The first signs of winter had arrived, evident by the snow that began to fall over the lands and the blankest it created on the ground. Crimson gaze stared out from the warmth of his den, limbs shifting as he made himself more comfortable. The fox kits would be waking up soon, and when they did, they would no doubt want to go play in the snow. For now, he took the time to relax as much as he could before they woke up. His thoughts weren't good, however. The image of Domina was burned in his mind. The way he had found her body with Elias standing over her. He knew what his ancestors demanded, knew that that had always been their culture. But it wasn't his. So when Elias had tried to justify the murdering of his niece, Ace had snapped. He had always thought himself strong of mind. Avoiding the grasp of the demons. They had managed to snake their fingers around the minds of everyone he loved in what he used to call home, and even around the mind of his brother... His throat tightened. His heart threatening to break. Why did he even still care about Elias? He had done something so terrible...so unforgivable...Ace didn't understand what he was feeling. Honestly, he wasn't even sure he was capable of play time with his kits now. So he woke Ignis, instructing his nephew to keep an eye on them while he went out on patrol. Ace left the den as quickly as he could, racing to the borders edge. The falling snow did well to help him blend in with his surroundings, and he hoped that nobody had seen him running like something was chasing him. When he reached the furthest edges of the border, he came to a slow stop as he stared out past the trees. He sat heavily on the ground, head down and shoulders slumped. He felt his heart pumping hard against his chest, breath coming in short, quick gasps, and his throat feeling like he might choke. He didn't know what to make of this strange feeling, but the more it went on, his eyes would start to feel hot. The prickling sensation of tears threatening to fall. Was he...going to cry? He couldn't really remember the last time he had cried. Perhaps when Winter had died all those years ago...but even then, he couldn't remember if he had cried. He had sealed those memories away long ago. But now? He felt like everything was trying to break loose, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. speech action

She witness the man in white as he went running past, like the devil himself was on his heels. The Alpha paused a moment, mouth partly opened to speak, paws moving to look behind him. She waited a moment, to see if there really was something chasing him - like perhaps some over excited pups that he couldn’t get away from.

Okay, so his expression had been to serious for that to be the issue, but after a moment of ensuring he wasn’t being chased, she would amble on after him. Her pace was much slower, her belly wobbling beneath her as she moved.

She tracked his scent with some difficulty over the snow, puffing herself as she dragged her extra weight after him. She found him at the very edge of the border, sitting, shoulders slumped. Shockingly still for the way he had been moving just a moment ago. She groaned a little a she eased herself down behind him. Pregnancy was already a nuisance for the active Alpha, and resented a little having to slow down, even as she berated herself for not doing everything in her power to ensure she didn’t hurt them.
“Ace?” she asked, voice soft as she finally sat beside him, coat brushing against his. “Is everything alright?”

He wasn't aware that he had been seen. That someone was following him. His mind was far too wrapped up in trying to sort out what he was feeling that he hardly noticed the world around him. It wasn't until he heard his name echoing in his ears and the the soft touch of fur brushing his. Even when he was asked if he was okay, he remained still as he stared at the ground. He knew he wasn't alone now, but still...he felt like he was worlds away. He swallowed through the tightness in his throat, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. Then with a deep, shuddering breath, he finally responded. "I...I don't know..." He didn't want to tell her what he had witnessed. Didn't want her to know how truly fucked up his family was. What if she saw him and Ignis and Actaea the way he now saw Elias? Being related to the bastard, there was no telling if they'd one day, succumb to the things Elias did. Ignis and Actaea especially...they were so young still... "I...I found my brother..." He managed to say. Though his voice was full of mixed emotions, it was very difficult to pick them apart. He was angry with his brother. Wanted to kill him right then and there. But he didn't. He didn't know why he didn't. He couldn't. And he couldn't understand why. That was all Elias deserved now, wasn't it? For what he'd done to Domina. The sound of her screaming echoed in his head, the image of her body and what Elias had done to her caused his breath to hitch as he clenched his teeth so hard he swore they might break. speech action

He seemed unresponsive, like a wolf in shock. That healer part of her mind that still played up occasionally was already mentally prescribing him treatment. But she wasn’t here for that, she wasn’t even here as his Alpha, she was here to be his friend.

