Walk | Talk | Think
 
Callisto padded away from the den beside the lake, her silvery blue eyes scanning the bright spring lakeside and around it with a quiet wariness. Try as she might she could not make this place feel like home, not in the sense that the Steppe had been. The Steppe had been quiet, isolated, empty for the most part except for those others who, like herself, had gravitated toward the place because its drab, broken facade was not aesthetically pleasing to others. The Lake was just about the polar opposite. The waters were clear and bright, especially when the sun was out. Insects buzzed, fish jumped, and wolves gathered to drink, to fish, to relax. She could see why Max liked it - from a healer's standpoint, it was a good location to be centralized at with plants and water and the ready - but for her it was miserable. She was going to have to make a point to go searching for her own den at some point. 

But that, at the moment, was not her goal. She was still freshly returned, barely regaining her pack's scent and still needing to integrate herself back into the routine around the pack lands. She supposed she could have done it all easily with Maximous's help - he had offered her everything imaginable, from shelter to training to silence on the subject of her absence - but there was still one other that she knew she was going to need to face, one other who needed to know she had returned no matter that she was nowhere near ready to start recounting her tale. 

She had no idea where it was that Kassander kept his den. She had no idea if he would even be there now or if he was already roaming about following his duties as alpha and King of Ebony. Hell, there was even a chance he might not have been within their borders. But Calli wanted to stay, wanted to keep her place here, and in order to do so she needed to confront him, to speak up and make sure that he would have her here still. And maybe, if she was lucky - Ha - he would refrain from asking questions as Maximous had. 

Wishing to get the unpleasantness over with, to be done with and move on, Callisto stopped beside the lake, glancing briefly around and wondering if Max was close by, before she angled her head back and ushered forth a call for Ebony's King. It was short, to the point, almost with the hope that he might not hear and miss it so that she could pretend she had tried to reach him and failed and go about her business as if she had put forth her best effort. But luck was never on her side. He would show, and ask all the questions that she did not want to speak of. She sighed, resigning herself to her luckless fate, and reclined to sit and wait for her newest leader to show. 

Kassander blinked when he heard the call, both unfamiliar and yet somehow... dredging through memory he plucked out a voice rarely heard even when she had actually been here. The healer's apprentice, Callisto. She had disappeared some time back, when Val was still here he thought though he'd been scarce himself at the time so he would hardly have known. He'd assumed her to have left of her own free will, or to have died elsewhere as there had been no indication in Ebony that said otherwise and no one had approached her with any concerns. So why was she calling for him? Curious, the young king followed the call. Curiosity turned to wariness when he realized the call came from within pack boundaries. Not at the borders requesting re-admittance, but beside the lake this territory centered around. His brow knotted further as he came closer to the woman, and the signs became clear to the healer. Callisto had puppies. The signs were there if one thought to look. The slight change in figure, the lingering scent of milk and motherhood, the still voluptuous... uh... teats... actually he probably shouldn't look at those. Kassander laid his ears back as he stopped before her, though his soulful gaze held no anger. "Callisto," he greeted, then stopped. As a healer he wanted nothing more than to give her sanctuary and ask no questions until she was willing to talk about them but... as the alpha he couldn't do that. He had to ask questions, including why she was on Ebony territory again after leaving the pack, and the fact that she'd birthed puppies he hadn't even known she was pregnant with. Torn between his two roles and uncertain of what he could even say, the Xanilov just... waited. ""

The man had been doing two types of hunting that morning. First he had gone looking for herbs but had found none that were ready to harvest. Next he had decided to catch a few rabbits one for himself and other for Callisto should she want one. It hadnt taken him long to find and kill the first, the second one had been more difficult as he had the blood of the first still on his muzzle as he hunted it.

Mid assault, her voice rang out for Kassander. Max hadn't been expecting her to call the boy so soon, especially since she hadnt even wanted to speak to him about what had happened. Anyone, especially a healer would see the physical proof that she'd had pups. The dark man knew deep down what had happened even though she wouldn't tell him.
He would race back to his den with the cotton tailed meal hanging from his jaws.

