The gray-tinted male had been agitated as of late. First his encounter with Enigma on the battlefield, and then the intrusion of the same brute and his brother at Myriad's borders. Now the recent meeting that Rivaxorus II had called, leading to some very controversial actions. Xephyris didn't want to see Myriad crumble, nor be threatened by any enemies, so today he would call for his leader. He wanted to consult with the young man, who'd recently come of age. Xeph had vowed that he would work hard, and he'd begun increasing his effort as of late. He would do all he could to earn himself a new rank, so that he could protect the pack, whatever came their way. His large, gray and white mottled head tilted back as he let out a howl for Riv. He was about to head out on a patrol, and he wanted the Alpha to join him. There would be plenty to talk about, and Xephyris wanted to know how he could help. Perhaps it was time he was sent out on a mission. They needed intel on the things happening around them, and there were certain members of the pack needing surveillance as well. Not only that, but the pack as a whole needed more training, and Xephyris was prepared to do it all. Seating himself briefly, he waited, hoping that Riv would have time to join him today. "Talk" "You" Think

His head ached after all this. Rivaxorus decided to care far too much about a certain someone and then he screwed it up. Well he couldn't mope over it the whole time. His ears flicked when he heard the man's call, Xephyris. One of the original members who had at one point followed his mother and this Sin that had brought her downfall. Regardless he was one of the few who showed their loyalty. Well, best pour himself into his work. He couldn't let one blip in the map stop his journey. Surely he could think of something with Zephyra. It was clear Ren hated him, but if he wanted to hang around the borders for his family Riv would love that. Approaching Xephyris Riv returned to his calm demeanor, not taking a seat as he flicked his tail. "You needed me Xephyris?" he asked the male. It was nice to see at least a few wolves were showing initiative at least. With his muscles still a little tense - he would listen to the male with open ears. Now was the time to be an alpha again of course. "Talk" "You" Think

When Rivaxorus arrived, Xephyris approached him with a respectful dip of his head. He was glad the Alpha had come quickly. There were things he wanted to discuss, and they had borders to patrol, especially with recent activities in nearby territories. It looked like they might have new enemies looking for ways to hurt them, and within the pack, possible traitors readying to turn on them from the inside. "Greetings Riv," he rumbled, tail swishing, "I thought we could go on patrol together, while we talk about some things." So he turned around and struck out at an urgent pace, his paws itching to move and his muscles tense. He'd slow in stride just long enough for the Alpha to match his pace. "I don't like what I see within the pack," he began, shaking his head as he thought back to the way the meeting went. The true colors of many pack members had come out. There were some that obviously showed some loyalty, but many seemed unsure, and Zephyra's relatives in particular were nothing but trouble. He even had to wonder about the Queen herself. "We need to keep an eye on those siblings, especially Ren," he knew he was stating the obvious, but he had his reasons for mentioning it, "Allow me to be an inside eye. I will watch their movements, and I don't care if they notice." They ought to know by now that there were members of the pack questioning their loyalty. He glanced at his Alpha, wondering how the young man was taking in his words. He realized it might be a little bit of a touchy subject for Riv - after all, he loved Zephyra, and those wolves were her family. But it was still pack business, all emotions aside. It had to be dealt with one way or another, and on top of that, there were dangerous wolves outside the pack wanting to settle a score on old blood. "Talk" "You" Think

A patrol, it sounded simple enough. As he would nod his head, the male would gladly follow Xephyris. Rivaxorus felt his eyes automatically close when the other spoke. Exactly, he didn't like what he saw either. Yet he did have a predicament, his wife was already set on protecting her siblings. It looked like she would choose them over himself. Even with his effort, all of his efforts to make her of all wolves comfortable. It made him feel like more of his mother, and he had tried to hard to carve her name out of his bones. He guessed that his family was just attracted to trouble. His eyes opened again though when Xephyris suggested that he watch them. His head shot up, and his expression changed. So badly he wanted to outright say yes, he already wanted to cause Ren physical harm. Yet thinking about what Zephyra might do to him, his emotions seemed to have won over on that. "I'd love to agree with you Xeph - but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place as it is. If Zephyra found out.... she'd skin me alive and I'm afraid I'd gladly let her." he outright trusted this man - so he wouldn't lie. Rivaxorus would give a settled sigh. "Leave it be for now, but if it comes down to it the pack is more important - we can't have members dragging us down and Ren has already proven he's more or less a risk of taking Myriad down. I will have to make Zephyra choose - and if she chooses her brother I have a feeling she will be very disappointed." Rivaxorus looked to Xephyris. "I want to thank you Xeph... among all wolves I look up to your and Armai's advice. I'm young and many of this is new to me. If myriad were to fall - would you still stick around?" it was a simple question really. Rivaxorus was just curious, and if it did fall Riv was all that more determined to create it from the ashes. This home he created, he wanted it to stay. That had been his dream from the beginning, before even his wife. And maybe, if she really wanted - they weren't meant to be, but that was her decision. "Talk" "You" Think