When he finally did respond, he sounded confused, uncertain. His breath was shuddering, and painful. It reminded her so much of her own experiences lately, she just wanted to make everything right with him. She couldn’t fix her own life, but maybe she could fix his.

She stayed beside him, not moving or speaking, just giving him a chance to find his words. Of course, when he did find them, she couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of air. It hissed between her teeth, before she found her control again. She had heard enough of the man to know that he was a bastard, and she had hoped he was gone. If he was back. Well, she would just have to make it clear to him that Actaea, Ignis, and Ace.. they where heres now. They had found freedom, a life here. He could not take them back to that hellhole of a pack.

Ace’s breath hitched, and Shaye, wrongly, assumed she knew what upset him. “I’ll protect Ignis and Actaea, he can’t have them back. He abandoned them, and they are starting a new life here. They aren’t my prisoners, but they are mine to protect.” there was a feriousness in his voice, protective instincts rising up inside of her, perhaps even more acute with her own belly swollen with babes.

It was so hard for him to figure out what to say. What to do. How to feel. But the more he thought about what he saw on the top of that mountain...the more he replayed the scene in his head...the less he was able to contain it. Shaye spoke, promising that she would protect Ignis and Actaea. Of course...she thought it was them he was worried about. Granted, he was. He always worried about them. But the possibility of Elias trying to take them back wasn't on his mind. He knew he would fight Elias to the death for those kids if he had to, and anyone else who sought to take them away. They would not be slaves to Ruina's ways...to those demons that caged his brother's mind and made him a prisoner. Ace had been lucky enough to not suffer the same fate as his brother and the rest of his family. But he always thought he was stronger than them, too. Strong enough to keep those demons at bay...so far. He closed his eyes. Another wave of sadness hitting him harder this time. It was because of Elias' beliefs that Domina was dead...his niece was innocent...she didn't deserve it...she had so much ahead of her...she could have been happy...here...with her brother and sister...and now? He had been too late in saving her... Without warning, Ace turned his head and buried it in Shaye's fur. He felt defeated. He felt smaller than ever. A wave of pain and guilt consuming him. He was always the strong one. Rarely one to show so much emotion. Most of what he did let others see was anger. But this? The last time it showed was when Winter had died. And even then, he had cried and mourned in secret. But in this moment, the tears flowed freely as his body shuddered with each aching breath. Heart clenching tightly, painfully. "He...killed her...she didn't deserve it...I was...too late..." His voice was broken. Full of powerful, raw emotion. He had been too late to save Domina...just like he had been too late to save Winter... speech action

She was determined to live up to her words, to show Acere her strength, so he would know she meant truth. She would go to war to keep safe the little ones under her care. Of course, Ace was also her solder, and he was one of the ones who would be at the front, fighting for them. He knew that, so why did he look so miserable? There was more to it than just the kids, clearly his brother had dredged up old memories, and-

Ace turned and dug his head into her coat. She blinked in surprise, before pulling him close as though he was family, as she would have for Vail or Rhyme. “it’s alright” she whispered as she pulled him close and let him feel whatever he was feeling. She was still a little confused as to what was going in his mind, but it didn’t matter. She would offer him comfort.

He began to cry, leaving Shaye feeling even more bewildered and hopeless. “Shh, its ok” she whispered gently into his coat. Then, Ace would speak, and she would tense, going still as she heard his words. Her breathing quickened, just a little. The sudden, undesirable urge to howl for Act and find that girl, swept through her. She held herself still instead, forcing herself to wait, and see if she understood Ace properly. “Who did he kill, Ace?”

