Lillith was sore and tired mostly, but what bothered her most was that even letting Romulus carry her to the border she still hadn’t quite caught her breath. The girl tried not to think too hard about what happened and the events leading up to the Hallows border, riding on a stranger's back. Lil knew Romulus for all of a day and here she was returning home perched atop him like some high born princess. It was too much for the Adravendi girl and really she was just ashamed of herself. Ashamed of her capabilities or lack thereof.

She was quiet during the trip, but answered anything Romulus asked, she was partially trying to catch her breath and the other part not trying to worry him with her own doom and gloom. They were alive and she had a bag full of herbs, that meant something right? She was nestled against Rom’s strong back, her carried her like she was nothing. The girl found herself distracting her self depreciating thoughts with thinking about the scent of his pelt, the muscles that grew taut and released beneath her paws. Or how nice their fur felt pressed together. Or how nice he had been through everything. Helping her find her herbs three times over, jumping into the line of fire to keep her safe, catching her when she fell, and now carrying her home because she couldn’t herself.

He very nearly made her cry but she held back her emotions as they walked, very nearly at the border now. ”This is the main path into the castle,” Lil offered as she pointed him in the right direction. The border was right up the way.

Lillith Adravendi

He hadn't immediately been worried when he hadn't found Lillith in her room. She had been venturing out more, doing patrols, spending time with Gwyn in the infirmary. He never hindered her from exploring within the Hallow's borders, simply thrilled that she was able to be up and exploring more often. It wasn't until he had finished going through most of his daily tasks that he started to realize she wasn't any of the places he expected her to be. He hadn't crossed paths with her during either of his patrols, she wasn't in the green house. He checked with Gwynevere and she mentioned that Lillith had gone out to collect herbs earlier, but hadn't seen her since then. He even doubled back to her room later in the day just to see if maybe he had missed her some how in his search and she had gotten back to her room without him noticing. He checked the other common areas of the castle, some of his other children's rooms, his room - new and old - but still... he couldn't find her anywhere.

Starting to worry, he went out to the edges of the territory looking for her scent, pacing around the border looking for her, and was just about to go grab Ezra and his eagle to help him go look for her when he saw a man he didn't recognize approaching the border. He gave him a curious, slightly suspicious glance from where he was standing near the castle gates, until he noticed the silvery, pale from laying across his back. Ulric's heart jumped into his throat and he immediately took off into a run toward her, heavy paws thudding against the ground as he ran down the slope. He skidded to a stop beside the stranger, immediately looking over Lillith and making sure she was okay and reaching to help her down from his back. "Lillith? Are you okay? What happened?" He cast a slightly harder gaze toward the steel blue male, adding, "Who are you? Why are you with my daughter?"

Ulric Adravendi

Romulus was mostly quiet during their trek back towards the castle. He didn't want to force Lillith to try and hold a conversation with him while she was still fighting to catch her breath. It was the way she had sounded when she came trudging up the hill, but a hundred times worse. The only way he knew Lillith was still with him was her gentle wheezing breath against the back of his neck and the way her dainty paws flexed against him when she tightened her grip. He turned silver eyes up to the sky and silently pleaded with whatever deities were watching them to keep Lillith alive. Gods, please don't let this girl die on my back...

Lillith guided him up the path towards the castle. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of the pack became until he came upon a veritable wall of smell, the scent markers clearly defining the boundary of pack territory. Romulus slowed from a trot to a walk, then to a stop just outside the border. He gazed up at the impressive stone structure, looking over the walls and parapets for any signs of life. Everything was quiet and still without another wolf in sight, only some alpacas milling about in a fenced in paddock nearby. He took a deep breath to prepare a call for the alpha—when a large brown mass began to barrel towards them from the castle gates.

Roman watched as the wolf came closer and closer, a massive mountain of a man that stood a few inches taller than he was and a damn sight more muscular too. The brute called for Lillith by name with a panicked look on his face. So this must have been Lillith's father. Romulus turned his body towards the wolf when he approached, lowering himself to allow Lil to slide off into the assisting paws of her father. Once she was off, Romulus stood back up at his full height and gave the older man a look of recognition. "Ah, you must be the alpha dad. Lil told me about you." He tipped his nose down in a small dip of his head, unwavering under the scrutiny of the alpha's hard eyes. "Romulus Armada. Pleased to meet you. Can you make sure she's okay first before you interrogate me?" He turned his silver eyes back to Lillith then, far more concerned with her well-being than trying to schmooze with an alpha.

"Romulus Armada"

The girl was kind of thankful that Romulus had been so quiet on their return, she couldn’t answer him very well with her huffing and puffing and even her brain was starting to feel a little mushy. Her focus blessedly remain on the massive frame beneath her. Rom wasn’t the monster that Ulric or Ezra were, but he was no small man either. Lilith’s arms didn’t even reach all the way around his neck. Holding onto him like that felt more special than just a ride home, he was a safety net. Though she was well aware she had that in much of her loving family knowing Rom wouldn’t think twice about helping her raised her downtrodden spirits. He was kind of amazing, especially compared to her. Then again Lillith was easy to impress.

