Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Summer heralded the end of spring, and he wasn’t precisely pleased with how little he’d gotten done. He’d meant to hold a pack meeting, and had not. The best that could be said was that Aurielle’s training was coming along swimmingly, and she was growing fast into a wolf he could be proud of. He’d not been pleased in the slightest to find signs of a Talis wolf close to the southern borders. It had been muddled enough that he couldn’t point out specifics, but he’d found it to be familiar from the raid, as one of those who had been among the fighters. He’d found his cousin’s scent nearby, in the passage way. He’d meant to speak with her and ask if she’d heard or smelled anything suspicious but he hadn’t gotten to that. Today, though, he wasn’t letting it slip off the schedule. He padded along the outer edge of the southern border’s wall, alert for things amiss, especially with the visit from the Abraxas wolves, and once he reached the place he’d found the troublesome scents, he turned inward to the territory, head rising and throwing a commanding howl out for Acapella.

She was deep within the plains, keeping her tracking skills in top shape. She was quietly trailing a deer, on a hot trail that had probably passed through here about 30 minutes ago. Her tail would gently wag in happiness, the feeling of usefulness strong when she was doing something like this. It wasn't long ago that she had met with Greed at the border. He had been harmless and she didn't feel like it had been wrong. Besides he had been truly sorry for what he had done to her and him apologizing for his actions had lifted a weight from her shoulders. Her head perked and she paused as she heard Regulus' summoning howl. It was a commanding howl and she knew she needed to hurry. Dropping what she was doing she turned and headed off in the directing as fast as a pace she could go without tripping over her feet. When she grew closer she realized where she was heading, but again didn't give to much thought to it. Slowing down, she used her nose to find where exactly Regulus was standing. She got a little closer to him before stopping her tail wagging in a friendly greeting to him. She had a feeling that he may have caught Greed's scent around here if that was the case the women wouldn't be even a small bit tempted to lie, there was no reason to. "Hello Regulus" she greeted. "Talk" & 'Think"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

She was swift to arrive, and her friendly greeting was answered with a formal “Acapella.” Honestly, he was in no mood. Not when someone from an enemy pack had been close. For all that Talis had fallen to an Abraxas challenger, since he’d found the scents, he was still on guard. You didn’t have to be in a pack to lead another raid. He cast his gaze around the surrounding area, then turned back to her and asked, simply, “Think back to spring. Did you smell or hear anything amiss near the pack borders here? Any Talis wolves, for instance?” He watched her very closely as he asked the questions.

He had called her for what thought was floating in the back of her mind. He didn't seem to happy, but he wasn't angry. So wasn't going to lie to him, she would be honest and would tell him the truth about what had happened here at the borders. She nodded to his words in a quick reply to him. "There was a Talis member that was outside our borders," she started to explain. " His name was Greed and he was actually here looking for Marina who had been his father's mate before his father disappeared. His father would be Chasm's father." Did Regulus really wanna know all of this? She felt he should know it because he would want to know why the male had been around. "He was also the same wolf that blinded me during the raid, but he hadn't been here looking for trouble." she said with a nod. "Talk" & 'Think"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He listened coolly to her explanation, and as he listened, a chill grew more and more pronounced in his eyes. There was a heavy, cold silence for several beats after she’d finished speaking, in which he silently hoped she wasn’t going to confirm the growing suspicion. “I assume you gave him no information?” There was a silky, chilling note to his voice. Bad enough that she had obviously shared words with a wolf of a pack that’d been hostile with Celestial, and not howled for the bloody pack at the first whiff of him. He was stiff, searching her sightless features for any sign of indignation at such an implication that she might have shared information with an enemy about a former member of Celestial. An act that was in direct contrast with a law that had been in place when his mother had founded Celestial. A law Acapella had been taught the day she and Dagger had joined the pack, and a law he, Regulus, maintained in the pack’s rules. He added in a voice of cold stillness, "You will tell me, from beginning to the very end, precisely what happened here, and you will leave nothing out. Not the smallest word nor the tiniest detail. And you will tell me why the hell you thought it to be alright for a wolf of Talis to be so bloody close to this pack's borders and didn't call for anyone." A loud snap of his jaws added weight to the word as he rapped out, "Now." Please don't prove me right...

