He ran along the river, climbing over fallen trees and bounding over large boulders as he made the most of yet another growth spurt. He raced through Abaven, kicking up flowerbeds that had grown beside the rapids with each powerful kick. He was still small, and terribly young, but with this latest growth spurt he no longer tripped over his large paws when he ran and could finally move with all the grace his siblings had been born into. He howled with excitement as he ran, scarring away birds and small animals that had only recently returned from their winter respite. He wanted Vali to see him, how big he was becoming, how strong he was now, maybe she would be impressed enough to name him as the Erede. He had grown to resent Bass for the simple fact that he hadn’t officially chosen him as his heir before losing his mind, despite how much the boy wanted to be the alpha and had never once strayed from that path. He cared little for Lark, the man had never challenged his deepest desire, but as Bass’s oldest son he had a greater claim to Abaven than himself; a bastard son as far as anyone was concerned. He stopped on a cliff hanging over the roaring rapids and looked out toward the Rustling Thicket beyond them. In the Fall there had been a fallen tree he had used to cross over from the plains in the winter it had been too slippery to use although the flow of the river had softened. Now the mighty river raged on in full force and had long since swept the fallen tree out into the ocean. A shame really, but there was nothing that could be done, he simply had to wait until he was older and bigger to return to the thicket. speaking

The boy was playing, and Vali was laughing. She remembered playing with Tyranis when he was quite younger, and much much smaller; that had been a couple seasons ago. Now? Now he was much older, and taller than she. It amused her, and she saw so much potential in Tyranis and his siblings; she couldn't wait to use it! To help him and his siblings develop not only for Abaven, but for themselves. It would be a great opportunity, and something that would be outstanding to occupy herself with until Bass returned.

She followed the young boy until he stopped, and she joined him. "Tyranis," she greeted warmyl, bumping his shoulder with her nose. "How are you?"

He was taken by surprise when Vali brushed against him but quickly set the feelings aside to greet her in a similar fashion. “Better than ever!” He replied with a wide grin his tail swishing behind him. Even as large as he had gotten his voice still carried the high pitch of someone who has yet to matured, although more and more often it was beginning to crack when he spoke. “Is something wrong?” He asked, tilting his head to the side as he stepped away from the ledge to speak with her on sturdier ground. He waited for her reply, his heart pumping wildly in his chest, she was going to talk to him about becoming the next alpha, he knew it. Or at least he hoped. He sat and yawned, attempting to be nonchalant while his mind raced restlessly. The gears in his head had slowly started to turn and he wondered if somehow she knew his darker intentions, he had never spoken them out loud but he shifted restlessly at the thought that she could somehow tell. speaking You

Her smile grew as she was greeted in kind, and the worry in her eyes eased just a little bit at the affectionate gesture. "I'm glad, Tyranis," she murmured, meaning every word. She truly was. The worry in her eyes, though, came back when Tyranis asked if anything was wrong. The smile turned strained and wistful, and she glanced at the sky before speaking. "Nothing outside of normal, really," she said softly. "You were at the meeting, after all." He wasn't sure how much of the tension he'd picked up on, but it was a pretty obvious tension, even for a pup. And he was, after all, a rather bright pup.

His expression changed from a calm and neutral expression to a grimace, as if he had tasted something horribly bitter. He sank onto his haunches and looked away,, golden eyes fixed on the ground. “Yes…” he said, trailing off as he heaved a sigh. “Are you- are you really going to give the role to Sparrow?” He asked, although he already knew the answer. He understood Vali’s reasoning perfectly well but that didn’t make it any easier for the Lightning Bolt to handle.  He felt robbed, ignored, and heartbroken all at once and it was only because of his mother that he hadn’t run off himself. “Does this mean I won’t have anyone to apprentice under?” He asked tentatively. He couldn’t imagine being anything else in the pack; to him hunting and fighting felt terribly beneath him and not once had he considered following in his mother’s footsteps to become a healer. Speaking Thinking You

She glanced at him, at his terribly upset expression. His question, ending on a sigh, and sounding resigned, sparked her curiosity - why so upset? Then, with a flash, she remembered what he said as a pup, something she had mostly dismissed. That he would be Primo. Was he still set on that, wanting to be Primo? "Yes," she said softly. "It is her right. Never did I think that Bass would fail to tell his own family... it was like... it was like he was running away, as if he planned to never to return. It is Sparrow's right to at least hold the pack until his return." If he returns. She held that thought stubbornly inside, refusing to believe that possibility.

