He awoke the next morning curled against the warm body of another for the first time since the last time he'd seen his sister. It was a strange feeling at first, as his barely conscious mind had trouble remembering the events of last night and figuring out why another being was so close. He'd spent so many nights alone, that his instinctual reaction was to raise his lips and his hackles and to prepare to defend himself- but the moment her scent hit him... all the chaos and fury that had been threatened to be released were extinguished.

Ruby eyes were wide open, transfixed on the sleeping woman that he had curled around on his left side. He could only see the back of her neck, head, and ears as she slept curled next to him but just knowing she was here to rise with him this morning was something he could hardly believe. He had to watch her breathing as if to remind himself that this was real and not another one of his hallucinations before his eyes finally relaxed and he settled his skull down on his forelimbs right beside her own. He didn't want to wake her, even though they had a lot to accomplish today. He knew he couldn't stay on Lirim territory forever, and that he was already likely well past his welcome.

He had every intention of sleeping in until she woke, but the subtle sound of heavy steps against the earth caused him to snap up his head and look out the entrance of the den. He knew the face of the one-eyed shadow immediately, but the red and white man in his company.. was a completely new face to him. He could already tell from his markings and eyes alone, though.. that this was his son. Elias didn't allow them to reach the entrance of the den, and instead, he immediately untangled himself from Zuriel as delicately as possible and stood in the clear space just outside. "Kane," he stated, his eyes lingering on him for a second before drifting over to his brother, "And you must be... Miach?"

They had gotten an earlier start than his father had been able to, thanks to Miach finding him in the cavern at the break of dawn and waking him. Kane was beginning to feel more comfortable at his brother's side after Miach had expressed that he missed him.. and their walk helped him relax the tension in his muscles and push the previous doubts that he had about his brother in the background of his mind. He knew where his mother and sister's den was, and he expected to find Elias still there if he was around Lirim at all. Something about the way his mother hurried off with him told him everything he needed to know... there was still quite an obvious connection between the two of them.

He just hoped Daelos heeded his warning and wasn't allowing herself to get too close to Elias. It still made his lips quiver in anger to think about Elias doing anything like what he did to himself to his sister. His chest expanded greatly as he took in a large breath of air when they crossed Lirim's territory markers, releasing it right after in the form of a heavy sigh. He looked at the twin gaze of his brother and nodded toward the den, "Ready?"

When Elias came out of the shadows of the den mouth, Kane stopped in his tracks and watched him. All of his scars and this all too familiar red eyes reminded him just a bit too much of himself, and that only made Kane even more disgusted by this man's presence. He kept a look of indifference on his features as Elias looked over him, and followed his gaze as he then switched his attention to Miach. Kane watched Miach with his lone eye, curiosity overcoming him as he gauged for his brother's reaction to Elias. Would he perceive the same evil that Kane did? Probably not, but Kane would watch with a hopeful stare all the same.

Miach followed behind his brother, letting his mind wander. Thinking about all the opportunities that might come of this little meeting, His family may come with he and his father, if he would take them that was. Miach felt as though all the hard work he'd put into himself in the past year or so was finally going to pay off. They approached Lirim and a feeling of familiarity washed over him. He could remember spending his time here with his siblings, it brought a smile to his maw. He wished the old days, missed being so close to his family. Where had everything gone wrong, where did Miach mess things up? Well, all of that was over now. Here was his opportunity to make it up, convince their father to stay or take them with him. He was glad to see that Kane had relaxed finally, he didn't seem as tense as when they first met up again. Maybe his brother was under the impression that the brute didn't miss him? Regardless, titan was just glad to have set the record straight. Kane asked if Miach was ready and the young man took a deep breath. His chest puffed up and muscles tensed, he was as ready as he could be. He'd never seen his father, so it was time to compare everything he'd imagined to the real thing. A man emerged from the shadows in the den's opening and Miach's jaws parted slightly. He looked at the man who had to have been their father and Kane in shock. They could have been twins aside from minor details. Of course, he expected his father's build and dark coloring, but to see that his brother looked almost like a mirror image was not what he imagined at all. He spoke their names and Miach looked over to Kane, he seemed like he was disgusted. Brute couldn't understand why his brother could be like this, but he would ignore it for now. "Father...", he spoke as he approached the man, still taking in this unfamiliar face and scent. He knew his name, did this mean that he wanted to be a part of his life? Walk, "Talk" Think

