Xephyris had been roaming the Weeping Woods for a while now. He had already come across Armai, which had brightened his spirits considerably. He had always liked the blind healer, she was kind-hearted but also a little spit-fire when the situation called for it. Nobody was going to push her around, that was for sure. But now with evening falling, he wanted to find Riv, as Armai had mentioned, and he could tell by the scents throughout the territory, that the ex-Alpha was still here as well. No doubt recovering from the vicious wounds he had received. Xeph was not aware of the emotional struggles that now plagued his friend, but he wanted to find the young man nonetheless. He had recently hunted a plump hare, which he intended to share, as he was sure Riv could use some help right now. So, he followed the familiar scent, laced with blood and herbs, until he found the den where Riv was likely resting. Leaning down toward the den's entrance he dropped his fresh catch before calling out. "Riv, it's me, Xeph," his voice rumbled into the darkness, "How are your wounds? Armai is taking good care of them, I presume?" Surely they would still be very sore and raw, but the herbs would help, right? Then he paused and waited, ears tilted toward the den entrance. He hoped he hadn't woken the young man from a good sleep, but if he had, there would at least be a warm meal waiting for him. Riv needed to keep up his strength, otherwise he may be targeted by malicious wolves - for instance, Enigma and Forsaken, who still roamed unaccounted for, while the ex-Myriad wolves now had no borders to keep out intruders. "Come have a bite to eat," he urged Riv, hoping that the scent of fresh food would be tantalizing enough to bring the injured man out. "Talk" "You" Think

Rivaxorus slept, and slept some more. Not knowing what else to do hunger pulled at him. Only able to get up to maybe get a drink of water if he was reminded people would be upset of he died. He sighed as he sat in the den. The past few days had been emotionally draining, forget his wounds. The male quieried why a few of his previous members remained. This time it was xephyris voice he would hear. This time something more strongly pointed out. Urgent that he came out to eat. Riv couldnt deny through the past seasons it had felt like xephyris was a father to him. Regardless of the relationship, fear gripped his heart but he forced himself pushed himself to walk outside of the dirt den. "Of course armai wouldnt let me die." He answered softly as he sat in front of the male.

"You caught a rabbit." His eyes would stick lower to the ground. Not even making an attempt to raise up and look at xephs face. How disappointed he must have been. How he fell and even passed out in front of all those who mocked and supported him. Rivaxorus let out a shivered sigh, really there must have been something wrong with him. It was his parents fault and then his own. He wished he could just forget about all that.

At last the injured young man made an appearance at the den's entrance, seating himself in front of Xeph. He looked despondent, speaking softly of Armai, that she was of course taking care of him, not to let him die. So, his own expression remained solemn, not offering a smile that would only add a sense of fakeness to their surroundings. Riv mumbled a comment about the rabbit Xeph had caught, but his eyes never looked upward. "Yes, the meat is still fresh," the silver-eyed man responded in a low tone leaning down to nudge the fresh kill toward Riv, "You should eat to keep your strength up. Your body needs it." And perhaps a good meal would make him feel better, not just to relieve hunger, but to raise his morale just a little. It was obvious to Xephyris now that Riv was feeling a tremendous amount of disappointment, the failure clinging to him. And surely, everything that had happened with Zephyra must have made that all the more difficult. He wondered, although he would not ask right now, what had become of the young wedded couple. Instead of fixating on that alone, Xephyris would lead his thoughts to the current moment. Where would they go from here? The gray-coated man knew what he wanted to do. His resolve had become stronger and more clear in the past few days, and he was determined now to pull through with his plan. "Riv, what are you going to do now?" he asked, although he didn't expect the younger brute to have a clear answer right this second, "Once your body is healed... will you stay here, or seek out other avenues?" "Talk" "You" Think

Images ran through his mind, putting him in a tizzy slightly. The male would let out a yawn as he shook his head trying to free himself from worries as he took in a deep breath. The male would take his offer up. Digging into the kill with ferocity, considering he hadn't been able to catch any good game with the pain in his side. That and he would hate to reopen his wound to have Armai patch it up all over again. It amazed him the loyalty of these wolves, he was glad he had come to know them. Perhaps he would've have been more comfortable being in a pack with them, without being an alpha. the thought had crossed his mind, and he still needed to ask his wife a few things. Now that she - of all wolves - had made him realized that in Myriad he had lost a bit of himself. Only now was he returning to who he had originally been, the male she fell in love with. The male that he longed to be. Rivaxorus heard Xephyris question, and his head raised from the rabbit. It was... a very valid question. One that was filled with unknown answers at the moment. "I'm not sure yet. My main goal is to recover - and of course resume my own training." he let the thought cross his mind. "I was thinking about recreating Myriad... but then my better thoughts fought against that. I best bury it now, I'd like... to spend majority of my life with my wife. I was thinking of asking her if she'd like to start a family, but I'd like to have a pack to support our family." he looked off to the side at the thought. It was a rather embarrassing subject to be talking about, so he let out a shivered breath. "Why Xephyris... was there something on your mind?" he tilted his head to the side. "Talk" "You" Think

