Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He padded slowly across the Basin, hind end hopping slightly with each stride. It helped to do something. Scouting for a place to escape to if the Volcano grew worse. It took his mind, if for the moment, away from his love’s fading health. He paused and gazed around, fathomless sapphires searching and assessing. He knew the Nomads favored this place as a camp site. This place, like much of Boreas, would be covered in ash, regardless of distance from the Volcano. His grandmother Erani had told himself and his sisters long stories of her past, from her pup-hood, to the eruption of Mt Animi in the Old Lands. The eruption had utterly decimated Alacritis and sent all the packs fleeing, thanks to the warning from Glaciem, while it was under the Chieftainship of Crusade Ancora. He wasn’t entirely certain if this eruption would require evacuations from the lands they knew at large. Could he bear to leave the graves of his mother, his father, his grandmother and grand-uncle… Cairo the first? A sigh hushed from his jaws and he turned to survey the lands around him.

DOMINUS PRAETOR

The half-eaten body of the deer lay scattered about in pieces around the wolf as he had apparently had an absolute feast. He knew this meal was something to be thankful for, something to indulge in fully given that not as much of his time would be able to be spent hunting. Bright blue eyes were on the black sky of the horizon toward the mountain as he drifted in and out of sleep, anxiety keeping him unable to fully give in to slumber.

He thought it was something obstructing his vision at first, that bright red wolf walking across the ash-dusted grass of the basin. He was immediately reminded of his brother, though this wolf seemed to be even brighter than he had been. As memories filled his brain of legends his father had told him of their ancestors, Dominus' eyes gradually got wider. The volcano erupting had turned his world upside down, it seemed. He didn't know what to believe.

As the legend drew closer, Dominus could say nothing. He was petrified as if he had seen a ghost, unable to pick himself up from the disarray of the carcass he was surrounded with. If this was the Apollyon, perhaps it would be better to let the demon do the talking.

One thing had Dominus' hoping for an alternative to what could be a life-changing experience with the supernatural, and that was the eyes of the supposed demon. Dominus could not look away from the pure blue of the male's stare... a pure blue not too much unlike his own. Blue eyes were by no means evidence that this was not a demon, but perhaps it was not the demon fabled to own his life.

His hackles had stood on end without him even realizing, creating a shield of armor around his shoulders and causing the boy to look wild. Even if he wanted to settle them out of respect, the blue of his skin under the thick of that hide was raised in goosebumps- he would not be able to until his heart stopped racing..

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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The young man went unspotted for a few heartbeats as Regulus scanned the land around him, and then he locked eyes with the other. He studied the young man with a wise eye, much like the Great Prince of certain other lores long forgotten, his ears perked. It was that same intensity of attention that made one feel that there was nothing that lay hidden in their core. For his part, he wondered why the boy was staring at him with what one might say alarm, like he’d seen a wraith. Perhaps this boy had never seen a wolf of his coloring yet—he almost looked young enough… But there was something about him that piqued Regulus’ interest. But he couldn’t pin a paw on it. Finally, he moved, closing the distance slightly, his graceful lion’s gait hitched by the slight hop to his hind end until he stopped a respectful distance away, greeting with a deep, lilted rumble, “Good day. Is everything alright?” Granted, the world itself had turned on its head, but his query was clearly directed at the boy’s own wellbeing and his apparent unease.

DOMINUS PRAETOR

As the red wolf moved closer to him, the youth lifted himself to allow their eyes to meet. Though Dominus was not overly confident, he was mindful and observant.. everything that this magnificent being before him had to offer him in even the smallest details, he would take in and decipher. Those blue eyes truly captivated him and made him focus on them for reasons so deeply engrained into his heart and childhood.

He recalled being jealous of his father's pride in Ignis' red pelt and red eyes. He remembered the stories of Apollyon, the first wolf. He supposedly looked much like Ignis, and although the blue in Dominus had its own meaning - it wasn't quite the same. Here this being was before him holding the same bright red pelt, but with blue eyes so close in tone to those of his own. It have him.. a feeling that lifted his skin into goosebumps and allowed him to disconnect from the world in ruins that currently was.