Upon his arrival Maximous would see that Kass had already shown up and made his observations. The look on his face told him so along with everything else he needed to know. The boy was expecting an explination and if it wasnt given then he would ask questions. Damnit, hhe himself had wanted to know, hell he still wanted to know but he promised her and he would make something up if the boy pushed for answes.

Quietly Max moved to sit next to Calli, dropping the tow rabbits on the ground and giving her a reasuring smile to let her know he was there for her. He would then turn to Kassander andgive him a small nod.

Walk | Talk | Think
 
Callisto wondered, however fleetingly, how long would have been the acceptable time before she could decide that Kassander was not going to show up and pretend to go about her business of reintegrating herself into pack life. It would have been nice, maybe too nice, to not have to go through the awkward questioning and unwanted concern about the events that had drawn her away so long, particularly since they were things she did not in the least wish to think about. The sooner she forgot about her personal demon, and the spawn he had stolen from her, the better everything was going to be. Or so the young mother kept telling herself. 

She was no less prepared when the timid boy-king arrived, ears tucked and looking...actually, much like she remembered him. Aside from the fact he strolled right for her and spoke her name, a clear invitation for her to begin her tale, he did not carry the assertive, self-confidence that his sister and mother, that even Katja, had when they had ruled. It was strange, but at the same time she wondered if maybe it would not actually be better this way. He had a healer's eye, and that was plenty good enough to get answers when someone wished not to speak. 

Her silvery blue eyes regarded him with mild curiosity a moment, still getting used to the fact this was going to the be one she needed to bring all of her issues to, the one who was supposed to make everything better in the pack now, and shifted quickly away when she felt a presence come up along her side. She tensed at first, the shadowy form so quiet that she had failed to realize he was near, but upon recognizing Maximous, rabbits in tow, she relaxed again. For being nothing more than a mentor and a teacher, he was sure taking great pains to make her transition as easy and comfortable as possible, and though she had yet to say so aloud she was grateful for it. 

Letting her gaze and attention slide back over to Kassander, she spoke the simple, straightforward statement that she had been rehearsing in her mind, one that avoided the true issue but still made clear why she was here again. "Max said you were king now," she stated, her flat tone not altogether hiding her disbelief. It was still going to take some getting to used to, but that was beside the fact. "I wanted to let you know that I'm back, and I won't be going anywhere again." Not so much a request to rejoin as it was an address of her absence, Callisto wanted to keep her place here in Ebony. Leaving had been the furthest thing on her mind when she had wandered off that fateful day, and now that she was back she was reluctant even to set another foot outside the border again. 

The tableau was broken when a familiar dark form approached to drop a pair of rabbits and seat himself at Callisto's side. Kassander didn't return the nod, but his stance straightened, his gaze hardened. Maximous had obviously already known Callisto was in the territory - had made no attempt to inform him. Had been hunting Ebony's prey to feed a wolf who for all intents and purposes not been a member for some time. Callisto's words confirmed she had been speaking with the healer, and Kass took a deep breath. King it was then. Be the king Drashiel's brief lesson had taught him to be. "How can I trust that?" He met her eyes firmly, ignoring Maximous for the time. "You left without a word to anyone last time. You walked back into our borders without even thinking to ask if you would be welcome?" He shot a hard look to the male then - clearly Maximous hadn't thought Kass was important enough to know either - before looking back. A breath of air puffed out on a sigh. He was young enough yet to be hurt by the disregard to his leadership that was becoming more and more obvious among many of the members, and apparently former members, of the pack he had inherited. He tried to keep his voice level, to wipe any trace of hurt or anger from his tone. Like Raisa would have... "Were you even planning to mention the puppies you have out there somewhere or were you hoping I wouldn't notice?" ""

Max would raise an eyebrow to the absence of a returned nod and an ear would flicker at the look he would be given. Callisto's reaction however had been to stiffen until she realized who had just sat beside her. Soon though she would give a small explanation. Starting with the fact that he had informed her that Kassander was now king and ending with the fact that she was here and didn't plan on going any were. That last statement would have made the dark man smile had it not been for the look on the boy king's face. Jeez, the boy acted like Max had been harboring her for months, which he hadn't been doing because it had only been that morning that she had returned.