When Zuriel had returned to their den with Elias in tow she didn't really know how to react. Kane's warnings continued to swirl in her mind, but her mother seemed so happy. She didn't quite know who to believe or what to do. She kept her distance just in case, but couldn't bring herself to be cold or rude to the man that was supposed to be her father. She ended up sleeping away from the den for the night, making the excuse that she was going to work on her herbs late into the night and didn't want to disturb them. It was a thinly veiled excuse and she was sure her mother knew better, but she didn't question her further which Daelos was grateful for. She woke up fairly early morning which was mildly unusual for her since she usually liked to sleep in. Not sleeping in her usual den was probably the cause, but once she was up she couldn't go back to sleep. She stood and gave her fur a quick shake while she hesitated and wondered what she should do now. Without another direction to follow, she headed back toward the den to see if they had woken up yet. When she arrived she saw both of her brothers walking up to the den and saw Elias come out into the open to greet them. Since Miach and Kane were there she felt a bit more confident about approaching the den and she trotted over to her brothers, her tail wagging gently behind her. She ended up standing beside Miach, giving him a quick smile before her gaze turned to Elias. She offered him a smile as well if for no other reason than to be polite. "Good morning." She was curious about him and in a way she craved having a real family and if he could actually be their father and complete their family... She was hopeful. Weather that was overly optimistic or not was to be seen, but her innocent view of the world would only let her think that way. "Talk" "You" Think

The voices outside of the den were what finally woke her up. Her eyes blinked open and it took her a moment to register what was going on. The memories from the day before quickly pieced themselves together and her head popped up to look out into the open. She could smell the scents of her children outside, spotting their collective paws along the ground just past the large, darkly colored paws of Elias. He was still here. She was just as relieved as she was exasperated with herself for thinking that way in the first place. Of course he was. He wouldn't just be in their pack without the permission of the alpha for any old reason. He was here to be with her. With them. He wouldn't just risk that without really wanting this. These were the thoughts that swirled in her head as she pulled herself to her paws and stepped out into the sunlight. Seeing all three of her children together again was surreal enough as it was, but to see them together with Elias... it was something that she had never dreamed would happen. She looked between Kane, Miach, and Daelos, assessing their expressions. Kane's forced indifference, Miach's hopefulness, Daelos' uncertain smile. She leaned into Elias' side for a moment, glancing up at him with a small smile. They were together. She could only hope that they could continue to be this way. "Good morning, darlings," she said as she stepped past Elias for a moment to nuzzle Miach and Kane's cheeks since she hadn't seen Miach in a while and had only briefly seen Kane previously. She reached over and gave Daelos a lick on her cheek as well, giving her daughter a grateful smile. Of all of the children this whole thing was the least expected by her and she was happy that Daelos had been so quick to adapt. She turned to look at Elias again while she tried to ignore the pull that begged for her to go back to her side. "Now that we're all together... Where do we go from here?" She wasn't sure if Elias had any kind of plan already thought out, but she had agreed to go where ever he went so she only needed to know which direction they were headed. "Talk" "You" Think

He had been out doing his rounds rather early this morning, keeping himself busy and in shape. Being busy helped him to get over the loss of his mate, though he was hopeful that she was still out there, he wasn’t dwelling on what he didn’t know. He knew she had went out to hunt for herbs and never returned, if he kept the negative thoughts away he managed to feel better and less stressed out. Rory was absent leaving the duties to him, he hadn’t been sure where him and his mother got to, but Frost was doing his best to manage the pack the way Rory would. He had heard of Kane’s return and unlike Faite’s desicion on Miach, Frost merely gave him the rank that fitted him instead of placing him as Girvin. The young male had return home with an injury and Frost didn’t find it right to punish him.

