If there was one reason for Elias to be thankful for ever meeting Dumois, it would be for the man introducing him to the effects of eating fungus. Healing the deep burns of the lava pitted against the left side of his face had been no easy feat even for the veteran. He had enough scars to account for his ability to say he knew pain, but even so... this one took nearly all of his energy out of him.

The mushrooms took him out of his mind, out of the world where his closest brother had betrayed him and his wife had abandoned him. He was not dwelling on the mentality of a victim like he usually was, he was escaping and leaping straight over all of that. He had big plans, and thanks to the effects of his new favorite plant- even bigger dreams.

Looking rather skinny and disheveled, the cretin crawled him his deeply dug-out den pitted in the Soulless Forest. He'd avoided everyone as he took time to get used to the monstrosity that he had become, though that meant he had also been barely able to keep himself fed. He'd spent hours just tripping on psychedelics and staring at his own hideous reflection in the reflection of puddles, though something about the flesh of the scars covering half his face filled him with rage and confidence but he was beginning to feel the effects of his neglect to self-care. He needed food, he needed friends. Elias never did well in solitude or without responsibilities, and if he let himself continue to dive into the darkest parts of his mind.. he knew he'd end up lost.

Ruina could not afford for Elias to become lost.

Though Erovrare had a nice ring to it, this was not where Elias intended to stay unless he could convert these people to followers of Apollyon. And where was Apollyon? Inside him. Who was he to these people currently? Oracle. He was an oracle. Not an alpha, not even a beta- not able to climb in rank, only destined to speak to spirits and guide these people. It wasn't something that he particularly liked- it's not what he was born to do, and thus.. he'd been sleeping his duties without much concern. He knew his son wouldn't be pleased with lack of socialization and contribution forever, though he hoped that their common goal was enough to buy him time. His facial scars had long since healed months ago, but the mental ones took much longer; he was finally ready, finally able to keep his composure and finally able to face the rest of the pack that his son had welcomed him to. Though he knew he did not belong here, he also felt very appreciative for his ability to be here... and honestly, proud of the man his son had become and the people he was able to have stand behind him.

After all, how many wolves did following Apollyon land him so far? Many came, but just as many left.

A deep growl whispered from within as his mental shackles clattered,
'Careful, Elias...'

Faint screams rang in his ears, causing those impish pillars to perk to the sound. Yellowed teeth exposed themselves in a genuine smirk as he remembered those he'd claimed. Well, at least he still had them.

The silvery chocolate female had been trying to keep herself busy, focusing on furthering her skills in hunting. Cloud was helping her in his spare time, but with all that had been going he was busy with his role as secondary. Thora kept herself out of it for the most part, the only thing she had seen at the battlegrounds was when Hannibal had been claimed and her nieces and nephews taken from the pack. This was also a day that she was almost forcefully claimed, but managed to escape when another wolf stepped in and defused it. Lately it seemed like anything that happened involving the pack happened outside of the territory.

Thora refused to go back to the battlefield and to be thrown into the fiery mix of tensions and emotions. She had tried to cheer Ty up when he had returned the first time, but her brother was depressed over his children not being here. She could understand and instead kept herself busy with he task of making sure there was a kill pile for the remaining of the pack to pick from. Instinctively with all the drama she had withdrawn from the others, aside from her brothers she wasn't sure who was safe to associate with. She didn't get much time with the brothers considering how busy they had been, but those were the only ones she was willing to associate with. She stuck to a job and that's what she did, day in and day out.

Grunting and growling her medium chocolate and silver form was in the process of dragging back a large kill. She was lucky enough to have stumbled across a heavily injured Buck and he had been easy to take down, but dragging the large thick muscled male deer had been quite the process. It was a task that was wearing her out by the time she had gotten it even remotely close to where the kill pile was. She was forced to stop, to pant, and to rest for a bit in the forest, rump flopping to the ground as she took a break.

"Al.....most.....there," she would say to herself between pants.

