Livid.

That was the best way to describe Marina's mood... a change that had begun growing like a spark that erupted into a mighty flame. Since the raid the female had been brooding. She was trying to spend time with her children... but anger lurked beneath the surface. As each day passed her resentment towards Liar, his kin, and especially the son that maimed her grew stronger. Marina felt sick... sick with emotion. She wanted to tear into something... and not wanting that something to be her children she'd started distancing herself from them little by little. Chasm would surely notice first... and Nova, after getting snapped at, would surely be next. Hate was building up inside the female... hate for all those that wronged her... and frustration that one of her children had managed to get over Celestial's wall and was now missing. Was that a theme of this pack or something? Missing children? She snarled to herself, examining the wall where Argus' scent lay a touch more faded than she would have liked.

Argus was blind. Her daughter made easy prey for whatever predators lay beyond Celestial's lands. And again Marina blamed herself. Every bad decision was coming back to haunt her... and the femme's rage only grew from it. She glared at the wall, knowing it wasn't the fault of the wall, nor her alpha that her child had disobeyed them all and disappeared. Her claws bit into the soil, frustration growing within her gut. Something within her was snapping again... and Marina didn't care what path it lead her on. If she died... so be it. But she knew for one thing she'd be going after Liar's son again. Those damned Talis members had come onto their turf... and then he... She snarled...

It would not be forgiven.

Her tail lashed back and forth as she glanced over her shoulder at the sound of approaching pawsteps. Whoever was approaching her better have a damned good reason to do so right now... she was a bomb about ready to go off.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He had been patrolling, despite remonstrations from Paladin that he needed to rest. Really, he wanted to keep moving, hoping it would settle his thoughts into a solid decision. Emotionally, he would have no qualms about attacking Talis and razing it to the ground. Logically thinking, he needed to be careful with what he did. It wasn’t just him to consider but the whole pack. A wrong step could lead them to ruin. There was the issue of yet another missing child, or children. Marina’s daughter had gone over the wall, and had escaped notice long enough, somehow, for the scent trail to be rather stale, and that frustrated him. The wall was tall enough, now, that there would be none of that, again, but there were openings, to allow prey in and out. He wondered, vaguely, if the litter’s sire had tracked them down and stolen the pup away for lunch, but the male’s scent had been nowhere to be found when he’d checked. A flash of rainbow colors ahead caught his eye, pulling him from his reverie. He studied the hostility that radiated off every line in the female’s body, circling around to her good eye’s side. He knew wolves recently blinded in one side could be liable to explode when approached from a now vulnerable area. Of course, looking at her now, he figured she’d be exploding at any time, approached from that side or not. He could hardly blame her. He’d been through enough missing family members to understand some of her pain, but he couldn’t imagine what would be going through his mind if one of his children, unborn as yet, were to go missing, so soon after an attack on the pack. He remained silent, letting her make the first move.

...if her anger was not raw enough, it was the fact that even Acapella had been maimed that fueled the femme’s anger. Whereas she had only lost one eye the other femme lost both of hers… it wasn’t right. The femme had likely been punished for trying to help her… and for what gain, Marina asked herself? What gain did Talis really get out of this? She dug her claws back into the Earth, rumbling angrily to herself. She spun, snarling, half expecting one of her children… but it was not.

Marina let her fur lay a bit flatter, though not by much… she was still a ticking time bomb, and she clenched her jaw tightly for a long moment while looking at the Celestial alpha. Her single remaining eye reflected pain and frustration. “Regulus…” The female finally managed after a few moments, tilting her head to the male. “Everything is falling apart again…” The female shifted her head away from him again, a snarl in her throat.

“That insolent whelp that maimed me… he was Liar’s son.” She was shaking all over, not yet recovered from the battles she’d been through and certainly not ready to face things as they were. She kept her ears pinned back, her rage boiling over. “I’ll kill that mother fucker!” Marina snarled, turning her gaze back to Regulus. “I’m tired, Regulus, so tired of males walking on me. If I’m going to go down next time, by Gods it’ll be the last time… and I’ll take as many of those Talis bastards down with me as I can.”

