The massive form of the black and red brindled wolf plodded leisurely behind the ghost-like female guiding him through the gargantuan forest like a beacon of light amongst the dense greenery. Alastor peered up at the humongous trees, briefly wondering how long these trees had been alive and how they had gotten as big as they were. His thoughts were distracted by the sound of flowing water somewhere nearby. Black eyes snapped back to the backside of his leader, making sure to not lag too far behind her. His paws moved in time with hers, carrying both of them through the woods while the gurgling sound of running water got closer and closer until a small brook appeared cutting through the trees like veins in a body. Still smiling to himself, Alastor picked up the peace to a brisk trot, practically bouncing past Lurid with a smirk to her as he made his way to the water's edge.

Alastor padded forward until his paws were in the cool water. The dark-furred man leaned his muzzle to the water, taking a long drink before rearing back to peer at his blood-smothered reflection in the water's surface. His eyes ran over the grinning visage staring back at him, then lifted a paw and smashed it down into the water with a splash and a laugh. Turning his eyes briefly back to Lurid, he asked, "Are you joining me, Lu Lu, or just enjoying the show this time?" before laughing and hurling himself into the water with a giant splash of water in all directions. The sensation of the cool water rushing over and around his body felt refreshing and invigorating, faded clouds of red blood flowing off of his body in the process. The water was not very deep, and Alastor was able to stand on the riverbed with his head easily above the water. He turned around, his wet fur sticking to his neck and flinging sprays of water all around. He grinned back at Lurid, wading through the gentle current and letting it wash him clean. The slightly chilly water was an amazing contrast to the warmer summer day—not that summer in the north was anything overbearing to begin with.

"So where is your adorable little tyke right now?" he called out to her with a playful wink as he used a paw to pull some of his clumped fur apart to clean it off.

"Speech" — Thoughts

The distance was a short one, nothing too arduous for the pair, but the demonic queen's mind was working at a breakneck speed that seemed to slow everything around her. Thoughts of home, the wolves she had lost, and what the future of Mirovis looked like turned over and over. It made her want to stop thinking, and at the same time, urged her to straighten her head. Lurid realized then that she had afforded herself too many luxuries, she had placed too much on her already stressed pack's collective shoulders, and now she paid the price. The loss of a few members was easy enough to cope with, no real mourning for the deserters, but she didn't want to lose anymore. In truth, it was her first failure as a leader, even if she wasn't an experienced leader the fact was hard to cope with even for her. Even now she could hear her father's voice berating and belittling her from the grave, outwardly bristling at the thoughts.

Alastor moved passed her, snapping her out of her thoughts and memories, bringing her blinking into the present as he asked her to join him without really asking. "I may have to pass this time, you know what happens to my fur when it gets wet l." The translucent nature of her bright coat became nearly transparent when she bathed, like the wolf equivalent of being naked. Lurid was a confident and powerful woman, her body was well toned under her fur, but she wasn't ready yet to be that vulnerable. He leapt in with a splash, a few large drops landing on her and showing up almost immediately as small dark, liver colored spots in her otherwise pristine white fur. "See?" Her words were said dryly, but in a humorous way. Reclining on the bank of the creek, the demoness wore an expression that was easily readable as troubled. Holographic eyes watched with a sick interest as the blood flowed from Alastor's coat and into the water.

His next question was a simple one, and brought the ivory devil from her thoughts successfully. "He is supposed to be working passed an understandable new fear. Most likely, he is playing though. Ilyn and Samael help keep an eye on him, they are with him now." Lurid was open with her childhood friend. He may have slowly descended into madness, but she had always known him to be a trustworthy friend and confidant. No matter how angry or sad she had been, he was always there with a smile and a solution, or at least ideas to help her come to one. She gave a smile then, "Actually, he is due home soon, at sunset. So, when we finish here we should have time enough to get back before he gets there." She was very proud of her baby, Kichi had always been a good child, even as a newborn. Perhaps she left him to his own devices too much, but with the acceleration of her plans, that would soon change.