Her words did little to soothe him. But it wasn't her fault, part of him knew she was trying to calm him. But he couldn't calm his frantically beating heart and shaking breath. He tried to get a grip on himself. Tried to turn off the tears. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Shaye after all the time he spent staying strong. But Elias...Elias had broken him a part of him. His brother had betrayed him. Killing his niece that had so much to live for. And for what? Because she did what all kids did at some point in their lives and didn't listen? He was glad then, that Elias abandoned Ruina and Ignis and Actaea. Because if he had stayed, he probably would have killed them for doing what kids did. And Ace knew that if Elias tried to kill them now, he would have no choice but to kill him, and to do it without mercy like Elias had done to Domina. She asked him then. The question falling from her lips sending a fresh wave of heartache through him. He kept his face pressed against her, unwilling to let her see the fresh wave of tears that flowed down his face. "Domina...he killed...Domina..." He knew she didn't know who that was. And at this moment, couldn't recall if he mentioned her name when they first met. With a shaky breath he added, "Actaea and Ignis' sister...she was just a child..." And his brother murdered her in cold blood. speech action

She let her warrior cry on her, the feeling of hopelessly on the verge of tipping from worry to anger. She wanted to rip apart the one who had upset him so, and a part of her own heart had picked up its pace, afraid. ‘Who had he killed’ the demon of Ruina. If he had laid a paw on one of Shaye’s own, nothing could stop her vengeful rage.

She felt relief, and then disquest at herself for feeling it, as Ace spoke a name that was not Actaeas. She didn’t know Domina, hadn’t had a chance to love her, to offer her protection, and she would have done so - if she ever had the chance. She gently licked Ace’s ears, trying to calm herself, as well as offer him comfort.

Their father had killed their sister, no doubt her little mentor and Ignis would hear about this soon enough, through she wished to protect them from it, she knew she couldn’t ban them from hearing the truth. Dammit, this was going to be a world of complicated. “What are we going to do about Elias?” she asked softly. Ace was hers, and his problems where hers. Not to mention the danger this man might pose to her little ones, Ignis and Actaea.

She attempted to offer comfort, but it only did very little to soothe his broken heart. He said nothing for a while as the pair sat there. He concentrated on trying to stop the flow of tears, but it wasn't easy. He hated Elias for what he did. Hated Tyranis for doing nothing but standing by and letting Elias get away with it. He knew Ty always looked up to Elias, but to condone his fathers actions was something that he couldn't forgive his nephew for, either. They were his enemies, and Ace decided he would rent them asunder with everything he had. He would be merciless on them just as Elias had been. Just as Tyranis was acting. They didn't deserve his mercy, and he would strike down all those who opposed him. "What are we going to do about Elias?" By now, his tears had mostly stopped. He pulled back from her, his gaze intense and features serious as he looked her in the eye. "We will not do anything. This is my battle to fight alone, and that of Actaea and Ignis should they choose to fight with me. I will not bring you or Abaven into this, especially not when you will soon have your own charges to worry about." He hadn't mentioned it before, but he noticed her pregnancy the whole time. Especially being this close to her, the scent wrapped around him like a cloak. He didn't know who the father was yet, but he didn't care at the moment. Whether she chose to answer or not, he continued. "I've made Elias pay part of his debt by blinding one of his eyes and heavily scarring his face. He will eventually pay the rest of his debt soon enough...Tyranis, too." He growled. Images of his nephew's face flashed through his mind. Remembering the look in his eyes. "I declared my brother an enemy. But despite what he did, my nephew looks up to him like he's some sort of God. Tyranis has a pack now, and I have no doubt they will seek blood should Elias join them. With that in mind, i do not want you or anyone else in Abaven getting involved. It is not your fight, or the packs. Do you understand?" While he knew Shaye was no pup, he spoke the last bit in a manner almost as if she were. He needed her to understand that this was something he had to do on his own. And if not on his own, then with Ignis and Actaea should they choose to. "speech"

