You're going to have to be faster than that

Alastor gave a hearty barking laugh when Manea stated he was going to learn all of her in one go. Somehow he doubted he could truly learn the depths and intricacies of a wolf such as herself in one conversation, no matter how long it ran. She was a being that could only be understood and fully comprehended over a long time of exposure and discovery. Fortunately, Alastor had nothing but free time, and Manea seemed all the more willing to spend it with him, so he had ample opportunity to learn her. Her name rang like a bell, clear and bright in his head. Mendacium. Manea Mendacium. That was the name of his lover. His smile grew wider as he repeated her name over and over and over to himself in his head like a mantra. He could see the pride she held for her family in the way she presented herself and introduced herself. He was very much looking forward to seeing how deep that pride ran with her.

Manea then explained that she had traveled to Boreas with her niece, one Nirvana Mendacium, and sought to bring her brother here as well, though it sounded as if she was having trouble finding him. He cocked his head to the side, staring at her quizzically. If it was tracking down a wolf she needed help with, she had unintentionally found herself sleeping with one of the best hunter/trackers in the former Mirovis pack. If he could offer her any help, he would be sure to do so. Manea detailed how she had come to travel with her niece, a pup by the sounds of it, after her sister's untimely passing due to complications of childbirth. His smile faltered, fading, and his eyes lost their spark as an unusual empathy entered them. Alastor was not capable of feeling true empathy for another, but he could understand the feelings of loss, of helplessness. He didn't say anything when Manea mentioned how her sister's mate had refused to end her suffering himself and had simply fled his responsibilities as a husband and father. He scowled, but deep down wondered if he had been in that situation with Lurid not too long ago, would he have had the strength of character to put her down? To kill her, no matter how much of a mercy it was? He couldn't say for sure, but to abandon your own child after an experience like that...

"The bastard was unworthy to father children..." Alastor said, more an affirmed statement than an observation. "Nirvana is in a good place to be with you. I can't wait to meet the little darling!" Once more some of Alastor's childlike brightness returned to his face along with his toothy smile. He did love pups, after all. They were such fun little squishy balls of fur and innocence! "If you need help looking for your brother, I can help you. I used to track wolves all the time for my birth pack." It was a simple offer, but it was all he could do to provide the skills he had been granted to aid her search. "Not to stroke my own ego, but I'm a pretty accomplished hunter of both wolf and prey alike. I can help you hunt, keep you and Nirvana fed and in a stockpile of furs... Maybe even find your brother along the way." What he had really been saying was that whatever Manea needed him to be, he could find a way to provide for her. That's what he had been doing for Lurid for half a year now, providing for and supporting her while she did fuck all for not as much as a single thank you. Not that he needed rewards of any kind, but gestures of appreciation from the ones that supposedly loved you would have been nice.


"Alastor"