Family Ties

As they made their way across the plains toward the den, Surreal listened to Arian, keeping an easy pace for her niece, one eye trained on young Riv. Sin was like Syrinx, then? Surreal remembered Syrinx. And his daughters. She remembered how his girls had hardly been disciplined; how they had been at each other’s throats, and how they had behaved as though the rest of the pack was beneath them. She remembered Syrinx’s father, too. Cairo. The chocolate male with the sapphire eyes that were wise and old. She hadn’t even been a yearling the last time she’d seen him. He had died not long after that snowy day. The two had been like night and day. Cairo had seemed like a guardian angel, even in his old age. Syrinx had been a dark version of his father. There was a distinction that wasn’t there with Epiphron and Chrysanthe; the distinction that Syrinx had been raised by Erani, but he wasn’t a brother.

Her head cocked slightly as she gazed thoughtfully up at the sky. “I remember Syrinx. I also remember his daughters, and that they were often at each other’s throats, and that instead of discouraging them and demanding that they respect each other and work together, he encouraged them to fight amongst themselves. Chrysanthe brought him in as secondary Alpha during the war with Glaciem, hoping he would be a help to our training. You aren’t the first to make a choice out of desperation. We fought as hard as we could in that siege; we still lost. We trusted Chrysanthe; we didn’t trust Syrinx.” Not even Erani, who had raised him after Guinevere’s death, had been able to trust him after he had waltzed back into Valhalla after disappearing and challenged Chrysanthe for her recently acquired throne, which had caused Cairo to have a heart attack. To his credit, Syrinx had forfeited upon seeing his father on the ground.

Her eyes turned to Arian as they crossed under the shade of the wooded patch that held the den. “My advice is to trust your gut before your mind. If he scares you, your instincts are telling you that he cannot be trusted, and that you should keep him as far away from Sonticus as you can. My advice is to watch your back where he’s concerned. Just because he reminded you of Syrinx, doesn’t mean he is Syrinx.” She paused as they came to the mouth of the ravine. Regulus had done well; ten rabbits lay piled at the mouth. Her son’s scent lay thick in the air, but he had already gone on to enjoy his elsewhere. She gestured to the rabbits with a warm smile, allowing her guests to take first choice before choosing one for herself.

She settled down to eat, allowing Arian time to enjoy the meal and think over what she had said. Then she asked calmly, “Do you know what his plans are? Or did he not tell you?”

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think