Cerberus had fit in pretty well to Elysium or at least that's how he felt. He wasn't really the best with strangers but Manea and her family were pretty far from that so that's what made it easy for him. He knew how to take care of duties inside the pack and he would help in any way he knew how. It was just a part of his nature and the way he was raised.

And with all of that said, it was easy for him to sleep at night. He never had much of a problem with that before. He had run the evening patrol up until the sun came down and then he headed back towards the caves that he had claimed for himself. A little different than the resort island he grew up on but he made it homey with pelts and his own belongings. Tidy as he was too. It wasn't the same in the slightest, but it worked well for him.

He did miss the rest of his family but he could make due with who he had here and just look forward to the next time he saw his father and everyone else. He did think of them every night and often but he filled his time with patrols and hunting and things alike. He wasn't really sad, he just missed them. Laid comfortably on the pillows and furs of his makeshift bed he fell into sleep easily for the next day to come.

"Cerberus"

Ruse sighed softly as she laid in her bed, looking out the entrance of the small cave toward the stars outside. It always felt too quiet here at night. Before they moved off of the island she had still been living in the room she had shared with her mother and aunt since she was born so having her own space and sleeping alone was an adjustment that was proving to be more difficult than she had anticipated. Even though she had moved to her own bed as she had gotten older in a slightly blocked off alcove of the suite where she and her mother lived, she could still hear Dalila and Siren's breathing around the corner at night and it just let her know they were there and occasionally she would even give in and go cuddle with them like she was a pup again. When they moved here she felt like now was the time for her to grow up and have her own space and start being independent, but it turned out she didn't like that at all.

Most nights she would eventually fall asleep to the sounds of night time bugs or the distant sound of the waves on the shore, but tonight she was having a hard time even doing that. Something about the shield that she and Cerberus had decorated had really gotten her thinking about her parents and how much she missed being with them so maybe that's why it was harder for her to settle down tonight. Eventually she gave up on sleeping, at least for now, and got up, stepping out into the cool night air. She was about to go walk the island in hopes that made moving around for a while would get her thoughts to clear out, but then she spotted Cerberus' den just a short way down the mountain path from her own. Really it wasn't even the thoughts of her parents and family that were keeping her awake, even though they were a contributing factor. It was mostly just because she was alone.

There was just a moment of hesitation before she let herself start heading toward her brother's den and she quietly peeked inside. Part of her hoped that he would still be awake as well so she could at least ask him if she could come in, but when she spotted him on the plush bed of furs he was very obviously asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, but seeing him just made her want to be here with him all the more. She hadn't actually gotten to snuggle up with anyone since they separated from the rest of their family and it wasn't until she was presented with the idea now that she realized how much she really missed that. With a slightly bashful flick of her ears she quickly slipped into the den, trying her best not to wake up Cerberus as she gently settled into the bed beside him, curling up next to him. With the size of the bed and how he was sleeping near the middle of it their sides were lightly touching, but she couldn't really help that. Immediately though she noticed how calming just feeling his warmth and hearing the soft sound of him breathing was. She settled her head on her paws then and hoped maybe she could get some sleep now without bothering her brother.

"Rusalka Alondra Klein"

Cerberus wasn't really a light sleeper but not a heavy one either, so when Ruse joined him at his side he wasn't immediately aware. He hadn't been asleep long, so it was like somewhere in that dark, blank part of his thoughts he could feel where they were close together. And soon his mind would show him that wasn't just a feeling lost in his thoughts. He took a strong breath in and out still in that half slumber zone, but he could catch his sister's scent easily in his nose.

He didn't jump up in too much of a panic, but his body still rolled more up on his stomach and towards her once he realized she was here in his den. "Are you alright?" Was his first instinct to respond to her. There was that little bit of worry and awareness in his tone, but again he wasn't in a full panic for why she was here. He was after all familiar with the way she was feeling. He just didn't know that's what it was just yet. His paw had also reached out to gently set along the side of her back out of instinct, in a way ready to jump up for anything she or the pack needed.