She expected that the two of them would make it to the border, she would slide off his back and call for her dad then everyone would go home happy together. What she didn’t expect was Ulric to come storming out of the castle to race towards them while she was on Roman’s back. Garnet gaze widened in surprise but she couldn’t even make it to the ground before her father was there, grabbing and helping her to her own four paws. She was transferred from one man’s protection to the other. Lilith smiled for a moment, ignoring her wheezing breath but realizing her chipper attitude was now out of place. Her features fell as she looked from Ulric to Roman and she could feel the tension stretched there.

”I told you… I’m fine.” She breathed as Romulus reminded her father to check her over first, ruby eyes found her father’s silver gaze. ”I’m fine.” Like anyone would believe her but saying it enough times would surely make it truth. ”I went to the gardens to gather herbs, Romulus was there and offered to help me. When we were almost done a saber attacked. Romulus saved me.” That was the hardest fact to accept, that she wouldn’t have made it home had he not been there.

Lillith Adravendi

The stranger's introduction with his insistence that they check on Lillith first and his daughter telling him that she was fine did help him calm slightly, though his worry still rang true. Hearing the wheeze in Lillith's voice made his ears flick back and he had to fight the urge to scoop her up immediately and rush her off to the infirmary. He frowned when he heard that there was yet another saber cat that had attacked her, though he did manage to give Romulus a slightly softer, grateful glance when Lillith told him that the young man had saved her. "Those damn cats... They've given us nothing but grief for over a season now," he muttered. The attack from the pack of them, stopping one in the berry grove, one of them trying to attack Ezra and Lil at the border, finding Serenity being attacked by one, one of them gravely injuring Ezra while he was protecting his friend, now this... And he knew that was only the ones that had effected him and his family. There had been even more beyond that.

He breathed a heavy sigh and dipped his head to press his nose lightly to the top of Lillith's head, closing his eyes for a moment with relief. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried," he told her softly. After losing Azariah, Everlyse, his mother, his father, his sister, his niece... He held the ones he loved extra close and worried about them more than he probably should. Lillith in particular held a very special place in his heart and an extra strong worry. He had nearly lost her so many times before - he couldn't stand to lose her now after they had gotten through so much. He sighed again and lifted his head, glancing toward Romulus again.

"Thank you for helping my daughter," he told the young man with a small nod, his expression softer now. He still wasn't sure how much he could trust the stranger, but if he had saved Lillith then he at least deserved his gratitude. He racked his brain as he looked at him, the Armada name feeling vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps it was something from one of his mother's or grandfather's stories... Pushing the thought aside, he looked toward Lillith and crouched down, giving a small nod for her to climb onto his back. He was sure that she wouldn't like him carrying her, but he refused to let her walk even up the slope to the castle before she was given some medicines and checked by Gwynevere.

He was about to carry her back to the castle when he paused and looked at Romulus again. When Syanna had shown up with Ezra he had immediately invited her in, offered her a place to stay in return for helping his son... He felt like it was only fair for him to offer that to this young man as well. "Romulus, would you like to come in and have a meal at least? There's more than enough room if you'd like to rest up for the night." He was sure Lillith would never forgive him if he didn't at least offer.

Ulric Adravendi

It wasn't that Romulus didn't believe Lillith when she assured him that she was fine between wheezing breaths... okay, yeah, actually it was. He could tell Lillith was the type of wolf to reassure others that she was all right when really she was falling apart. He didn't respond to her annoyance over him fussing for her well-being; he hadn't carried her all the way home for her pride to end her now. He did appreciate that she went to bat for his credibility when her father started to scrutinize him, the walls clearly up around this overprotective father. He gave her a trace of a smile while her father took a look at her to make sure she was okay. When he didn't immediately whisk her off to a healer, he told himself that Lillith must be okay. But it did also give him a bit of insight into Lillith. This was not something new to her or unexpected, given her father's relaxing demeanor. That meant this was something chronic to her.

He studied Lillith with curious eyes, only looking away when her father began to thank him for saving her. "Don't mention it," he replied with a dip of his head in acknowledgement. It hadn't really been much; he'd been in tougher fights, even though his shoulder was still bleeding freely and his muzzle and face was still caked in the feline's drying blood. Lillith's father ducked down so she could climb onto his back and he could carry her back inside, leaving Romulus standing at the border while watching them with wondering eyes. Was he going to be turned away now, or would Lillith try to convince her dad to let him in? He supposed it didn't really matter if he was turned away; he would just find somewhere else to stay.

His worries were assuaged when the alpha turned back to him and asked if he'd like to stay for a meal and to rest for the night. It was clear by the way he looked at the boy and spoke that he didn't trust him. Roman couldn't exactly blame him; he was a stranger coming to his doorstep with his bloodied and bruised daughter on his back. Still, what sort of threat could a yearling pose to him? "That would be nice. Thank you, sir," he replied and began to slowly follow behind him up towards the castle, keeping his silver eyes on Lillith the entire time. "If you can spare some bandages or lamb's ear, I'd really like to patch my shoulder up too."

