"Bryn wonders where we are going?" came the shrieking cry of the grackle fluttering three feet above his cobalt cranium. An ear twitched as his brow furrowed, focusing on the land beyond Imperium's invisible iron curtain. He twisted his head to the right, angling it so that his left eye could see her clearly while he paced onward. "We aren't going anywhere in particular, just somewhere.." he mused in a voice lacking any particular emotion. He'd been thinking lately, something that was never good. It wasn't that he didn't think all the time, but when he began to think like this he often grew sullen and desperate for her attention. Her being, of course, Lysis Armada. He had let out a call for her only a moment before, desiring her presence, and then had stepped deliberately across the Imperium border and out into the wonderland that was Veteran's Plateau. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a wonderland, but it was a place where his thoughts were safe and completely his to have. A place where she and he could discuss something long past due. He paced on until Imperium was well out of direct view, though still distinctly there, and then rested to his haunches hoping she would join him. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

While it was not surprising at all to hear Kyarst call to her, what was surprising was that he was not within the familiar borders of Imperium. While they hadn't spent as much time together she she would've liked, she knew that they both were getting used to their places within the pack. Though she was used to spending some time from him -- she'd be lying if she said that the sound of his voice, ringing across the lands, didn't make her stomach twist slightly with excitement. Swiftly she would move toward where he'd called from, curious as to why he'd wanted to meet with her away from their home. Slender limbs would carry her across the lands, her ears perked attentively. These lands seemed dangerous, she noted to herself, keeping her head low as she gazed at the earth. Each of her paws moved carefully across the land. Only when Kyarst came into view would she let her gaze lift, her head tilting curiously as she closed the distance between them. "Hoping to spill my blood again, brother?" Lysis would ask gently, moving to press her nose against his shoulder.

Bryn fluttered ahead of him, clearly distressed by his lack of a specific destination. Kyarst rarely had a destination in mind. He was, and always had been, a wanderer. Cobalt flesh melted into the earth as he watched the grackle go, idly wondering why she stuck with him. It didn't take long for Lysis to join him, and he found a smile tugging at his lips when she posed her question. "Not this time darling." He twisted his head toward her muzzle as she pressed it into his shoulder, offering a swipe of his tongue across her cheek. "How are you? It's been a while." He hadn't seen her since their encounter with the kids, something he often tried not to think about. He wondered how she felt now that they had had time to think. He understood on some level how they felt, but he didn't understand why they were so tactless. Children or not, they should have been taught to be polite. He shook his head, as if trying to rid the thought from his mind. He didn't want to think about that anymore. He had other things to focus on.

Her hazel stare lingered on the bird for a long moment. When had she decided to join him? Briefly she thought of Atlas, wondering when it was that Kyarst had outgrown him. "Atlas has sure gotten smaller," she snickered, a half-hearted attempt at a joke. Her slightly playful facade seemed to slip away as she slipped into his embrace, happy to be with him again. "I'm glad," she'd admit with a soft laugh. "I'm in no mood for a fight." Grateful for his touch, she would lean in to let her head rest against his own for a moment. She'd linger against him for a long while, before pulling away. "I'm fine," she'd answer him a bit hesitantly, searching his gaze for something - was he okay? "Same as always. What about you?" Her gaze, though remarkably soft in his presence, was searching too as she watched him. After a moment she would sink to her haunches in front of him, tail curling tightly around her bottom half.

He found himself laughing, even though her joke wasn't the most clever one he'd heard. It was enough just coming from her, and so he would humor his half-sibling. Her head rested against his as she told him she wasn't in the mood for a fight. Now when was that ever the case? A smirk played across his lips, "Scared, are we?" He knew the truth, she wasn't afraid of anything, but it was fun to throw a rib at her every now and again. "You don't look it," he'd state placidly as she said she was fine. However, he wasn't sure if he might be reflecting his own emotions onto her. She turned the question on him, and he knew she'd read his mood accurately. He hadn't bothered to hide it. "Yes and no," he offered in vague response to Lysis. There wasn't much point in lying, was there? "I guess I'm feeling a bit off. I love it in Imperium, but I can't help but feel like something is missing.. you know?" Did she feel it too, or was he alone? Half of him hoped that she did feel the same way, just so he wouldn't be alone, but the other half insisted that he wouldn't ever want her to feel the way he felt right now. He rose up, having previously laid down, and shifted his head and neck forward in attempt to prod at her blackened nose with his own. Touching her gave him comfort, and comfort was what he desired most.