"Oh no! Did I do that? How clumsy of me!" Alastor could not suppress the growing smirk on his face when he saw what the effects of his splashing had done to Lurid's pristine white coat. Of course he knew what water did to her fur. He remembered the first time he'd pushed her into a shallow pool way back when they were pups, then watched with fascination as her fur seemingly melted and disappeared before his very eyes. At the time, he had no comprehension of what he had caused to happen, even when she had gotten out of the water and chased him for revenge, but now that he was an adult he knew exactly what he was doing. But he had already set a precedent of doing what he could to both rile and loosen up the pale demon and he wasn't about to give that up any time soon. It was far too much fun! Would he ultimately end up doing something she might rebuke him for? Maybe. But that was part of the fun, toeing the lines until he found where he could and could not cross them. So far he had only found a scarce few that were hard boundaries. All the rest were shades of gray he was happy to play with.

Although he was overjoyed to be with his close friend and leader once again, Lurid was not able to conceal her troubled and concerned expressions from Alastor's sharp gaze. He knew he had dropped a bomb on her with the news he bore, but it had been critical that she know what was going on with her pack. For the past several months, he had stayed his course, killing any and all strangers who ventured too close to where the Mirovis pack was hiding, and doing the same to the dissenters and rebels that would spring up amongst the ranks. But as time stretched out without word from their alpha, dissenters became as common as weeds in an untended garden. While Alastor was more than happy to take care of them in his own manner, that strategy was akin to cleansing said garden with a flamethrower. Morbid and Sanguin had done their best to maintain order, but neither inspired fear or respect the way Lurid commanded. Many had listened, but time allowed the distrust to simmer like a foul stew, and the pot was threatening to boil over at some point. Still, he was happy he had found her. Now they could work on a solution together—and he could make sure she wasn't being worked too hard or stressed out.

"A new fear, hmm?" Alastor dunked his head under the water to clean off the splatters of dried blood from around his muzzle and face. "What an odd thing... If any wolf would be able to teach someone how to not be afraid, I figured it would be you. After all, what could be frightening to a pup when he has you protecting him?" He shot a quick wink at Lurid, then swallowed a deep breath and fully submerged himself into the cool water. The river engulfed him, making him a rippling black shadow beneath the surface. The cold temperatures relaxed his body, and the large dire wolf felt almost entirely weightless as he floated just beneath the water. He watched the way the sunlight shimmered and rippled around him, the way the world outside seemed drowned out and distant. He stayed below the water for a minute, then approaching two. His lungs ached, burning for air, but Alastor did not surface. He savored the agony and the burning sensations, hearing his heartbeat thump in his erases the wolf effectively drowned himself. Just before his body kicked in its breathing reflex, he pushed his hind legs off the riverbed and burst out into the world in another large splash of water, gasping and panting for air to soothe his strained lungs.

With his momentary hit of adrenaline now fueling his body, Alastor shook his head to release a spray of water from his fur, then waded idly in the water as he faced Lurid once more. "Well, I think I'm mostly clean now," the brindled brute stated, noting how the clouds of murky red no longer emanated from his body. He pointed a paw at the stains across Lurid's otherwise flawless coat. "Are you sure you don't want to get cleaned up before we head back? You won't startle the boy showing up smeared with blood, will you?"

"Speech" — Thoughts

Ilyn sure wasn’t happy with him!   Kichi had been bored and wanted to explore farther away than the mini polar bear approved of.  Maybe it was the distance, maybe it was the fact Kichi had told the bear the Lunar liked him more and so it couldn’t tell him what to do.  Kichi had been pretty sure the bear had been about to hit him before forcing itself to stop.  It didn’t matter the size difference Kichi had glared at it challengingly.  So then maybe it was the bear’s form of revenge to keep him close. Kichi had made a point of running as far as the bear would let him to one way, then the next and another, assumedly just pouncing things and chewing on stuff, all while he kept looking at Ilyn on and off.  There finally came a point where Ilyn closed her eyes for a moment as she scratched at some itchy spot on her face.  Kichi ran off, being sure to get under a huge tree root, peeking out, and when Ilyn was searching for him in an opposite direction he bolted. Now as the pup gathered as much speed as his body would allow with some objections he heard the bear howl out what was surely a means of cursing his name in bear tongue.  Kichi was feeling pretty damn proud of himself.  There was a brook farther off as he recalled and the little grey and white pup bet he could get there to play before Ilyn could catch him. Several things became noticed at the same time.  There was a wolf he had never met in the water.  His mom was talking with this strange wolf.  Behind him, he could hear and see that Ilyn was onto him and running also in his direction.  Would he get in trouble for running off? Well, at least he was running to her?  He would have tried to run harder towards his mom but his lungs and legs assured him he was already going at top speed.   “Luuuurid! Found you!” Of course, he had been looking for her and not looking to escape the bear. His head swung to look at the other giant wolf, “Who’re you?” The question was almost challenging instead of friendly.  He had been getting used to keeping Lurid to himself.  Was she going off to socialize with other wolves and leaving him alone? Why hadn’t he been able to go meet this new wolf with her? The little pup might be fearful of hunting, but apparently not other large unknown wolves.  Mind you, if Lurid hadn’t been there it might have been a different greeting.  This guy didn’t need to know that.  Kichi would like a friend on one hand, but on the opposite, he didn’t know if he felt like sharing Lurid’s time. "Speech"c Think