Once his morning rounds had been complete Frost had taken some time to hunt and fetch Rin a meal, something he had been doing for the male to build his strength back up. Now that he had two more hunters it would be a lot easier to keep the pack well fed and take some stress off of himself. He had caught a vary fat groundhog for the male getting it before they all had decided to take to thier hibernation for the winter.

He was heading back towards the dens, his mind elsewhere when an unfamiliar scent hit his nostrils making his hackles prick in protective nature. It was fallowed by the scent of Zuriel which made him curious and he altered his course slightly. It didn’t take long before the small gathering came into view. The unfamiliar form of a male just slightly taller and of course younger then himself mixed in with Zuriel and her kids. He hadn’t heard of the other male being here, but right now he didn’t seem to be of harm to anyone. He headed towards them calmly keeping his emotions in check so he would make a mistake towards this new face. Once he was close enough he stopped gently laying his kill on the ground and looking to the small group.

“Morning, you all are up early,” he said before looking to the dark larger male. “Frostbite Wreckage I’m secondary alpha of Lirim.”

Elias could see the forced indifference all over Kane's face and it made stare at his son for just a little while longer. He could see himself in Kane more than Kane probably wanted to know about- but he knew that forced expression because he practiced it all the time. In fact, he did his best to practice it now as he observed Kane for several awkward seconds, staring almost daringly to make him a bit uncomfortable. He wanted to Kane to know that he wasn't going to ignore him, not for a second. Not even if Kane wanted him to, he would not ignore his presence and he would be watching him.

It was slightly eerie for a moment, until he looked back to Miach and gave him a firm nod to confirm Miach's suspicions. "Elias Praetor, and yes.. your father." He admired his son's red eyes and even the reddish-brown fur that grew on him while he spoke. They were colors he'd never seen in Praetor lineage so he assumed this must have been an Adravendi gene, and quite honestly.. it was beautiful and Elias appreciated it.

He could hear Zuriel stirring beneath him and his ears immediately perked, his attention drawn to her no matter how much he'd like to give it to those that were standing in front of him. He listened to every one of her footsteps very intently until he felt her brush up against his side and he involuntarily leaned into her. When she pulled away from him in favor of presenting herself in favor of their children, he regained his composure and stood at her side.

Daelos had wandered in while Elias had been distracted and he lowered his ears, guilt overcoming him for not being more focused on her when she'd arrived- the obsession he had on Zuriel was nearly all-consuming. He did his best to focus and found that Daelos' polite smile was extremely contagious. When Elias looked over her innocent features, he felt compelled to give her a genuine smile in return and nod to her greeting. "Good morning, he returned and then Zuriel looked back to him to ask what they were going to do.

"My brother has returned, and I have a friend who I have been surviving with before I came to see you. There have been more that I have met, as well.. who.. I know I want around in my life more consistently. That means you guys, as well. Zuriel, Kane, Miach, and Daelos." He remembered their names ever since Zuriel first told him they went missing. She'd found him on the island, and something about that night seemed hazy in his memory altogether. He thought he dreamt it at times, but there were three of his children standing in front of him with the same names as very real evidence. That sort of reality in his life hit him pretty hard, but he did his best not to get caught up in his soul as he stood there with expectant eyes upon him.