"Romulus Armada"

She could mostly ignore where she’d fallen, though bruised it wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance and since she hadn’t taken a step she really was fine. Her nose stopped bleeding and while she hadn’t caught her breath she wasn’t gasping for air like she was about to pass out. Ulric seemed to think on the cat problem for a moment before he leaned forward and nuzzled the top of her head, mentioning how worried he was. She really had been mostly fine on her own until she was the one being stalked. ”You don’t have to worry, Daddy.” She tried to soothe him with a soft smile. He offered Romulus a quick thanks before his attention was solely focused on her.

Ulric leaned down to allow her to climb onto his shoulders. Lilith did hesitate then, pausing to look at Roman. She knew there was no denying her father this, but she was much more confident in her abilities now than when Roman picked her up. Lil sighed heavily and returned her garnet gaze to Ulric and stiffly climbed to his back. She almost gave protest when he started to leave Romulus at the border but he was already looking back to the boy who saved her, asking if they could provide him a meal and rest for the night.

Lilith couldn’t help but focus on Roman as the question was asked, her ruby eyes lingered of his concerned features. She didn’t want to be worried over and she was glad he made no more real mention but he would point to his own injuries. Lillith wondered why he didn’t say anything about staying more permanently and she felt a little alarmed. It was silly to be so attached over a stranger but he was very nearly the closest to a friend she had made. Gwynevere and Artorias were close but they were more like teachers anyway. Lillith liked the way Romulus spoke to her and tried not to coddle her when he knew she was struggling. He was refreshing when it felt like she was sometimes being smothered.

Rose red and sterling silver eyes met as Lillith looked up to Roman again, a shy smile formed on her lips. She sincerely hoped this would not be the only day she was allowed with him. Then again they barely knew each other for a day, and he had no allegiance to her. Lillith’s own mother left her, so she tried not to hold onto the feeling as she settled into Ulric's fur and her disjointed and fearful thoughts. She went mostly silent now, her body’s exhaustion obvious.

Lillith Adravendi

Ulric had known Lillith wouldn't be happy about his insistence on carrying her back to the castle, but he'd live with her being mad at him for a few moments if it meant not having to watch her struggle even more to breathe all the way to the infirmary. No matter how much she told him not to worry, he always would. He worried over all of his children, not just Lillith, though his silver brindled daughter gave him more opportunities to be worried than the others most days. It was just part of who he was and no matter how much he tried to let his children have their independence as they got older there would always be a part of him that wanted to protect them and keep them safe.

He nodded to Romulus when the young man agreed and thanked him, turning his gaze back toward the path ahead of them as he continued leading the way. His ear flicked back toward him when he asked about some supplies to patch up his shoulder and Ulric cast him a glance as he replied, "Of course. We'll make sure you get patched up as well." He caught a glimpse of Romulus' silver gaze not quite looking at him, instead watching Lillith where she laid on his back. From this angle he couldn't see that Lillith was watching him in return, he could only see this stranger staring at his daughter. A little frown pulled at his lips as he turned his head to look back toward the castle, biting back his protective tendencies - or at least trying to. He didn't want to upset Lillith by making a fuss over it. He internally made a note to keep an eye on the slate blue boy though, just in case.

They walked through the large doors of the castle and he immediately went down one of the corridors to the left of the main hall, crossing the short distance to the infirmary and pushing the door open, going to one of the first beds in the row of cots separated by dividers. He crouched enough that she could easily slip off of his back and onto one of the beds, Gwynevere immediately emerging from the alcove of shelves that held most of their herb supply to come check on them. He stood back so that Gwyn could tend to Lillith and Romulus. "I'll go prepare some food for you both," he said quietly while Gwyn did her work, leaving the room for a moment to go to the food lauders, trusting the Seneshal to care for Lillith while he put his energy into something other than worrying over her.

Ulric Adravendi

Romulus followed the older wolf without question up through the castle courtyard. Being surrounded by high stone walls felt both protective and oppressive at the same time. It was an interesting dichotomy from what he had grown up with: open fields, streams, and woods as far as the eye could see. The castle, while a bastion for security, also felt a little like a prison to him. He wondered if Lillith felt the same way, with her apparent chronic condition that her father had unintentionally hinted at. He didn't want to pry and ask Lil about it, but it did make him wonder if perhaps he had been a bit reckless with her safety. He had just assumed she was a lightweight when it came to physical exercise and treated her like any other wolf. That clearly wasn't the case... but did that mean he have to treat her differently? He didn't like the idea of behaving like she was lesser somehow because of who she was.

The Armada youth didn't notice her father catching the way he and Lillith were giving each other little glances all the way down the corridor toward the infirmary. He was too distracted by making sure he hadn't fucked up and put her in any danger. Arriving in the hospital ward, Romulus immediately sat on the opposite side of the cot he deposited Lillith into like a watchful guardian. A black wolf a little smaller than he was emerged and quietly began to tend to Lillith first, gathering herbs for her while the alpha announced he would be going to fetch them something to eat.

