Home, where was that now. His heart was as lost as his mind was, but he was still forced to live through it. Of course he had little left, but that was his own fault. As his paws pressed against the dirt and mud listening to the rain fall to the earth. He wondered again and again how he'd tell her. The scenario played through his head like some sick iconic nightmare. The large titan let the cold breath leave his body, strange colored eyes watching the dark. And what was he doing out here all alone? Once Ixionn was fully trained, he'd be leaving Isokan. Yet he wasn't entirely sure where he'd be going. He doubted bass would take him back, wasted effort only for Quelt to come crawling back and say he gave up his crown voluntarily after Bass fought so hard....fought so hard for Irune. So he'd be homeless, and he didn't think that'd bother him, but he tasted friendship and it stuck on him like a high. It was an undeniable feeling that he had become a pack dweller even if he didn't want to. The adopted walker clenched his teeth together and then released them over and over again. The stresses were overwhelming, but there wasn't anything he could do about that. His lower half of his body collapsed into the dirt, soaking even more of his slate fur with the muddy brown. His front legs keeping him up. Bowing to the pressure, he was lost and so was his soul. He sighed and flopped over to his side, eyes turned towards the sky as he watched the cold breath leave his nose. Who would accept him now? Speech,

cold nights under siege from accusations , Of course she missed him. How could she not? Quelt Walker was her brother, the only constant in her tumultuous life for so long. Sure, she had Newol now, but Newol did not replace her family, and Serra knew that she had to face them eventually. Quelt at the very least - she rather doubted any of her other siblings would miss her for even a second. The thought frustrated her; Serra knew that they cared about her. They were family, after all. Her siblings had been all that she had for a long time, and they had to care about her. That was how family worked. And so when Quelt's scent danced under her nose, Serra reacted instinctively. She didn't think twice before setting off, her lanky blank legs carrying her across the ground. Quelt was nearby, and while she hadn't been actively looking for him, Serra would not pass this up. She missed her dear brother, and she needed to know that he was all right. He had to be okay. The fact that anything might be wrong in his life - that Irune might be gone or that he might have given up his crown - did not even occur to her. He was Quelt Walker; he was stronger even than Serra. His form, when she spotted it, was nothing like the triumphant figure that she remembered. "Quelt?" Her voice, typically so controlled, was raw with fear as Serra drew closer, hesitating a few inches from the form of her brother. "Are you all right?" Even as she asked it, she knew it was stupid - obviously he wasn't okay. And she didn't know if she could help. In that moment, her own lack of communication with him was the furthest thing from her mind. She cred only about making sure that he was all right. Speech,

His eyes moved for a moment, a scent over passing him. Someone he hadn't seen for ages like she had just vanished. One of his many siblings, Serra, and probably the one that was the most close to him. While he and Sheikra had indeed shared something special, the both of them had been too much alike to be with each other like Quelt and Serra were. It had been like she was glued to his hip, but now she had been gone for a season. So what state she found him in was almost devastating towards his heart. He blinked, watching the rain hit her lightly tainted fur. She was still as beautiful as Itsume herself. "I must be some kind of monster....Serra." he whispered. Pulling himself off his side, the small sicking sound of the mud leaving his fur. Ears flicking to every rain drop. "I must be selfish. And I must be destroying my own life, specially if even you didn't want to show your face to me." he curled his tail around his hind legs. He had abandoned the family he had created, but it was clearly the future he was worried about. Speech,

cerebral thunder in one way conversations . Blank confusion colored Serra's gaze, and she leaned closer to her brother so that she could hear his soft voice. A monster? No, Quelt was anything but. He had given them the world; put his life on the line to rule a pack that she had abandoned. If anything, she was the monster. Quelt was nothing short of good. He had always been there for her and for her siblings. She had left him because despite her self-sufficiency, she had felt deeply insecure and that was not his fault. No, Serra had always depended too much on Quelt - and now she recognized that. She had tried to find herself and it had not exactly been pleasant but Serra understood herself better now than she had before. Gently Serra moved to press her muzzle against Quelt's cheek. If he didn't pull away, she would nose lightly at his skin, licking him and offering him a few lupine kisses. "Quelt, no. It is not your fault, brother. You are the farthest thing from a monster that I have ever known." He had done so much for his family that it was impossible to consider Quelt as anything other than a hero. He had protected her; he had formed a pack so that his family might be protected. Serra would have done anything for Quelt and he would have done anything for her. That was how family worked. Her ears pinned back for a moment as Serra examined her brother. "I am sorry, Quelt. I don't know how to explain what happened... But it was not your fault." That much was certainly true; Serra knew that what had happened was no one's fault. It had felt like it had been her fault, but she also understood that this was not true. It was a strange sensation, and not an easy one to explain, but it had certainly not been her brother's fault. Speech,