Things soon turned as his tones grew icey. She felt she obeyed the pack laws and really the whole meeting had been about him apologizing to her and getting to know her. She understood him being angry that a former Talis member had been close, but nothing negative came out of it. Ears flattened against her skull at his tones wondering if he really thought she would turn on her pack. How could he think that they were family? And she was only assuming this because of how he was acting and speaking to her. His tone growing worse and she shifted back a bit uncertain of what he was truly going to do? What did she do wrong? She kept herself calm, not wanting to argue or make his mood more foul then it currently was. All she needed to do was tell him and that was that, but she still felt she had done absolutely nothing wrong. Besides if he had been here to do harm if she called for backup, whose to say more Talis members wouldn't be waiting at another part of the border? "All that was said was Marina was a member of Celestial and that his blood related siblings had stayed. Most of the conversation was him telling me of the family drama Marina had put him through......................... Once he learned I was the second wolf in the raid he apologized to me, a sincere one. He didn't mean to get that mean about the fight he was merely caught up in pent up emotions from his family drama........................ Then he asked if out pack could keep his siblings from turning out like him and I said they won't. The rest was just talking about myself and himself, no one else.................... I did not call the pack together because I did not feel he was a threat, plus if he had been I was suspicious that he may be used for a distraction, have me call the pack to that location while the rest of the pack entered else where in out lands, but again he was not here for trouble." she said telling him everything, exactly as he had asked. She wasn't sure what would happen now, but she supposed she would find out. If he truly felt that once again she had failed, that she had not fallowed the pack rules, then maybe the pack life wasn't for her. Either way she wouldn't argue with him, he had the final say and if he felt that the information she had shared with Greed was was breaking the pack laws, then that was what happened. She inwardly sighed as she waited to hear what he had to say. "Talk" & 'Think"

Ooc: I didn't write the full text, the long lines of dots are for where she tells him every exact detail.

I will be very, very clear here. My feelings are not reflected in Regulus' post. In Character is In Character. He feels Acapella broke one of the laws of his pack, one punishable by banishment when broken, and he is, in fact, being highly lenient in his punishment here, as Maiming is usually to go along with the banishing.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He listened, and he despised what he heard. The fact that she didn’t seem to think she’d done anything wrong was baffling. He waited until she was finished, however before his voice answered, its chill ever deeper. “Let me tell you about Marina. She wasn’t pregnant when she joined this pack. Those kids? Their sire, “ and here he spat out the word like it was some vile acid on his tongue, “raped her. Did you not wonder why the hell she had a broken leg?! No wolf would do that kind of harm to herself for an act, nor would she have been able to. You want a healer’s opinion on her injuries, ask my brother Tornach. He’s a loner in the Range. He patched her up until she was well enough to make it home with her son’s help. This pack was no bloody pawn to her. It was a second chance. One I gave her. One she hoped her children could have.” The disgust he felt lay heavy on his voice as he went on. “That you chatted at all with that resentment filled wolf, shared business that was not his to know at all, and that you see nothing wrong with it is proof enough that you have either forgotten this pack’s laws, or don’t bloody care about them. Did you stop to think that he could decide to go after Marina and kill her? Harm her even further? You should have called the pack and let us send him off. I believe this pack is intelligent enough to consider watching the other borders while Greed was seen off. A simple howl to be on guard would have worked fine.” His jaws snapped together with a soft snarl as he added, “And by the way. You should never believe someone who clearly hates the wolf they speak of, without getting both sides of the story. Nothing about them will be said in a good light in their eyes. I told Marina’s story at the meeting after she first joined. That you would dare to speak so badly of a wolf who fought to protect this pack in the raid, and was the first to meet and intercept their party… I’m beyond disappointed.” He turned and paced a few strides away before turning back. As family, he was upset that he would have to act as the Archangel. As the Archangel, he was furious enough to do his job. The two sides of the stone met in the middle in agreement. “You have broken pack laws. Not once, but twice. And your activity in bringing in prey was lacking even before you were involved in the raid. You were promoted from Punished only because you gave your all to fight off the raiders. I know you lost a great deal. Marina knows it too. She may not have thanked you for your help, but I’ve no doubt she blamed herself deeply for your injuries. But did you ever approach her to ask after her? Somehow, I don’t think so. “As your cousin, I hate what I must do. But as the Archangel, I have no choice. Your willingness to freely share words with a wolf who helped to hurt this pack with his actions is too much of a liability for Celestial. It doesn’t matter how harmless that information seemed. You should never had shared it. You are at liberty to forgive him for yourself, of course. I don’t care if you talked about yourselves, that was fine. But you endangered the pack by crossing the line between your business, and Celestial’s business. “Celestial’s business is who is and who is not in this pack. Whether Marina is still in this pack or not, is Celestial’s business, and hers, alone. Whether her children are in this pack, or not, is Celestial’s business, and their own, alone. Your chat may have seemed harmless, but you can never know, especially when you don’t know if another wolf is simply a damn good actor and can morph his voice to be sincere, and you cannot see his face and body to know for sure. There are a lot of silver-tongued liars out there.” His voice had grown heavy, tired, and if he could have rubbed his face, he would have. Anything to remove the damned headache he was forming. “You are Banished, Acapella. You are already blind, thus, to maim you further as the law suggests would be a show of abject cruelty, and so, you will escape that punishment. On account of your lack of sight, I will ask one of my companions to help guide you to where-ever you wish to go, whether it’s Lirim, Abaven, another pack, or merely to be a loner, and to help you settle in unless you have others to help you learn the area. But after that, you are on your own. “Never speak of Celestial’s inner workings, count, members, or any other information that even seems harmless to those who aren’t members of Celestial. If they truly must find something out, refer them to me.” His tail flicked irritably as he paced away, then back again, sending a bark out for Artashir. The ink black mountain lion wasn’t far off and had been watching the exchange with those ruby cat eyes of his. He dropped from the top of the wall and padded silently over, nodding. Regulus huffed out a long sigh and said, “Guide her where she wishes, help her learn the area she chooses, defend her if she is attacked. If she joins another pack, let them handle it.” His eyes turned back to his cousin, and he finished, “You will not be welcomed through the passages of this pack’s wall ever again save for life or death reasons... However, your children – should you bear any in the future – will never be cast away should they wish to make Celestial their home. You are my family. Nothing about this changes that. But I must also be a leader. Doing this is not easy. I believe I may have said something very similar when you were demoted to Punished on your return.” There was no pleasure in his voice, only a bone-deep weariness. But he was unyielding in his decree. Aurielle would lead someday, and she would have to face the same struggles when wolves disobeyed the laws or didn’t pull their weight in the pack. He leaned forward and gave Acapella a familial lick on the brow before he stepped away and spoke his last to her. “Walk safely, Cousin. May you find love, happiness and prosperity in your path.” He nodded to the cat who offered a light brush of his tail and a muttered, ”This way,” to the wolf that would be his charge for a little while.