She wasn't far, but it was far enough for her already exhausted self and the deer only felt heavier the further she went, how that was even possible she couldn't fathom. Once giving herself a few minutes she grabbed a hold of the deer's neck again and continued to drag it while she herself was walking backwards.

"Speech"

Cordelia As the allotted time draws near the steady summer heat becomes far less bearable. She never enjoyed it , never liked it. The trees that had kept the witch dry in every storm, offered shade in the heat. When there was no other rest to be found, they kept a welcoming patch of earth. That's where the skeletic witch would be on those long summer days, leaning on the tree -- forever listening. A strong aroma found its way towards her nostrils ; taking deep inhales that would fill her lungs with not only oxygen but that unfamilar cologne of a male she has not meet. Seasons passed and she was still here, a captive of not only her brother but also the Demon King that she encountered last season. She thought she knew everyone but she must've been mistaking fore this cologne made the witch shiver -- excitement. She could tell it was drawing near with each inhale she took but fortune was not in her favor today fore the moment the sun rose this morning she became incapacitated ; tay blindness. They are coming. They are coming our way. Her hallucination made it clear that she was in their range of movement and yet she stood motionless, a ice cold statue forever leaning on the tree, unmoving. Get up. We are not safe here. They spoke of "we" as if a physical individual could touch them. Make no mistake, in the deranged mind of the witch they were as real as any other but she knew what they were. Demons. Ghost. Trapped into their mortal real but unable to get out, to get hurt by it. Speech Thou shall perish

Elias had every intention of making his way deeper into the communal parts of the territory, to show his half-scorched face and familiarize himself with those under his flag- but the sweet scent of food caught his attention and derailed all his plans almost immediately. Food, and... the scent of one of his oldest 'friends', Storm Wreckage.

He followed the sweet clouds of her scent, nose lifted as he consumed each pocket of this female's smell right out of the air and claimed it for his own lungs, just as he'd claimed her all those years ago. As he drew closer to the source of the sweet calling, he realized unfamiliarity in the way it hit his nostrils. This wasn't his Storm, but someone very.. very closely related to her.

When his singular red ruby laid itself on the backside of the youth, he realized the mistake he'd made in identifying this girl- though, he had made no mistake in identifying the savory scent of deer. With a low rumbling growl, the Oracle announced his presence and stepped forward with every intention to take the girl's meal. He had no energy to hunt for himself and he would not allow the opportunity of an effortless dinner pass him by. Whatever her intentions were for this deer, it would have to wait until he had filled his empty stomach.

He walked forward with his massive, half-scarred face held low and his eyes narrowed; this display of aggression only lasting as long as it took for him to move himself to the backside of the kill. Teeth finally sank into the back thighs of the deer, the soft flesh resisting only slightly as the hungry wolf savagely swallowed it down. His impish ears flicked attentively as he listened for any sort of fight that might come from the girl while he ate, though he had no intention of stopping unless she made him.

The scent of another was what made him finally cease his act of theft, massive skull lifting from the carcass of the deer as his tongue picked bits of flesh from his teeth. Red muscle left his lips to pull away blood while he readied himself to face the rest of the pack, though... while he expected more than just her scent, it seemed these two women would be the only in his company for the evening. It wasn't a bad start for jumping back into the world of socialization- he never did mind women.

"Thank you, young Wreckage. I was starving..." Elias shifted to move himself away from the girl's deer, ears apologetically folding backward while he gave her a less-than-friendly looking grin. Insanity dripped from his crooked smile just as the drool rolled down the slopes of his thick, pinkened teeth. He closed his smile, quietly turning his face away from her toward the direction of the woman yet to enter their sight and all previous signs of aggression seemed to shed from his demeanor.

The unmarred side of his face that faced the young Wreckage was so strongly chiseled that, when he was calm, it was hard not to see the handsomeness genetics had once blessed him with. He remained silent for a moment, his breath slowed as his mind quieted. When the other female finally showed herself, Elias dipped his square muzzle charmingly downward out of respect.