He was on the hunt today. Not just for meat, but for extra pelts and other supplies for the pack since the season was incredibly harsh this year. He made his way to the polar sound, the low bellow of caribou on the wind as he followed a dozen or so that had likely gotten separated from the larger herd. Since he was on his own at the moment, he followed from a safe distance as he thought about how to get his paws on one. He could just try to get closer and attempt to drag one down, but it was risky by himself. On top of that, he knew he wouldn't be able to get close enough to even try that since he stuck out like a sore thumb and there wasn't a whole lot of cover in these parts...for the moment, he'd continue tracking them to see where they might stop for the night. If he had to, he'd return to the pack later once the caribou had settled and bring along a couple of the pack members to help out. "Ignis"||"Blödhgarm"

He had been trying to find a good time to speak with his brother since Ignis took the reins of the pack, but with almost all of his time being given to Yurei it had been hard to get away. It seemed like he was constantly with her just to make sure he could be there to calm her stress and worries. He really only left to hunt and even then he had gotten into the habit of bringing her along with the justification that he often went after larger, more dangerous prey so it wasn't unbelievable that he might need to get patched up at some point. Today though, he forced himself to leave on his own as he followed Ignis' trail out of the pack's lands and into the Polar Sound. Ignis was easy to spot against the mostly pale background of the frozen north so hunting him down wasn't exactly a challenge. He quickly got the sense that his brother was on the hunt for something so he was quiet in his approach, finding his way to Ignis' side. He soon spotted the caribou in question and his two toned gaze watched them curiously before giving Ignis a glance to see if he had a plan.

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts

He watched the Caribou up ahead, the crimson male settling as low to the ground as he could while staying as far back as he could while still keeping them in his sights. When he was out here...his thoughts almost felt...peaceful. But he knew once he started to hunt, his mindset changed. He couldn't name the feeling, but it was likely brought on by the thrill of the chase and the taste of blood when his teeth closed around his prey. Absorbed in watching the caribou, he almost didn't notice his brother had approached until he heard the soft churn of snow almost beside him. He tore his attention away from the herd to look at his brother for a moment, surprise and uncertainty clear in his gaze. It was a brief look. Within a couple of heartbeats, he returned his gaze towards the herd so that his brother wouldn't see the look in his eyes. "I'm surprised to see you here," He murmured. With all that had been going on with him, he wasn't sure how to talk to his brother so casually anymore. "Ignis"||"Blödhgarm"

ooc: I know we're supposed to have 4 participants to claim a large prey hunt so I figured maybe they could just hunt it for fun and have some brother bonding? Hash some stuff out?

Casso smirked slightly when Ignis commented on how he was surprised to see him out here once his crimson gaze returned to the caribou in front of them. "You should know better than to think I'd miss out on a hunt," he said just as quietly in return. He didn't want to admit that he had been tracking his brother, not the caribou. At least not yet. It was easier to fall back onto something that they both agreed on - the thrill of the hunt and the way it made them feel. Casso had taken to it from a very early age and it was something that he had found memories of doing with his siblings, back before everything changed.

He laid in wait for a few moments beside Ignis, watching the caribou herd mill about in the distance. At first he didn't really know what to say. He had known he wanted to talk to Ignis since the day of the challenge, but now that he had the opportunity to it all fell flat in his mind. He didn't want to say anything that could make the situation worse, but he also wanted his brother to know that despite what had happened he wasn't going anywhere. "What can I do to help?" he questioned quietly, shifting his red and blue gaze toward Ignis with a glance. "With this hunt, with the pack, with yourself... Any of it."

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts

"Talk" Walk "You should know better than to think I'd miss out on a hunt," His lip twitched. He knew that was true for the most part but..."I don't know anything anymore," He murmured as he kept his gaze focused on the herd. Distracting himself from the anxious feelings he was starting to get. He wasn't sure what to do. What to say. How to feel. He felt like a child. But also felt like a big hot mess. His emotions were all over the place, and he could feel his emotional distress practically fueling the inner voice that had caused him to destroy everything between him and his family... "What can I do to help?" His ear twitched, though he didn't look at him just yet as he studied the herd. He was ready to give a quick plan, but then..."With this hunt, with the pack, with yourself... Any of it." He stiffened. Caught off guard by the words. Nobody had asked him that since he took over...nobody had asked him that before then, either. But he supposed he had done a pretty good job of keeping in control up until the last time he saw Corvus...how was he supposed to accept his brother's offer to help, let alone tell him how he'd been feeling and what he was struggling with? He suddenly felt incredibly anxious, his mouth going dry and he didn't know what to say. "I don't know...I don't think anyone can help me, Casso."

Casso waited for an answer, watching his brother's face with a bit of curiosity and concern as he seemed to tense, caught off guard by his offer. He struggled to figure out or understand his brother's reasons for doing what he had done, but that was no longer the most pressing concern. If Ignis was going to do this he wanted him to do well and he wanted to do everything in his power to keep his brother from falling down the violent hole that their father had fallen down. Hearing Ignis say that he didn't know if anyone could help him made his ears flick, the words resounding with him. He knew that feeling all too well, a feeling that he continued to struggle with as he fought with his own mind to keep himself in line and keep himself from hurting those around him. Some days were better than others and he wondered how true that was for Ignis as well.

"You'll never know if you don't let me try," he commented softly. That had been half the battle. Admitting that he needed help. Letting the healers that had come through his life help him. Finding the outlets that let him find a bit of peace and balance. That balance was a thin tight rope, but it was often better than nothing. "You're not alone. I said that I would stand with you and I meant that. Let me shoulder some of this burden for you." All he ever wanted was to do well for his family, no matter what shape or form that might take. Right now that form was helping his brother flourish as their leader, no matter how difficult that felt. "At least give me something to do for the pack. We don't have to tackle your personal battles right now. Not till you're ready. But I can at least take some strain off of you for the pack."

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts

"Talk" Walk "You'll never know if you don't let me try," He wasn't quite sure what to think. On one hand, he did want help. On the other, he wasn't sure how anyone could manage to help him without potentially destroying themselves. He felt he was probably too far gone...at least in a way he couldn't quite name. He turned on his family, after all. Blinded his uncle and threatened his cousin and anyone else who opted to try to defy him. What the hell had happened to him? He remained quiet, eyes trained in the distance though not looking at anything in particular anymore as he listened to his brother speak. After a long moment of silence, he turned to look at his brother. "I...I want to try, Casso. But after all I've done in the short amount of time that I did it...I fear I'm becoming more like our father...even after all our uncle was teaching...after all he had tried to do to make sure I didn't go down that path...I betrayed him." He scowled at himself as he swiped at a rock that was in front of him. He sent it flying until it clattered against stone hard enough to where it shattered. He knew he wasn't strong enough to have broken a whole rock, so maybe it had just gotten weaker from years of decay and neglect in the elements...broken down until it was more brittle than it looked. Like he felt. "I do want your help...with the pack especially...I doubt they're ever going to trust me, but the-" He stopped himself. But the what? But the demon in my head doesn't give a shit and wants to punish anyone who stands against me... "There is...part of me that feels like I shouldn't care whether they trust me or not. I want the pack to make a name for itself, to build and grow instead of stagnating and potentially becoming something nobody will remember. Kind of like the way our father did...his followers for the most part were loyal I think, though I can't say the same for Elias." He sat back in thought, unsure about everything. He took in a deep, quiet breath before letting it out again and asking, "How do you think you can help? This is me truly asking because I don't know. I feel...stuck...and I'm sure the pack will feel like that if they aren't already."