Once more she had failed, her stomach dropping as he began to speak again. All she could do was lower her head and flatten her ears as she listened to him, her heart breaking at the fact she once again did not do the right thing. She felt cursed, like her whole life would be the same way, always failing and never becoming anything more then a disgrace. If her parents were here right now she was sure they would be highly disappointed and out of respect for Regulus she did not utter a single word of argument. She was uncomfortable and wanted to get away, each word he spoke making her feel more and more resentful of herself and her actions. She just couldn't get it right. As he spoke the word banished she sunk and if he had beaten her. She wanted to just curl into a ball and disappear right now. He wouldn't further Maim her which was a relief and he was sending one of his companions with her for now, she was grateful because she still wasn't sure how to hunt without her sight. She raised herself again as she heard him pacing away, but then back to her again he came before calling for one of his companions. He then finished up letting her know that Family wise had not changed, but she could never return to Celestial unless Life or death situations. Should she ever have kids they would be welcome, but she could never come to the borders again. She sighed, heavily her heart feeling like lead in her chest and her emotions swirling around within her. She didn't know what to say, her words caught in her throat making her feel as if she was choking. Then he gave her a lick to the brow wishing her well, the cat's tail brush telling her that it was time to go. She still couldn't speak to sick to the stomach to know what she could say that wouldn't be wrong. She got up and began to fallow the cat before stopping and hesitating, wanting so badly to say something, but right now it was physically impossible for her to form any words. She would have to tell his companion before they parted ways to thank Regulus for everything and that she is extremely sorry for all the mess she has caused him. Turning away she fallowed the cat unsure how she was going to survive on her own. "Talk" & 'Think"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

It made him feel ill, watching the effect his words had on his cousin as he spoke. But a leader had to stand strong. He had been lenient. He couldn’t stomach the thought of maiming her when she already had no sight to guide her. He would never, in any way, attack and harm his family unless they gave him absolutely no choice. He watched the two forms retreat, and he knew that he’d probably send Aello and Artashir out at regular intervals to check on her and be certain she was alright and surviving. If it seemed she was struggling, he had no qualms about asking that they bring down a deer to leave for her to find. Just because he had to be leader, didn’t mean it didn’t hurt his soul to do what a leader must. Aello slipped up beside him, bumping her head to his shoulder. “We will make sure she lives well.” It didn’t take a genius to see that the red giant was upset. As soon as his cousin and Artashir were out of sight, his frame drooped and he let out a queasy sigh. “It never feels good to have to do that to a member of my own family. Demotions, banishment… It never feels good.” The white mountain lion shook her head, pale eyes glinting, “No. It never should.” Regulus shook his head and straightened, turning toward the heart of the territory. He should be patrolling, yes, but right this moment, he didn’t really feel up to it. -Exit Regulus-