Xephyris listened for his Alpha's response; glancing upon his face, he thought he might get a positive response, but the response that came made sense. He had hoped not to hear it, but he knew that Zephyra meant a lot to Riv, and the young man must prioritize. Quietly, he listened to Riv's reasoning, nodding lightly as they plodded along beside the border line. "Alright, I'll leave it be on your command," he agreed in a low tone, "Unless they cause me trouble, but that won't be on your word. I can take the flack from Zephyra, you needn't take blame for my actions." Hopefully Riv would have a chance to talk to Zephyra and sort things out, which would allow them to come up with some sort of action plan. They needed to do something, eventually, but sooner rather than later. "I agree she will be disappointed if she chooses that brother of hers, but perhaps it won't be that way," he said with a little bit of regret in his tone. But the truth was, her family wasn't loyal, not to the pack, and not to her. They, especially Ren, was going to end up hurting her. He listened further as Riv thanked him for his advice. He wasn't surprised when Armai's name was mentioned as another trusted source of advice. The small, blind healer had been a great asset to the pack since day one, and he certainly trusted her as well. She had just the right personality to play her role, too, and she did it well. He perked as Riv asked if he would still stay around if Myriad were to fall. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he said, not wanting to believe that they would be taken down, whether from inside or out, "If it should fall... I shall strive to find us stronger allies. Myriad had a strong start, but some of the members have fallen behind in training, or altogether dwindled in their activity... we need wolves that will help us build walls of strength." That would bring his thoughts back to outside enemies. It was bad enough they had wolves inside Myriad trying to drag it down. "Sin, the man that killed your mother," he began, a growl rumbling in his throat, "His kin are gathering, and they have revenge on their mind since your father took down Sin. They're out for blood, anyone related to your mother and father. With them, it's an eye for an eye, and more. They're not exactly fond of me either. So that's just one more danger to be aware of. We can't fight them if we're crumbling from within." "Talk" "You" Think

Yes, if Xephyris snapped at them without Riv even knowing then that would be best. After all he knew there was only so much his wolves could tolerate. Everyone aside from Armai and Xephyris had been quiet as of late. As if they were scared of him or he obviously wasn't doing his job. Rivaxorus only had to struggle, his feelings were still strong for Zephyra. It was a huge weakness, but if only he could make her realize how... toxic Ren could be. "Yes let's hope it doesn't." Riv already decided he'd fight tooth and nail for his pack. After all, Myriad was not something his mother had built upon with false ideals. Then came the subject of Sin's children. The naming of them, sent his skin crawling. Visibly Rivaxorus let his hackles raised, those flea bitten rats deserved to be beaten down to the dirt in all honesty. He held nothing against Sin, but his brats knew nothing of respect. "At least even Sin knew where he stood to a point. Even if it was blindly." Rivaxorus snorted. "That talk at the border with them was too close for my liking. If I see them again there's no telling whether or not I'd tear a tail or two." He uttered it unkindly. "I've been thinking Xephyris. I'd like to offer you the position of Myriad's first beta. Zephyra can like it or not but you're one of the very few who have even considered showing an effort. While skills can be polished upon, sitting idly does nothing to hone those skills. I try not to offer these positions lightly either Xephyris." Rivaxorus wanted to make it clear to him where he stood in all this. Logically speaking, he knew Xephyris was not only loyal, but capable of at least backing up what he spoke of. "Talk" "You" Think