Lurid Amarix

The smirk that graced her face at Alastor's feigned innocence was coupled with a roll of her eyes and a long-suffering expression, but there was a small shaking of her crown and a bit of a chuffing laugh given. "Oh, clumsy, right...I remember you being very clumsy." Lurid shifted her gaze over his dark frame, enjoying the way the blood billowed off his chest in the gentle flow of the water like a dark cape. Part of it reminded her of why he was here, the other part made her want to dive behind him and dye her fur with the crimson liquid. Still, thoughts of her home reached into her mind, pulling the relaxation from her face and replacing it with tight brows and the overall look of a wolf trying her best to solve a puzzle.

The problem was, she hadn't meant to be gone so long without news from her, Lurid had to leave her only means of long-range communication at home. Soon after she found Boreas, Samael had come to her with news of her father's death and she had to return home. Her father was waning, succumbing to his wounds, and Lurid left her winged companion home with orders to bring her news of his passing so that she might come back. When the fires came, they had ravaged many of Mirovian wolves, and some neighboring packs as well, and Ouranos had found himself in the grips of those flames. It had been a mission of hers to restore Mirovis, given to her by her father. After her recall, Lurid found herself to be the empress of Mirovis and in charge of nearly forty wolves; each savage in their own way, and in need of care and direction. She'd had to fight and prove herself to the older members of the pack - individuals her father had been close to and the ones she had grown up learning from. With each victory, Lurid had garnered the respect of her pack, and their fear - for she was merciless in battle. It was what made her their leader, along with other traits that were necessary to lead the darkest minds in her pack. She was the embodiment of strength and viciousness, but they knew she cared for them as well. Each wolf had its own needs, each one had their own demons - every demon was unique. Lurid understood them, knew how to talk to them, how to direct their bloodlust, and give them what they needed. She knew which things to say to whom and kept track of it all with a mental sharpness few possessed. It wasn't any wonder that they crumbled without her, the wolves of Mirovis were loyal to her. To learn that their numbers had lessened didn't surprise her, the fact they had been hunted didn't surprise her. It was the crushing guilt at having lost anything at her own paws. While she had been distracted with Kichi, her pack had crumbled, and she seemed to have let herself get off track.

Lurid hadn't realized just how much time had passed, and so she was shocked by the news Alastor had brought her. What had felt so absurdly short to the wicked lady was a ridiculously long time for her pack members. They had had to deal with the threats from within and from the outside, alone, without her there to help them. She was happy that Alastor had come to her, but his presence here meant her pack was in more trouble than she thought. Lurid had always imagined the threat would come from some upstart looking for a name, but to hear that her empire crumbled from within drove a spear through her heart. The pain of loss drove her, and once again she felt that kick to the sides she needed to get things moving the way they should have been.

Alastor spoke once more, then dipped beneath the surface of the water, with holographic lavender eyes locked onto the deep red stain he left in his wake as he moved like a shadow. Despite her troubled thoughts, Lurid found herself smiling as his words actually took form in her cluttered mind. Lurid waited for a moment for him to resurface so she could explain, but he stayed under longer than she had anticipated. Making her stare at him as she sat on the water's edge, Alastor moved around like an alligator, bringing a wider grin to her face and even making her laugh a little. When he surfaced with a massive spray of water, Lurid made sure to back up and avoid the droplets, though she wasn't quite fast enough and ended up with a few wet spots that made her fur stick to and reveal her pink skin. With a laugh in her dual-toned voice, Lurid responded to his question as he waded in the quickly clearing water, "I do hunt, you know? He won't be startled by me." Suddenly, a familiarly frustrated roar sounded from somewhere relatively close by, but still distant enough to be an echo, and Lurid's head snapped toward the sound.

