Rub-a-dub-dub

The smirk that graced her face at Alastor's feigned innocence was coupled with a roll of her eyes and a long-suffering expression, but there was a small shaking of her crown and a bit of a chuffing laugh given. "Oh, clumsy, right...I remember you being very clumsy." Lurid shifted her gaze over his dark frame, enjoying the way the blood billowed off his chest in the gentle flow of the water like a dark cape. Part of it reminded her of why he was here, the other part made her want to dive behind him and dye her fur with the crimson liquid. Still, thoughts of her home reached into her mind, pulling the relaxation from her face and replacing it with tight brows and the overall look of a wolf trying her best to solve a puzzle.

The problem was, she hadn't meant to be gone so long without news from her, Lurid had to leave her only means of long-range communication at home. Soon after she found Boreas, Samael had come to her with news of her father's death and she had to return home. Her father was waning, succumbing to his wounds, and Lurid left her winged companion home with orders to bring her news of his passing so that she might come back. When the fires came, they had ravaged many of Mirovian wolves, and some neighboring packs as well, and Ouranos had found himself in the grips of those flames. It had been a mission of hers to restore Mirovis, given to her by her father. After her recall, Lurid found herself to be the empress of Mirovis and in charge of nearly forty wolves; each savage in their own way, and in need of care and direction. She'd had to fight and prove herself to the older members of the pack - individuals her father had been close to and the ones she had grown up learning from. With each victory, Lurid had garnered the respect of her pack, and their fear - for she was merciless in battle. It was what made her their leader, along with other traits that were necessary to lead the darkest minds in her pack. She was the embodiment of strength and viciousness, but they knew she cared for them as well. Each wolf had its own needs, each one had their own demons - every demon was unique. Lurid understood them, knew how to talk to them, how to direct their bloodlust, and give them what they needed. She knew which things to say to whom and kept track of it all with a mental sharpness few possessed. It wasn't any wonder that they crumbled without her, the wolves of Mirovis were loyal to her. To learn that their numbers had lessened didn't surprise her, the fact they had been hunted didn't surprise her. It was the crushing guilt at having lost anything at her own paws. While she had been distracted with Kichi, her pack had crumbled, and she seemed to have let herself get off track.

Lurid hadn't realized just how much time had passed, and so she was shocked by the news Alastor had brought her. What had felt so absurdly short to the wicked lady was a ridiculously long time for her pack members. They had had to deal with the threats from within and from the outside, alone, without her there to help them. She was happy that Alastor had come to her, but his presence here meant her pack was in more trouble than she thought. Lurid had always imagined the threat would come from some upstart looking for a name, but to hear that her empire crumbled from within drove a spear through her heart. The pain of loss drove her, and once again she felt that kick to the sides she needed to get things moving the way they should have been.

Alastor spoke once more, then dipped beneath the surface of the water, with holographic lavender eyes locked onto the deep red stain he left in his wake as he moved like a shadow. Despite her troubled thoughts, Lurid found herself smiling as his words actually took form in her cluttered mind. Lurid waited for a moment for him to resurface so she could explain, but he stayed under longer than she had anticipated. Making her stare at him as she sat on the water's edge, Alastor moved around like an alligator, bringing a wider grin to her face and even making her laugh a little. When he surfaced with a massive spray of water, Lurid made sure to back up and avoid the droplets, though she wasn't quite fast enough and ended up with a few wet spots that made her fur stick to and reveal her pink skin. With a laugh in her dual-toned voice, Lurid responded to his question as he waded in the quickly clearing water, "I do hunt, you know? He won't be startled by me." Suddenly, a familiarly frustrated roar sounded from somewhere relatively close by, but still distant enough to be an echo, and Lurid's head snapped toward the sound.

She prayed that it wasn't Ilyn, but her prayers went unanswered as she saw the dark figure of a large bird appear in the sky. Initially, she worried, but judging by the vast array of foul language that was followed by Kichi's name that carried in the roar, Lurid found herself smirking with a wicked delight. Kichi had outsmarted the miniature polar bear and made him very angry in the process. 'Kiiiiichiiiii!' She heard Samael's piercing screech as he flew toward her like a bullet, Lurid watching as a small grey blob slowly took the shape of her adopted son followed at a distance by the small white form of Ilyn. Even with his stubby puppy legs, Kichi could outrun Ilyn, who was not made to be fast. Lurid laughed as the boy came to her, announcing that he found her in a very obvious attempt to cover up that he had given his sitters the slip. With one massive white paw, Lurid made to scoot him closer to her and plant a kiss on his forehead. Even as his head swung toward Alastor, Lurid smiled and made to introduce the two parts of her life that meant the world to her. Eventually, she would be able to have all of her family with her. "Kichi, this is Alastor. He has been a life long friend, and has come to help me." Of course, she had told the babe about her family and the pack. Their collective darkness had been glossed over to avoid having to explain why things ran the way they did in Mirovis. "Alastor, this is Kichi, my little boy." Lurid was glad to see that Kichi was getting back to something that resembled himself, but he did still have a long way to go. Looking to her adopted son, she smiled, then watched as Ilyn shuffled into view; huffing and puffing after having chased Kichi all the way here. "And how was your day, Little Love?" She asked the storm cloud babe, her paw gently stroking the fur on his head back. While his being here meant he had stayed too far, Lurid honestly couldn't be happier that she and Alastor wouldn't have to walk all the way back to the redwoods.