OOC: Set a bit before the pack claiming!

Mithras was quickly coming to love these lands in the west. He'd been to a lot of different places in Alacritis, but something about the arid climate, the lush prairies and fields, teeming with wildlife and lands untouched by any other packs. The willow grove in particular felt like his own eden, tranquil and beautiful even in the throes of winter. It was dark now, but he could feel spring glimmering on the horizon, and knew the season was about to turn over into a new year. A new era... And he was pretty sure he knew what he had to do. So, of course, the celestial lump decided to spend time reflecting on everything that had happened in his time here. Well, not just there specifically but in Alacritis in general. Friends, maybe a few enemies, children... Gods have mercy, he had kids now. He sat down with a huff and a small smile, all at once lost in his thoughts. "Talk" "You" Think

Please note that since Caia has a language problem, when writing her posts there is a mighty language warning within every inch of that there text. Smooches!

Winter was absolute bullshit. This ten thousand pounds of white bullshit was making things impossible. Why did the weather have to do this? Her adventures in the north had been nice, for like a day. Then, she'd gotten tired of making the effort to lift her paws out of what was ankle deep snow at best, but felt like it was elbow deep. Not to mention, she'd probably left Mithras and Faria alone for far too long. Last time, they'd fared all right, but she had an unfortunate knack for worrying endlessly about those two mooks. She left the mountains and the glorious forests behind to return south. That was where she'd last left them, right? Shit, probably? The western regions were a glorious thing, she'd decided once she'd reached them. Snow was rare, and sparse at best. It was lovely right now, though hell on her titanic body with its impossibly shaggy pelt. Head lowered between her shoulders, she trudged onward. the sun wasn't high yet, so there was time yet to find some damned shade here. Where was the happy medium here? Since there was no snow, it just got muggy, meaning she was drowning in her own lungs and her coat was frizzy and matted. It was probably better than snow, though. Probably. Maybe. An oasis showed itself, and she would have picked up the pace if she wasn't dying in her own skin. Gods above, it was hot out. Probably not as hot as in the summer, but enough that she wasn't about to waste energy with a change of stride. Mammoth paws collided heavily with the beaten earth, with none of the usual regard to stealth. If someone was interested in her arrival, then so be it. She didn't give a fuck. Grumbling wordlessly to herself, she soon enough found relief in the cool air enveloped in the willows. It was a strange sort of tree to find in a desert, but she didn't question it much further than that. A familiar scent tugged at her nostrils, and her amethyst gaze flit across the drooping branches in search of her brother's star spangled body. He was close, that was for sure. Which meant there wasn't going to be a long search, thank the gods. She didn't have the patience left in her for another one of those, not for a long time. Lumbering across the root strewn terra, she pushed her way through the hanging foliage to seek out the familiar form. "Mith, you goddamn' buffoon, where are you?" She grunted in her native tongue, opting to make this easier by announcing her presence. It wasn't like he could have possibly missed her arrival, anyways. She stopped before she could step over the trickle of water at her feet, narrow enough to step over without effort, but clear and crisp as it were. She liked these little streams, they were convenient and didn't make a nuisance of themselves. Folding herself downward at the knees, she greedily took in the much needed drink. All that walking in the desert made her appreciate this simple bounty. "Speech" Sessy as hell manip courtesy of the lovely Fox!

He heard her before he saw her, and he froze. Fear flooded his body, cold and heavy, and he felt like a tiny rabbit under the eye of a hawk. Oh gods, he thought with a sense of abject terror. He knew the day had to come eventually but he didn't think it would be so soon, he thought he had more time to prepare! Mithras gulped. Caia was back. A thousand excuses flooded into his mind like a dam had broken, as he struggled to grab onto to anything at all that might convince her to forgive him for... for... Well, what had he done exactly? He'd had pups, for one. He'd joined up with a band of roguish brigands. And now he was on his way to starting his own pack... Yes, she was definitely going to hurt him. He sighed and turned to face the music. Don't get me wrong here, he was beyond thrilled that she had returned from her travels, but that didn't mean he wasn't bracing for a walloping. He breezed forward at a brisk trot until enough land had disappeared between them that he could see her. By that point a wry smile had appeared on his lips, and his attitude had brightened a tad as well. Caia was back! "I see your tracking skills are dimming in your old age," he teased, because sometimes it was just plain fun to poke bears. "Talk" "You" Think