His next question made her brow furrow. "Well, Tyranis. That depends on what you want to study. There's four paths for you, each of equal importance. You can choose to be a fighter, a hunter, a healer, or even a messenger. You can even be a mix of fighter and healer. Messenger's a bit different, though. They're the ones that scout for the pack, and spy; they are also the wolves chosen when messages need to be passed. They require diplomacy and speed. Healers, fighters and hunters are all self-explanatory, though. What path would you like to go?"

His teeth clenched to the point that they hurt. He could feel his eyes burning with rage as she listed off the pitiful roles he was left with. “Messenger.” He practically spat, as if the word were an insult, although to him it was. No one understood how he felt; how great he was, how strong he was, all they cared about was stupid Bass and his idiot children. He avoided looking at her altogether, a snarl threatening to form on the narrow bridge of his muzzle, a searing, seething glare in his eyes as they bore into the soft grass under him. He hated this, he hated all of them, and he would make them all pay. He inhaled sharply, “And a fighter.” he hissed. He would learn the art of battle and use it to crush the people that had wronged him. He would rise to greatness and crush the weak. Abaven would only be a home to the strong, and anyone else would face his wrath. speaking Thinking You

Vali's brow furrowed at the anger suddenyl held in Tyranis' not-so-tiny body. Truly, she didn't understand how he sudddenyl became so angry. She understood his ambitions, but did he not understand that one must actually be good at something in order to lead? Must have some skill in something? You can't just become a leader by talking a good talk. You must be proficient at some sort of duty, whether it be hunting, healing, fighting, diplomacy or, really, a mix of all. And even with just diplomacy, you'd need a second that was proficient in one of the main three areas.

"Tyranis." She spoke softly, eyeing him. "Why are you upset? Talk to me." It was clear he was, and she really hoped he'd open up and share.

TYRANIS “Forget it.” He said his voice edged. He wanted her to stop she had already ruined his life as far as he was concerned and talking to her would only make matters worse. He would play the role of messenger…for a time, and afterwards he would take what was rightfully his and punish everyone that stood in his way; Vali, Sparrow, Bass, even Lark if only because he was Bass’s son. Without another word the brooding child turned and walked past the current leader, the tip of his tail bristled furiously. He kept his eyes fixed ahead of him and avoided brushing against the alphess reassuringly. She was hardly even a leader, she was simply holding the position until Bass or the bastard’s idiot daughter took control yet she had taken the one thing he had ever wanted simply because Bass was not his father. In the young wolf's mind she had sealed her own fate. -Exit Tyranis- Speech Thought You

"Tyranis." Now her voice held an edge, and she stared up at the yearling with a glint in her eye. The boy was acting immature and unnecessary; his anger had turned to her and he was acting rude - and she fixed him with a stern look, even as he tried to stalk off, his fur bristling. She moved to jump in front of him, hoping to stop his walking away. "You are a yearling now. You cannot simply storm off and be pissy if something bothers you. That's no way to act, especially if you hold the same ambitions you did as a pup and wish to, at some point, be a leader to others." Actually, she wasn't too certain if he wanted to be a leader. His claims as a young pup was to be primo, which was definitely the alpha, but at the same time Vali knew that the young child had absolutely no idea what that even meant. "Tell me what is upsetting you; then I can work with you to find a solution so you aren't upset." Was it Sparrow? Was he angry that Sparrow was becoming the leader?