Smoke clouds littered the background of the red wolf, but all he saw was Regulus until the demon finally spoke. The voice moved him again, causing him to stand up fully and lift his head in accordance with his need to display himself properly in front of this man. Dominus didn't care for a lot of things, but his origins and the stories his father told were always floating around his mind. Perhaps that is why he was so different at this moment, like a young soldier in perfect obedience.

"I..." His 'brow dots furrowed as he contemplated giving that answer, he wasn't sure what to say. There was so much on his mind, so much guilt weighing on his shoulders for what was expected of him. He wasn't even his father's first choice as far as the next heir went, though Elias' never admitted that, but who else would remember Ruina and what their bloodline owed to Apollyon if not for him? Was that why he came to him now, bearing blue eyes?

"I am sorry." Convinced that this was the first wolf, their maker, their captor, Dominus crumbled.

"I wasn't ready, I didn't know. I know now and I won't let us make this mistake again. The reaping will continue, Boreas didn't deserve this.. please make it stop." He remembered the woman who almost lost her life when everything first started, when the mountain first roared. He saved her, but how many others would lose their lives for their bloodlines negligence? His eyes never strayed away from the demon as he faced him, hoping that he could read into his soul and know that what he said was a promise that would be worth something.

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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The large young wolf’s response was… well…. Not what the former Archangel was expecting. At first he drew himself up to his full, impressive height. The natural conclusion as the boy crumbled and begged, was that there was some mental stress. But there was something about the young man that niggled, now that he was close enough to smell him. “Hey, easy now. Make what stop? The volcano? Son, nothing can make a mountain stop blowing its fury. It’s a part of nature.” He edged closer, still beyond biting distance if the boy was prone to lashing out in his distress, and wary of any reason to dance aside. He might not be as spry as he once was, but he wasn’t that stiff. With the boy’s attention so firmly on him, he wondered if it might not be helpful to edge until his back was facing west, toward the ocean far behind, a much more peaceful backdrop to the devastation in the east. He got a good whiff of the boy’s scent as he shifted casually, making it clear he had no intentions to circle him in order to jump him. Something… And that coat. “Calm, child. It’s the best thing we can do in these times. Stay calm, and move one step at a time.” That scent. Family. But which sister birthed this one? Unless he was Tornach’s… But surely his middle brother would have told him, even as distant as they were. “I’m Regulus Adravendi, Wisdom of Valhalla. What’s your name?”

DOMINUS PRAETOR

Those intense blue eyes nearly glossed over in appearance as the man began to chisel through the barricade his false reality had made to defend its credibility. The "volcano" had been a shrine in his youth, he had been taught to pay respect to it.. it wasn't just a part of nature.. was it? The sensible side of him knew better and slowly began to feel embarrassed as he recalled what he had just blurted out in his panic. Hardly anyone he met even knew of Ruina or these beliefs he'd had engrained into him, he felt insane talking about it to most.. but.. he had been so certain this wolf had been a part of everything...

His pant slowed as he closed his eyes and focused on Regulus' words. They worked to soothe him as he tried to focus on the present; and it did help that Regulus circled around limit the amount of utter chaos within Dominus' view. 'Stay calm, and move one step at a time.'.

When Regulus finally announced himself, Dominus' breathing all but stopped as he looked up to him in an almost glare. It wasn't meant to be offending, but rather the result of the youth taking in the truth with uncertainty. It felt so wrong to hear those words come out of being he'd just been certain was a demon, but he accepted it and looked again toward his own paws as he thought. Finally, when he felt as though he had come to terms with what really was, he looked up again with calm breathing and a stable mind.

"Dominus Praetor.. of.. of Ruina." He hadn't even been certain on whether or not to mention where he was from, but his birth pack was definitely in his thoughts ever since the eruption. Where was everyone now and what had they moved on to? He felt so left behind, and it wasn't until now that he realized how utterly frightening it was to imagine Ruina being real once again. It felt like a nightmare more than it did his history. His gaze slightly slacked away from Regulus as he began to lose focus all over again. He wasn't as fascinated by the similarities of their scent, although he did notice it too. It was odd, it felt.. like that was normal almost with this encounter. They were related, weren't they? Weren't they supposed to be?