He didn't fall away from the touch, in fact he more than welcomed it. No one to sleep in a den with for so long had made him burning for any amount of physical touch. He shut his eyes and pressed into her small frame just for a moment at least as she began to speak. Oh she had no clue, poor Serra had no clue. "I gave up my crown as kind, Wael went missing, Sheikra left, as did Allen. he said softly. "Irune came back but....I don't love her, so I left and now I'm here. How many more people do I need to hurt before things are alright again." Quelt shivered at the thought. He thought of weakness, he thought of being unable to protect the things he cared about. And about how he lost feelings that had once come to him so strongly yet vanished within a moments notice just like a puppy's attention span. Change, it was change itself that scared him. Somehow his body wasn't adjusting as he thought it would. Speech,

what's a king to a god; what's a god to a nonbeliever ? Silently, Serra listened as her brother passed judgement upon himself. There was no easy way for Serra to show Quelt how wrong he was - that he was not weak and that he was no monster. She had never been a liar, but that did not mean that Quelt would believe her. Still, Serra had always told the truth as she saw it, and to Serra, her brother could never be a monster. He would always be her Quelt, whether he claimed the last name of Walker or Arrow or hell, even if he abandoned a family name altogether. "Your crown never defined you and you are no less Quelt Walker because you do not rule Isokan." He was their parents' child; he would always have that, at least, to claim for himself. Quelt was descended from royalty and he did not stop being royalty because he did not stand with a pack any longer, just as Serra still considered herself royalty. It took her a few more seconds to say anything else, as surprised as she was by his news. Their siblings were gone? How could they abandon their brother? Though Serra wasn't much better off in that regard... "I am sorry to hear about Sheikra and Wael," Serra murmured, "And Allen as well." Allen was a bit of an afterthought, tacked hastily on at the end. Despite sharing a name with Allen, Serra would never consider herself to truly be his family. Serra's loyalty was not earned simply by sharing a name, and they had no blood tying them together. He had done nothing to earn her faith or loyalty, unlike Quelt. Sinking back on her haunches, Serra considered her answer to the next words that spilled from Quelt's maw. "You cannot force love." Serra said at last, voice solemn as she spoke, offering Quelt another careful lupine kiss. "I know you, Quelt. You have always done your best by me and I want you to know that I will always love you for that. And I will always be here for you, no matter where my paws carry me." No longer was she willing to promise to spend her life at his side, but her loyalty towards her brother would never go away. It was an intrinsic part of Serra, this loyalty, and it would always play a part in her actions. Speech,

The male would raise himself out of the mud, letting it slick off of him as he towered his sister. Her small frame only reminded her of Irune, Irune couldn't have ever been his lover anyway, she was too frail he would have killed her. His brightly colored eyes looked at her, stared at her as they were red from the pain he felt. Yet, his body was realizing now, that he couldn't keep everyone happy. "From now on I'm Quelt Rivers." he stated with a small snort at the end of it. Irune had never wanted to see him again, he would make sure of that. His violent nature at times had his life coming to him. "I'm returning to Abaven....after I left Irune something happened between me and someone else within Abaven. My heart still lies there." he looked at her and relaxed his shoulders. He was a little pissed off that she hadn't said anything about where she had been. "Serra, where have you been? Who took you away from me?" he leaned forward and hugged her, maybe a little reassuring to make sure she told him. Not that she could resist anyway. Speech,