Xephyris was glad to see the younger male finally take up his offer to eat, and after the first bite, it was clear that Rivaxorus was ravenously hungry as he dug in frantically. The gray-coated man had been aware that Riv would not have been able to catch sufficient prey for himself, but it dawned on him now that he should stay around longer, and keep a closer eye on the younger man to make sure he ate well, until his wounds had healed. He needed to make sure that Riv recovered well and didn't lose weight, as that would only make things take longer. Xeph said nothing about the man's ravenous appetite, instead making mental note of it for later - he would hunt again soon, for himself and for Riv, and perhaps Armai as well, although the blind healer had been faring well on her own with her companion Nox to aid her in any way needed. When the brown-coated man began to speak, Xeph looked to his face, meeting the yellow and purple gaze with silver, blue-flecked eyes. He listened very curiously, nodding as Riv stated that he'd like to resume his own training when his wounds had healed. His ears twitched, knowing he ought to help Riv a little more with his training, perhaps a one on one spar when his wounds had healed up nicely. Xeph's tail flicked as Riv mentioned his previous thoughts of re-claiming Myriad, yet that he had changed his mind. Instead, he wanted to focus on his wife, to start a family and spend his time with Zephyra. An interesting thing to Xephyris indeed - he hadn't been sure if the young couple would survive their disagreements, and the loss of their pack, but it seemed they must have already talked. In a way, Xephyris was glad they'd sorted their differences; he didn't like to see a young couple separate over things they were merely inexperienced about. When Riv mentioned that he wanted a pack to support his family, Xeph remained silent, letting the younger man finish what he was saying. "Why Xephyris... was there something on your mind?" It was becoming clearer and clearer to him now - he had felt it for a while, but it was becoming absolutely certain to the silver-eyed man. It was within his future now to start a pack and take his own shot at leadership, a role he was beginning to think that perhaps he was better suited at than he'd previously allowed himself to believe. "Riv, if you expect to have a family with Zephyra..." he began in a low rumble, trying to meet Riv's gaze, "Then I shall make a proposition. It's been on my mind for some time now... I will take the crown this time, and I will build a kingdom to protect us. If your lady should agree, would you follow me this time?" It was a shot in the dark, he wasn't sure if his friend would agree this time around, but perhaps there was a hope slowly growing within him. He could do it; this time, he would lead the way, and he would see if there was any chance for him to do well in this role. "Talk" "You" Think

Now this was a surprise. Well not entirely, it wasn't like he wasn't familiar with that urge. After the male had taken up his meal his attention pulled forward to the older man. Xephyris spoke of making his own pack, and Rivaxorus had to frown in thought. Here he was debating if he'd enjoy the life of a loner only to have a friend, and probably a father figure ask him if he'd follow him. It was true though, the decision itself would be left up to his wife. Riv was a pack wolf by nature, but Zephyra had been born and raised free. The male would straighten up, wincing slightly as he took his time to think about it. "I'll ask her, but I too have been thinking about avoiding pack life for the moment." he would say honestly. "Just know loner or not should the time come when you have your own pack Xephyris, I'm but a call away. Anything for you." he smiled a bit towards the gray wolf as he shifted on his paws. "Once I ask Zephyra I'll call you and let you know what she thinks. I do hope it works in your favor... I just wish I could have held onto Myriad long enough to give it to you... You deserved it." well he was certain the male could rise above regardless of having a hand out. Nothing in life was free. "Talk" "You" Think

He watched Riv, eyes scanning over the injured young man as he sat himself up straight, and Xeph noticed the wince of pain as he did so. It seemed Rivaxorus was trying to find the words to say, to be honest but not harsh in his choice of words. Gray-tinted ears perked forward, listening with growing apprehension as Riv spoke, his brows furrowing. Perhaps it was too soon to ask the young man what he intended to do after everything that had gone down. But his answer was an honest and open one, which Xephyris would always appreciate. He nodded to Riv with understanding, glad for the offer of help; even if Riv wasn't sure yet whether or not he could do this, at least he had his previous Alpha's support. It meant a lot to him, especially when Riv mentioned that he wished he could have held onto Myriad and passed it on to him. He never would have known he'd make a good candidate for that, but it was good to know he truly had made the impression he'd always intended. He was a hard worker and he put his all into everything he did; finally he had been recognized for his efforts, and it was a glorious feeling. He was sure he could make this work, and he had supporters one way or another. "Understood," he said with a nod, silver eyes blinking slowly, thoughtfully, "When you are well again, let me know what you were able to talk to your wife about. For now, focus on your recovery. I will be traveling a bit, but I will return to the South intermittently to check on things. Is there anything else I can do for you right now?" He wasn't sure what he could offer at the moment, as it seemed Riv just needed to rest, eat, and keep up his strength. Xeph would be sure to come by again with fresh prey, in case the rest of the former Myriad wolves had scattered. "Talk" "You" Think