Hidden behind the canyon walls the sun gave way to shade and Lydia took a deep breath as she pressed her body against cool stone. It would only last the morning. Once the sun rose fully into the sky it's rays would beam down into the canyon and the infernal heat of summer in Auster would continue. Lydia adjusted the rabbit skin full of herbs. It was getting worn and she really needed to collect a new one sooner rather than later but for now it would do. Hopefully, if she planned this right she'd have her herbs gathered and herself back at her makeshift densite to sleep through the heat before evening brought the opportunity to gather herbs again. She sighed lightly to herself. It seemed all she ever did was gather herbs and wander and a strong part of her was longing for a pack again though she was too nervous to approach the borders. What would she even say? Would she just ask them what they were like and hope for an honest answer? "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis rested in the cool shade of her cave, safe out of the heat with her young pups.  The were curled together tightly in the corner on an antelope hide, snug and safe.  With the Abraxas family milling about in the surrounding area she didn't fear to much for them, they were well protected and she knew Amon was still close by.  Getting quietly to her feet she stretched.  Being a mother was agonizing.  Pyralis' spirit longed for the freedom to travel where she chose and when she chose and staying in a cave to tend to her children was giving her cabin fever.  She needed some time away but even then she couldn't take much time.  It wasn't like she could even explore a territory over for fear of being separated from her young for too long.  She supposed she could try and convince one of Amon's young to watch them for a bit but she didn't know if any of them had any childcare sense.  Not that she did either but the fact that they were her children meant she knew them best.  Besides, Amon also had pups on the way and his current batch of young had lessons and training.  This sort of work wasn't for them. Pyralis navigated her way carefully to the canyon floor.  It wasn't far down but she was stiff and a bit sore though as she walked her tight muscles began to loosen.  Gliding over the shaded canyon floor Pyralis bent to drink at the slip of a river that still managed its way down the shallow incline.  As she drank she caught the scent of a stranger in the canyon.  Her eyes narrowed, senses on high alert and when she looked up she spied a yearling femme with a bundle of herbs in her jaws.  A young, cautious little thing and the forming of a twisted idea started bubbling in her brain. Pyralis strode confidently forward, her lips pulled back in a grin revealing her fangs.  "My, my, aren't we a brave little stripling? Wandering the canyons alone, are you love?  I believe you owe me tribute for safe passage."  There wasn't going to be a passage.  Pyralis had found a delicious solution to her little problem.  A slave.  A soft, demure, little healing girl in fear for her life would be a perfect nurse maid to her children. "Talk" "You" Think

Amon did not like to see his sister restless. It was out of no love for her, though love her he did, but rather a fear for his own well being. A restless Pyralis was not a Pyralis he particularly preferred to be around. He prayed to the Fallen God that her children were built to be robust, and sturdy youths. He shuddered to think what his sister might put them through. He had spent the better part of the morning taking in a nearby but thorough patrol. It was ritual, to take stock of all that had changed since the previous day. The movement of prey, the movement of his family members, any others... It did not quite match up to his nightly patrol of mangling coyotes, but it was a soothing way to start the day. Amon was making his way down a winding path along the canyon's side when he saw his sister. The titanic woman was made to seem much larger by the distance, and the fact that she seemed to be facing off with another much smaller woman. Amon let out a low, grating growl which was certainly inaudible at his distance. God and spirits help this poor woman, for finding his sister in such a state. Amon felt no pity for her idiocy, but he certainly wanted to watch the spectacle. He picked up the pace. Did he mislike the thought of a stranger having stumbled so close to his sister's den? Well, of course, but that didn't mean he was concerned. Amon trotted forward, gargantuan paws making plate-sized imprints in the sand and clay. He came to stand beside Pyralis, or at least as near as he cared to get. "I leave you alone for an hour and come back to see you've managed to find some ruckus anyways," he murmured to her with a dry laugh. He could not think where the woman would have come in that he wouldn't have noticed her, which soured him immediately. He gave the charcoal and ivory fae a long, dry glance. He needn't be Pyr's kin to notice the mirth and malice coming off of her pelt in waves. He settled down onto his hindquarters, wishing he'd only brought something small along with him as a snack. Well, he could only assume Pyralis intended to let off some steam. "Talk" "You" Think

A chilling voice drifted over Lydia, turning her blood to ice and freezing her in place. She turned to see a huge woman, almost a foot taller than her with fierce golden eyes and a blaze of white on her face that seemed ominous in its jagged form. Lydia took a step back. That purr was disturbing to say the least and she didn't know what to make of the woman's words. She deposited her herb gathering and spoke, "I… I don't know what you're talking about. I was just looking for herbs. I mean no offense, if I've disturbed you I'll just g-" Her voice caught in her through as she noticed the massive, dark mass of a man enter the scene, even taller and larger than the woman! She'd never seen such large wolves! "I see, I'm not supposed to be here, I'm so s-sorry." She swiftly gathered up her bundle of herbs and turned to flee. "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis could smell the fear on the girl as she stuttered and froze. As her voice cut off Pyralis turned to see her brother appear on the seen. She sighed for a moment, irritated at his presence. She was going to be watched until the pups were old enough to start fending for themselves, she knew this. So why not have some fun with it? Or better yet, find another solution? Pyralis turned to Amon with a cunning grin on her face. "Darling brother, you know I feast upon ruckus and mayhem. If I can't get my fill of either I will go insane and I don't think anyone in the family wants that." She winked at him before turning back to the girl. "Besides, look what's come wandering so willingly into our midsts? I believe she has a price to pay, don't you? I was thinking it'd be nice to have a little… help around the place." As if on cue the girl stuttered out an apology and started to retreat. Pyralis gave her a head start. "Three…" Pyralis crouched down, her limbs coiling. "Two…." her ears flattened to her skull, lips pulled back over her teeth. "One…" Her nails dug into the earth and she launched herself after the girl. Her long limbs and knowledge of the canyon allowed her to eat the distance up in lengthy strides as she attempted to wrap her jaws around the girls right hind leg, right in the meat of the thigh. She wanted to stop the retreat and bring the girl crashing to the ground. "Talk" "You" Think