"Thank you, sir," he remarked simply while the dire wolf excused himself from the room. He was happy that Gwyn tended to Lillith first, making sure she was being brought back to a stable condition before rounding on him. Romulus vehemently refused any painkillers—the stinging wasn't that bad anyway—but did take some antiseptic on a cloth from the she-wolf and then proceeded to bandage himself up when she brought her supplies over. Roman didn't like being fussed over and was more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, he'd rather the healer's efforts be directed toward Lillith instead. Once the medicines had been administered and Rom had patched his shoulder up, he waited for the healer to slip away before he placed his paws on the edge of the bed and hoisted himself closer to Lil to make sure she was okay.

"You all right?" he asked in a low voice so their conversation wouldn't be overheard in the otherwise silent infirmary. He leaned forward with apologetic silver eyes to boop her cheek with his nose. "I'm sorry if I pushed you too much. I didn't know..."

"Romulus Armada"

Ulric offered a place for Rom to have his own wounds seen to and the trio were off, quickly taking the pathway to the infirmary. Lilith thought her father was a little hasty, his stride wasn’t quite as comfortable as Roman’s. Perhaps because the latter was nursing his wound he just hadn’t moved with quite the speed. Lilith didn’t like having anyone carry her around, but she wasn’t given much choice as she was carted to the hospital. Lil didn’t hide her little glances she took towards Romulus, but she wondered what he was thinking as he looked up at her, almost studying her.

Everything he saw must have been alarming, she wasn’t like other girls. She was frail and weak. Lilith hated it, she wished so much that she could just be normal and like her siblings. She wished she didn’t make everyone worry about her. Their swift arrival brought Gwynevere from the stores as Ulric lowered her to the cot intended for patient use. Gwynevere would likely find much of the same from the last time she had to be seen to. Last time with Ezra hadn’t been nearly this bad.

Ulric slipped away to prepare dinner for the two of them. Lilith grinned up at him but didn’t spare a breath of thanks, he knew she appreciated him taking care of her. Even if she didn’t find it ideal some of the time. Gwynevere gave her a ginseng concoction to drink down diluted in water along with some topical ointment to the bruises on her chest and shoulder. Romulus saw to himself and Lillith found herself relaxing into the cot. Her body was exhausted and her mind wasn’t catching up any better. She caught her breath but she wasn’t going to be having anymore excitement.

Gwyn took her makeshift bag and the herbs within with thanks and then she and Romulus were alone in the quiet room. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her hardly, through the whole process she had caught his gaze. As soon as Gwyn was gone he drew more near to her and spoke in hushed tones, obviously more concerned than when they left the gardens. His nose pressed against her cheek briefly and the young girl blushed lightly at his touch.

”I’m fine.” She repeated again just as softly, but with much less bite than the previous times. Her breathing was relaxed now, just as much as her thin frame on the bed beneath her. Her garnet gaze averted from his platinum eyes to the decorated paws at the edge of the bed. ”You don’t need to apologize. I didn’t want you to know.” Lilith confessed quietly as she hesitantly looked up towards him again. Was that why he hadn’t mentioned staying longer than the night? He knew her secret now and it was too much to stay here. She wasn’t the she wolf he thought she was.


Lillith Adravendi

Romulus offered Lillith a small half smile when she assured him she was fine, though her words didn't hold any of the bitterness she had when assuring her father that she was okay for what he was sure was probably the millionth time. He nodded his head a little bit and murmured a soft, "Okay." He wasn't going to push her; if Lillith said she was fine, then he believed her. She wasn't his to baby, and even if she was, what good would it do? It would make her feel like shit and make him feel worse for smothering her. So long as she was all right, that was all that mattered to him. He looked over the Adravendi girl again, taking in everything she was. She looked so tired, physically and mentally, like all her strength had been drained from her, but already he could see some life reviving itself in her stunning and unique blood red eyes.

She looked away from him, embarrassed and ashamed, then confessed that she hadn't wanted him to know about her condition. Again, Roman just nodded a little bit. She was just trying to be normal, to be treated like a normal wolf. Clearly nobody in her home life was listening to her or giving her that courtesy. He didn't think it was his place to pass judgment on anyone, so he kept his thoughts to himself, but he could see where her frustrations were coming from. "Well, now that I do, that just makes our fight against the saber cat even more impressive," he told her with a crooked grin that flashed his teeth to her in a lively smile. "You and I took on another predator and you couldn't breathe right half the time. Jeez, you're just trying to make me look bad, aren't you?"

From his smile and glistening steel eyes it was very obvious that he was teasing her in jest. He just wanted to get her to smile again. Lillith didn't seem to have enough reasons to. Breaking his gaze away from hers for a moment to peer back at the door, he leaned closer to Lillith, resting the upper half of his body across the bed so he could lie closer to her while they whispered together. "So is that why your dad kinda hates me? He's being a super protective parent because of..." He gestured broadly with a paw to her laying on the hospital cot.