she bruises, coughs, she splutters pistol shots , For a second, Serra had to fight back a rush of hurt feelings as Quelt corrected her. He had changed his name, then? And this time, she supposed, she was not welcome to follow in his pawsteps. It wasn't like she didn't deserve it, but it smarted all the same. The slate colored girl found herself reeling for a moment, unsure how to explain even to herself why this small fact, this two syllable word, hurt her so much. She had abandoned her ties to her blood family by claiming the name Walker with Quelt - and she had never formed the same relationships with the rest of the Walkers. And now Quelt was Quelt Rivers and Serra was still Serra Walker. She was suddenly no longer tied to him or to any of her family, and while it was potentially as simple as changing her name once more, the idea didn't occur to her. It was just a name, but to Serra, it had meant a great deal more than that. And now it was gone. When Serra did speak, it was more than a few seconds belated, and her voice was small and soft. "I see." Though her voice in and of itself did not seem unduly upset, she was . . . oh, hell, it didn't really matter, did it? So was she so damn upset? It was lucky that Quelt seemed easily willing to change the subject. Maybe he hadn't noticed Serra's reaction - she rather hoped that was the case, at any rate. Serra didn't want her brother to feel guilt for his decision; it was not his fault that she was still reeling, trying to find herself once more. "Bass will be lucky to have you." Serra said simply, nodding slightly. This was certainly the truth - Quelt would always be loyal to his pack, and he would be an excellent asset for Bass Destruction. And the someone else? Well, Serra could deal with that. She had a 'someone else' as well, after all, and she had come a little ways since she had been so jealous of Irune. The next turn of conversation was one a little less welcome to Serra, but she resolved to answer his question truthfully anyways. She owed him that much, at least. He deserved an explanation. "I have found love, that much is true - but he did not steal me from you. I took myself away because I felt inadequate and unwanted. Which was not your fault, Quelt. I let my mind get the best of me and once I had gotten myself under control it seemed like an entire season had passed without me reckoning the time and it was . . . strange. Imagine waking up one day knowing that time had passed, and then discovering that that time had not been a day or two but an entire season." Around Quelt, Serra was typically less formal with her words, but explaining that was difficult enough that she protected herself with the stilted words. If she focused enough on choosing what to say next she wouldn't have to think about what she was actually saying. Speech,

No he had stolen her, that was the whole point. He hadn't meant it in a bad way, his heart had just been under so much pressure. He stepped away from her, what had happened to her? Was he being too selfish, as he always was and always would be deep inside. Venus had taught him one thing, is that he shouldn't hide himself any longer. As he raised a brow at her wiping tears away before composing himself. "No, he took your heart, he stole you away. I know the feeling." he smirked a little shaking his head. "As I've been stolen away." his eyes looked up to her. "This man, he better take care of you." he snorted hackles raising a little. If the man hurt his sister in any way, he'd rip him apart. Quelt chuckled a little before sitting down on his rump again. "I have a new mate....she is pregnant with my children. Venus, the lead beta wolf in Abaven." Quelt explained to her. His black tail curled around his body. He was going to be a father, not like before, these were his actual biological children. Speech,

hit me with your sweet love, steal me with a kiss , Ears pricking towards Quelt, Serra smiled just slightly, managing to force her hurt feelings aside. Again, it was not his fault and she could not bare to make her brother feel guilty for something so small. Though the thought of being 'stolen' by a man rankled just slightly, Serra cocked her head a little, a slight smile crossing his features as Quelt spoke of sharing the sensation. "My heart belongs to me, as always." Serra responded easily, voice light and playful, "And to you, Quelt. You'll always be my favorite brother." She had missed him more than she dared admit; her feelings had never been easy for Serra to explain. But she loved him all the same and Serra could only hope that Quelt understood that as well as he seemed to outwardly. As he named his new love, Serra found herself slightly startled - but happy for her brother, of course. "Congratulations, Quelt! That is amazing. I wish you all the luck in the world," Venus, huh? She had seen the wolfess in passing at least a few times during her stay in Abaven, but Serra could not say that she had ever been particularly close to the woman. And she had not thought that Quelt had been either. Then again, she had to admit that she had not been as close to her brother as she would have liked as of late. It was quite possible that he'd formed new relationships while she had been scarce. Ears twitching slightly, Serra smiled happily at her brother. "I will get to see my nieces and nephews, right?" She might not be a part of Abaven, but she would love to see the youngsters anyways. Pups had never been her favorite thing, but lately they'd been on her mind a little more than usual. And as for Newol looking out for her, well, Serra had to bite back a laugh. "He could not hurt me if he tried," Serra's voice was amused, and she glanced adoringly upwards at her much larger brother, tail wagging easily in the air. She had missed him more than she knew how to explain, but having him back in her life made everything that much better. Speech,