She prayed that it wasn't Ilyn, but her prayers went unanswered as she saw the dark figure of a large bird appear in the sky. Initially, she worried, but judging by the vast array of foul language that was followed by Kichi's name that carried in the roar, Lurid found herself smirking with a wicked delight. Kichi had outsmarted the miniature polar bear and made him very angry in the process. 'Kiiiiichiiiii!' She heard Samael's piercing screech as he flew toward her like a bullet, Lurid watching as a small grey blob slowly took the shape of her adopted son followed at a distance by the small white form of Ilyn. Even with his stubby puppy legs, Kichi could outrun Ilyn, who was not made to be fast. Lurid laughed as the boy came to her, announcing that he found her in a very obvious attempt to cover up that he had given his sitters the slip. With one massive white paw, Lurid made to scoot him closer to her and plant a kiss on his forehead. Even as his head swung toward Alastor, Lurid smiled and made to introduce the two parts of her life that meant the world to her. Eventually, she would be able to have all of her family with her. "Kichi, this is Alastor. He has been a life long friend, and has come to help me." Of course, she had told the babe about her family and the pack. Their collective darkness had been glossed over to avoid having to explain why things ran the way they did in Mirovis. "Alastor, this is Kichi, my little boy." Lurid was glad to see that Kichi was getting back to something that resembled himself, but he did still have a long way to go. Looking to her adopted son, she smiled, then watched as Ilyn shuffled into view; huffing and puffing after having chased Kichi all the way here. "And how was your day, Little Love?" She asked the storm cloud babe, her paw gently stroking the fur on his head back. While his being here meant he had stayed too far, Lurid honestly couldn't be happier that she and Alastor wouldn't have to walk all the way back to the redwoods.

|| Word count: 1,232 words. ||
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

ART by BRIENA

Despite his best attempts to keep her troubled mind from keeping her in a state of unease, all Alastor seemed to be able to do was momentarily distract her before Lurid slipped back into her distant thoughts. He understood why; she had a lot weighing on her mind and even more riding on her shoulders. There were very real threats and consequences they needed to deal with. He knew Lurid was the type of wolf to maintain control over everything, and whenever she lost her grasp around even the smallest detail, the gorgeous fae let it eat her up alive. It was the one inherently harmful trait Alastor had ever seen her display, but it was one that had plagued her for as long as he had known her. That's why Alastor did all that he could do remind her not to take life too seriously. Why bother? It was all so fleeting, so temporary anyway! Why not enjoy the moments you have now? You never know when they might be your last... he thought to himself with a grim smirk as he reflected on all the lives he had cut short in such an abrupt manner. How many of those wolves woke up on their last days not knowing that their lives were about to be snuffed out before the end of the day?

Lurid's laugh when he managed to splash her yet again made a genuinely mirthful smile replace his typically cold and painted smile, abyss-like eyes shimmering with life as he watched the patches of her white fur disappear to reveal the soft pink skin beneath. She truly was a beautiful sight to behold, and she had only gotten more exquisite with age. The red brindled man opened his mouth to reply—but a sudden ear-splitting roar from nearby cut off both of them. Alastor turned his grinning face toward the trees, peering past Lurid and watching for signs of movement. He recognized the bellowing voice of Ilyn, the little polar bear Lurid was so fond of, calling out for something or someone. And then, before he knew it, a small smoky-gray wolf pup came bounding up toward them. The pup was still small, showing just how young the boy was, and judging by how he called out to Lurid, Alastor needed no explanation to piece together that this was her adopted son. He watched the little gray fuzzball with his characteristic smile, although the usual malicious edge was replaced by an honest softness uncharacteristic of the dire wolf. If there was one thing Alastor afforded a little care towards, it was pups. Not much—but enough to not try and frighten them intentionally.