Before he had gone off to do his pack duty, he had gone to check on Calli's den which had resulted in a conversation. One in which she asked him to bring her to his den so she could retrieve her herbs and he had offered for her to stay with him should she wish too. Apparently mister 'we are now going to help the world' was going to get mad because Maximous had taken the time to help the woman he loved....of course neither of them new that small detail yet. Still Kassander would pelt her with questions such as 'how can I trust you' and a much longer version of 'how dare you leave and then return without my permission.'

During this questioning Max would be holding his tongue and Kassander would be ignoring the dark healer. Though, apparently, he couldn't be ignored forever as he would receive a hard look from the younger man, as if he had no respect for the King of Ebony. So far the healer had been able to hold himself back from any comments that would have gotten him into trouble, but the subject that Kass now brought up was one Maximous himself had sworn not to pry into. One that, quite frankly pissed the man off as he had an idea of what had happened. Blue eyes would turn on the king with the same hard look that he had previously been given. "Kassander." he would warn with a stern and deadly tone, a tone that he had only used once before.

Maximous would answer any questions and do as ordered. He had been loyal to this pack, to Raisa, Katja, Valeriya and now his loyalties lay with the Kassander. He would be loyal to Ebony until Ebony got rid of him, but he would not tolerate that question as she wouldn't even graze the subject with the one wolf she had spent countless hours with. Though his expression would remain hard his tone would change to a much friendlier one. "You can trust her because she didn't leave. You can trust her because she's standing right in front of you and damnit you can trust her because she called you to her.' he would state all the obvious answers to his beginning question before moving on "And she did ask, she just didn't ask you. I found her at her den in the Stone Steppe early this morning and I brought her here to my den to call for you while I went herb hunting and breakfast hunting.' he would not touch what he had already warned about and he would not explain that he was the first wolf to know she had gone missing.

Walk | Talk | Think
 
Callisto was honestly taken aback by Kassander's distrust, his refusal to take her words at face value as she offered them. She blinked in surprise, her brows knitting further as he proceeded to question her absence and how it was that he viewed it all from his clueless side of the situation. Of course she had not given thought to what he might think. She saw no reason herself why she should possibly be denied, why there should have been any issue with her return, and so had expected everyone else to fall into suit. The fact Max had jumped on board with the plan right away had only solidified those thoughts, and now she found herself growing irked at having her trustworthiness, her loyalty to the pack, questioned.

Her lips pursed but she made no attempt to speak up, giving him room to speak his piece while her own thoughts roiled below the surface. She nearly snapped, felt the anger flare up at the mention of the brats abandoned in the north, felt the guilt that she tried so hard to keep at bay rear its head, and was surprised for a second time when Maximous spoke up, somehow keeping an even tone when hers would easily have been venom-laced. He tried to divert the conversation, to keep the obvious question of her previous condition far from her, but even she knew it was no use. If she was going to get to stay here, she was going to need to be brutally honest. No matter how much that honesty killed her to think about.

"The brats weren't mine," she spat with clear bitterness, a coldness that was directed at the monster who had changed her life irreparably, "they never were. I was only allowed to leave when..." Her voice tapered off, the memory of the day bringing with it too many unwanted, pointless emotions for her to know how to process them. She did not want the demon spawn, not even a little. And yet she worried, wondered, and wished... Hardening herself again, she lifted her head and stared across at Kassander with a gaze both steely and haunted, and heard the slight wobble in her voice. "If you're going to send me away, just do it already."