A soft sigh would escape her throat as she leaned against him. "Absolutely terrified," she sarcastically admitted, though would scoff silently. Even if he beat her a thousand times, she would still be unafraid to fight him again - perhaps because she knew he would never truly hurt her. Slight amusement would dance in her green-brown stare as she studied him, searching aimlessly for something she was unsure if she would find at all. Obviously there was a reason he'd called her away from Imperium lands, right? He began to speak after a moment, being fairly honest with her. He admitted feeling strange here... and truthfully, she was grateful to hear him echo her own thoughts. "I sort of feel the same," she'd tell him, shrugging her slender shoulders. "It does feel kind of.. vacant, I guess." That felt like the best way to describe it, though her feelings were hard to put into words. "I guess I was sort of hoping that meeting Drashiel and Roman's kids might make things seem more.. I don't know, complete, but it's only made me bitter." She gazed at him expectantly, wondering if he shared a similar sentiment. Only slightly would she smile as she felt his cool nose touch her own, leaning into the touch gladly.

"Good," he quipped when she stated how terrified she was. It was only fitting for her to fear him. He smirked at the thought, knowing better than to speak that part out loud. She responded to him, letting him know she felt the same way. Vacant was a good way to describe it, though it didn't fully explain everything. "I feel like we're missing something," he tacked on for added measure, nodding when she spoke about Drashiel and Roman's children. "I so wanted them to like us," he commented, though it sounded pitiful as he said it. "You know what I mean." Did she? "I wanted them to believe us, to let us explain what happened, to let us tell them our side, to let us be there." He had wanted them to give a damn, that's what he'd wanted. It hadn't seemed that much to ask at the time. As his nose contacted hers he pushed forward and to the right, brushing his muzzle down the length of her own and her cheek if she'd let him get that far. "I thought I'd finally have another piece of my family to love," he whispered, feeling vulnerable as he mentioned it. He wasn't usually this tender, but the thought had rattled around in his head so long he knew he had to voice it eventually or he'd burst. Besides, who would be better to tell than Lysis? "Everyone's gone but you." His mother, his father, his brother, Drashiel, Roman, gods knew where anyone else was. She was all he had left, and for a moment - one glittering moment - he thought he'd be able to add four more lives to that number. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

"I did too," she quickly admitted - about wishing their nieces and nephews had been like them. It felt a bit stupid to admit out loud, but they had so few family members left that seeing those kids react so negatively to them was extremely disheartening. She hadn't just been hurt, but quite angry, and such powerful emotion could only be elicited from her when she really cared about someone. Lysis felt her ears flatten against her skull, a slightly irritated look crossing her delicate features at the topic of conversation. The sudden emotion she could hear in his voice was slightly surprising, but she could empathize with him. Lysis shuddered as she felt his muzzle brush the side of her face, arching her neck slightly to the side. If he could be so vulnerable, so could she -- if in a more physical way. His touch was reassuring, despite all the feelings this conversation brought up, she she leaned into it without hesitation. Another sigh left her lips as he spoke. "I miss Drashiel," she'd utter quietly, feeling a slight pain tug at her heart. "And dad." Of course she missed Roman too, and Athena and all of their other siblings... but the loss of two in particular hurt more than the rest. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right?" She'd interject suddenly, slipping away from his grasp to watch him, her words serious. It was strange to see Kyarst so sullen and she wasn't quite sure if she liked his sudden shift in mood. "I mean it."