"Romulus Armada"

Lillith was going to be okay, she needed food and a good sleep, both of which would be coming soon. The ginseng drink did its work, and she was indeed perking up. Her eyes were a little brighter and she was holding herself up a little better. Thankfully Roman finally took her word for it and uttered a quiet okay as the subject was mostly dropped. The girl long knew by now that she was different from everyone and it wasn’t in a good way. She got sick and now she was broken, she couldn't function the way other wolves did. Some days she wondered if it might have been a blessing to die one of those nights when the illness had come so close to taking her.

Romulus acted much differently than she expected though, she was surprised to see him grin and even more so to hear the satirical tones he took. He was trying to make her smile now. He reminded her of Ezra as he tried to boost her confidence in what she accomplished. Whatever she did she struggled, through and certainly after as her body suffered the consequences. Were she anyone else it would be no huge feat. No fuss would be made or given after the fact, but here she was the near center of attention.

”You know you did most of the work,” she returned humbly, the corners of her lips pulled up. She knew he was teasing her and she tried not to take his words so seriously. She’d done that to poor Ezra too. He was just trying to tell her he liked spending time with her and she had gotten out of sorts. He broke their gaze and looked back towards the door as though nervous of when Ulric would come back through, before he wiggled forward to lean in closer to her.

She felt like she couldn’t breath again but for a whole different set of reasons. Being on his back and holding to him on the way back was completely different to being here so close. Their fur nearly touching and their breath mixing as he barely spoke. Lilith stiffened slightly, uncomfortable when her family got too close, but Romulus couldn’t know. He didn’t lean into her or offer any undue affection so she said nothing as he asked about her father. She tried to play off her sudden freeze like his closeness wasn’t affecting her.

”He couldn’t hate you,” She insisted softly as she looked up into his silver gaze, he was so close now she could see the way his iris showed varying degrees of tarnish and she tried to smother the thought of how pretty they were. ”But yes, I..” She sighed and hesitated slightly. He already knew, she might as well delve deeper. ”The illness very nearly took my life. He’s always been like this.” Countless nights were spent with her in and out of consciousness as he remained by her side, coaxing her through to the next day. Somehow he managed, and she was still here today, his little girl.

Lillith Adravendi

Romulus shot Lillith a skeptical look when she claimed he had done most of the work. Most of the biting, sure, but he couldn't have pulled off half the moves he did if Lillith hadn't been assisting him. Besides, she got a few good bites in herself! "Says the girl that flanked a saber cat and bit into its neck like there was no tomorrow," he teased her back. "I couldn't have won on my own so you deserve just as much credit. Besides, you got out with less damage than I did, so I think that makes you the clear winner."

Lillith peeked at the door, then suddenly stiffened as he came closer to her as if she'd just been electrocuted. At first he hadn't noticed, but the longer he lingered beside Lil while she spoke, he began to realize how tense she had become. She tried to reassure him that Ulric didn't hate him, but he was doubtful. At the very least, the alpha was extremely guarded and wary of him. He did suppose he was a stranger in these lands, but if this was how he greeted every traveler that came by his doorstep, he severely doubted the man's abilities of diplomacy towards outsiders. Romulus held her gaze while she explained how an illness in her early year had nearly killed her. That would explain why her father was so protective of her. It did make him feel a little bad for Lillith though. Did that mean she'd never gotten to experience a real childhood? No playing games and wrestling out in the fields? No swimming in the rivers or learning to hunt? Was he really the first outsider she'd ever met?

While he considered all of these things, Roman gave her an empathetic smile and reached a cautious paw over to gently cover one of hers with his, their difference in size easily noted between the size of their paws. He didn't take his eyes from her, noting every shift of shade of hue in those red irises. Her eyes really did look like a faceted ruby being held to sunlight, every portion reflecting a new brilliant shade of dark red. She was like some sort of rare mythical creature brought to life from a fairy tale. "Well, I'm glad you made it through okay. Maybe now you'll get to do all the things you didn't get a chance to before, like flower picking and tiger fighting." His smile turned into a bright, humorous grin, wondering why she had suddenly become so nervous around him.

"Romulus Armada"

Romulus didn’t let up, he reminded her the shaking of lifetime and how she earned the little rivulets in her nose. She felt her cheeks grow hot, she wasn’t unused to praise but the was he spoke about her actions did make her feel better about her part in what they did together. They might not have achieved victory if either one of them were alone. He insisted she won because she was hurt less but she also spent much of the fight behind him. Lil didn’t give another retort, she’d smile and take his praise because… it actually felt good. It felt like so much of her life was spent listening to her family build her up just to raise her spirits but Romulus, practically a stranger with no reason to inflate her ego, insisted about her position beside him. Perhaps she ought to have given the words of those closer to her a second thought.

Lilith didn’t have much of a childhood. A few weeks of happy healthy puppy and then right after she was weaned her mother left and she fell incredibly ill. Only around her first birthday had she began to truly leave the confines of her room and become a real member of the pack and her family.