"Cerberus"

She was relaxed, but not quite ready to sleep just yet when she felt Cerberus begin to shift as he noticed her presence beside him. She felt a little guilty for disturbing his sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to regret coming in here even if it did wake him up. She lifted her head and blinked open her two-toned eyes to look at him when he spoke, smiling a bit when he immediately asked if she was alright. He was always so sweet to her. Before he even asked why she was here or what she was doing he wanted to know if she was okay first and foremost and that was one of the most endearing things about her brother. "Yeah, I'm okay," she promised with a little smile, starting to naturally lean into him a bit more as his paw reached to settle on the edge of her back. "I was just having trouble sleeping." It made her feel a little silly to say it like that, feeling like a pup again that would come asking to climb into her mother's bed, but there was no real avoiding it.

Ruse shifted a little closer, slipping her way under his foreleg to snuggle up to him with a content sigh, smiling happily as she enjoyed this warmth and closeness. She didn't say anything else for a little while, just laying with him like this while she considered how much better she felt now that she wasn't alone. She didn't know if it would be any different if she went to someone else or found one of the other girls in the pack that might want a den mate to stay with. Was it just the loneliness she wanted to solve or did she only get this kind of relief because it was someone she cared for and trusted like Cerberus? "Cerb... Could I move into your den?" she asked a little hesitantly after a moment, lifting her gaze in search of his. "It just feels so lonely compared to when we were living with everyone."

"Rusalka Alondra Klein"

It was definitely relieving when she told him everything was okay, and he could sympathize with her as she told him she had trouble sleeping. He knew the feeling but not so much these days. It would only be a few moments later that he could fully understand her.

He welcomed her openly as she shifted in closer to him, not an unfamiliar feeling he felt in the course of his life. His head rested back on the furs as he quickly got comfortable again, looking down at her with a half lidded, not tired, but from sleep gaze. He wasn't deprived in the slightest. There was a huge part of him that he wouldn't admit, not that it was harming to his ego or anything, that missed this type of closeness ever since he left Siren's den. He had Valtiel for some time, and that's when he really recognized this longing for someone else in his bed. It was nothing more than that, just having someone beside him made him feel better. There wasn't a time he could remember when he didn't have someone save for the few months after he turned a year old. It was a memory as far back as when Viper was alive.

His paw rose to carefully caress down the side of her cheek, "If that's what you want." His voice was a whisper fit for the quiet of the den, not that anyone could hear them. But it wasn't until she told him that there was this sense of loneliness from leaving Fenmyre that clicked into place with him. "I know. I miss them a lot too." Still through that comfortable gaze he drew up a smile as he looked down at her, "I'm glad that you came with me though. I think Albion's having a hard time without Scylla. I try to be there for him when I can."

"Cerberus"

Ruse smiled as Cerberus accepted her request, leaning into the touch of his paw without even really realizing it. She liked his little affections, enjoying the attention and care he gave her. He had always made her feel special and allowing her to move in with him simply because she didn't like being alone definitely spoke to that big heart that he had for his family. "Thank you, Cerb," she replied softly as well, knowing they could figure out the logistics of everything and talk out the specifics in the morning. She was just happy that she wouldn't be living alone any more and she'd be staying with someone she knew and trusted. She hoped that it was something he really wanted as well and not just something he was agreeing to because she asked for it.

As he agreed with how much they missed their family and mentioned how he was glad that she came with him she smiled, this warm feeling growing in her chest. She appreciated how much he seemed to really like spending time with her. Her parents had never made her feel neglected or unwanted by any means, but with so many siblings it did sometimes feel like she was a bit lost in the shuffle at times. She didn't blame anyone for that, but she did enjoy when she got some more one on one attention. Ruse nodded with understanding at Cerberus's concern for their brother. "Hopefully Scylla comes back soon... Hopefully they all come back soon."

"Rusalka Alondra Klein"

His breath was quiet and steady in the almost silent den, really just surrounded by his and Ruse's own natural sounds. It was more soothing than he remembered. He wasn't necessarily reserved when it came to his family, it just seemed like he was always busy. And he tried his best to give that extra attention to his siblings especially his younger ones by Aliana. Chimera had taught him without any lessons this core importance of their family. A drastic difference from where his mother came from. Maybe even his father too, but he lived in the now with Chimera, and Viper was relatively open about the way she felt about everyone else. He did wonder if things would be different had she still been alive. He hoped that she would have found peace with his father.

