With Elysium becoming a pack, Relm had started to ease in and be more involved at least with providing for the pack now and running patrols as was expected of her. Living outside of the band she was more of a fend for herself but she still helped out a little. With Kefka gone and no longer on edge about being stalked and caught as she was, she put in more effort. It was more hidden though, she didn't really care to get to know her pack mates yet. Pack life was completely different than the loner life she had known her whole life.

Moving to the stores with a deer in her jaws, she moved around the lake and dropped the kill outside of the stores to take care of later she glanced with a quick nervous look around. With the evening coming around, she knew wolves would be turning into their dens and yes, she was avoiding Alastor more than anyone else. She wasn't quite sure how obvious that was, but she assumed not bad since she didn't socialize with anyone but Kichi really.

Making her way farther away from the dens, she still stayed at the lake's edge, resting at a seat and looking out at the water and just waiting for the time to pass where everyone was tucked away in their dens and she could finish her work.

"Speech"

Alastor peered down at his reflection in the gently rippling surface of the crystalline lake. The wolf that stared back at him was a far more grizzled and weathered face compared to the one that had been there only a couple short years ago when he'd first arrived in Boreas. Four new thin lines of scars ran down the left side of his face, starting just above his brow and ending halfway down his cheek, a permanent memento left behind by the fucking clown he'd buried. Well, not literally buried, since he left him out for the buzzards. It was the least the fucker deserved. Hopefully the carrion birds didn't think he tasted too funny. Alastor smirked at his own sick joke. Well, at least he'd gotten one cool thing from that fight. Two things actually, if you counted his wife fucking his brains out afterward. The scars did make him seem that much more fearsome and impressive, and Manea found them incredibly hot.

Still, it took some getting used to. This was his face now, and while not marred or disfigured very much, it was still a change. Ever since Manea had finally founded Elysium as a pack and laid claim to the island and the peninsula beyond, everything felt like it was in a state of change. His family was changing, his children growing while he and Manea prepared to bring another litter into the world next season, his pack was changing as members became permanent fixtures and settled in, his whole life was changing while he got used to the idea of being someone with power and notoriety. It was bizarre to think, the demonic maniac with a penchant for chaos and murder was now part of an alpha couple ruling in Boreas. My how he'd made a life for himself...

But it wasn't all roses. He was still dealing with the fallout of Kefka's incestuous rape attempt. Manea, while forgiving of him when she learned the truth of what happened, was still somewhat cautious with him around other women. His face was still in the process of healing his scars. And Relm... Relm was actively avoiding him, which was perfectly fine by him. The less she was around, the less he had to think about the awkward conversation that might follow, or be subjected to her obnoxious heat scent. It was also a growing concern of his whether she would try to fuck him again or not. She'd already shown she wanted his dick when she refused to leave when he warned her to, instead offering herself to him, and then... Well, they both knew what happened next.

Alastor growled and splashed some of the cold lake water on his face. He didn't want to think about that right now. He didn't want Relm to leave the pack, of course not! Things had just become more tedious living in the same lands as her. Rising to his paws, the dire brute began to stalk his way back around the lake towards the center of the island, headed for his den so he could finish unpacking. But as his luck would have it, there sat Relm right on the rocky shore. He didn't know if she saw him or not, his black fur not exactly the most noticeable thing in the twilight hours of the day. Alastor shook his head and swallowed a deep breath, literally holding his breath while he walked around the lake and past her, doing all he could to keep from breathing her scent in. If he didn't acknowledge her, it was like she wasn't even there, right?

"Alastor Mendacium"

They seemed to be in the same... mindsets. Both Alastor and Relm were here at the lake pondering what they saw in their reflections in the midst of the less than recent events between them. Relm had changed so much over the last season or so, most likely from her adolescence. Not that she was actively out looking for a mate or someone to bed with, in fact that was the least on her mind. Not until the opportunities were present. And she couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with her for not enjoying what the men had been doing with her, including Alastor.

From her functioning left side, she noticed as Alastor came to view from around the lake. She had glanced at him before awkwardly shooting her head back forward, an easy response as to her avoidance over the last weeks or so. Her eyes flicked around nervously hoping he wouldn't notice her, but instead of just waiting out and expecting him to keep moving on back to the dens, her paws slipped forward into the waters of the lake. She figured he'd take the path back to the main areas, avoid the waters. But as she fell deeper into the water she let out a yelp-snarl when the waters went above on her back on her still healing wounds.