Lilith watched Roman’s eyes, her own garnet gaze never leaving his as she wondered as he grew silent what thoughts might be passing through the mind behind his beautiful gaze. She startled slightly as he shifted his paw over hers and as a blush flared over her pale features she did visibly relax. Feeling his massive paw over hers, and more importantly feeling the understanding he had from only a short time in her life… Lillith curled her pale toes against his own as he mentioned flower picking and tiger fighting, neither of which she would have been nearly as successful at without him at her side.

Her own lips pulled up into an almost carefree smile, an expression that was of the utmost rarity on her delicate features. ”Maybe,” she agreed softly, caught up in his eyes like she could see for miles just gazing into their depths. ”But if I don’t have you I’ll probably just get poison ivy and eaten by the tiger.” He was the reason she was so successful today and maybe even the reason she made it home.


Lillith Adravendi

Ulric was a bit lost in thought as he went down to the lauders to collect supplies for dinner. It was difficult to fight past the initial protective, possessive part of himself that immediately wanted to send this boy away fro even looking at his daughter. He allowed Romulus here purely because he didn't want to upset Lillith any more than he had to while she was so worn out and strained from the day that had clearly been hard on her, but it was difficult. All he had ever done was protect Lillith, doing his best to make her awful childhood as pleasant as he could have possibly made it, putting every ounce of time he could possibly spare into being at her side and comforting her as she fought off the one enemy he couldn't fight for her. He loved all of his children more than anything else in this world, but Lillith would always hold a special place in his heart because of what she had been through and how close he had been to losing her. To see her carried home by some stranger that was staring at her like that...

He grit his teeth as he finished placing a pair of venison steaks on a cooking hearth that stood on one wall in a room near the lauders, an old kitchen of sorts. He watched the meat cook and forced a long sigh though his teeth as he made his shoulders relax. He knew it was only because it was Lillith. Perhaps he wouldn't be much better if Jane was suddenly with a boy, but he had barely batted an eye at Ezra bringing Syanna home. She was getting older, he knew that, and he didn't want to keep her from the world forever, but... She was still so young. They had only just had their first birthdays recently and she still had so much recovering to do. The fact that she was even able to go out to the gardens at all felt like a huge win and he knew she had been doing some small patrols with Ezra and that made him so incredibly happy. He was just accepting the fact that she was earning herself some independence - he wasn't ready for boys to be looking at her the way Romulus was.

The steaks finished cooking and he placed them in a piece of cloth to make them easier to carry before he brought them back to the infirmary where he assumed Lillith and Romulus would be waiting, figuring Gwynevere was probably done with them by now. He reached the doorway and stood there for a moment, his silver gaze landing on the pair of young wolves. They didn't notice him right away and he watched them for a moment, having to force down the protective flare that nearly made him charge forward and shove Romulus away when he saw the boy leaning across the bed, holding Lillith's paw, the pair staring into each other's eyes. There was only one thing that stopped him from doing that. Lillith's smile. He saw her smile as they whispered back and forth to one another and it melted the tension that had suddenly formed in his shoulders.

He hadn't seen that look on her face since before she got sick and it made tears threaten to form in his eyes as he quietly watched them from the doorway. He glanced at Romulus again, questioning to himself what made this boy different. What made him able to be so close to Lillith? He knew how much Lillith didn't like others in her space. It was something he had to constantly remind himself of. Was it just because he had saved her? Was there something else he was doing that made him different in Lillith's eyes? His ears flicked uncertainly and he tried to shove all that down as he looked at the easy smile on his daughter's face again. He did want her to be happy, he wanted that desperately, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for a boy to be the cause of that happiness.

Ulric stepped into the room then, walking over to them and placing the bundle on the edge of the bed as he gave Romulus a warning glance - though even he had to admit that his gaze had lost some of the edge it had held before now. "Here you are," he said as he pulled aside the folded over corners of the cloth, revealing the cooked steaks inside. He took a step back, settling on his haunches so they could eat their meals. He eyed the young man quietly for a moment, still heavily uncertain of him, but trying to come to terms with the fact that there was a possibility that he might have to deal with him being a part of their lives to keep Lillith happy. Of course, the second that he hurt her in anyway that tolerance would leave... but for now he could try for Lillith's sake. "Romulus... Armada, was it? Your family name seems familiar... Were they around Boreas at some point?" He might as well start getting a feel for him just in case Lillith asked if he could stay for more than a night.

Ulric Adravendi

Being such an outwardly expressive wolf as he was, it was impossible for Romulus to hide any of the subtle joy he felt when he saw Lillith smile again and felt her toes curl around his paw. Her posture had begun to relax substantially, so he didn't pull away quite as quickly as he thought he would have to. Instead he gave a thoughtful hum when Lil mentioned how she'd probably end up licking poison ivy or being eaten by predators if she didn't have him around with her.

"Well, I guess that settles in then. We'll just have to be friends so I can always be nearby to make sure you don't do something silly, and you'll be there to make sure your dad doesn't decide to drown me in the ocean." That roguish grin grew on his face. Was he teasing her still? Yes, and he probably always would. But it felt nice to have someone to connect with in this strange new land. Lillith almost made it feel like home. He was blissfully unaware of her father watching them from the doorway until the sound of claws clicking on the stone floor broke the quiet.