He didn't know what caused the sudden outpouring of emotion. Perhaps the vaults inside his heart and mind were full and simply needed to be emptied, or perhaps he would go insane if he didn't get his feelings out. Whatever the case, he found himself disgusted that he'd just gushed his heart and soul to another - even if that 'another' was Lysis. He should be stronger than this, and inwardly he would will himself to pull it together. But there was pulling oneself together and being hard-hearted. The latter he wasn't willing to be with her, and so he would nod slowly as she mentioned missing her brother. "I miss him too," he noted. At one point in time Kyarst had been closer to Drashiel than his own brother. Those were the days. "I miss Mom," he breathed, more than his dad. Isardis had been his idol, but his mother had raised him, loved him, built him up to who he was today. She reaffirmed him, and for a moment he felt the breath catch in his throat. He let it out with a simple, "I know." He did know it, and he would trust that feeling. She wasn't going anywhere. "I'm not going anywhere either," he added on sincerely. "It's you and me now, we've got to keep our family alive." It was both an obligation and an honor, both of which he would gladly accept. The name Armada meant everything to him. "Whatever's left of it." There was a seriousness to his tone, a finality. He brushed his muzzle further, past her cheek and into the curve of her neck, breathing in her scent longingly and desiring to be closer to her. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

It still struck her as deeply surprising that their nieces and nephews hadn't even given them a chance. Hadn't Drashiel and Roman not taught them that nothing surpassed family? That the Armada blood was more valuable than anything else in the world? She wouldn't use their loss of their parents as much of an excuse for their behavior; her own mother had abandoned her, and while she loved her father dearly, Isardis has never been there for her like a father ought to. She had struggled to even survive as a whelp and she owed almost nothing to her parents -- the fact that they essentially had to raise themselves wasn't a good enough excuse for her to forgive their stubbornness. She watched him as his head seemed to spin -- surprised at the sudden emotion that gripped him and refused to relinquish its hold on his heart. A soft sigh left her lips again, at the mention of his mom, and she would eagerly press her nose into his neck, needy and wanting for his touch. "What do we do, Kyarst?" her question sounded more hopeless than she'd intended it. "They don't want anything to do with us." She had to remind herself, though, that they were merely children. Perhaps they would mature, and would eventually want to know them, to accept them as family. But what would they do until then? A soft sound left the woman's lips, nearly a whine as she sought to intertwine her body with Kyarst's. If anything, he was the only constant left in her life and suddenly she felt like she might crumble into a million pieces if he left her now. Overwhelmed with emotion, mirroring his own turmoil, she pressed desperately against his throat. Her tongue would lash from between her jaws to caress the fur there, aiming for the more sensitive areas, happy that he would allow himself to be vulnerable to her.. even if he hated every second of it.

He held onto the firm belief - or perhaps hope - that the children might change their mind someday, might come to their senses and want to know the sliver of family they had left. But until then he knew any efforts he put in would be in vain. "We don't do anything," he commented, but it sounded pitiful as he said it. "We stop trying, for the time being, and let them realize the errors of their ways." He only hoped that would happen sooner rather than later. "If we see them we'll chat, but we can't push this on them or they'll only resent us more." That much he knew for certain, because he was exactly that way as a child - and perhaps even now. Her tongue lashed against his throat and in an instant he felt himself tense - feeling uncertain - and then relax under her touch. He trusted her enough to know she'd never harm him, at least not intentionally. His green eyes narrowed to slits and then closed completely as he relished in her touch and the feel of her against his flesh. "Remind me why we don't do this more often?" he groaned with delight, his tongue snaking out of slightly parted jaws to caress the space between her shoulder blades. His throat vibrated against her in a satisfied growl as he angled his jaws and attempted to nibble at the fur he'd just kissed. "I love you," he admitted after doing so, the words nearly a whisper but audible enough for her to hear if she were listening. There was an unmistakable truth behind the three words he'd just uttered, and the cobalt man would never begin to deny them. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

Lysis would be content to whine and complain with him, but he seemed to know the answer for her problem. They couldn't force the kids to care about them, or even to consider them family; it would only push them away even more. She couldn't help the anger that she'd felt when she'd first met them. She wanted to smack them upside their little heads for being so ignorant, so oblivious to what had really happened. And yet.. her rage wouldn't help anything. Another sigh left her lips as she leaned into Kyarst, grateful for the stability he offered her. No matter how mad he made her at times, he was here with her. "I still can't believe they seem to think we abandoned Drashiel and Roman.. that somehow they are more Armada than we'll ever be,," she gentle mocked one of the children's phrasing. Though she could only wish that Drashiel was here to correct them, she knew that would never be the case, and they'd have to learn by themselves.. or not at all. But neither she nor Kyarst could change their minds. "So stupid..." The mood seemed to shift, and she was grateful. The thought of their estranged family only brought her pain. A small grin appeared on her lips as he spoke, asking why they didn't do this more often. "That's a very good question," she'd murmur softly as she pulled away, basking in his touch for the moment. If there was anything that made her happy in this world, it was Kyarst. How had she gone all these seasons without him? Why had she left him, again? Proving a point to him - that abandonment really fucking sucked - didn't feel nearly as good as being with him. She should've known that. A soft giggle left her lips at his touch. "I love you too," her own words soft, but honest and full of emotion that she didn't bother to hide. "And I love this." She loved his touch and his voice, his companionship about everything, no matter how tumultuous their relationship could be. Her tail would unfurl behind her as she pressed tighter against him, with a hint of desperation.

