Upon noticing him Surreal approached, a torrent of the old tongue falling from her lips, and Tornach's ears fell back softly, and he remained silent. He had dwelled within these dark and frightened and angry thoughts for too long to trust his tongue as she spoke, but he did not wish to damage things between them further and so he would say nothing. He did not pull away when she sought to touch him though he made no move to return the gesture either. He'd always been physically reserved in his affections, but the moreso now as he could not help but wonder if she was simply using his affection and loyalty to seek to manipulate him. It bothered him that he would feel that way - but he could not go back to the way things were before, and be unaware that the world was so broken.
He watched stoically as she returned to her rock, but was immediately bombarded with the appearance of Ashmedai as he bumped Tor's shoulder and spoke. Tor, blinking, looked over to him. "Hey Ash. I don't think she got it from anywhere, not if you mean a challenge for another pack or something." At least he hoped that she hadn't challenged for it; after Abaven's siege of Hellstrom for that very reason he'd feel terribly uncomfortable knowing his mother had done the same as that Sin. Ash asked if he was happy, rambled on about packs, and Tor shrugged uncomfortably. He didn't feel happy, no, though he should have - would have before that horrible siege, before his cousin's bloody death. He kept his voice low, too, and his head turned toward Ash as he answered - "I'm just starting to think alphas and packs and the like aren't such a good thing at all. I don't like - " but he cut off his words immediately as his littermate plopped down on his other side and leaned against him. "Not yet. Athair and Zuriel just got here. No one's said anything important."
His mother began to speak, and he went silent as he listened. He had never been part of a pack, so had nothing to compare the ranks to. As far as he knew, this was the way all packs were set up, but somehow he didn't think so. Enigma had used a different word for his title as a ranking healer in Hellstrom, and he'd gotten the impression that more was different than simply that. He wanted to cast a glance over to Ashmedai, wanting to ask if it was different than his father's pack, but not wanting to interrupt simply for curiosity's sake.
But her litany of laws made him stiffen and go very still, his face smooth. Not being allowed to leave the pack lands without asking? Castrating someone for having pups without permission? Slavery? Now he did give Ash a troubled, sidelong glance. When had his mother's morals changed so drastically? Or had he always believed so differently? He could not ever see how slavery could be an acceptable practice - not for any reason. His morals were not so fickle as to be bent and twisted for expediency, and a sick feeling grew in his stomach at the idea of supporting that even by proxy. He shook his head, dropping his eyes to the ground. He had come because he was family, and family supported one another. But was family or morality more important? Laws or doing what was right? If the law supported something so wrong how could he ever profess to follow it?
He backed away, murmuring a barely audible apology to Baine as he removed himself from her embrace. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't be here. He had to think about this. He had to untangle his emotions from what he knew - had to figure out how it fit together. Had to... had to be out from under the weighing and waiting eyes of the wolves who had all come to join his mother in her mad crusade. "Tá brón orm..." he began, blue eyes wavering between his mother, his brother, but he could not explain, could not even begin to explain, and could not in front of her pack, and so he backed away, turned, and trotted out of sight.
-exit Tornach-
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