His parents were dead. Just like that. He'd only left for a few hours, stealing away in the midst of the night to bask in the cool spring air. The southern continent was still largely new to him, with so much to explore, and he found himself enthralled with the vastness of the land, enjoying how desolate it seemed to be compared to the lands where he'd been born. He couldn't have been gone for more than a few hours at most. And when he returned, he instantly noticed something was wrong. Warily, with fear pumping in his chest as he leaned into the darkness of the den he shared with his parents, he leaned forward to nudge his father. It was with startling realization that he noted the den was completely silent. There was no sound of his parent's quiet breathing, and there was no sign of movement from either of them. Though their bodies were still warm, neither of them so much as budged as he began to switch between the two of them, feeling panic instantly grip his chest. "Dad," came his small voice, the normally stoic boy feeling suddenly anxious and afraid of the very event that he'd been preparing himself for since he'd begun to understand just how old his parents were compared to most wolves. "Mom?" There was no response -- there was nothing at all, even as he felt tears beginning to well in his eyes. Though he'd expected this to happen eventually, he hadn't expected it to happen tonight. And he hadn't expected them to go together. How was such a thing even possible? Why had they done this to him? The pain was nearly unbearable for the boy and he felt a sudden rage flaring in his chest as the reality of their death hit him. It was the most pain he'd ever felt, worse than any small injury and he felt a fury that he didn't know he was capable of. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to leave them here, but he also didn't know what he would do with them yet. His limbs quivered as he slowly pulled away from them, retracting from the den, feeling despair and anger and everything in between wash over him like the waves of the ocean. His parents were fucking dead. He'd never really gotten the concept of death until now and the finality of it all was terrifying. They'd never talked to him about dying, about the fact that he might someday be alone, that they'd never come back. All he wanted to do was cry. Unstable paws carried him through the darkness, away from the pain as he let the shadows wash over him. Slowly the trees that had formerly provided him cover grew more sparse, until there was nothing between him and the sky. Overhead the stars gleamed, bright and strong, as though taunting him. A low growl left the boy's lips as he found himself trailing through the thick grass of the plains, his steps aimless and random, no particular destination in mind. He just needed to move.

Darkness coated the sky above him. Naoise would move through the night with no destination, no plan in mind. He could hear his parents warning in his mind and yet he needed to get out, to move, to avoid his family for a while. Despite what his family said there was nothing but guilt in his heart for his missing sisters. Well, one missing, and one having been taken. His father was trying his hardest to get her back... but how long would it take? How long would it be before he saw Mystic again? Would he -ever- see her again? Naoise would let out a sigh. He needed to clear his mind, to get his thoughts on something other than something he couldn't control. His nose would quiver as he caught the scent of another, and all at once those O.C.D like thoughts would end. Ears would prick and green eyes would shine curiously. Who was this? He would stalk on, moving slowly, until he saw the young beast stalking through the night. He looked... distraught. Perhaps as much as Naoise felt. Perhaps more. The silvery-gray boy would hesitate for a moment before calling out. "Hey, you alright there?" Not with that look. But perhaps talking about it would help the other get the pain off his chest and ease his mind, as well as serve as a distraction for Naoise himself. "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Shelby

Emotions ebbed through him, with little rhyme or reason; he was merely a conduit for anger and sadness and rage, with no control over what came over him. There was fury in his pawsteps, in his unsteady posture as he moved aimlessly forward. Only when the voice of another would sound nearby would he pause, halting abruptly. His rage would shift to something akin to panic as he swung his head to the side, red eyes widening in surprise as he searched for the male that had spoken. 'Hey, you alright there?' was what he'd asked and he felt his eyes narrowing as he finally focused on the stranger. For a long moment, Steel was silent. Watching the stranger with a wary stare, a slight fire burning in his crimson eyes. "No," he spat matter-of-factly, tension audible in his youthful voice. "Why do you care?" Why would a stranger want to know if he was okay? How would they even understand? If anyone, he figured only his siblings would be able to even begin to understand the pain and emptiness that suddenly overwhelmed him. Certainly this boy wouldn't get it. His tail lashed behind him as he grew more agitated at the stranger's unwarranted and largely unwanted approach.

There was a long moment of silence stretching on between them. The other would watch him with a look that spoke of caution, though he could see the flicker of anger burning within those eyes. When the other spoke his words were matter of fact, almost accusing with the tension within. Naoise was not necessarily put off by this, however. He would expect it, to be honest. The silver male would give a soft sigh, tail giving a slow flick. “...If you want the truth I’m hurting too. I think by helping someone else, like my mom and dad say, I might be able to ease my own.” Naoise would give a small shrug. “Besides, what good is it to be alone when you’re hurting anyway? Isn’t it better to try and talk it out and get stuff off your chest? Look... I know I’m some stranger but... If talking to each other can help then what’s the harm in it?” Naoise’s views of the world might have been a bit strange... But he was seeing more and more now that being alone just sucked butt. Why be alone when you could have someone to talk to? Wolves were social creatures, generally, after all. "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Shelby

How could anyone understand how he felt, save for his siblings? Especially some stranger? He quivered where he stood, boiling over with anger and grief, his eyes alight with fire. The male that had approached him did not react with anger; instead he was calm and collected, and seemed claimed to empathize with him some. His gaze was calculating as he assessed him, wondering why he had approached him at all.   "You wouldn't understand," he snapped, though some of the harshness of his voice had faded from the moment of silence that had briefly overwhelmed him.  There was nothing that he could imagine being like this. His parents were dead... gone.. forever. He wouldn't seem them again, no matter how much he wanted to. Could anything compare to this empty hole that had suddenly opened up in his heart? "I am alone though." Sure, he had this male's company... but he still didn't feel anything but alone. Still, the stranger seemed insistent that he talk. Again, he felt his tail flick behind him, feeling wildly uncomfortable, but calming ever-so-slightly as he confirmed the stranger didn't mean to offend him, and certainly didn't mean any harm.  "I promise you wouldn't get it, unless you found both of your parents dead an hour ago too."