As he watched while Lurid greeted the small wolf with a kiss, Alastor began to make his way back onto dry land, his coat dripping and running with excess water as he waded his way out of the river. The pup fixed him with a wary stare—not that Alastor could blame him, the pup clearly had better instincts than most wolves—and asked who he was. Alastor sat down and lowered himself to his belly so he could be eye level with Kichi, smiling his wide, toothy smile all the while and onyx eyes meeting the boy's. "Hello, Kichi!" he greeted the stormy-coated boy with a warm and cheerful voice. "I'm Alastor! I'm a friend of your mother. I've heard so many good things about you! Can I be your friend too?"

Although he had no children of his own and no prior experience with children, Alastor had always been fond of them. They were like tiny little wolves without all the negative traits that came with adulthood and the world that so cruelly twisted and deformed everyone into worthless wastes of life and meat. Perhaps that's why he had never had any problems with killing. No one deserved to live. But the pups... Ah, there could always be exceptions to rules! Alastor's red-dipped tail wagged excitedly behind him in his prone position, betraying his joy and getting to meet Kichi. Watching how Lurid interacted with her son cast the pallid empress in an entirely new light for him, a motherly one he had never imagined her in. She wore it so well though, like a finely tailored accessory to her otherwise perfect ensemble. That didn't surprise him, of course; she was fantastic at everything she did. That was why she was the leader, after all!

"Speech" — Thoughts

Kichi was happy to get scooped up for the kiss on his forehead, well somewhat.  He was happy to get scooped up and kissed so he could turn his head and give the polar bear that was still coming up an ‘I told you so’ smirk.  Priorities – winning was one of them. Once the kiss was over and explanations given of who the stranger was gave Kichi the pause to take in the black and crimson wolf.  The stray thought came to his mind of how the crimson stripes over him could resemble the splays of blood on the ground and on the elks antlers that had killed his parents.  It was a chilling thought that had a coldness engulf his stomach, he was almost getting use to the horrid feeling and right now chose to try and ignore it to take the giant in.  Size certainly wasn’t a concern, he was no larger than mom after all.  The guy had to meet Kichi’s qualifications of course to be permitted to stay with them. He was keeping an eye on the crimson-striped beast as he answered Lurid’s question, “Ok, Ilyn was being a grouch, so I made a game of ditch the dummy.” Yup, he let Ilyn hear that jab, let the bear know his opinion. When Alastor laid down that already helped Kichi accept him a bit more, and at the request to be his friend that went a long way to getting Kichi to go along with the arrangement.  He walked over somberly to the giant, and for all the world looked as if he was deciding it was truly his choice to grant permission or not to the wolf that could surely kill him without any trouble.  Kichi knew he couldn’t though, Lurid was there and so Kichi was perfectly safe from any harm.  Well, mostly.   Alastor got a good few seconds of consideration before puppyhood broke through waryness and potential jealousy of sharing.  That raised little tail finally started a slow wag of relentment to being happy.  It was hard to stay serious long when he had wanted someone else to play with. “Well, ok.  As long as you agree to play with me and just not Lurid.”   Oh yes, this was a bargain, but still that tail was speeding up by the moment and the tone grew more excited as he couldn’t hold on, “Do you like to fight too?  “ "Speech" Think

Lurid Amarix

Lurid greeted her son and watched for a moment as the black behemoth came out of the water, the deep ebony of his coat sticking to him and showing off quite the musculature beneath. Under the guise of listening to Kichi, Lurid stole looks and glances at the red marked demon, admiring him in a rush of hormones. She couldn't help herself, the dire wolf male was handsome and Lurid wasn't one to deny herself the pleasure of looking at anything. The demoness smiled as the mad wolf laid himself down to meet her son, watching their interaction closely and ready to intervene should Kichi cross too many lines with Alastor. He tested her patience at the best of times, but she didn't think Kichi would get out of hand. The boy's arrival had succeeded in lifting her sombre mood, Lurid refusing to show her baby that anything was wrong. He had the look of a boy that didn't want to share his mother with anyone, after all it had been only them and Ilyn for the longest time. The bear grumbled at the small child, to which Lurid twitched an ear back in silent warning not to move against Kichi. Even growling at her children was punishable, though she understood when they truly needed the reprimand. Lurid has thus far shown the boy manners, though he was prone to acting in his own way. The boy made her smile brighter it seemed.