His tears had begun to still as her warrior got control over himself, he pulled away from her comfort so he could look up at her, his eyes serious and weary. When he spoke, his words would bring her eyes to him, narrowing, though she did not speak yet. He noticed her pregnancy, but it would have been hard not to, with the way they were sitting. She shifted uncomfortably, and tried not to think too hard about the little ones inside of her. She didn’t interrupt as he continued, but a jolt of surprise ran through her, and likely he would have felt the motion. Tyranis? she hadn’t heard that name since just after Rhyme became her Alpha partner. She found it.. Interesting, that he should be mentioned now. “Tyranis.. A wolf bearing that name came to Abaven, and spoke to Rhyme about having a past here. That Bass had promised him he would be Alpha of this pack, but Tyranis left when he was a boy, and felt the promise had never been fulfilled… what Rhyme told me made me weary of him, through i hadn’t been able to find out anything more, any wolf who had known of him in Abaven seems to be gone now.” she admitted. But.. she was delaying the inevitable. “Actaea is mine to love and to teach, Ignis is mine to protect, and offer a future. You are mine to promise a home to, a place in the high ranks of my pack. Don’t think i’ll shirk my duty to you that easily. Your… brother, might have run his ship differently, but the way I see it, your problems are mine, too.” she told him, her voice determined, and gently scoulding. ""

Her surprise wasn't missed. He could see it on her face and felt her sudden movement after he mentioned his nephew. She explained he had visited Abaven and spoke to Rhyme. He snorted. "Most likely wishful thinking. He's always had a thirst for power, though why he was under the assumption that your old leader would give the pack to a pup instead of someone much more qualified at that time is beyond me." He frowned then, a sigh passing his lips. "He is not to be trusted. I've had thr misfortune of following him when he claimed his first pack, though at the time he was not aware that I was his uncle. I had thr opportunity to observe him both in Dauntless and in Ruina. Ever since he met Elias, he changed for the worst. I can't say the same for his brother, however. Cloudburst seems more docile, he's quieter and easier to deal with. Though his only problem seems to be a sort of...rabid aggression, I've only seen it happen when he's hunting. He is loyal to his brother though, but I don't know just how far that loyalty goes." There. He warned her about his nephew, and he was sure Ty wouldn't have many friends among the packs soon enough. His ears flattened when she went on about his niece and nephew. How they and he were hers to love and protect and stuff. His problems were hers. But he simply couldn't see it that way. He wasn't going to drag Abaven into war should it come down to that, and he wasn't going to ask any of them to risk their lives over something they had no business in. "Shaye, I appreciate it. As are Actaea and Ignis, I'm sure. But think about it. Do you really think your pack will go to war --which will happen-- on my behalf? Do you really think your pack, which is mostly made up of inexperienced wolves will be willing to fight and risk their lives for something that does not involve them? As stubborn as you are, I wouldn't let you fight for me, either. You're a leader first and foremost, until you become a mother. Which you will be soon. What then? You can't be foolish enough to fight someone else's battle when you have so many others depending on you." He wasn't going to change his mind about this. Try as she might, she wouldn't be able to sway his mind, either. He respected her, yes. But this was his war. It was a fight that Elias started, and that Ace would finish no matter what. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know. I'm sure you'll make someone very happy some day." But it won't be me. A small part of him had hoped, but that hope had come and gone way too quickly. Perhaps it had been the fact that things looked up since he joined Abaven, but despite that, he would be denied the one thing he often hoped for. Still, he tried not to think about her in that way anymore. He tried to just see her as nothing more than the alpha. Anything else would certainly spell trouble for him, and he didn't want to get attached to ideas that would never be. "speech"

He spoke of Ty, and she filed the information away, murmuring her thanks for it. She would pass it along to rhyme and get his thoughts on the matter. She wondered if he would one day become a problem for them. If he did, it would be because he started it, or threatened one of her own.

When he spoke, passionately trying to drive her from her course, she blinked, focusing on him once more
"You dont see it" she said in surprise, a mixture of exasperation and fondness in her as she looked at the old warrior. She shook her head, the gesture slow and contemplative "why I invite every injured, hunted and hurting wolf into my pack with open arms. Why I took in those that had once been slaves, and promised then protection. It didnt matter to me that some of them where family, I didnt even know that fact until later. I would gladly take on an army of slaves at my borders and hide those they sought within. You told me of your pack when I accepted you and yours into my pack, I knew that one day those of your old life might come looking for you. Why I'm always on the look out for warriors, training them first and foremost above the other ranks. Dammit ace, dont you see?"

