Times Have Changed

Lykos couldn't even attempt to suppress the snort at her words. "Yes, I suppose special is one way of putting it," he replied wryly. But then again, it was true, wasn't it? Even the bits of Mercy that he saw, even the bits that he realized was different than what she showed others - she was different. From her mannerisms, to her actions, to her interactions with others. It was... different from what he had seen with others. And it didn't make her bad; not in the least, though some of her... tendencies were hardly good. Take blatantly trespassing and then challenging the alpha of the land for example.

He frowned briefly at that thought, and it just so happened that the thought coincided with her words. "Yes," he murmured in acknowledgement, a thoughtful expression also tinged with pain crossing his face. He never bothered being the stone-faced creature around her; he never felt a need to, feeling that he could be wholly himself and that he'd never needed to have a filter around her.

He could feel the curiosity in her gaze, though, and his blue eyes met her purple ones briefly. Yes, she no doubt was acutely aware that this land was now abandoned, partially the reason she likely went through it at all - though he would have half expected her to trespass again even if the pack hadn't moved. And truthfully... he didn't know how he felt about it. It made him feel conflicted, because a part of him was very much the young boy he had been, clinging to laws and rules and depending on him. Perhaps it was the absence of those laws, and the absence of a strong ruler such as Valentine and values in his life that was making him feel so... lost. For the past several seasons. In a way, Avalon had been a strong ruler, but the values she chose directly coincided with her son's, and when they finally clashed... Lykos grimaced slightly. Let's not go there, not yet.

After a few more moments of silence, he flicked his gaze back to the older woman, and huffed quietly at her. "Yeah, yeah, I see the burning questions," he muttered, though sounding rather good-natured. He wasn't truly annoyed, and it was very clear from the relaxed body language and the slight, genuine smile on his face that that was the case. "A lot has changed," he murmured, his voice dropping in both volume and tone. It was rather an understatement, but it couldn't be helped.

"Once the little... spat was over, my mother sought me out," he began, sighing quietly. "It did not... end well." There was more to that story, but that'd have to be coaxed out of the boy; he'd not just volunteer the information. "In the end, I wanted to leave. She banned me, restricted me from leaving; would not let me leave the pack, and would not let me leave the territory without a guard period. I... disappeared in that time, interacting with no one. She ended up stepping down and my brother became the alpha, and he chose to move the pack. I sought him out right before the move, requesting formally to leave..." Why, one might ask? Because of those laws, because of those traditions; it was just... proper to request. "I was once again denied. However, no one attempted to force me to leave so I simply stayed behind." And that was the very short version of what happened; the quick and dirty. He realized his gaze drifted away from Mercy while he spoke, all sorts of emotions pulling at him, and he looked back at her, waiitng for her reaction.

"Speech" "You" Think