Amon fed off of the woman's fear. He watched the alarm turn to panic as the small woman realized what position she had found herself in. So gentle, so meek... Amon smiled. "Darling brother, you know I feast upon ruckus and mayhem." Well, he couldn't argue with that. "If I can't get my fill of either I will go insane and I don't think anyone in the family wants that." Nor that. Her logic was impenetrable in his eyes. As if he would have stopped her in the first place. To him, the unfortunate woman seemed like little more than a piece of prey, for all that he was repulsed by the idea of an Abraxas wolf tainting themselves with the flesh of a mortal body. She was not prey for the stomach, but prey for the mind. Prey for their tainted souls, even. "Oh, do carry on," he said lazily. "I would not dream of interrupting." Pyralis wanted help about the place? Well, he couldn't fault her. He had left the care of his pups with their mother for the most part, taking them away for lessons and trips, always present but hardly as involved as a mother was meant to be. For his sister, so wild and passionate, he expected it was wearing on her. At last she turned to run, but her time was clearly up. He barked out a bit of laughter. The woman was little more than walking meat, at this point, as far as Amon was concerned. He watched as Pyralis launched herself forward, the titanic woman so much more than the the stranger could have ever hoped to confront. Her jaws clamped down around the woman's hind leg. "You expect to subdue a prisoner like that? Father would be ashamed," he called out, mocking. Oh, he'd likely pay for it later. He was not so bold as to think he was the finest fighter the family had to offer, only perhaps one better suited to coordination and careful plotting, the nuance required to lead a charge. Pyralis was a beast, a monster born of passion and bloodlust. It truly was a marvel to watch her work, not that he would tell her as much. "A bit hungry, are you? Not much sleep last night? Astaroth could have done better at six months!" He only prayed she was too occupied to turn her attentions to him, for the time being. "Talk" "You" Think

The man's laugh echoed eerily through the canyon walls and it only caused Lydia's heart to race all the more. Which way had she come in? Where had she turned? Wait a minute was she going further in? Lydia knew that in a straight up race she could outpace both those monsters no matter how long their legs were but this wasn't a straight up race. She was in a foreign territory, she was panicking and…. "NO!" Lydia stared up at the sheer canyon wall in horror as she realized she hit a dead-end. Pain ripped into her being as fangs seized the back of her right thigh and with a swift pull back unbalanced her and sent her crashing to the ground. Her flight instinct shut down and she would not freeze. Fine, if this gigantic bitch wanted a fight she'd get one! Lydia's defenses flashed into place as she twisted back toward the woman, jaws agape and aiming to pierce the woman's left eye with her upper fangs, the lower fangs aiming for the woman's right eye. She hoped to cause enough damage to send the woman skittering back and away from her. "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis' fangs met their purchase, sinking into the back of the girls right hind leg and a swift pull sent the girl crashing to the ground. She dug in her fangs and thrashed her head, intent on doing as much damage as possible so she could the girl compliant but she had miscalculated just slightly. She'd expected such a gentle and seemingly frail creature to resort to either fleeing or freezing. Pyralis hadn't expected her to actually try to fight back. When Lydia hurled her upper body around, fangs aiming for Pyralis' eyes with a speed she did not expect she swiftly released her grip and shuffled back out of the girls reach. Pyralis snarled as her brother shot off some witty comments. She glared at him. "Shut the hell up! Keep running your mouth off and I'll pick Astaroth up by her scruff and use her to bludgeon you into oblivion." As much fun as it was bantering with her idiot brother Pyralis knew better than to let herself get to distracted though the distraction was long enough for Lydia to get back on her feet. Pyralis snarled but then grinned. "Ohhh… so our little stripling has some fire. I'll be all to happy to douse it." With her defenses reset Pyralis charged ahead aiming to mow the girl down. She sought to slam the brunt of her chest into the girls face while her jaws sought to grap the girls scruff, her upper limbs lifting to wrap behind each of Lydia's front limbs in an effort to pull the limbs out form under the girl while pushing down with her weight and her jaws. She would have the girl compliant in no time. "Talk" "You" Think

Lydia was in a bad spot, no denying it. She was wounded her back was to the canyon wall and she was blocked in on either side with little space to maneuver and on top of that a giant, blood-thirsty woman was charging right for her. Nervous energy shot through her and she dove to her right, flushing her body up against the canyon wall but it wasn't enough to fully get out of the way. The monsters chest slammed brutally into her left shoulder and she felt it dislocate. The woman's fangs seized her scruff but the force of her throwing herself to the side prevented a grip but tore her scruff terribly. Pain rocked through her head from the dislocated limb and it caused her to stumble. She'd sparred many times and been trained in battle but she had never trained for anything like this and the pain caused her vision to blur. "Talk" "You" Think

Quick little gnat. Pyralis grumbled under her breath as the creature dove out of the way of her attack, or well, tried to. She was still able to do what mattered and get the girl on the ground. Pyralis turned swiftly and seized the torn scruff as the girl screeched again in pain. With a brutal twist she slammed the girl's head into the canyon wall, knocking her unconscious. Licking the blood from her fangs she turned to her brother proudly. "Not even a scratch on me. Now… do you want to apologize for your comments or do I have to beat some sense into you to?" "Talk" "You" Think