He passed his nephew without bothering to acknowledge him. Why wait to be answered when you could just take? Didn't he know his own rights as a god? Or was he simply too polite to the terrans? He scoffed and put his nose to tge ground tracking the sweet scent of milk and the stale scent of puppy breath, his wild grin widening and his crazed eyes as wide as saucers

"Oh little birdy!" He called in a tone that was just as charming as it was venomous, like the voice of a spider as it soothes a fly before sinking in its fangs. "I know you're heee-rree" he sang, lashing his tail with an excited aggression. Slowly he crept toward the mouth of the den, pearly teeth clenched together in a grin that wasn't the least bit sane or plesant.

For once she was glad. Glad to have been away when she was, off with her daughter on yet another exhausting adventure where Caelestis had to look at every little thing and ask ten million questions which Caelum patiently answered with a warm smile on her lips. They were on their way back, the energetic child bouncing at her paws while Caelum continually almost tripped over her - did children never run out of energy? - when she heard the brief call of warning from Ganta. No way. A chill ran down her spine and she halted in place, suddenly frozen while Caelestis tried to ask her what was going on. She couldn't speak, nothing came out of her lips. They'd been heading to a spot to rest before going back to the den where Zephyr awaited them, but now she didn't know where to go. Surely heading back would be a dangerous error on her part, but could she just leave without Zephyr? It was also her duty to protect her child, though, and staying when there was danger could threaten her last child's life. Without answering the pup's now frightened questions, Caelum grabbed her by the scruff and to a nearby pile of fallen logs. It would be almost impossible with an adult to wriggle through the narrow gaps there, but Caelestis was small. "But mo-" "Be quiet Caelestis, we need to find your father but I can't have you with me. You need to be quiet and stay hidden. If I don't find dad I'll be right back. Don't come out for anyone you don't know." "mom-" "No arguing!" Caelum said sternly, staring down her daughter until she relented and scrambled to relative safety. Her warbler companion who she'd finally come to know as Animi landed on the woman's dark cranium and delivered the news he'd managed to gather. It was a... takeover of some kind. A join or die situation, and naturally Ganta stood firm and unyielding. There were wolves they did not know at the den, with Zeph presumably inside. Taking a deep breath Caelum was trying to decide where to go when a voice that made her stomach drop caught her ears. Against her better judgement Caelum approached, and found a large and imposing figure at the den where she had been heading with her youngest child. She found herself remembering the night everything she loved had been ripped away from her. 'Please let history not repeat itself as it seems so determined to do' she thought desperately. Her path to her mate was barred, and this beast would eventually trail after her, that was for sure. Better to engage him now than let the monster catch up to her when she was alone later. When she was away from the potential aid of her pack-mates. Standing tall, Caelum faced the man who was clearly intent on harming her and her offspring and called, "Looking for someone?" Animi trembled on her head, but Caelum stood proud and fearless in the face of this monster. Before he could respond she lifted her muzzle to call for help, anyone who was nearby. She wasn't incompetent, but she'd be lying if she said she thought she could do more than slow him down by herself. She wasn't exactly in her prime anymore. Actions   "Speech"   Thoughts

The world just got a lot more frightening. First a call came from somewhere far away. A warning? About what? Nothing scary had ever happened as long as Caelestis had been alive. Why was that changing? She didn't understand! Then her mom told her to wait and hide, "But mo-" she was cut off, shut down by her visibly worried mother and eventually the child agreed to sit tight. Clambering under the log pile, Caelestis sat in the middle and curled her tail around herself, trying to peer through the spaces between logs in hopes of seeing what was happening. Somewhere a ways off she very faintly heard her mom's voice, then a call for backup. Were things that serious? Should she... try to help mom? No, she was too little. Caelestis was fierce and spirited but not a fool. Brows knitted together and the pup curled up tighter, trying to stay hidden like mom said and hoping she would return soon with her father. Please, let all the scary stuff go away so things could go back to normal! "Talk" "You" Think

