Conflicting feelings ran through Ganta as he staggered back home. He’d searched all of Southern Boreas for a sign of his child… and found nothing. Ganta was tired, his pads sore, and his eyes weary from crying. He felt like he had failed… failed his mate. Failed his daughter and son. Failed everyone. Did his father ever feel this sense of defeat, Ganta wondered? He shook the thought from his head almost immediately, giving a low growl. Why should he give a damn what happened to that wolf? Sin had done things the wrong way… had hurt others. But… what had Ganta gotten for trying to do things right? His daughter taken, that’s what! He gave a snort, recognizing his emotions were spiraling out of control… and that was why he had to return home. The pale male had barely made it to the borders of Dragoste when he felt like his mind was about to snap. Ganta stopped, lowering his head and letting loose another growl. His emotions ran like a wildfire… He felt like Philomena’s kidnapping had been his fault… ..and he just felt so angry. So ready to tear into his those who had once been his family. If they thought they were going to step all over him… step all over Dragoste… they were wrong! “They’ll pay… every misplaced bit of fur… every drop of blood… will be paid in full.” There was a dark look in Ganta’s eyes. He dug his claws into the dirt, lifting his head before letting out a booming howl. He was letting all of Dragoste know he was home… but not just that… he wanted anyone else in the free lands nearby to hear as well. If his siblings lurked… this was their warning. This was their last warning before he acted… and Gods help them, because he was out of sympathy for them now. Ganta started forth again, tail lashing back and forth. Though he needed rest… though he wanted to stop walking… he had to see at least one other before he slept properly for the first time in goodness knew how long. Roza. Only she could calm him now… and the Gods knew he needed her now more than ever. Ganta looked like a shadow of himself… more his father’s son than he ever wanted to be… could he ever really escape that Hellstrom part of himself? "Talk" "You" Think

She was watching Ulric practice his hunting crouches and pounces from a distance when Ganta's howl tore through the air. The tone in that sound was chilling and for a moment she was sure that her heart had stopped. She saw her son have a similar jarred reaction and his silver gaze found hers across the clearing. That howl didn't tell her that he had found Philomena and that they had returned home. No, that howl had so much darkness in it. "Stay here," she told Ulric before turning and running toward the border. All she could hope now was that he just hadn't found her. So many other darker possibilities loomed in her mind, but she had to believe that it wasn't the case. She found Ganta and slowed her pace as she drew closer, panting lightly from the short sprint. Even from several feet away she could see the tension and the anger that was dripping off of him. It was an aura she had never seen on her mate before and in a way it scared her. She could see past it and still see her Ganta, but right now that wasn't the wolf that was in front of her. This version of Ganta showed the darker family lines he came from and seeing him like this made her glad that she was able to find him before anyone else did. "Ganta..." she breathed as she walked up to him, standing in his path. She didn't know what she could do or say to him in this moment. Philomena wasn't with him and she didn't smell her scent anywhere on him. That at least told her that his search had simply come up empty. Her heart ached for her daughter, but she still focused on Ganta for now. At a loss of what else to do, she walked up to him and pressed her chest to his as she wrapped her neck around his till her head was resting on his shoulder blades. She held him close like that and refused to let him go even if he tried to pull away. She squeezed her eyes shut to hide the tears that were starting to form there and just put her focus into calming him down. Talk Abbey Others

Roza… in his current state Ganta barely recognized her calling his name at first. But something in him recognized his mate, even where his eyes failed him. He came to a stop, ears flicked back, but he didn’t speak. He knew Philomena wasn’t with him, as his mate, as his pack might have hoped. Instead what did they get? An angry alpha… a very, very angry alpha. It wasn’t until his Roza came to him, pressing into his chest and wrapping her head around his shoulders that Ganta blinked his eyes, visibly relaxing. He was silent for a long time, but he gently pressed his head back against her shoulder, a sign that he recognized her, a sign that he was… sort of alright. Not fully, no, but… it was something. “I’m so sorry, Roza…” Ganta whispered, though there was still a slight edge to his voice. “I’ve been all over southern Boreas… I can’t find a trace of them anywhere.” He shivered, though whether from anger, sadness, or a mix of both he didn’t know. “I… I won’t forgive them, Roza. I won’t let them survive this.” His voice was quiet, but that dark edge flared up again. “Our family… it won’t be messed with ever again… especially by the Hellstrom line… Even if it means to turn against my brothers and sister… I don’t care anymore…” He paused. “I’m scared Roza…” Ganta confessed softly, his voice wavering back towards the normal Ganta. “I’ve never felt this angry before… so full of hate… but when I think about Rikeros taking Philly I…” The male closed his eyes, giving a tired sigh. He wasn’t just fighting against his Hellstrom family members… but he was fighting against himself too. Fighting that darkness… that unforgiving side. He wanted to tear into Rikeros… yet… somewhere deep, deep inside his heart… he yearned for his Hellstrom siblings to be with his family as it was now… to be loving… instead of divided as they were. "Talk" "You" Think

