Shiki had taken to staying in the Moontouched Cliffs, or coming here whenever he could. It was a place he had come to be whenever his thoughts curled darkly around his mind, the boy not really wanting to leave due to the peace this place brought to him at night. But today, he had hung around in the day time. Simply lying at the edge for the better part of his time and staring down at the rocks and crashing waves far below.

He could hear sea birds down there, calling out as the little shapes dove into the water for food or circled beneath him. The sound of the ocean crashing against the cliff face also gave to him a sort of comfort, lulling his thoughts down to mere strands. How had life gotten him here? His father had disappeared, Shiki not knowing where the hell he was. The recent meeting with the mauled she-wolf who told him things he wished he could forget. Which in turn, brought into his life deceit and hurt. Had everyone been lying to him? Sighing, he placed his head upon his forepaws, simply gazing at the scenery below the cliffs.

"Speech"

The dark woman trudged onward toward where she could hear the waters of the sea crash into various rocks, making smaller rocks crumble from beneath crashing waves. She had wondered where the hell her brother had run off to, but, for right now, she didn't give a damn. Her light green eyes looked downward, seeing that the Cliffside would be quite a drop if one were to fall, plummeting to their deaths in fact. However, that was when she had caught an unfamiliar scent, one of no importance to her, but she was curious for who would be staying here for a while.

She walked onward a bit more before spotting the wolf before her. He was of smaller stature and looked to be lighter as well. She gave a small chuckle, "This will be fun," she thought, sitting down in front of him.

"Why would you be staying here? You know if you make one wrong slip you could fall and hurt yourself, or worse," she explained, looking outward to where she could hear the birds call out their annoying, high-pitched squawking, but she was only interested in this wolf at the moment.

He startled a bit, the unknown creature suddenly appearing from nowhere. She sat near him, almost close to the edge where he was. He had turned his head towards her, his heart racing a million miles a minute since she startled him so fiercely. She had started immediately questioning him, the young boy unsure about what to say let alone do. He was incredibly shy, his mind and emotions swirling though she seemed to have distracted him momentarily.

Quickly, he scrambled to his paws as he adopted a submissive position, his head down and his tail tucked between his legs. He didn't know this woman, and didn't know her intentions. Why had she mentioned falling off the cliff? Did she plan on pushing him off? Slowly, he stepped back away from the cliff edge, afraid that's exactly what she might do. "Um..I don't know, I like it here I guess."

"Speech"

She nodded her head. He was small and rather shy, if she wanted to, she could attack him and have no remorse for what she had done whatsoever. However, she would let her violence subside...this time. The smell of the sea breeze blew across her nostrils, making them flare up from the salty air. She had not seen the ocean for a while, if not ever. The difference between from where she last lived with her brother, and here, were totally different.

"So, who do they call you?" She asked, turning her head to him as her eyes stayed serious, not leaving his own. She was curious, but, she wanted to, also, add more conversation since when she had talked to the last wolf who called himself Z, did not go very well at all.

He was afraid of this woman. Then again, when was he ever not afraid of someone? She seemed to be nice though...maybe she was nice, and maybe he was judging too quickly. Ears twitched slightly as she asked his name, the boy keeping his previously adopted submissive posture. "Sh-Shiki, M'am." He mumbled in a low and shy voice.

He kept his eyes on her, though feeling a little uncomfortable within the presence of another, he wondered if he could slowly slip away. Or maybe come up with an excuse that he had somewhere else to be. No, those probably wouldn't work...Swallowing, he shyly asked "Wh-what's your name?"

"Speech"

"My name is Ylva, but some call me the dark one, due to my dark personality. Though, I do not kill unless I have to, but, my brother is different. You don't have to fear me, despite my personality." She explained and looked out toward where the ocean crashed against the Cliffside. She closed her eyes and sighed. Shiki seemed to be nice, but, he was rather different and very submissive, a wolf who shows too much submission is bound to get themselves killed. She looked to him again.

"Stand up, Shiki, you are showing too much submission. If you keep doing this, others shall take advantage of you and worse might happen. Stand up, show me your posture!" She barked, her tail high to show a little dominance, but not too much as her eyes were serious and baring into his own.

A shiver ran down his spine as she told him her name, along with an explanation of her and her brother. He crouched closer to the ground, even though she told him he didn't have to worry about her, he wasn't sure if he could trust her. This suddenly drew him to look around his surroundings, as if her brother would come slithering out from the ground at any moment.

In his imaginary search for the woman's other dark half, he nearly jumped out of his skin when she barked loudly at him. His head whipped towards her, fur bristling and his ears flattened to his head. She ordered for him to stand up, and in his fear at the possible thought of receiving punishment for not listening, he would do as he was told. He stood as straight as he could, though his shaking legs and his tucked tail would keep him from doing as he was completely told. Golden eyes eyed her nervously, watching her own posture change to that of dominance. He was naturally submissive, and afraid of authority. He couldn't help it! "S-Sorry!" Was all he had managed to say.