As the boy moved toward the much larger man, Lurid took a silent appraisal of how the man reacted to him. There hadn't been a purer moment from the sinister brute since he himself was young, and Lurid felt something stir in the dark recesses of her heart at the sight. The gentleness that came from the dark male was so uncharacteristic of the man that Lurid could paint him as a paternal figure, the sight of him with her child causing her heart to do somersaults in her chest. Alastor was always a surprise, and in this case, it was a pleasant one. "You know Ilyn is there to protect you, Kichi. But, I am glad you didn't wander too far from home." The she-devil smiled at her little storm cloud, watching his bravery show itself. Lurid hoped she used a bit more caution when she wasn't around, though she didn't mind him behaving this way while she was present. It occurred to her that she had been gone from Kichi more than she had been there for him lately, but that would be changing. Work was important though, and she couldn't let herself completely immerse herself in his teachings just yet. Soon enough she would be afforded the luxury of sitting still, but not now that her pack needed her so urgently.

It was cute to watch her baby make his own demands with Alastor, "Of course, he will play with you too. I don't want him pestering me all the time." Her words were delivered with a wink as she sought the onyx of Alastor's gaze, "Won't you, Alastor?" There was something hidden in the way she said his name, but it wasn't definitive. Kichi seemed so happy to have a wolf who wasn't her around, children always did like new faces. Letting herself relax into a lounging laying position, watching the boy with a warmth in that holographic gaze that was reserved for her children. She was proud of him, and couldn't get over his cuteness with the massive wolf before him. She let the boys talk for a while as she returned to figuring out what to do to get her family here.

|| Word count: 611 words. ||
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART by BRIENA

It was easy for the giant of a man to let out a hearty laugh when Kichi agreed to be his friend so long as he abided by his rule to only play with him. The pup already showed a strong will and personality, traits that there was no doubt Lurid was fostering within the boy. Alastor's smile widened and tail sped up its wagging when Kichi asked if he liked to fight. Oh, young one, you have no idea... No sooner had the thought left his mind, Alastor was laughing again and nodding his head energetically with bright, playful eyes. "Haha! Do I like to fight? No, I love to fight! There is nothing more exciting or thrilling than putting yourself to the test against a worthy opponent!" he replied, turning his gaze to Lurid's smiling face for a brief moment. "In fact, that's how Lurid and I actually met! We were about your age, and she thoroughly thrashed me!" He looked back to Kichi with a wink and said in a quieter voice, "But between you and me, I think she cheated. Next time we fight, do you think I should try to beat her?"

When Lurid turned the question entertaining and playing with Kichi back to him, Alastor's head perked up, jet black eyes meeting her holographic irises with his sinister and yet somehow lovely smile, tail still beating the ground incessantly behind him. "Of course I will! Didn't you just hear? Kichi is my new best friend, hahaha! We're going to play games and I'm going to teach him everything I know to make him a powerful wolf who will never feel pain nor fear!" He leaned his larger head back down to Kichi, the size of his skull very nearly the size of the entire pup, then whispered into his ear. "I'll teach you all the secrets Lurid doesn't want you to know too, but we'll keep that between us, okay?" He grinned and shot the young boy another knowing wink. Of course he was going to look after Kichi. The boy was an extension of Lurid, and he would afford him all of the same care and consideration he would give to her. Besides, the young boy looked... almost pained inside. The dire brute could see something lurking in the darkness behind Kichi's eyes, something he himself felt all too familiar with. Although the monster of a wolf could feel very little, and empathy was not a concept he demonstrated toward anyone, nothing brought him closer to the brink of actually feeling something than seeing a pup in pain... the same pain and fear he had known all his early life.

Alastor would not let that pain continue on to another.