Xephyris nodded again as Riv agreed, hoping that things would not come to the pack imploding and crumbling from within. Then on to the subject of other enemies. His tail flicked irritably as he thought of Enigma and Forsaken, those two arrogant bastards. Why they had so much to prove was unknown to the silver-eyed man. Perhaps it was just in their blood, after all, their father had been an overly proud man as well. Certainly a powerful man, but one that had worked hard for the power he'd claimed - these brats just wanted power and strength without working for it. They wanted blood from enemies they hadn't even earned themselves. But of course, they owned nothing, they held no power, so what enemy could they attract other than the wolves they irritated and disrespected? He shook his head with a rumbling growl as he thought of them, and perked with amusement as Riv expressed his anger about their close encounter on the borders. A dark chuckle escaped him. "Well I'd be right behind you on that," he said, thinking of the souvenirs he could make out of either of the brother's tails. As his silver eyes scanned their environment briefly to keep an eye on their surroundings, he'd turn his attention back to Riv as he began to say something. As he was offered the first position of Beta in Myriad, Xephyris felt himself flush with pride, his tail waving into the air and a small smile spreading upon his maw. He'd then dip his head, nodding at the honor he'd been given. "Thank you Riv, I'm honored," he expressed his gratitude, glad to be recognized for his efforts, "I accept, and I promise I won't disappoint. And perhaps I can have a chance to speak with Zephyra as well, to see if there's anything that can be done to resolve the situation with her family." With a heightened rank would come heightened responsibility. He would need to take this very seriously, and he was ready to do so. He just hoped that things would not come to an end in Myriad, for there was so much left to be done. "Talk" "You" Think

Rivaxorus let his ears pull forward as he listened to the male. A small hum got stuck in his throat as he listened. Something in the back of his mind told him Zephyra was starting to care less about him. Like this whole thing... maybe they both had rushed too far into something they couldn't handle. After all, they had been young - and he had been eager even scared of losing any wolves ever again. However he was starting to realize they would be coming in and out of his life, if not at a constant rate. The back of his mind told him, please don't betray me Xephyris. Of all wolves, if his promises weren't kept there might be hell to pay. He wasn't as forgiving as some others. He let the thoughts sink in for a moment. "I'll try to sort things out with Zephyra as well. But she's a stubborn girl." he chuckled, painfully and a bit lightly. "Both of us had mothers with mental illness, and it's like we both have something wrong with us." Rivaxorus sighed. Maybe they could talk things out, if not - then she was free to do what she wanted. In all honesty he didn't want to keep her tied down, if she wanted to go be with her siblings rather than him because that's what she wanted. Then he would rather she be happy than they be angry at each other all the time. "Talk" "You" Think

Xephyris flicked his ears as he listened to Riv speak again, this time mentioning that he would try to sort things out with Zephyra. The silver-eyed male nodded his head. "Of course," he said in a low tone, understanding that Riv would need to talk to his wife before anyone else did. But Xeph didn't like the idea of the woman giving Riv a hard time, despite how difficult and complicated things had been. It wasn't the Alpha's fault that her siblings were troublesome, and most of all, Ren had become a deadbeat within the pack. When the tall, brown-coated male made mention of the mental illnesses that ran rampant in both his and Zephyra's families, Xephyris cocked his head slightly. He hadn't really noticed that Arian had had mental troubles, but perhaps that would explain some of her erratic behaviours and decision-making toward the end of her Alpha career. Would it be possible that Riv would suffer from the same type of troubles? Xephyris hoped not, but perhaps if he knew more about it before anything possibly happened, he might be able to help the young man work through some of it. Or, at least try to be a stable shoulder to lean on if he ever felt uncertain - for the mostpart, Xeph was pretty level-headed, and he didn't have a lot of doubts. He never second-guessed himself. "Now that I think of it, Riv, your mother did do some things that I found odd at the time," he mentioned, nodding his head, "I never knew she suffered from troubles of the mind, though it makes sense now. I don't see the same in you, though." But perhaps time would tell - some things came with time, or stress. He wondered why Riv would think something was wrong with him. "Riv, why do you think something's wrong with you?" he asked, offering an ear to listen, and wanting to know about the potential issues the young man might be facing. "Talk" "You" Think