Her brother greeted her with his usual flair, taunting her with comments about her age. She lifted her head from her drink, impassive expression melting into a glower. Well, that little asshole. She straightened her spine, lifting her head again to stare him full in the face. There was something in his expression, no, he looked calm and happy. Like usual. Something was off though, and she wasn't quite in order of her body quite yet to figure it out. The cool air was still trying to worm its way through her thick pelt to caress her skin. She returned to her original train of thought instead. Sure, she was a couple minutes older, but she was by no means rotting away under her own skin. A low growl rumbled in her chest, and she lifted one paw at a lazy attempt to cuff him over the head. The barest trace of a grin twitched at her lips. Her expression went cold for a minute, and she leaned forward to press her nostrils closer to his celestial pelt. There was the difference. It was the smell of him. None of the overbearing musk that was his natural scent, well, not so much, at least. There were many long stayed aromas building upon it, changing it just the slightest. He smelled like Faria, which was no surprise, except maybe in this concentration. He was sticking much closer to her, which was good. If she disappeared, it would be the end for Caia's ability to think clearly and trust herself. He also smelled like a multitude of other wolves, which wasn't really characteristic of Mithras. Was he making friends, or getting into the wrong place at the wrong time? Had he joined a pack? Then, just below the others, the milky sweet scent of babes. She lifted her head again slowly, staring him down as she processed this. One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong here. Her eyebrow cocked upward as she watched Mithras' expression. "I'm not the only one to change so drastically in their old age, now am I, brother mine?" She questioned in a silken purr, a honey coated blade. She remained still, save for the flick of her cosmic banner twitching. "If what I think this is, is as such," she trailed off in her usual gruff, warning tone, keeping her expectant expression from illustrating just how angry she was going to be if it was. If Mithras' had spawned some hellish little children, she was going to fucking murder him. No one would find the body, not where she was going to leave it. "Speech" Sessy as hell manip courtesy of the lovely Fox!

Caia knew. Of course she knew, it would have been too easy to just let him off the hook, but noooo! He watched as if the world slowed around him as her expression changed. Curious, surprised, thoughtful... angry. Angry Caia was never something he wanted to be closer to than oh, hmm, about fifteen feet. With a nervous laugh he skittered backwards a few body lengths, putting enough distance between them so that if (when) she lunged he would hopefully be able to get a head start. "Is what what?" he asked, feigning innocence in a voice that a few octaves higher than normal. "I mean, uh- Okay you see, its like this..." He continued to back away slowly. "Faria and I may have... Well, so it's a long story, and well- Okay but it's working out well! You're gonna love 'em really! Just give me- er, them a chance!" Yet through all his rambling, he still felt like this was it. This was how he was gonna die. Gods preserve him. "Talk" "You" Think

"Speech" thoughts actions There was something to be said about her brother. He always knew it, as soon as he got in over his head. And now? Now he was in so far over his head that the land of the living was naught but a little spec above him. Ears flattening against her skull, she listened to him fumble to explain himself and backpedal in the literal and physical sense oft he word. "Faria and I may have.." he admitted, before rambling about how wonderful his new children were, and how, really, he just wanted to be given a chance. "You and Faria!" She thundered, incredulous for the moment, but then not really. Of damned course, he and Faria! Who the hell else?! Another growl rumbled deep in her chest. He was gonna fucking get it, this time around. If they'd accidentally fucked once, and nothing came of it, that'd be fine, really. If they fell in love, she'd be happy for them, though it had taken a damn long time. However, knocking up little Ria right off the bat was unbelievable! She'd taught him better than that, in their youth. Mother had said, be careful of the boys, unless you want children, be careful about what you do. So she'd made sure Mith was aware- keep it in your pants when the girls are in heat. Such a simple concept, really. He couldn't possibly fuck that up! As it appeared, she'd been wrong. Now, he had babies! She stepped over the little stream, glaring daggers at her baby brother. "You goddamn' moron!" she roared, lunging after him. Caia was seeing red, and she couldn't believe this at all. "I leave you alone for like, a day! And this is what you do?!" She knew he would start high tailing it, but that didn't stop her from trying. She snapped at his heels, expression twisted with fury. He was only two years old now, and already he was a father! If this was going to become a trend, she'd have to tie him to a tree every time she wanted to go out and do something! It was going to be a long winded chase, but she was too focused on how angry she was with her idiot brother that she wasn't even aware of any burn that might surface in her legs. He was dead meat.