His grin widened into a grimace that nearly split his face in two. He stepped toward her. “Here I thought I would find something more bite sized but you’ll do.” He tittered, drool slipping from his jaws and onto the snow, his pupils mere pin-pricks in a sea of vibrant poisonous yellow. He snarled and reared back, his massive legs propelling him forward, and crossing the short distance between them in mere seconds. His jaws parted, ready to sink in and tear meat from bone, only to be stopped all at once and sent sliding onto his side. He rolled to his feet with a vicious snarl, eyes locked on the fair, curly fur of the man who dared to interrupt him. "Talk" Thought

Yale’s pale eyes locked on the luminous yellow of his opponent, unafraid and determined. “Run girl.” Yale said without taking his eyes off the beast that had dared to intrude on their land. “I will free those that remain but you must run. Warn the other packs. Go!” He commanded. “I’ll deal with him.” He growled and then charged forward, meeting the monster in a clash of fangs and fur, the sound of ripping and snarling filling the air in a cacophony of battle and bloodshed. He didn’t stop to see if Caelum had followed his orders or not, he could only pray to his god that she had, and was now far from this place. Speaking   Thinking

She braced herself when the mad creature came barreling towards her, preparing herself for what might be a losing battle for her. Caelum was prepared to do her best against this opponent, even if she lost, but the impact didn't come. A flash of pale curled fur signified the arrival of what she'd been praying for; backup. The bestial man who'd been hunting for victims was met with a much more equal match than he'd likely anticipated as he was sent flying to the side, away from Caelum's smaller form. Blue eyes closed briefly as she thanked the gods above for keeping her alive another day. There was a moment of quiet before the words came and grounded her once more. He told her to flee, to warn their neighboring packs, and had Caelum been younger or more prideful she might not have heeded these orders. But she was older, the oldest in this pack next to Zephyr. Between that, being a mother, and being so small by comparison... Well, she couldn't argue. As the man flew into battle with the crazed beast Caelum knew he wouldn't hear her thanks and so instead would thank him by running as fast as her pale legs could carry her away from this threat. She stopped at the spot where she'd stashed her child, calling to Caelestis. Her heart didn't stop beating wildly until she saw the little brown form of her daughter headed her calls and came skittering to curl at her paws. Though Caelestis was getting bigger, she wasn't exactly fast yet, so with a heavy sigh meant to free her of her nerves and prepare the older woman for their journey, Caelum decided she'd have to be carried. "Animi," she said tersely to the bird perched between her ears. "Yes?" "I need you to fly ahead and scout out where the nearest packs are. I still don't know who would be closest and time is of the essence." there was no need to add more. The bird took off, his inconspicuous little body soon disappearing over the frosty winter landscape. With that, Caelum grabbed the pup at her paws by the scruff and took off, running far from the chaos and hoping Zephyr would find them quickly. -exit- Actions   "Speech"   Thoughts

The child didn't have to be frightened for too long. At one point she thought she heard someone running past, but whoever it was didn't stop to investigate the logs she was nestled among. After that she was alone for a while, stuck with her own thoughts and the crushing feeling of uncertainty. She'd never been uncertain about her future before. Before the girl could be completely buried in these feelings and worries, a voice called out to her. Bi-colored eyes narrowing, she moved so she could peek out of one of the many gaps to see who it was that was knocking at her door. A wave of relief flooded her senses at the sight of her mother. Scrambling as fast as she could the child squirmed free of her hiding place and ran to her mom, milky breath hanging in the air as she buried her face in Caelum's warm white fur. Her mom sent the little bird friend she had to go look for packs, and suddenly Caelestis found herself being held up off the ground. Then they were going fast and she wondered how long she'd be carried for. Where's dad at? the child wondered, brows furrowing. She hoped he would show soon. -exit with Caelum- "Talk" "You" Think