The boy collapsed on the floor, his eyes shutting hard as pain surged through his head. He whimpered again and the urge to beg Apollyon to make it stop almost hit him again until he remembered that... Apollyon was an old man named Regulus from a place called Valhalla. Everything was so unbelievably confusing, he didn't have the ability to acknowledge and make sense of their scents. Not now while his mind was so fragile.

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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The boy was chaotic. Whether the stability of his mind had anything to do with the eruption, or was simply what he had come into the world with, Regulus couldn’t be sure. The former Archangel waited patiently as the boy worked through what might have been a fresh wave of emotions, slowly returning his introduction. Ruina. It wasn’t a place he’d visited personally, but he’d heard of the now defunct pack. The boy collapsed as Regulus made himself stay out of reach, resisting the instinctive urge to reach out and comfort the young wolf. All he could offer was a gentle, “Calm, Dominus. Center yourself. Who are, or were, your parents?” It was as direct as he was willing to get, and he wondered if it was even safe to ask the boy when he was so fragile. A glance was cast toward the sullen eastern sky, before he gently suggested “Walk with me? I find it helps me put my worries in order if I move.”

DOMINUS PRAETOR

As Regulus spoke to him, it helped him. He took in a deep breath and centered himself behind closed eyes, nodding once to reassure Regulus that he was trying. He was better than this, he was stronger than Elias was and he would not let himself slip into madness. It was just.. easy to get confused when everything seemed to be becoming so.. real.

Those bright blue eyes opened, the purple around his pupils shrinking to adjust to the light they were revealed to while he looked toward the volcano. He wanted to scream out in frustration just from the sight of it, but he forced himself to stifle that scream and focus on Regulus' question. 'Who are your parents?'

Before Dominus had a chance to answer, Regulus was beginning to move and offered for Dominus to join him. He nodded again as he picked himself up, his large toes splaying outward from his weight as he came to a full stand beside the man. He wasn't fully grown yet but he wasn't that far off from Regulus' height even so. The boy was a giant.

Walking for a moment helped, and he finally put thought into his parents. His father.. was a nightmare.

"Elias Praetor. He was my father." He answered, leaving it at that.

"Zuriel Adravendi.. was my mother." His mother had always been so gentle, usually smelling like the lavender she kept in the den. The memory of her scent made him close his eyes and that is when he made the connection not all of it was hitting him due to nostalgia, his nose turned Regulus without him opening his eyes and he quickly came to the realization that this man was in relation to him somehow.

Without a word, his eyes shot open again as he stared at Regulus, connecting now the familiarity of those blue eyes. They were like his because they were his, they shared the same blood. He felt so stupid now for crediting everything to Apollyon, this man likely shared the same red fur as Ignis because they came from the same lineage... right? It wasn't demons.. right?

Petrified, he could say nothing but a soft whimper escaped him as he wished for it to be so. He didn't want to live his life as a mad slave like his father, he didn't want to meet the teeth of his brothers.. he just wanted to live - but without anyone to show him how other than supposed demons, the boy was lost.

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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The boy’s answer was like a sock to the gut… the second half made his heart ache. He remembered that name. And had never once forgotten the reason for knowing it. His eyes studied the young man. He was too young to be from that litter… which meant that Zuriel had either allowed the bastard to touch her again… or he had forced her again. Whichever method, the union had produced a man that was visibly battling with mental issues. He couldn’t be certain if these had been brought upon the boy by the eruption of the volcano, or if he had simply been born that way, but if it was the latter, his and Zuriel’s family had never carried mental illnesses. And he had solid evidence, from his sister’s own lips on that cruel day, that Elias had. “Your mother was my litter sister. My youngest sister from our mother’s first litter. And…” He warred with his natural inclination toward honestly, and the knowledge that this young man was currently very stressed, and not in a good place mentally. His eyes dropped away, scanning the grasses ahead, before he spotted a familiar plant among the winter foliage. Nodding to it, he offered, “I have an inclination to be honest. The first time I heard of your… sire… gave me great reason to hate his very being. It is a story I feel you should know. Yet you are very clearly in a mental state that may not handle the truth of what I have to say well. Will lavender help you relax? Are you willing to face this?” Fathomless, depth-less sapphire eyes gazed at the young wolf, not judging, not blaming or hating. It wasn’t Dominus’ fault that his sire had hurt Zuriel all that time ago. But he was patient. Either way, he’d heard the whine the boy’d given, and the lavender could help regardless of whether a true story was told tonight or not.