"That alone is enough to start a pack, and that is what I have been intending on doing. With the help of my brother, I want to continue my family's work, and bring back the reign of Ruina. There is land in the East that speaks to me and has made me feel close to my father all over again- as if he was back. Alive. I know he's not, but I feel the presence of his soul so strongly around Mount Volkan and that is where I am starting my work. If you all want to come with me, I could teach you our culture and we could start over." His eyes took a turn on each of the three faces of their children and he lifted his chin up slightly, his ruby gaze narrowing as he studied. Frostbite walked in to interrupt him momentarily, but he wasn't done. He lifted his ears to pay attention to the taller man that came forward, though once he stated his name they respectfully folded backward. He remembered Zuriel telling him about Frost being the new alpha, and he had ties to Lirim now. He didn't want there to be trouble. It seemed that Frost didn't know the history between Elias and Zuriel, or.. he might not be behaving like he was. Elias flashed a look over to Zuriel for a moment before giving his attention back to the alpha fully.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Frost. I am sorry I did not seek you out myself, I have been pretty focused on my family. Thank you for not immediately throwing me off your territory, I appreciate being able to see them." He smirked as he said this, his eyes light in jest despite the gravity behind those words.

"If I can help it, however, I am taking them with me so that we do not have to be apart any longer." His eyes found Zuriel's and he smiled, staring quite confidently in her eyes to make sure she was aware of his intentions. He then moved to look over Kane, Miach, and Daelos with the same intenseness to his red stare. His scarred muzzle pointed downward for a second, his heavy neck lowering to hide most of the large vales across his chest. For a moment, he might have actually appeared to be a well-groomed specimen of his species and not one that had been put through absolute Hell. He wanted to be more respectful toward Lirim's alpha, but he had to finish what he was saying first when Frost walked in- these words in a more hushed tone to let them know he meant this to be for them. "You are all adults, and you do not have to follow me but if you do, I promise you sanctuary." Eyes lingered on his daughter and his expression softened, "Lirim has been your home for all our life, Daelos. If you want to stay, I understand.. but, I want you to come with me." He looked to his sons, "All of you. I will train you, tell you about our history, and we'll work together in a kingdom that we put together- and about a culture that has been attached to our bloodline since the beginning of wolves."

He lifted his eyes from them and returned to face Frost, stepping forward to show that he was planning on making this an ordeal between the two of them from now on. He had never planned on dismissing an alpha, but he had a lot of information that he needed to make sure his family understood. "I would like to keep good standing with Lirim, as I am thankful you took care of Zuriel and my children for so long. I am in debt to you and Faite, and before I leave I would like to hunt in honor of Lirim and provide your pack with a meal to show my gratitude. Once Ruina is established, there is more I would like to discuss with you- but I will have to meet with you again, if you would be willing."

He could feel Miach staring at him off and on, looking back between Elias and him. He rolled his single eye once he realized that Miach was comparing their looks and freaking out over it, as it wasn't anything Kane wanted to admit or be proud of. So they were both dark with a few scars? And.. had the same height.. and same eye color.. same fur type and-- SO WHAT?

Kane sighed outward and planted his ass in the soil as he watched Miach become more fixated on Elias, his look completely becoming expressionless as he simply observed. He could feel Elias staring at him shortly after and something about it made his skin crawl, he didn't like it at all. He stared back at him and resisted the urge to start getting in a position to prepare his defenses, the anticipation of a fight growing within him.

Elias broke the stare, though.. and Kane sighed again, this time in near relief. He wasn't.. afraid of Elias, was he? No, he wanted to fucking show him that he wasn't someone to be messed with and neither was his family. Heh.

But everyone else seemed so.. happy.. in this moment, all Kane could do was slouch and wait for all the formalities to be over with. He expected the meeting to be simple and sweet, expecting the quiet man he knew Elias to be to be ready to leave once they were all in one place. Surely it'd be too much for the lone wolf, right? A big family. That's probably what he ran away from in the first place, right? Why he didn't tell Kane anything on their way over here.

As Elias started to declare plans and.. even state that he was starting a family pack and that he wanted them all to follow him, he froze. So much so he barely even noticed Frost come in. His lone ruby drifted over to the alpha respectfully and he dipped his head.. he should have really found the guy on his own, too. But.. he wasn't even sure if he wanted to stay in Lirim, it didn't feel right. And, social normalities weren't something he seemed all too familiar with quite yet.