Romulus sat up quickly, releasing Lillith's paw as the large dire wolf made his way around the partition to the bed, placing the food down next to them. Ulric's steely gaze didn't go unnoticed by Roman, the boy's ears flicking back, but otherwise showing no timidity or remorse to the larger wolf. If there was one thing Romulus was, it was proud and headstrong. He had nothing to feel guilty for or apologize for, so he would not. "Thank you, sir," he said as he passed a steak over towards Lillith, then helped himself to his own. The taste of freshly cooked meat was a rare treat he seldom got to indulge in, but the speed at which Ulric had prepared it hinted at perhaps this decadence was something commonplace in the grand castle.

As he ate, Roman's eyes shifted between Lillith and Ulric, trying not to lock gazes with the alpha who was staring hard at him, lest he feel he was challenging him. Ulric really was extremely protective of his daughter, and he had to admit, it was quite annoying to feel like he was being scrutinized as some sort of criminal when he'd given the man no reason to be leery of him. Screw it... Not my circus, not my monkeys... Ulric asked him about his name and his family again, something Romulus was all too happy to talk about. "That's right, sir. My family was once a prominent name around Boreas before they left. My grandfather, Tiburtius, was the last of us in these lands. He still lives, just away in another land with the rest of my family." He gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I wanted to travel and see where my family had come from, maybe bring the Armada name back to where it began."

"Romulus Armada"

Romulus was easy to be around, she liked his smile and his presence. At least what she knew about him so far. He made it easy to get along with him and despite the short length of time together Lil was already feeling comfortable around him. He hadn’t tried to hug her or anything crazy, so she could tolerate (enjoy) him being so close. Like they were talking about some crazy secret and Gwyn was totally going to tell everyone if they spoke too loud. She told him she wasn’t cut out to be a flower picker or tiger hunter and Rom followed up easily with the determination that he was just going to have to stick around. He’d watch her back and she’d watch his, just keep Dad from throwing him in the ocean.

Her own grin turned into a smirk, but before she could give her own witty quip Ulric made his return. She startled slightly, feeling her blush return tenfold knowing that she had just been caught holding paws with the boy she’d just met. Lilith looked away from Ulric’s shining gaze. She wasn’t ashamed at what she’d been doing, she was ashamed she got caught. Ulric was so obviously up in arms about Romulus. She still couldn’t believe he hated Rom though.

Ulric offered the well prepared steaks to the yearling pair, Rom passed her own meal over and she found herself unable to focus on much more than the food in front of her for many long moments. Her body desperately needed a big meal like this. She was thankful that her father hadn’t made a big deal and she enjoyed her meal for a while as the two of them spoke between each other for a moment. Ulric asking about the Armada name and Romulus answering much like what he had told her.

She wondered if her father did have some kind of information about his family now so long gone from these lands. Thinking that their families could be connected somehow… it was almost overwhelming to think about. The girl didn’t let her thoughts take up too much energy as she devoured her meal and finished with a tiny burp as she sunk further into the mattress. She wanted to go back to her room and sleep, but didn’t say anything because she didn’t think her father would like the idea of having Romulus come with her.

”Thank you, Daddy.” Lilith told him softly as she licked her lips and gave him a bright grin. Grateful for the meal, for how much he worried over her, all of the love he offered. Even more though she was thanking him for the tolerance of the boy she was eager to call friend.

Lillith Adravendi

Ulric nodded as Romulus spoke, telling him about his grandfather who had come from this part of the world and his intention to see where his family had come from and bring the name back here as well. He searched his memories for any solid connection or memory of the Armada family, but it was only the name that seemed to ring a bell somewhere in the mess that was his memories from his youngest years. "I'm sure my grandfather would have known him. I'm pretty sure his stories are where I remember the name from, but that was a long time ago. Maybe something about... one of his sisters being mates with an Armada woman? Or... Ah, I'm not sure. Perhaps if my mother was still around she could have reminded me... Unfortunately they're both no longer with me." A brief, sad smile cross his lips before he moved his mind away from the topic. He tried not to think about his lost family that often, instead focusing on the family that he had built for himself here, but occasionally he would think about his mother, father, grandfather, sister, nieces and nephews... So much lost to him and impossible to get back.

His daughter's sweet voice made his ears perk and disrupted his train of thought, pulling his silver gaze over to her. His expression visibly softened and a smile pulled across his lips at her thanks. "You're welcome, sweetheart," he replied in a quiet rumble. He wasn't entirely sure what exactly she was thanking him for - the meal, letting Romulus stay, both - but it didn't really matter. Any time he saw her sickness cause her problems or impair her in any way it was always such a relief to see her feeling a little better and her thanks always warmed his heart even though he would give her the entire world whether she showed that she was grateful for it or not. He gave Romulus another glance. Each time he looked at the boy his expression grew less harsh, slowly accepting the young man's presence despite the urge to protect his daughter. At least he seemed polite and he couldn't fault a boy that took such obvious pride in his family. He knew it wasn't Romulus in particular, he would be the same way with any boy that came around Lillith, but he couldn't make himself be any other way than this.

