn't you come to see us?" "Talk" "You" Think