Tall shadow decided to try and remain as quiet as possible throughout this little meeting, not quite sure what he was feeling about any of it at the moment.

Miach leaned into his mother's affectionate touch before she was off next to Elias too, He'd confirmed everything the young man had been wondering. This was, in fact, his father and Miach couldn't have been more pleased with what he saw. He was almost exactly as the young brute had imagined him to be. Miach looked back to see his sister, Daelos and smiled. She' grown to be so beautiful, damn he missed a lot. Titan scoffed when he turned to see his brothers expression or lack thereof. Still, he had the right idea taking a seat, as it seemed there was much to be said. Brute planted his ass on the ground and sighed, finally off of his feet. Ruby gaze met Elias' as he began to speak. It was as if the man was inside of Miach's own mind, as he was saying exactly what the young man wanted to hear. Ears perked as he continued, speaking of his own history with the territory he'd come across, and the boy was intrigued. He barely flinched when Frost came in, but when he noticed even Elias greeting him, he felt it was only right to do the same. Titan craned his neck so Frost was in his sights and he forced a smile accompanied by a nod to show his respect. Almost immediately after he'd turned back to Elias, the man was lowering his tone, speaking to only his children. Their father was making promises of training, teaching them this culture, a big family and the brute was overjoyed. He wouldn't have to prove himself to go with his father, Elias would teach them! Miach looked behind him to Kane and Daelos, as Elias was going to want an answer from one of them. Miach had his mind made up, but he knew it might not be the same with his siblings. The young man lifted himself from the ground and looked past Elias to his mother. His eyes would meet with her own, as he was looking for some kind of permission to approach Elias and Frost. Brute walked towards the duo and held his head high, he was an adult and a damn fine one at that. "I'd like to go with you Elias." He'd look to Frost to confirm his decision with the alpha. "I'd like to go with my father." He spoke with a certain confidence, he knew this was what he wanted. It was something he'd always wanted, even as a boy. Walk, "Talk" Think

The smile that Elias gave her in return seemed so nice that it was hard to imagine this as the same man that had attacked Kane not that long ago. She had been prepared to not like this man and to figure out a way to tell her mother this was a bad idea... but she watched him as his gaze fixated on Zuriel as she passed by and how Zuriel in return seemed drawn to his side... She couldn't keep this happiness from her mother. She smiled in wonder as she watched her usually quiet and lone mother look to Elias and go back to his side as Frost came to join them. Daelos glanced past Miach to look at Kane, seeing how he wasn't exactly pleased with this turn of events. She could understand that too. After all, it wasn't like he and their father were off to a great start. The young woman turned her attention back to Elias and took in his words as he spoke. She wondered how anyone simply created a pack. She supposed any pack started with just an ambition and an idea, but all she had ever known was Lirim so it was difficult to imagine anything else. She wasn't completely sold on the idea of living on a mountain since she liked having her herbs so readily available, but hopefully there would be somewhere else for her to collect them near by. Daelos glanced between her father and Frost as he addressed the alpha directly before her gaze settled back on Elias again as he addressed them directly. It was a lot to take in and process all at once. She appreciated that he took note of the fact that she had lived in Lirim for her whole life. It wasn't an easy decision to make to just leave it for him. She liked her routine and her den that was stocked with her herbs... But she also couldn't imagine being without her mother and it was very clear that Zuriel was going to go with him. She was quiet for a moment while Miach spoke up to agree to this plan. She noticed that Kane was still silent, but she didn't really expect him to speak right away. "I'll go too," she finally answered. She still wasn't really certain of the decision even after she said it, but she saw the smile on her mother's face at the fact that she would be going and it felt like the right choice. "Talk" "You" Think

