death before dishonor

The first to arrive was Hannibal's eldest daughter. The earthy toned yearling entered the clearing with stern blue eyes and two icy fangs coming from her upper jaw. The male raised a brow in shock for he had never seen the fangs at full length. The last time he saw the girl she had been complaining about tooth pain but never did he suspect this. But, his thoughts of her mutation vanished as he blunt question came forth. By the looks of it she was not pleased with his absence. "Banshee." Mimicking his daughters sass. He felt dreadful for his mishaps but never would he take such venom from his spawn. "Injured." Hannibal flicked his nose downward towards his front right leg where some fur was still missing from the injury.

The next to arrive was someone with much more acceptance. The monochromatic beast of a male, Harbringr, came bounding forward like a bull. Hannibal's brother closed the distance between them and peppered the albino with licks and kissed. A chuckle came forth as he pressed into the embrace and stuck his muzzle into the male's scruff. "You are a sight for sore eyes, truly." The male moved his head back after aiming a last lick to Har's cheek.. Their moment faded as the presence made Hannibal's fur stand on end. Off to the side and behind Har was the Matriarch of their bloodline. Empress Deathbelle Klein stood tall with a look of disbelief plastered upon her beautiful face. Hannibal's eyes connected with her beaming violet gaze as he separated from Harbringr to walk towards the woman. The albino beast moved to close the distance between himself and the Queen. If she allowed the male would aim to press his chest against her own and moved his muzzle again her neck up to her ear. He spoke softly to where only she could hear, "Do not look so sad my flower." Hannibal pressed against her, "I am here." He would not apologize for his absence but that had all been done before. The male was back with his family and did not seek their sympathy nor acceptance. At this point he merely lived to allow his bloodline to flourish and to lift his half-sister upward to greatness.

Parting from his leader the male watched his two offspring enter the clearing. Recluse wad fully grown at a tall height and slim build. Mimicking her mother's stature with her father's pelt. Next was Gimli who was an earth toned pup he had brought into the world with a gal named Dutch. He was a small pup but looked healthy. All three of his spawn had a look of hatred plastered upon their face and the male felt a pang of guilt fill his chest. What could he say to them? Hannibal moved to his original spot to look at his family further. An explanation was needed but he would make it short with a stern and baritone voice, "When the volcano erupted I was north looking for Circe Abraxas. I was traveling through mountains when a boulder and a few rocks came loose from a cliff and landed on my leg. A native to that region aided me in getting out from under the rocks and helped me recover. Thankfully, the bone was not shattered but I could not walk for a long while." His eyes flicked to each of his kin, "I came as soon as I could make the journey without furthering my injury."