He had long ago surmised that he felt feelings like love, possession, sadness, and desire so deeply because he didn't allow himself to feel them all the time. Anger was a feeling he permitted at any time, as it was often necessary. But the others, they were often shunned, pushed down and bottled up until they overflowed forcefully. This was an occasion in which he felt himself overflowing with emotion, with desire to be with her. "I can't either," he admitted. How the children could believe such a thing was a travesty, but it was also reality. What was the use in explaining to them that it had been their own parents who had left Kyarst and Lysis? Kyarst didn't feel like speaking ill of the dead. She neared him, also uncertain why they didn't spend more of their time entangled like this. He knew they could only dote on each other so long without growing sick of themselves, but embracing more often wouldn't be out of the question in his book. 'And I love this.' His brow arched upward as he went back to nibbling on her fur for a moment, thinking carefully about his next question. "Do you?" he queried, partially teasing and partially longing for the affirmation. He loved this but there were things that he loved more, actions he believed could only solidify a relationship as strong as theirs. "How much?" he posed yet another question, this one laced with a deeper note of seduction than the first. Just how much did she crave his touch, his breath on her skin, his warmth? "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

Perhaps it was only because of her stubborn, fiery will that she had even survived puphood. Much like Kyarst, Lysis had a fiercely independent spirit and was aggravatingly tenacious at times. While it was the reason she had survived the sickness she'd been plagued with as a child, it had also been why she'd disappeared from Kyarst's life.. but it was her love for him that had forced her to return. His gentle touches continued, but seemed to falter for a moment as he considered her words. Lysis was unused to feeling uncertain around her half-brother, but she felt suddenly flustered as he spoke, noting that his tone had shifted.  "Of course I do.." she'd assure him softly. He'd voice a question to her, serious but teasing at the same time, and she swore she caught a hint of desire in his words that she'd never heard before. 'How much?' he'd ask and she found a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest, the dull sound echoing between her ears, as a barely audible whimper left her lips. How much did she love his touch, his very presence? Far more than words could describe, and yet it seemed he wanted some sort of answer.  "I've never loved anything more," she admitted honestly. She'd never felt so safe at the touch of another -- and despite feeling safe around Kyarst, he was certainly not predictable and she felt a sudden thrill at not knowing what might come next.  "And I've never wanted anyone more than you." She couldn't help the dull, ebbing need that had been building inside her chest, and she could tell as much that he felt it just as strongly as she did.

He didn't know the effect his myriad of emotions was having on her, if he had he might have shut it down immediately - crawled back into the darkness of his own mind to protect her from it. He didn't want to inflict any confusion upon her. He waited for a while, or what seemed like a while, for her answer. Of course she did, he had known as much, but it was good to hear it from her lips rather than resonating in his mind. He ceased his nibbling then, laying swipe after swipe of his tongue across the fur he'd mussed. It was a soothing, repetitive motion and he found himself calming as he did it. Several more moments passed, and she would offer him a response beyond his belief: 'I've never loved anything more.' A growl-like purr emanated from his chest, slipping past slightly gapped lips. 'And I've never wanted anyone more than you.' Now that was an interesting phrase, one that would cause not one, but both of his brows to raise in immediate interest. She wanted him? In what way? His heart drummed in his chest and he found his rhythmic caressing of her fur ceasing altogether. He froze, but didn't retract his frame from her own. How was he supposed to respond to this? He'd started this line of questioning and now he didn't know whether or not he should continue. He decided, in perhaps too short of a moment, that he would see where this was going. "I want you too," he murmured before returning his jaws to her fur and proceeding to nibble uncertainly along her neck. He knew he was treading in dangerous waters, one false move and everything could be ruined. And yet.. it still seemed worth the risk. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