"Speech"

While he had been stalking past Relm trying to avoid her gaze, he saw the girl notice him before awkwardly turning her head away from him. Alastor's jaw clenched and he pursed his lips into a fine line, turning his head away as well while he trued to hurry past her and be on his way. They didn't need to interact or say anything to one another. What would he even say to her after what went down? "Hey, Relm! Sorry I fucked you like an animal and tried to put my babies in you! It was kind of your fault for not listening to me though!" Yeeeeah, he couldn't see that going well. Best to just let it be and ignore one another unless they had to interact with one another, or at least wait until she was out of her heat season.

It was as if life had different plans for the two wolves, however, as the next thing Alastor knew, he heard Relm yelping followed by a splash of water. He spun on his heels, spotting the pink wolf tumbling into the lake. He heaved a sigh and hurried back over to the shore to make sure she was okay, skidding on the pebbly beach as he trudged into the water after her. "Are you all right?" he asked in curt tones while he gently nudged her side to get her back to her paws and out of the lake. He didn't want to look at the claw wounds on her back. He didn't want to see the fang marks on the back of her neck. He didn't want to think about how he knew what she felt like inside or smelled like or tasted like. He just wanted to make sure she was fine and be off.

"Alastor Mendacium"

She hadn't really expected Alastor to respond but somehow it was... comforting. She didn't jump for joy or anything to the thought, in fact quite the opposite. When he followed her into the water to help her out and touched her side, she winced lightly though not really from his touch more because of the stinging in her nearly healed wounds. Though her tail had dropped into the water pretty abruptly maybe to mask her scent or protect herself, not mixed signals to her but definitely couldn't come off as comfortable to him.

"Yes..." She mumbled under her breath before placing her paws back on shore. She was definitely more embarrassed than anything else, though maybe he didn't know she was trying to cross the lake to get away from him. She supposed it didn't really matter now that he was here... She only looked back at him with her functioning eye to see if he was going to be headed back to camp with her, or even at a distance, that was fine. Either way she started to make her way back, she wondered if time would help soothe the tension or if they would always be like this...

"Speech"

Alastor saw the way Relm winced when he went to help her out of the water, saw the way her tail dropped between her legs, not in a sign of submission, but certainly not comfort either. She was guarding herself from him. Dark lips pursed into a fine line while his stomach twisted with guilt at the aftereffects he'd left behind in her. He should have fought harder to get her to leave after he'd killed Kefka. He knew his grip on reality had been meager at best, that his control was slipping, and yet he didn't push her away hard enough. Now she would always bear the scars on her back that perfectly matched his claws, mementos of where he'd groped her during their mating. She'd likely never fully forgive him, nor forget what happened, and there was a good possibility they'd be stuck in this tension forever. He hated it, knowing that no good deed went unpunished. But if it was the price he had to pay for saving Relm, then so be it... He couldn't regret that.

She confirmed she was fine and Alastor simply nodded once. "Good..." he mumbled under his breath, escorting her back out of the water until they were both on the shore. His eyes roved down over the healing reddish-pink scars on her back once more, small snippets of conscious memories from that day coming back to his deranged mind. He couldn't recall everything that happened, but the animal inside him relished at the moments he could recount. Relm began to head back towards the dens and caves on her own once they were on the rocky shore, and part of him wanted to go with her to make sure her wounds were taken care of. But he didn't. He couldn't. "I'll have Irilyth bring you some salve for your back," he said while he continued making his way back to his family's cave, giving Relm a wide berth on the side she could see.

"Alastor Mendacium"

Relm had started to walk with Alastor but noticed as he went to move more around her so she stopped gently in her tracks. She wanted to refuse more help from Irilyth but didn't say anything. She almost wanted to stop him like talking to him would make... him feel better, but again stayed silent. Relm really wasn't concerned about herself and she couldn't voice that but maybe her actions over the last season or so had shown. She was quiet, secluded herself even before what happened between them. But she silently cared for those around her. They had to know her to know that she cared, otherwise she just came off as a heedless bitch. She just watched without another word as Alastor went back to the den sites, she'd wait a few minutes before heading back herself.

"Speech"