She looked frustrated as she spoke, struggling to show him the bigger picture of who she was. "I was never cut out to be an alpha, never sought it. I took it to protect them from the Abraxas. I wasnt meant to be an alpha, I was born a healer and turned myself into a fighter through necessity. I might not have been born a fighter but damn me if I ever turn away from a wolf who needs me. that's who I am and what I'm building here and right now, that wolf is you. You can turn me away a hundred times, a thousand, but I'll still be here Acere, fighting for you." The emotion bleed out if her voice slowly, her eyes fixing on him. "I will never force my pack to fight these battles, I would take anyone who desired with me, or be a one wolf crusade. Whatever it takes."
Did he see it yet, into her heart, and the thing that drove her. Perhaps it started with Vail, a blind sister who needed her help. Perhaps it was the simple healer in her. It didnt matter, or who she became when she saw what the world had done to the downtrodden. That burning, boiling anger that rose inside of her. Whatever the componants, she knew who she was.

"You don't see it, " A brow rose in question, wondering what she was talking about. But the answer would come soon enough as she began to explain her side. He remained quiet as she went on, the cogs in his mind turning as he sought to understand. In a way he did, but there was more to it then that. She said she wasn't cut out to be an alpha, but here she was doing an exemplary job of it so far. At least that he'd seen, he couldn't speak for everyone else in the pack. Of course, he was also no mind reader so he didn't know anyone else's thoughts or opinions on the matter. But so far in his eyes, she seemed to be doing the job pretty well. Part of him thought she was foolish if she thought she could take on the world alone if she had to, but the other part also admired her passion and determination. He couldn't help the slight frown that started to tug at his lips, however. The more she went on and the more he saw her passion, part of him was having a hard time trying to keep from feeling things for her. Damn it all! He cursed himself and the struggle he was having with this. Before he knew it, he found himself pressing his nose into her neck in a show of gentle affection, and along with that motion came something else unexpected both by him and Shaye. The touch was brief, but as he pulled away a gentle lick sought to sweep across her cheek. He hadn't meant to do it, not consciously, anyway. As he pulled back and realized what he'd just done, a look of shock and horror flashed in his eyes. Fuck! He felt heat rise to his face and was pretty damn sure that if it were possible, he would have turned beet red with embarrassment. He did not mean to do that, and it was incredibly unlike him to do anything like that. "I-I'm sorry, I should go." He got up and stepped back, ready to take off. - Exit if allowed- "speech"

She got caught up in the passion of her speech, swept away by the emotions she felt. Her eyes bright with, her voice enriched. Few things brought such life from her, but this thing she had made her mission, her duty... it was one of the strongest.

She flushed when she finished, words falling from her lips no longer, and she found herself drawn back to herself, surprised at how she had spoken. Acere had just been through a trauma, he didnt want to hear this, her.. demand, to let her into something that he considered his burden. Yet.. she couldn't let it go, Ignis Actaea and Acere where a part of her now, and she would never forgive herself if she didnt fight for them.

Instead of seeing the expected judgement in his eyes, she would see.. something else, a shared passion. Did he feel as she did, this need to protect?
But no, the passionate wasnt for what she had said, not exactly. It was for... her?
No, that wasnt right.
He pressed his nose into her neck, and she stood there in sudden surprise, unmoving, breath held. Then he was pulling away, leaving a parting kiss to remind her of his touch.
"..."
She opened her mouth, but no words sprang forth, for a wolf who had had so much to suddenly, she was suddenly at a loss.
He apologised, she could see the shock in his eyes, it mirrored her own and then he was turning, and she knew in a second he would flee. She needed to say something, anything, or he would be gone.
She was frozen, in mouth and mind, and then he was gone. Leaving her alone and shocked.