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He waited patiently as Marina vented her fury over the raid, listening with his usual attentiveness, interest frank upon his face, but the only expression beyond that was a silent chill, a calm that refused to break. Finally, when he judged her sufficiently vented, he blew out a sigh. “There is only one problem with your ire-- which I do agree with,” He locked both fathomless sapphires with her single pale red eye, delivering his next words with a cold severity, and a weight that was un-moving. “You have a litter of young pups that depend on your love and devotion. You are the only rock they have, and if you sink, they will drown. Argus is missing, and apparently Ochitsu, as well. That should be, by far, your first concern right now. Chasm has a bruised look in his eyes that I do not like, and he was checking Nova over as though for injury, last time I saw them, which wasn’t long ago. What. Happened.” The last two words snapped out with the authority of a leader’s command, leaving no room for dodging the question, and no room for lies, not that he expected her to lie.

Marina bristled as Regulus continued to speak. Of course… of course he’d have noticed… She broke her gaze away from his just as he finished speaking, both ears pinned to her head. “I won’t pretend that you could know, that you could understand my way of thinking… nor the darkness that lurks in my own being.” Marina’s voice was cold, far colder than it should have been. She didn’t even realize that tears formed in her eye. “I can’t look at them anymore, Regulus.” Her voice was a mixture of anger and sadness. “None of my children. All I see are their fathers… staring back at me.” Marina shook her head, as if to clear away the images that were stirring within.

“I thought I could forgive them… that I could accept their father’s sins were not their own…” Her voice grew colder. “But I can’t.” She shot her gaze up to the Celestian alpha, her gaze narrowed. “My initial intention was NOT to hurt them.” She wanted to add. “I chased Nova off… and when Chasm came close I…” Marina looked away again. “I am an unfit parent, Regulus. A broken wolf… who is on her own path to self destruction.” Marina shook her head.

“...and if you, our leader is noticing that… then that means I’m too far gone. I’m afraid… Though you’ve been very kind, I must take my leave of Celestial. If I’m willing to damn my own children then I shouldn’t be around them any longer.” Her mind was whirling, emotions stirring in every direction. She was fighting with herself…

“I can’t take this anymore… Regulus…” Her voice cracked. “I know I’m faltering… and I can’t be around my children when the end comes… I’m… I’m sorry.” She felt sick… angry, sad, and sick. What more could she say? She knew what her heart yearned to do… and if that lead her to her death then… so be it.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He listened, face expressionless as she divulged herself. In a way, it saddened him to see someone give up so quickly, particularly on their own offspring. However, not everyone had grown up and been raised on the strong values he had. Would it be better to ask her to stay, and see if Paladin could help in some way? Or would it be kinder to let her go and possibly kill herself going up against the Talis boy that had attacked her and blinded Acapella so viciously? There were political reasons to be hesitant to let her loose. She had been seen at the raid. If she left and killed a member of Talis, who couldn’t possibly know that she was acting of her own accord, it would be an act of supreme war. Not that Talis itself had any ground to stand on, with a raid, damage to his pack, and kidnapping of a yearling to boot. There was the impact on her children to consider, as well. He was under no direct obligation to keep any of them beyond their first year, should they not pull their weight. Would her leaving affect their drive to succeed and rise in the pack? Finally, he came to a decision. It wasn’t one he was overly in love with. “Very well. I do feel you will come to regret this decision, Marina. But if you must go, then you must. But if you go after that Talis male, I request that you make your lack of affiliation with Celestial very clear. While they have as good as declared war on Celestial with their actions, I refuse to have murder accusations thrown on my pack’s doorstep.” He waited patiently for her response, fathomless sapphires reflecting the honest regret he felt.