Her roar of rage was nothing less than he expected, but all together terrifying all the same. Sure, if she was just some stranger he might fight back but this was Caia, and gods did he know better. His retreat became a full blown dash for his life. He just had to outlast her, right? That would totally work! As he fled, his sister hot on his heels, he would cry out, "I don't see you for moons and this is the greeting I get? What'd you expect, leaving us unsupervised!" It was supposed to be a joke, regardless of how she took it, but he had faith in his sister's sense of humor. She knew they needed constant supervision! This was what happened when you left them without an adult! "We were left alone and ate magic plants, it wasn't actually our fault!" Boy oh boy, was he getting winded. Hmm, what if he were to climb a tree? That was how you escaped bears, right? ...Maybe? No, if he could climb it Caia probably could too, and while he probably would take a few broken limbs over what she had in store for him, he'd be unable to escape when she paused for air during her wailing. He decided on a zig-zag pattern, hoping to throw her off course. His lungs were burning and he knew he was only one wrong turn away from a sprained ankle. But such was life when you have a Tasmanian devil as your sister. "C'mon, can't we talk about this without you castrating me?" He would run for as long as he had to, because he liked his man parts and he had absolutely no intention of letting them go any time soon. Because seriously, she was sure that if Caia actually met the girls she'd fall for them just as hard as he had. They reminded him too much of themselves when they were younger to not! "Talk" "You" Think

Sure enough, Mithras sped off like a hare. He shouted over his shoulder, about how all this was not his fault, but hers! She snapped viciously at him, barely grazing the tip of his tail. "What did I expect?" She bellowed, vaulting over a fallen log in the midst of her pursuit. She felt a twinge in her leg at the landing, and that probably wasn't very good. She wasn't about to stop, however. His excuse was somewhere beyond pathetic that hadn't quite reached an outright lie, because this was Mithras and let's be honest with ourselves here. "I expected you to not be so incredibly, unbelievably doltish!" She shouted, trying to take the back leg out from under her brother. If he'd been just a bit less wily, or just a bit bigger, she would have had him right there. However, he wasn't. The chase continued. He'd had a head start, but she was infuriated, and that made up for a lot. Mith's streaking turned into weaving, and he probably would have had Caia there were she not his sister. Chasing him around the trunk of a sapling willow and around a boulder that would have seemed out of place if she'd paid it any heed, she kept trying to trip him up. Her attempts to drag him backwards, kicking a screaming, by the tail, yeilded only mouthfuls of flamboyant hair. This was going to be exhausting, and she wouldn't even have energy to instill a proper beating by the end. He'd be getting off easy, then. He called over his shoulder, a plea for mercy. Her chest heaved with every breath, and the cosmic titan was dimly aware of a burn in her thighs, but she wasn't quite ready to let him off easy yet. "I hadn't even- thought, of castrating you," she heaved through her dry throat. "but now I'm thinking- that's a damned good idea." She snarled, rounding after him as they tore past an ancient tree that bowed beneath the weight of its own limbs. He was so dead, and now she was going to make sure he didn't make another mistake like this again. It was obviously the only option, since he wasn't capable of making simple decisions such as when not to knock someone up. Maybe she'd tie him to a tree for a bit. That seemed like a good idea, that way he didn't sneak off to impregnate someone else. "Speech" Sessy as hell manip courtesy of the lovely Fox!

Mithras felt like wailing at the injustice of it all. Gods above, his overactive mouth was giving her ideas now! He was setting himself up for failure, maybe he ought to just give himself up to her whims and pray for mercy. That never really worked out in the past but thats always what it seemed like it came down to! His breathing was becoming labored, his lungs were on fire, and his sluggish bounds were growing careless, he was bound to cripple himself. "Can we just... talk this out- like the civilized.. assholes we are?" He paused to gasp for air. "Or are we just gonna run ourselves into the ground?" Honestly, he fully expected her to chase him until they both died of exhaustion, but who was he to deny the occasional miracle? After all, if ever there was a time it would be now! He had bigger fish to fry than one overly fussy sibling, right? He slammed on the braked, coming up short and trying to dart at a sharp 90 degree angle, praying the move paid off instead of slowing him right into her jaws. But that was life sometimes, right? "Talk" "You" Think