"Speech" — Thoughts

Kichi ignored the comment on Ilyn, he had heard it but wasn’t bothering a response with what he thought of Ilyn’s protection.  Of course should something ever truly happen his opinion might change of needing a protector.  Ah! The realization came to mind.  “Ilyn isn’t very good at watching me.  Maybe if you have to keep leaving Alastor could stay with me instead.  He’d be more fun,” and then turning to look more directly at Lurid, “and I wouldn’t sneak away on him.” It was said so openly and he meant it, at least until his little puppy mind thought of a reason to not do what he said.  Right now he just liked the idea of having another wolf to play with when Lurid left him. Kichi was sitting there listening to Alastor about the meeting, his tail brushing the ground, displacing a foolish leave in its path.  At the comment of cheating though Kichi’s tail paused as he seemed to consider before answering that.  “How’d she cheat?  I thought ‘long as you won it wouldn’t matter how?” He didn’t have terms of clean or dirty fighting yet or any other version of ethics in terms of competition so this was a new notion. Glancing between Alastor and Lurid thoughtfully on this notion then bobbing his head to Alastor’s soft question, “uhhuh, cause I wanna watch and see who wins.” Who was stronger the new guy or Lurid?   Apparently, Kichi was quite taken to the idea of a big tail friend who was also a guy, and of course, this wasn’t his guardian to give rules but a friend and so that was nice.  He had been perking up more at the idea of watching a fight when Alastor said he was going to teach him to never feel pain or fear.  It was like he’d turn into a statue for a moment as he observed Alastor and once more deciding how much to trust him on what he could really offer.  Then it was an internal fight to tell himself it didn’t matter and nor was he going to focus on the causes of such things.  It didn’t last past a moment, Kichi’s mind finally dragging itself to locking onto the ‘big powerful wolf’ part, it sounded good and was a safer thought when he was a center of attention. “I’m already pretty strong,” Kichi had to boast, “I jumped over a huge tree log to get here and I can break super thick bone pieces or branches.” It was how he measured it so far, “Oh, and I got a bite in on Lurid a while back! Bit her muzzle good.” Going so far as to glance at Lurid for confirmation and back to his new friend. Secrets?  Kichi moved closer, it was good that Alastor was lying there so he could easily whisper into his ear, “what secrets?” What puppy wasn’t enticed with secrets, “What are they?” Yup, the tail was going again.  He had managed to forcefully shove back the bad memories and focus only on the ‘now’.  ‘Now’ was always the safest and learning about secrets seemed a great idea! "Speech" Think

Lurid Amarix

There was a warmth in her eyes as she watched Alastor with her son, silently appraising the reactions they had to one another. She was still concerned with what to do about her pack, but the ivory and silver lady wouldn't dwell on it for now. Instead, she would focus on this moment with Alastor and Kichi. She gave a laugh at the boy as he spoke of Ilyn, it wasn't surprising given the polar bear was more suited to war than babysitting. She grew thoughtful at the proposal Kichi made, tilting her head toward Alastor, "What do you think of all that, Alastor? I honestly wouldn't mind that at all." She knew of Alastor's soft spot for pups, having watched him with the younger generations of Mirovis, it was one of the reasons she had left him in charge of their protection. As long as he was alright with it, she would be too. Of course, she could always command such things, she wouldn't make Alastor watch her son while she went out to find them a home.

Lurid watched as Alastor's tail thumped the earth, and he whispered something conspiratorial in Kichi's ear, making her raise a brow in question. Kichi was alive then, even boasting about the bite to her nose. She laughed again and nodded to confirm, "Indeed he did, those little needle teeth are sharp." It was all she could do to hold in the peels of giggling laughter that would spill from her so they could talk. Kichi was a fine kid, and to watch him open up into the bubbly nature of a pup once again, she found a silent pride swelling in her chest. Thankful to Alastor, in ways he couldn't imagine, Lurid let her own tail wave as theirs did. Happy in the moment to simply watch as her life-long friend and adopted son entertained one another. All the while she mulled over a plan for their future in the back of her mind.

|| Word count: 333 words. ||
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART by BRIENA

It was impossible for the smiling demon to wear a more earnest or wider smile on his face the more time he spent interacting with Kichi. All of the pup's youthful energy and spirit was infectious, and Alastor suddenly found himself drawn to the boy. A very tiny part of his mind, clouded and shrouded in the darkness, briefly wondered if this was what he had once been like, long before... before everything. Had his life not been dealt the hand it had been, could this have been him in another lifetime? That momentary glimmer of humanity faded as quickly as it appeared though, the voice in his head swarmed and drowned out by his inner beast. His head snapped up suddenly when Lurid asked him his opinion on Kichi's suggestions, the dire wolf fixing her with his unending smile.

