Returning from one of his hunting forays, Mask paused on his way to his den. He was returning empty handed tonight, though earlier that afternoon he had brought in a couple of ruffed grouse to leave at Regulus' family's communal den. His evening hunts hadn't been so successful, however, so he'd finally given up to head back to the comfortable depression in the ground that he slept in. He had a few sleeping spots around the territories, a habit from his time on the run that he'd never quite gotten rid of. It didn't pay to be predictable, always sleeping in the same place night after night.

He hesitated near the meeting rock, though, struck by a thought at the reminder of the pack's alpha. It was something that had been roiling at the back of his mind for some time now, and he was caught by the urge to air it immediately, rather than wait until morning. It was still early in the night, barely past twilight. He doubted Regulus was asleep just yet. Very well.

Giving a soft, low howl, he invited the alpha to join him there. If he was asleep, he likely wouldn't hear it, but if he were awake yet, or patrolling, Mask hoped for the sound to reach him.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He’d been awake indeed, and as he heard Mask’s call, he changed his course, following the voice until his found the slim, dark faced grey male. He hadn’t done right by Mask, he had to admit. He’d intended to promote the male long ago for his constant efforts to make sure the pack had food, but he’d always gotten sidetracked with various responsibilities. As he found Mask, he dipped his head to the male, asking simply, “You called?” He studied the wolf as he lowered his haunches to the ground, head cocked. He had his own subjects he wanted to discuss with the male, but he waited for Mask to speak first.

Mask didn't waste any energy pacing nervously - he wasn't, in fact, nervous at all, though perhaps he should have been. Perhaps it was because he simply did not engage in impulsive behavior, so while he may have decided on the spur of the moment to do this now, it had been a decision that he had really made some time ago. Tonight just felt right.

So when Regulus appeared out of the twilight, he would find Mask sitting calmly and straight, simply watching the stars until the alpha approached him. Then he turned his head to regard the brightly-colored male and dipped his head in genteel greeting. "Good evening, Regulus. You and your daughter are well?" There was very little that was of great enough urgency to forget one's manners, of course, but with the polite pleasantries exchanged he wasted no more of the alpha's time, launching directly into the reason for the meeting in the smooth, urbane manner he had once cultivated as a man of honor. "In the interest of not keeping you from your bed, I will be brief. I do not wish to leave you and your pack in bad straits, but I am afraid I must leave Celestial."

Clearing his throat at what was, in his past, nearly impolitely blunt speech, he explained his reasoning. "I have been here long enough to see that my past and my ways are not entirely in line with your own, not enough for me to be satisfied with this life. I am perhaps too ambitious for my own good, yes? I grow weary of allowing others to make decisions for me. I wish to lead for myself. So it is time, I believe, that we part ways."

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus nodded amiably to Mask’s query, adding, “She’s… learning so much faster than I expected.” Pride lay heavy in his tone, adoration only a father could feel for his little girl glowing in his eyes. He listened with interest, however, as the slim male expressed his intentions, nodding. He gave no sign of annoyance at Mask’s wishes. When the male finished speaking, Regulus huffed out a sigh, a half smile tugging onto his features. “I certainly won’t hold you from your path. I haven’t done rightly by you. I’ve intended for a long time to promote you, but I never got around to it. Ambition is good, though. I would ask though, if you wouldn’t be opposed to an alliance? Or at the very least an agreement of Neutrality or a trade agreement. I prefer friends to foes.” His head tipped away, but he watched the male out of the corner of his eye as he added, “I may be stepping down sooner than I thought and giving Aurielle the pack. Perhaps a new face will help the remnants of this pack take interest. So, perhaps soon enough you’ll hear her calling to talk about politics.” A faint huff of amusement escaped him.

Mask inclined his head noncommittally to acknowledge most of Regulus' words. He wasn't going to judge Regulus on his decisions and leadership, certainly. He was sure it wasn't easy on a wolf to lose his mate and a child, and to expect them to pay close attention to leading their pack after that was perhaps a bit too much. Celestial had always been a rather quiet pack anyway, and for a while that had been what he needed to recover himself. But not now - now he needed more, and he didn't blame Regulus for not being able to feed that craving.

"I will not make a promise of allying our packs together without knowing exactly what direction my path will take," he denied quietly, without malice. "I have a long way to go before I am certain of myself yet. But I see no issue with promising neutrality between our packs, at least until your daughter seeks to readdress the subject when she finds her own footing as alpha. After all, perhaps she has it in her mind for the pack to become warlike and would not wish to maintain even neutrality with another pack." He smiled and shrugged, as if to say, 'kids will be kids'. It was not likely from what he had seen of Aurielle, and the way Regulus had raised her, but one never knew exactly what a wolf would be like as a leader until they actually led. He gave a rumbling chuckle. "I will not have... what is the phrase? I will not have hard feelings, if that is how things end up. Life and politics are always changing, that is simply the way of things."

He stood smoothly. "I appreciate you accepting my wishes as you have. If I may ask your leave, I believe it would be wisest for me to leave pack lands now. Make the break clean. I have no close friends to say farewells to. I will sleep tonight just outside the borders, and set out for the lands I wish to claim in the morning." He gave a moment of thought, then added, "I believe that you may find me in the north if you or Aurielle wish to find my pack. There is a great wall of stone there, and I believe that I may eventually claim all the lands north of it."