"I know." He spoke, using his paw to carefully pull her in closer to him at the center of her back. There was nothing beyond this natural love that he felt for her, to keep her safe, eventually to get her home. On some level he felt like life had been a little different for the two of them. Scylla and Albion had been so close, and Aliana had plenty of boys to keep themselves occupied. Cerberus had grown up almost like a litter mate to Scylla and Albion and Ruse was a bonus. But there was a part of him that just felt a little different. Even to Ruse. They may have been single litters, but his mother was dead. It may have been natural to feel just a little out of place.

He was quiet for a moment, maybe even like he was about to go to sleep while he cradled her there. But he spoke again quietly as if he didn't want to wake her up had she fallen asleep already. "I have missed this a lot." He paused hard, like some kind of tension was built up in the thought. "I... felt like dad had these expectations for me. I didn't want to ask to move back into Siren's den. I had Valtiel for a little while but..." but that was it. In a sense he felt like he wasn't able to protect her, he failed her. Had she gone out of the pack on her own will for something and was snatched back up? Or maybe she felt the need go back to her formal slaver. It was heavier than he showed.

"Cerberus"

There was something in how he pulled her closer with his paw around her back that made this slightest skip beat in her chest, a gentle warmth and comfort coming from how her body more closely pressed into his. Her paws rested on his chest, looking down t where her pale paws rested over russet and black fur, stroking gently across the lightly brindled fur. She had wanted this closeness and this company, but even she was surprised by how good it felt to be like this with him. She leaned her head forward as the peaceful quiet settled in between them, resting her head in the crook of his neck with a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She had just begun to drift off when he spoke again about how much he had missed this. She blinked open her pink and blue gaze and lifted her head enough to glance up and meet the mint green of his.

She didn't respond right away, feeling the tension that there was more that he wanted to say or maybe just more that needed to be said whether or not he wanted to say it. Soon enough he went on, saying how the expectations he had felt had kept him from moving back in with Siren and how he had the company of Valtiel for a moment, but that obviously hadn't ended well. She didn't know much about the girl that had lived with her brother for a while or what had come of her, but she could how things had gone was sitting heavily on his mind. Her ears flicked back with a bit of sympathy, thinking of how she had still been living in the same room as Siren and her mother regardless of the fact that Cerberus, Albion, and Scylla had all already moved out. Perhaps she should have as well, but they had never asked her to and she had never volunteered. She slightly understood the pressure that he spoke of, through she knew Cerberus had gotten the bulk of that responsibility among all of their siblings. "I would have moved in with you if I had known you wanted the company," she promised quietly, her paws moving over his chest absently again.

She paused for a moment, looking up at him thoughtfully before she lipped her muzzle forward, reaching up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek right under the white marking that framed one of his vibrant eyes. When she pulled back again she gave him a sweet smile, saying, "You're never alone, Cerb. I'll always be with you." Growing up without any siblings from her own litter, she had always felt a bit of kinship with Cerberus, but it had always felt like he was closer to Albion and Scylla than herself so she had kept mostly to herself, spending her time mostly with her parents. Now that they were away and she was left in Boreas she was grateful that it was Cerberus that she was getting to stay with. "I do hope we get to be with all of our family again soon, but... I'm happy here with you."

"Rusalka Alondra Klein"

His half-lidded gaze looked down at her with his head still rested on the furs while he still held her close. He knew what she told him was genuine, and even with the way he was feeling he probably wouldn't have gone back and changed anything in his life. He felt like he had expectations from Chimera, but that was never a bad thing in his eyes. Their father had showed each of them so much love even being the many children that he had. He always found time. Cerb could live with growing up, with not asking for the things he wanted. And it would seem everything would work out in the end just as he figured. It wasn't the end yet, but he never looked too far ahead or back in time. He made the most of every day whether it was good or bad. Tonight would make him happier than he showed.

He closed his eyes as Ruse gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, gently looking back at her afterwards with maybe not a too familiar gaze from the place she had in his life even up to now, but all the same Cerb as he had been. The caring, fun, involved big brother but right now showing this sense of vulnerability and true care he had for Ruse. He breathed easy, carefully searched over her features without moving even an inch. He wanted her to know the same. He reached forward to give her a kiss on her forehead before pulling her in one last time and letting her find that comfort on his chest so she could hopefully rest easy. "I'll be here too, Ruse." He whispered almost inaudibly, quieter even than his whispers before. It would be the best sleep he had in a while.

"Cerberus"