"I think that's a marvelous suggestion! It would give your overgrown snowball a much needed break, and Kichi and I can get to know each other better!" he agreed with a lighter laugh. Of course, he knew he was going to do anything Lurid asked him to. Suggestions were more akin to the gospel when it came to her. It was why he had been so unwaveringly loyal to her throughout the years. She consistently proved her worth as a leader, demonstrating her strength of mind, body, and resolve whenever he questioned it. This was why he hadn't left when he had the chance to after the eruption. Lurid was his destiny, he was sure of it. She gave him direction and focus in an otherwise chaotic and disorderly world.

Alastor released another boisterous round of laughter when Kichi and Lurid corroborated the story of him biting her muzzle to prove how strong he was. Fixing the stormy gray pup with his electrified black gaze again, Alastor's smile softened a touch as he replied, "Impressive! You must already be very strong indeed to get a bite on Lurid! That means only two wolves have ever caught her off guard, and wouldn't you know it, they're both right here, hahaha!" Alastor shot Lurid a sideways knowing glance, a look that spoke of smug satisfaction and pleasant reminiscence as he thought back to the, albeit few, times he had ever successfully ambushed her into an impromptu spar in their youths. He had relished any chance he could get to fight with her, partly for the opportunity it gave him to release his pent up aggression and hatred, and partly because it gave him an excuse to touch her. He never admitted to that second fact, however, and he never would. It would be terribly unprofessional of him to confess such a sin against his radiant alpha. What would the other Mirovis wolves ever think of them? He snickered at his own sarcastic thoughts.

Kichi pressed him for more information on the secrets he planned to reveal. Alastor smirked and put a paw gently around the boy to lean him in closer, shielding his mouth in the process to prevent Lurid from reading his lips. "Every wolf has a weakness," he explained in a hushed tone, "and Lurid really, really despises bugs." His secret weapon spilled, Alastor let Kichi go and withdrew with a sly wink to the pup. As far as he was concerned, he had done nothing wrong. He had simply told his new friend some interesting information—whatever Kichi decided to do with that, well, that was up to him. Still, it made the sinister brute laugh again at the prospects of what might follow. This was going to be very entertaining! "So, is anyone going to show me where we'll be sleeping tonight?" he asked, rising back to his paws and shaking the remaining water from his coat, fluffing himself up almost comically so. "I'm bushed from all the traveling! Do you know how hard it was to find you two? I must have asked at least a dozen wolves before I got up here!"

"Speech" — Thoughts

Oh good, Alastor could be the one to watch him from now on!  He’d be a lot more fun for sure, and that meant mom wouldn’t be stealing his newfound friend or leave him alone.  A bird and dumb bear didn’t count for the company in Kichi’s mind but Al would.  Kichi didn’t understand why she had to keep leaving him for any reason besides eating.  Sure, she said why but that didn’t mean Kichi had to agree with the priorities or the logic of going without him.  To Kichi, the world was still all about him. Al had caught her off guard also? Well, that was great potential for a second fighting partner and someone who could probably tell him fun stories.  Alastor and Lurid both agreeing put a much better outlook on things for the moment.  It got even better when Al told him about Lurid and bugs.  Kichi already knew what he would be doing next time Lurid went to sleep. “You were looking for us?” Kichi stepped away from Alastor’s face but only to go around to his shoulder blades.  The pup put two paws on his back looking up, deciding he wouldn’t be able to get up that high from a standstill hop.  Kichi turned about prancing away several feet, gave Al’s back a focused gaze before charging and leaping up.  Plenty of practice on downed tree’s got his front end up high enough he was able to kick up the rump end. “I know which way it is!” Of course, he did, hadn’t he found them?  At that point, the pup let out a large jaw-cracking yawn that came out of nowhere.  “Lurid does too though, she can show you.” Wasn’t it nice of him to let Lurid do it? Kichi just let his head stretch out on the giant’s forehead, legs sprawled on either side of the wolf’s shoulder blades.  One thing about two large guardians would be that they were a good size for a ride.  Of course, being a tough guy he didn’t generally want Lurid to give him a ride, but he was making a new friend right now. "Speech" Think