Naoise would frown deeply as the other boy snapped. He wouldn’t understand? Well no, not with that sort of anger. The silver boy would no give in to anger however. He would tilt his head to the side some as the other stated that he was alone. It wasn’t until he spoke again that Naoise caught his meaning. The other boy’s parents were dead. Naoise would dip his head respectfully to the other. “I’m sorry.” The male would say softly. “I might not understand that, you’re right.” The boy would lift his head again, his expression solemn. ”But I do understand a sense of loss.” Naoise would take a step forward, trying his hardest to not seeim awkward or weird. “If they are gone then there is no more pain for them. You need to think of the positive part of things like that. They’ll be running with the gods and goddesses now.” The boy would offer a small, though sad smile. “...and they’ll still be with you. You can feel them in your heart.” He would pause and then add. “Have you buried them?” "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Shelby

Something like adrenaline had begun to course through his veins. The pain was difficult for him to bear. Though he'd known this day would come, he had never anticipated just how it was going to affect him.  Still he quivered where he stood, feeling like he had no control of anything, especially his own emotions. It was strange to him that this male would continue to stand here, as though he actually cared about him, despite not knowing him at all. 'I'm sorry,' he'd say, and he shook his head slowly, his eyes still alight with something like rage though his voice was calmer now. "Isn't your fault," he muttered sourly. He claimed to understand loss, but how could he? Was there any greater loss in the world? He continued on, his words soothing as though he wanted to try to ease some of Steel's pain. And yet how could he? For a long moment he was silent, considering those words. Perhaps when he was more calm -- in a day, or in a week -- they might seem logical. But now they felt like a sharp knife to his chest, and each word only twisted the knife further. "There are no gods," he'd reply calmly, his brows furrowing in slight frustration. His father had taught him that. All that existed was the here and the now. His parents no longer existed now, in any sort of world. "And no. I left them in their den." Staying would've hurt far too much; and he didn't even know burying the dead was a tradition at all. Truthfully, he'd never really considered it much at all. His red gaze had softened slightly, but he'd still stare unsurely at the boy before him. "I'm Steel," he'd say after a moment, wondering if the other might introduce himself in turn.

There was still rage in the other boy’s eyes, or something close to it, as he looked at him. His words were sour, though Naoise was doing his best to keep his patience. At least until the other boy mentioned something that there were no gods. Naoise would bristle at this comment, his ears pinning back with frustration. No gods?! Ha! “You’re wrong. There ARE gods. The great goddess Siri watches over my family! Maybe they just chose to abandon you because you didn’t want to believe in them!” He had lost his patience, his words sharp and cold. “The gods do exist. You just don’t wanna believe it!” He would huff, letting out a growl. “We’re here aren’t we? This world and the creatures in it didn’t just come from nowhere! That’s proof right there gods exist!” His voice was getting louder and louder, his eyes blazing with anger. "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Shelby

For a moment, he'd felt himself calm. The presence of a stranger was oddly comforting - it let him know that he wasn't alone, even if he felt like he was. Despite the rage that ebbed inside, for a moment he had softened, even sharing his name with the other boy. And for a moment he expected an introduction, not realizing his words would elicit such a strong emotional reaction -- but he watched as Naoise's demeanor shifted suddenly. He began to speak, his words growing passionate and fierce, and Steel snorted in response.  "Whatever," he'd huff, a bit despondently.  "My father told me there were no gods. And there certainly isn't a god with me now." And how could his father be wrong? He had tried to believe, Bronze had told him; but his life had been met with great misfortune. He'd lost his son - one of Steel's brothers - when he'd been but a child. He'd been kept in captivity for a season during a war. If there were gods, why would they let him suffer? Why had they never shown themselves to him? His paws quivered slightly. His own voice wasn't nearly as wrathful as before, simply tired.  "I don't know why you care so much what I believe, anyway," he spat finally, his nose wrinkling in distaste at this entire topic.  "Why did you even come to talk to me? To try to reassure me with talk of things I don't even believe in? You don't even know who I am." His voice, once full of malice, was now more calm, though irritated still.

Whatever? Whatever!? The young man would glower at the other young man, feeling his spine tingle with rage. How could he just prance about and speak as if the gods were nothing? Stupid non-believer! He would feel his lips quiver with rage, but he was trying his hardest not to get into some pointless fight. In the end the other still wouldn't believe. Even if he beat him into a bloody pulp it wouldn't matter. Who was to say the other wouldn't be more powerful than him anyway? Naoise would give a huff. "You're right. I don't know who you are. But that shouldn't stop you from trying to help others. YOU were the one who threw my beliefs right back in my face, as if someone didn't care about them!" He snapped. Naoise would shake his head. "I was merely trying to offer you comfort... hoping the good deed might ease my own guilty soul at being powerless to do something for someone I love... someone I might never see again... but so much for that I guess." Naoise would take a step back, starting to turn away. "So unless you have more you want to say about my goddess not existing and trample my beliefs some more I guess I'll be leaving." He would turn tail then, starting to make his way back home. --Exit Unless Stopped.-- "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Shelby