"Perhaps you should stay in the infirmary tonight, Lillith," he suggested gently, looking back to his daughter. He knew she'd probably want to go back to her room, but he had a thought that he thought she might like, even if it didn't fully sit well with him. "Then Gwynevere can continue to check on you for a while longer just to make sure you're recovering okay. And Romulus can stay in the infirmary too to keep you company." He gave the Armada man another warning glance, adding, "In a separate cot, of course. We can move one of the dividers and I'll get you both some furs to make them a little more comfortable."

Ulric Adravendi

Ulric looked pensive all throughout him telling the man of his family's history in Boreas. Ulric hummed and huh'ed and generally looked like he was racking his brain trying to find the connection or correlation to the name Armada. Romulus didn't exactly know a tremendous amount about his family's involvement in these lands. The familial stories passed down through generations had gotten muddied, after all, and most wolves he only knew as names in tales. Names like Isardis, Athena, Falk... They were all the equivalent of make-believe characters in a fairy tale—although his existence proved them to be very much real. He found himself actually a little disappointed by Ulric's failure to recall anything about his family. Had so much changed in these lands that the Armadas were so easily forgotten? Hmm... that would have to change.

Romulus found himself thinking of his family back where he'd come from, of his grandfather Tiburtius and great-uncle Bacchus, his father and mother, brothers and sisters. He did miss them all greatly and wished they could be with him to return to their homelands. Maybe once he got settled down here, he'd send for them. Wouldn't it be great to see the return of the renowned Armada family to their rightful home? Roman ate his meal mostly in quiet while Ulric mentioned how his grandfather likely knew Romulus' family. What a pity it didn't seem that any wolves that remembered the Armadas remained living... "Oh, well, if you're curious, I have lots of stories from my family. Maybe one of them will be something you've heard before," he offered with a proud brightness in his silver-toned eyes. Well, maybe he'd leave the cautionary tales of Isardis out. Ulric already seemed super leery of him now; best not let him know what his great-great grandfather was like.

When Ulric suggested Lillith spend the night in the infirmary and that Roman could stay with her, the boy's excitement perked up visibly on his face. Ulric had offered him a place to spend the night! He silently celebrated his little victory over the odds and gave the pallid wolf beside him a small smile. Now they'd be able to spent the night swapping stories and chatting like they had been in the garden. He did really like Lillith. Having a friend in these foreign lands felt like a boon. Ulric's not-so-subtle warning of sleeping in a different cot didn't slip by unnoticed, but Romulus didn't protest. Duh, of course he was going to be sleeping in a different cot. He'd seen how Lil tensed up when he got close to her—not to mention he reeeeeally didn't want to wake up to an angry dad snapping his neck or ripping his throat out for giving unsolicited snuggles with his daughter.

"Of course, sir. Thank you for your hospitality," he said with a grateful nod of his head and a bright, roguish smile. "If there's any way I can repay you, anything I can do around the pack..." He left the offer open-ended for the alpha to think on. He didn't like taking hand-outs without giving something back. The Armadas were a proud and noble family, after all; they didn't carry debts nor did they want charity. But secretly, it was also a ploy to find ways to keep himself around the pack so he could spend more time with Lillith while he looked for a more permanent place of residence in his new/old homelands.

"Romulus Armada"

Lillith was starting to more severely feel the effects of the day, she’d been through so much more than usual. She left the territory, she did some herb gathering, she helped Roman defend from the saber cat attack. All of it was beginning to visibly weight on her, in the way her ears and eyelids drooped. Physically she was exhausted but mentally she felt excitement. Ulric returned her appreciation and she knew with those words that he would do anything for her. Even trying to accept this friendship she found. She watched her father’s gaze as it shifted when he looked back at Roman and she knew how much he worried about her. Lilith was confident in the boy’s goodness, and she’d stake her own word on it.

She didn’t expect him to suggest she stay here with him tonight though. She brightened a little as he explained. It was sound logic, Gwyn would be able to keep an eye on her most importantly. That and the infirmary was almost public space compared to her messy room. She wasn’t about to say anything different about the cot situation. Lil really liked Romulus but she was uncomfortable being up close and personal with her family most of the time so it wasn’t him specifically. She wouldn’t have to confront that, but she had found herself enjoying the feeling of her paw wrapped in his.

Roman spoke up first, giving his sincere gratitude. Lil was pretty impressed with his manners, that was one reason she felt like they got along well. He teased her but he was also a polite gentleman. ”He’s really good at finding herbs, and much better at fighting than me.” Lilith added on, hopefully adding to her father’s opinion of her new friend. She didn’t have a lot of wolves that cared about her but she had a little experience. Romulus felt like he cared. Lil didn’t know if she was ready to come outright and call him her friends yet, but he had saved her with no regard to his personal safety. Without hesitation. What else could he be after that but a friend?

Lillith Adravendi