"Speech"

The woman would breathe in, testing the scent once more. She was on the hunt for him. Her last son. When she told him the news of who he was it had not gone well. Kau had more or less brainwashed the child. It made her blood boil, but that mattered not. What mattered now was trying to find him. Protect him. The woman had left her little son with Einarr, keeping what she was doing a secret for now. Akemi didn't want anyone else to get involved just yet. She was getting close though. She could smell his scent getting stronger and stronger as she walked on. The cliffs were strange territory for her... but she cared not. At least... until she heard the voice of the female. She would bristle, her single eye narrowing as she quickened her pace to close the distance between herself, her son, and the stranger. Whomever this stranger was she didn't like her god damned attitude. "I suggest you watch your filth mouth and watch who you're addressing." Akemi would snarl. Her hackles were raised, fangs flashing. No one, NO ONE would order her son around. "Listen to me talk," 'or read my thoughts.'

Her mint green eyes shown seriousness as she saw him stand up, quivering with fear. However, she happened to see a woman who had been injured quite brutally, and she would not get in the way of them. She looked to the woman's single good eye as she bowed her head respectively, tucking her tail under her legs, but not all the way as she kept her eyes closed. "I do not wish to fight, and I only wish to help your son stand up for himself. I do not wish to hurt you or him at all, despite what I might seem like to you. However, I am not one for killing unless there is a reason for those actions. Forgive my insolence, Ma'am," she spoke in a calm, gentle voice, something she hardly ever used.

It seemed someone else would enter the scene, the scent drawing nearer and somewhat familiar. Before he knew it, the mangled woman  appeared, snarling at the darker woman. Instantly, Shiki drew back into his submissive posture, ears flattened and his body pressed low to the ground. He wasn't sure how to feel about the small woman being her, especially after the first time they had met, the things he learned...he remembered running away, back to this place.

He glanced at Ylva, the woman explaining to Akemi her intentions. He was confused...why would a supposedly dark wolf want to help him with confidence issues? The only one he had ever remotely felt confident with was his Father, and even though he learned what he did, he still clung to the fact that maybe she was lying. What if she had been lying to him altogether? But...if that were true, why was she here raging at another wolf? He was confused, unsure what to think. With this, he simply watched what would happen between the two women.

"Speech"

Shiki did not speak, but that was alright. Akemi’s attention, for the moment, wasn’t on her son. It was on the darker female, the one who had spoken with such malice moments ago. The female would give a snort. “You are lying through your teeth.” Akemi would begin, her fur still standing on end. This woman... She knew the type. The act. She would start to circle, moving closer to Shiki. “...Funny how you guessed he was my son. Have you been stalking us?” Her good eye was still narrowed, and her body still on edge. “You’re just avoiding a fight.” Akemi would spit. “Picking on those weaker... Who do you think you are!?” ""

Table by:: Tealah

Her mint green eyes focused on Akemi as they appeared to be looking down into her soul, "Someone who is going out of her way to help make Shiki stronger. If I have been stalking you, I would have hurt someone a long time ago. However, I am not one to make unnecessary fights. I may not seem like a good Samaritan, I only wish to help. If you would wish for me to leave, than so be it. I see potential in Shiki that has yet to be unlocked, though he does not have the confidence and does not believe in himself. I wish to help him. I will not harm him or you as long as I can help him get stronger, if not, I shall be on my way. Do we have a deal?" She asked, her eyes showing seriousness as truth and light shimmered in her eyes.

He continued watching the exchange between the two woman, his mind reeling with so many thoughts. On one hand, Akemi was here rescuing him from potential danger. My father should be the one standing there... he thought bitterly, though confusion struck again when he thought about what the woman had told him. She said Kau was dead, that he paid for his crimes. If that were true, why hadn't Shiki known at all? Why didn't Pamela tell him? Surely she would have known...some part of him felt betrayed. That everyone was keeping secrets from him.

He glanced at Ylva as she spoke, the woman wanted to help him...but why? She said she was a darker being, that on any other occasion she would rather rip another to shreds simply put, but here the woman was wanting to help him. Someone she didn't even know. But...he felt that no matter what, he'd always be this way. Confidence was not his forté. "I..." He faltered in his words, unsure of what to say. His gaze wandered over towards Akemi, the boy swallowed back some mixed up emotions. "If you are who you said you were...then why didn't you try to search for me? I didn't get the chance to learn from my Father...and.." He sighed, "Maybe she can teach me what you failed to do."

He knew it may have sounded harsh, that it would hurt Akemi. But despite what she was doing, what she claimed to be, he was torn and confused. But at the same time, she hadn't proved yet that her words were true. Save for this moment. But how did he know this wasn't some sort of facade? His gaze returned to the ground, the boy trying not to scream in frustration.

It wasn’t Ylva’s words that stung at her, but Shiki’s when he spoke. The woman would turn her single eyed gaze on her son, emotion welling within. Hurt. Anger. She would bite back the sharpness of the retort she wanted to say and instead spoke in a voice that was oddly calm. “I did... When I had recovered from nearly dying during birth. Your brother about killed me with his sheer size alone. I was too small, or he too big, and I fell into unconsciousness shortly after your brother and sister were born. But don’t think I didn’t search for you. I had... I had against hope. That fox that stole you could have, should have killed you... But still I searched.” Akemi would turn her gaze away. “It was in vain. I had a pack I held duties to and eventually I lost hope. I had two other children to tend to... What did you expect me to do? Lose two lives for the sake of maybe finding a third?” "Talk"