Like a Stone

As Vale was just about to lose himself in self-doubt Elias pulled him out of that. He made it clear that he and Vale were the strong ones and his parents were weak-minded. It definitely boosting his own mood, the man was feeling better already. Vale was, however, thrown off a bit when Elias spoke of a bond between them. They had only just met, but Vale couldn't deny feeling it too. He felt a strong desire to look to Elias for guidance. He also felt quite protective of the man, and maybe a little too attached. Still, it was nice hearing that he wasn't the only one who felt this way. It made a lot of sense for his sister to have appeared in his mind around this time once Elias spoke of his own family. Perhaps the two had karmic ties, there was just an unspoken familial bond between them, despite their lack of shared DNA.

Elias began speaking of Ruina, and how their meeting inspired this desire to start it up again. Vale never considered himself to be a pack man, but he would follow Elias to anything. No matter how much the unknown may frighten Vale. The brute also understood why his friend had to leave, and could not argue for him to stay. If he could remember where he'd last seen his sister, he would probably go off to find her and settle things as well. Vale nodded as Elias' speech seemed to come to an end. He understood what needed to be done, and he would surely handle it for the man who'd managed to get so close to him. "I understand, settle things with your family, I can handle things here. I'll leave as soon as the skull has been skinned. I'll expect to meet with you again soon, thank you Elias..." He left what he was thanking him for remain unspoken. There was so much, he couldn't even list it all without rambling. The fact that he expressed his gratitude at all should have been enough for Elias. They hadn't known each other long, but the man knew that Vale wasn't much for interacting with others. A thank you was almost like a diamond in the rough with this man.

Vale expected Elias to leave, so without saying anything further, he began skinning the skull. He understood Elias wanted it as intact as he could possibly get it, so the man was careful to only run his fangs as close as he could without damaging it. Working this delicately was going to take the beast all night, but he would work until he was finished. Doing so would give Vale much time to think though, he wasn't sure how their relationship might change if Elias was to become his alpha. He already acted as the more dominant one, as he'd kind of taken over as a father figure for Vale. Still, the idea of being controlled was not something the man was looking forward too. Hopefully, Elias would understand this and allow for Vale to do as he pleased for the most part. He would have to ask for a lesson in Ruina's culture once they met up on this mountain.

"Talk."