She let Ganta have as much time as he needed. She stayed still with her chest pressed to his and her head resting on his shoulders until she finally felt his head lean into her shoulder and she relaxed a bit. There he was, there was her Ganta. In a way she wished she could feel the same anger he was feeling so she could understand what was going on in his head. But she didn't. She was angry of course, but really what she felt the most was a desperate frustration. All she wanted was to see her daughter again. Her sweet, hard-headed Philomena. She could care less what happened to Ganta's siblings after all this. She just wanted her family back. The dark edge to Ganta's voice worried her, but she didn't speak until Ganta's words faded off into silence again. She slowly sank down onto her haunches and slipped away from him so she could see his face. She felt so tired. So tired of this whole mess. Roza gently kissed Ganta's cheeks again and again like she was oh so carefully grooming the fur around his face. She brushed back the long hair on his forehead with her nose and sighed. "I'm going to be so mad at you if you get yourself hurt in this whole mess," she said quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'm going to take you to our den now and you're not going to take a single step out of there until you've eaten and gotten a full night's sleep and all that hate I see in your eyes right now is gone. You're going to spend a little time with me and Ulric and remember what's important here and only after you've done all these things am I going to let you go back out there and look for our daughter some more." Her voice was firm enough to leave no question for him, but there was a deep emotion behind those words too. If her only job in this world was to care for her family and keep Ganta grounded then she was going to do both of those things to the best of her abilities. Talk Abbey Others

Ganta frowned as Roza began to groom him and speak in a serious yet gentle tone. Looking after himself was hard right now, especially when he was so desperate to find their daughter. But Roza was right… He had to care for himself, at least a bit. There was more to their family than Philly, and he had to live for all of them. Stay safe for all of them. Ganta kept his eyes closed for a good long moment before he spoke again. “Thank you.” Those were the two words he managed when he was able to speak. What on earth would he do without her? He reached out, giving her a quick lick on the nose. “I’ll admit… all of that sounds so good right now.” He’d been away for far too long… maybe spending some time back home was what he needed to feel like himself again. He glanced beyond Roza, into the lands, speaking once more. “How is… how is our son?” A new guilt ate at him now. He hadn’t spent near enough time with Ulric and it was about time he changed that... "Talk" "You" Think

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he licked her nose and agreed that her instructions sounded good. The furious, deeply angry Ganta was gone for now and she could smile as he asked about Ulric. She glanced over her shoulder, half expecting their son to be standing there with how Ganta was looking out into the lands behind her. She looked back to her mate's face as she searched for the right words. "He's doing as well as I could hope," she finally said in response. "He's taken Philly's absence really hard... but he's been training really hard too. He wants to help, but I just keep telling him that he's helping so much more by being here with me." She knew how much she loved her siblings so she could only imagine how much closer Philomena and Ulric felt with it only being the two of them. He had always been very protective of her as it was. "And he misses having you around... so do I," she added, pressing her nose into his cheek with a soft sigh. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath to calm the tears that threatened to overtake her. "Come on," she said as she forced a small smile onto her lips. "Ulric is waiting by the den. Lets get you back there so you can get some sleep." Talk Abbey Others

The brute listened quietly to what his mate had to say about their son, giving a quiet nod of understanding. As well as one could hope… taking his sister’s absence hard. Did Philly miss them this much, he wondered? He was sure sooner or later, if she was still out there, she had to be. Though the thought of his son training hard, wanting to help, filled Ganta with a swell of pride. His son was growing up strong… but he missed his father. His mate missed him. Ganta gently nuzzled her reassuringly, as if to silently promise that he’d be there for the both of them from here on out. As much as he wanted to find their daughter he knew that neglecting the rest of his family couldn’t… couldn’t go on anymore. Ganta took a slow breath, steadying his own thoughts before he spoke in a soft tone. “I won’t leave again.” Ganta promised softly, starting towards the den with his beloved. Let’s go see him then. I… I want to go to sleep with both of you at my side.” Ganta too was forcing a small smile. ‘Maybe then the nightmares will fly away and I’ll be able to get some rest.’ "Talk" "You" Think