Zuriel watched Elias intently as he began to explain his plans and in a way the news that he planned to create a pack was comforting. One of the things she had worried about was where they might live when they left here. She had almost always been a part of a pack so it was what she was used to. If he had said they were going to roam the wild she would have still gone, but having a plan in place definitely eased those worries. She couldn't help but keep an eye on her children during the conversation to judge their reactions as well. Zuriel wanted this to all work out for the best so desperately, but she couldn't bring herself to force them into anything. It wasn't fair for any of them to do that. When Frost came over to join them, Zuriel instinctively moved to Elias' side and gave Frost a warm smile. She was a bit nervous to hear Frost's take on all of this and his ruling over whether he would let them leave. Her eyes met Elias' briefly before he began to speak to the other man for a moment. Her shoulder gently rested against his in a sort of encouragement for the both of them and to hopefully show Frost that this meant a lot to her. The last conversation she and the alpha had came back to her and she could only hope that he remembered how much having a mate had meant to him. She returned Elias' smile and listened while he spoke to their children. She smiled again, this time with relief, when Miach and Daelos spoke up to confirm that they would be going with them. Her gaze shifted to Kane and she looked at her son with a mix of sympathy and pleading while Elias stepped away from her side for a moment to speak more directly with Frost. She knew of any of them this was probably the hardest for Kane given the way he and Elias were introduced to each other. If he really wanted nothing to do with this plan then she would understand, but if there was a chance that she could keep her children together she would take it. Zuriel focused back in on what Elias was saying to Frost for a moment, stepping forward as well so that she was standing next to Elias again. She was grateful for the offers that Elias was making. She felt guilty for leaving, but in the end it was better for her and her family. She spoke up once Elias was finished as well, saying, "Also, I'm sure Daelos and I will take a few herbs with us, but there is no way we can carry them all with us. I'd like to leave them here for you and the pack to use. I hope that the other healers can make good use of them. I would be happy to make the trip back to help with training new healers until the ranks are filled again if you wish." "Talk" "You" Think

He felt like he had interrupted something and for a moment he felt like he was standing there awkwardly. The unknown shadow of a man was so close to Zuriel, Frost had thought it was strange she had never said anything about this man. Who was he? He was athletic and battle worn, most assuredly younger then himself. Though he didn't look to be any threat at all and even looked a bit respectful. The man addressed him, Frost's ears swiveling forward on his head to catch every word. He apologized for not seeking him out and Frost shook his head. There was nothing in pack law that forbid outsiders spending a night or two in the lands. What really made him curious though was his talk of family. Was this male the father to Zuriel's kids? He had never been told about what had really happened with Zuriel so the darker details of how the kids were created were unknown to him. All he knew is that the father had not been present for what ever reason. His ears perked further at the next sentence from the man and Frost felt his stomach drop. Without Rory around Frost was in charge, but to just let a bunch of his family members go without his consent? He rattled his brain going through Lirim's pack law, nothing had been against leaving, but how would Rory react? Though how could he honestly deny the request? Family was everything to the Adravendi's, at least from what he had seen. It was tough to know what exactly to do right now. The male also wanted to hold a hunt and to keep good standing once his pack is up and running, both sounded like great ideas and made Frost nod lightly. He was quiet as he took everything in letting it run through his mind. His attention turned as both Miach and Dealos claimed they wanted to go. Kane was quiet, but he didn't object. Zuriel then came forward and Frost's eyes focused on her as she spoke. Her and Dealos were the only healer's that Lirim had since he put Hailey as a hunter. This would mean he would have to talk to Hailey again and move her to healer as soon as he could. It was a lot to take in and he remained quiet as she spoke, his body language neutral as he digested everything. A smile spread across his face at her offer to train, he was grateful for the offer because it may vary well be needed. He couldn't deny their request, he couldn't keep them from doing what they desired to do. "Then you may all go, I will not keep you from being with one another. I would be more then happy to keep our packs on good terms and for some training to be exchanged, because I'm sure we will need it. As for the hunt I would like to go with you it has been a while since I had a good large game hunt.... That is if you don't mind the help." he said. "Talk" & 'Think"

Art by Kanvos