Kassander's eyes squeezed shut momentarily, and he drew in a deep breath to quell the sudden flash of temper that shocked through him as Maximous' insubordination went from subtle to... considerably less than. He didn't want to deal with this on top of everything else. "I am not going to send you away, Callisto," he said soothingly, though through the reassurance his voice was taut and his body stiff. "Ebony is meant as a haven and a protectorate. You are welcome to rejoin us and I would be happy to welcome you as a full healer. But the fact is that you would have kept something secret that could very well be dangerous to the pack. Knowing, we can protect you and ourselves. But not knowing that danger could take us by surprise and cause harm to the pack and those it protects. I'm sorry for what happened to you," he added, his voice softening and his sincerity clear. "I wish I could do something to change things. I am more than willing to put Ebony's resources toward putting down those who harmed you, if that is what you want. Think about it, and we can talk again when you have settled in." But Maximous would have to be dealt with, now. "Maximous." The name cracked out like a whip as he turned his head, and his attention, back to the insubordinate healer.. no trace of hesitation and shyness. He let slip a bit of that temper, letting it buoy him past his natural reserve. His posture straightened, his head and tail coming up in a dominant posture he rarely adopted and his two toned eyes went hard as he stared down at the older male. "You have been an issue since the day my sister took this pack from Katja. You have shown nothing but disrespect for her, for me, and for the Xanilov leadership since then. Whether you like it or not, Ebony was her legacy, and now mine. My age and experience are irrelevant to that. I am the alpha of this pack. If you are not prepared to accept that and look past your own prejudices, you are clearly not ready to be a ranking member of this pack. We need our healers and our warriors to be ready and willing to support the pack, not tear it apart by breaking rules and showing disrespect because they think they can get away with it. A sola knight is not allowed to accept wolves into the pack no matter who that wolf is. They are not allowed to invite wolves who are not members over the border. They certainly do not allow them to remain unattended and not call a ranking wolf to take over. It is not their place, and clearly you never learned that, or chose to disregard it completely." He took a deep breath and then dropped the bomb. "Until you can prove to me that you can handle the responsibility and deserve to be ranked among the healers once again you will be ranked as a commoner. You will have no prestige among the pack, and you will no longer be considered a healer in any official capacity. You will be ranked beneath the students, and the apprentices. Do not force me to demote you further, Maximous. I am no longer going to tolerate your insubordination." Bristling, he turned abruptly away from the pair to stalk back into the territory. His ears quivered from reaction, and his breath threatened to catch as his heart raced, but Kassander outwardly maintained his calm as he left the healer to take in the torrent of words. -exit Kassander unless stopped- ""

Previously Callisto had made it very clear to him that she did not wish to talk about her absence and that he would know nothing of it until she was ready to speak of it. Her answer to Kassander, even after Max tried to get him to drop it, would confuse him. She would not tell him, but she would tell Kass. Maximous would do everything in his power to hold his gaze on the boy king. He did not wish for her to know how she had just cut him, she did not need that stress and he would not give it to her.

Kassander had been less than aggravated with Max when he spoke out of term but quelled his temper if only for a moment. A moment that would be used on Calli. He would assure her by first telling her that he would not send her away and then by telling her how Ebony was to be operated under his command. Max would watch and listen to him with the same respect he thought he had always given when another was speaking and did not flinch when Kass all but shouted at him. The man would listen as the boy he thought of as nephew would insult him, it was all Max could do as the boy never listened to him anyway. The only time he could remember ever showing Val disrespect was the day Katja had left the girl in charge, when he spoke his mind. Was he mistaken? No, he didn't think he was but Kassander wasn't around for every conversation they had. To Kassander however, disrespect had been shown only on purpose on one occasion and that was when he had mentioned Callisto's condition. He had only broken a rule because he had thought Calli still part of the pack and showing up late to the stupid fight training hadn't been on purpose.

Still he would remain silent as Kassander paused only to tell him that he wasn't a healer and didn't deserve a rank. Max hated to burst his bubble but he would always be a healer weather or not Kass called him one or not. Not being called a Sola Knight would not alter the dark mans feelings. As the boy would leave Max would shake his head as voicing anything would be pointless. Were it not for Callisto the man would have no reason to stay. Blue, weary eyes would turn to the girl at his side though he would speak no words for a few moments as he took her in. He had no clue as to whether she had feelings for him beyond that of a friend but at this moment he did not care as he would give up much more than his rank for her as in comparison his rank meant nothing to him and she meant the world. "It appears that I am no longer your mentor." and with that he would stand taking only one of two rabbits and go into his den.