At his mother's words Gryphon had stiffened further, his face carefully blank though his teeth longed to grind together in frustration and anger. He held his tongue until her lecture had ended, then he had turned and silently stalked out of the meeting. He spared only a sharply questioning glance for Lykos and jerked his head as he walked out of the group, and didn't stop until he had walked straight out of pack lands, then further. In his mood he didn't stop to think things through, though, heading even further north and out of the scant protection of the forest so that the cold managed to work it's way into his thin coat even worse than before.

Flopping down to his haunches he hunched up in an effort to fluff up his fur for some semblance of warmth, resembling nothing so much as a grumpy over wintering chickadee. He considered making his way into the shelter of the hulking ruin that dominated this land, but judged it too far yet and he didn't want to be caught in close quarters in an unfamiliar place. He turned green eyes to seek out his brother's progress, hoping the taller yearling had not gotten way laid on his own way from the meeting.

During the public scolding, Lykos had to try quite hard to keep the anger and annoyance from his face, but with willpower, he succeeded. His jaw was tight and his body stiff, but he had schooled his expression into one of utter and complete neutrality, though there was a degree of coldness that lingered even after he left the meeting, stalking after his brother and dodging the other members of the pack as best he could. No doubt that their mother would call them soon; he would need to talk to Gryphon before that moment in time.

He was mostly annoyed that the snap had been directed at all four of them; he quite believed that he and Gryphon had been quite civilized, speaking calmly and efficiently their opinion and thoughts on the matter. No, they were told not to speak like that again. Speak like what, precisely? Calmly and controlled, sharing their opinion? Were they not to share their opinions? The yearling paused, taking a deep breath. No, that was unreasonable; surely that was not the case, right? His mother's words were more directed towards Kharnage and Dragon as opposed to him and Gryphon, but it did not rankle him less.

He didn't question his brother leaving the pack lands - outside the lands, their words would doubtlessly be free from prying ears and eyes; that was for the best. Besides, they were not banned from leaving, and Lykos would have been sorely tempted to do so regardless of the boundaries if it had been. He drew closer to his brother, eyeing the shorter male. His brother looked freezing, unlike him - was his brother's fur not wholly suited for this environment? "You look cold, brother," Lykos commented, voice exuding a calm and control that the boy most certainly did not feel. No, on the inside he was like a raging fire; wild and out of control. Still, that managed to only shine in his eyes as Lykos dropped the barrier, staring at Gryphon with eyes that shone with the frustration, anger, and even a glimmer of hurt.

His brother dropped down beside him with what was a rather irrelevant observation given the circumstances, and Gryphon gave a sharp laugh. "Yes," he answered with a sour half smile. "I don't seem to have inherited Mother's coat. I'm assuming that I take after our father, whoever he is." But it didn't do to dwell on what couldn't be fixed, and surely his coat would catch up to the weather. This was a far more important conversation- though the yearling felt compelled to clear the air between them first. "I don't care that you are the heir," he started bluntly. "I don't want it. I don't think I would be any good at it even if I did want it. I think it's kind of pointless to have one right now anyway, but if anyone has to be heir it should be you. If something happened to Mother I don't want any of them thinking they can take over and make us play follow the leader." The distaste in his voice was plain as he thought of one of the newcomers appointing themselves alpha because of a lack of heir. He shrugged. "And I can't imagine Kharnage or Dragon being any better at it than me so it might as well be you. But that isn't why I wanted to talk to you."


His scowl deepened, twisting his earthen muzzle, and the pine green of his eyes blazed acidly in emotions that clearly mirrored his brother's. "We have a big problem, and frankly I don't know what to do about it."

Gryphon's answer was curt and sharp, though not directed at him; moreso, at what was plaguing them both. Lykos hummed in thought, chuckling darkly at Gryphon's words. "Likely," he agreed. He took after their mother and the Ancora side of the family; his fur was thick, soft, and fluffy, but even he could see the thinness of his brother's fur from this close. He was meant for the warm lands, such as the South or even the West, but certainly not the North. Unlike his brother, he was not so certain that Gryphon's pelt would thicken, if it had not done so already.

He didn't dwell on it - it wasn't a pressing issue, and Gryphon had already moved on, a sharp bluntness coming out in his shorter sibling. A wry smile twisted his lips, and he laughed sharply, a similar derision and distaste mirrored in his own tone. "I do agree, to a degree. You would be good at it, my brother, but it is not your place. Your place is that of a guardian and of a protector - not that of a leader." He both agreed and disagreed, it seemed; the latter - Gryphon's place - seemed agreed on, at the very least. He nodded towards his words. "Yes. I do not trust them yet." He snorted as his brother mentioned Dragon and Kharnage; no, they would not be good. They were immature, idiotic, and had no common sense. No, definitely not. Not that anything would happen to Mother, anyways. It better not, anyways.

Blue eyes glittered, a cold hardness that sparked with the hidden emotions as he met his brother's eyes. "Yes. We do." A slight growl deepened his words, as he let his control slip. "I do not trust these wolves - and this Vereux." He would find out about this man. One way, or another.