DOMINUS PRAETOR

The scent of the lavender was apparently not just a part of his memory either, as he turned to look toward the patch of grass that had caught Regulus' attention. The herbs were something he grew up with, as his mother had kept them in stock to help calm Elias' on his worst nights; it had become a comforting scent, something that always took him back to the mental state of being an infant cuddled to his mother's stomach.

Steady steps brought him to the plant as his chin lowered toward it, not enough to touch it quite yet but a gentle breeze pushed the plant forward and closed the rest of the distance between him and the lavender, allowing it to stick to the wet of his nose in a soft kiss. Dominus exhaled first, pausing for a moment before he inhaled and let the plant relax him the more he embraced the memory of his mother and the calming effect of the plant. He wasn't sure what Regulus was about to tell him, but he took a minute to calculate what it could have been. It made him anxious that Regulus hated his father, but it seemed most wolves did - after all, that is why Acere did what he did. He didn't know the full story of Elias' crimes, but the death of Domina was likely the story that Reg wanted to tell him. Regulus had mentioned that his mother was Regulus' own sister, and Dominus lifted his eyes back to the red man as he thought about that - what Regulus would have done had he witnessed Elias kill his sister like Dominus' witnessed.

His weight lowered to his haunches as he bit his tongue, the curiosity to find out if there was more that he needed to know about Elias' beyond just what he did to Domina. Elias' often told them stories about slaves and sacrifices, as it was apart of their religion and celebration of Servus Menti, but what else was there? Was there more? He readied himself with an open mind for whatever he was about to hear. He wanted to do so with a logical mind, not one that rationalized everything with the motive of demons. The death of his sister, the death of all those slaves.. had all been rationalized by Elias' loyalty to Apollyon and Apollyon's supposed need for their souls. Elias was a murderer, and he would remind himself of that - not glorify him like he sometimes did when remembering these stories. This was a hard thought for the boy to process, a hard truth to face, but he was willing and he looked strong into the eyes of Regulus' to show him that.

"Yes. I am ready."

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Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The boy was brave, that was for certain. Regulus had no clue that there was a niece he would never meet from this boy’s litter. He waited until Dominus professed his readiness, then shifted to sit before him, bending to take in a deep breath of the lavender himself. After a few moments to set his thoughts and recollections into place, he began, instinctively falling into the cadence of a story-teller. Truth rang in each word, and a melancholy regret. Settling like a sphynx, he began, “The story begins before your mother left our pack to explore the world. Your grandmother hadn’t yet passed on. But that is a separate tale of its own. Long story short, a bit after your mother left on her own, I had to seek out master healers in hopes that my mother would be cured from her illness. Unfortunately, it was a lost cause. She passed on the journey home… I returned to Celestial, and regained my place at its helm, burying your grandmother, and shortly after, fought off a challenger for my pack.” He shook his head lightly, adding, “Really, that’s just backstory. This isn’t easy to speak of. But, sometime around there… your mother encountered Elias.” His tone darkened. “I didn’t find out about it, or that she was even pregnant with your older siblings until they were long born, and she came to me. Dominus. Your older siblings were not conceived out of love or willingness. She raised them alone in Lirim, your Aunt Faite's pack-- now it's led by your cousin Torin.” His eyes pulled away, gazing into the lavender. “She begged me not to kill him for raping her. I shouldn’t have listened. Because I never got to see my sister again. I don’t know what happened. But you are here before me. She was convinced she could fix him. I don’t know if it was possible.” His eyes locked with Dominus’ gaze as he said forcefully, “But know this, boy. I do not hate you. I do not blame you for whatever your sire did, or has done. That is all on Elias. Perhaps there are circumstances that I do not understand, but all I saw in that wolf was something that should be killed before it could hurt her or any other woman again. But… I caved to your mother’s wishes.” He fell silent, watching Dominus, and wondering just how well he was taking this story.