nothing left to lose

At the moment Kassander was still living in his cave-den in Crew's old territory, but the emptiness of the mountains was beginning to make him nervous, even jumpy. Chaos still lived there too, somewhere but the former alpha had been preoccupied and distant, broody, since he'd dissolved his pack and sent everyone on their way. With those two great big owls always hanging around Chaos Kassander found him frankly unnerving, and he'd been quick to escape on an herb gathering expedition. He'd need to find a pack before winter set in... Though the idea of moving all of his stores too far made him blanch. He'd collected a lot since he'd joined Crew. He wondered if he could find a pack that would welcome his crafting as much as Yfir, Ivory Ridge, and Crew all had. It was... the only thing that really made him unique, and was something he could do without needing to participate in awkward interactions with others...

He'd been nosing around in the tall grasses of the range, looking for echinacea while Rommel was off hunting, when a vaguely familiar nearby howl drew him from his fretful thoughts. The sadness in the song sent shivers down his spine and raised his hackles in reaction, but it took a long moment for the familiarity of the sound to connect. When it finally did his mismatched eyes widened in recognition and a touch of fear. Epiphron!

Dropping the small amount of herbs he had already collected, he raced towards the voice. A barn loomed up before he slowed from his headlong pace. Despite his worry - what could have drawn such a mournful tone from the elegant queen? - shyness gripped him, and he didn't so much walk into the barn's shadowed opening as much as he tiptoed anxiously. "E-epiphron?" he stammered softly, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Would she even remember who he was? It had been so very long since he'd been a king, and they had been allies...