She was suddenly, painfully aware that they were encroaching on unfamiliar territory. Though she was used to the unfamiliar with Kyarst, this was something entirely different. His touch, typically comforting and safe, suddenly felt like something thrilling and new. Her words seemed to stoked a fire in him and, after a moment of thought, he spoke -- 'I want you too.' All Lysis knew was that she had always loved her half-brother, more than anyone else in her life, and she had never cherished the companionship of anyone else even half as much. If she loved him so much, why not give herself to him, in every way possible? Was there anything stopping her? The only reason she found herself hesitating is that she was worried that things might somehow change now.. but how could they ever truly grow apart? "Show me how much you want me," she'd say finally, her voice low and far more sultry than she had expected. "Please." Part of her worried she had taken his words the wrong way, and yet a more reasonable part knew that Kyarst needed her just as badly as she did him. A soft hum left her lips as he resumed nibbling at the fur on her neck, and she craned her head to the side to give him easier access. Her tail would unfurl, aiming to mingle with his own, feeling a strange and undeniable heat began to settle throughout her body. She felt restless and anxious, though in the best possible way, and she was silently thankful that Kyarst had called her away from Imperium lands... the last thing she wanted was for their moment to be interrupted.

All he could focus on was her touch, the timbre of her voice, and the warmth of her flesh against his. Had he not been a selfish creature this might be enough to satisfy him, but as it were he found himself wanting more. He loved her, and so some part of him believed that that was reason enough to want every inch of her to be his, but was that justified? What gave him the right to demand more than she offered? He didn't know. It seemed he didn't have to know, though, as she willingly offered what he so desired. Her voice was different, and the very depth of it would drive the fur along his spine upward. He groaned as she pleaded with him. He hadn't truly expected her to want the same things he did, and yet here she was, very nearly begging for it. He nipped at her just a bit harder as she craned her head to make it easier for him. Her tail snared his own and he almost regretted having to change his positioning to fulfill the desires they both shared. Moving away from her wasn't exactly on his agenda, but it was necessary to squelch the fire she'd so delicately lit in his loins. He retracted from her then, immediately feeling a chill along his flesh where her body had once been. He sidestepped once and then proceeded to drag his frame along the length of her own, placing carefree nips along her flank as he moved toward her tail. "Oh.. damn," he breathed as he drew closer, not having realized how much he wanted this until the moment was upon him. He could feel his lungs tightening from the excitement and adrenaline, just as it had with Mercy, and he took several long breaths to compensate. His right front paw raised and hung suspended in air as he pivoted and faced her rump. "Are you sure?" he breathed almost reluctantly, half expecting her to say no and crush his dreams in the process. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

A deeply satisfied groan left her lips. Perhaps she knew now why she had been so upset at Kyarst when he'd returned, reeking of another woman -- because the thought of another experiencing something with him, something that she had not, was upsetting. But whatever he'd done with Mercy was far from her mind now as she felt her brother move away from her. She nearly whined as he moved, feeling a sudden burst of cool air where he'd been nibbling previously, not wanting him to go. And yet he was against her a moment later, simply moving toward her hindquarters. Instinctively she'd move to stand, her tail unfurling as she felt him nip along her flank and closer to her tail. A shiver crawled down her spine, and her back would arch at his touch. There was no hesitation as she pressed back firmly against his touch. How could she possibly regret this, let alone want to reconsider now? His affirmation only left her craving him even more. "Yes," came her simple, breathy answer as she shifted her upper body to place a tender kiss on the side of his mouth. There was nothing she'd ever wanted more, and if there was anything she'd ever been certain of, it was this.

Minutes turned to hours in his mind as he awaited her response. He knew he had to occupy himself in some way, and so his jaws would snake forward toward her hip. He nosed along the back line of her hip, ruffling the thicker fur that grew in this particular location. His jaws unhinged as he drug his fangs against her flesh, just hard enough to be felt but not nearly hard enough to cause her any pain. She was different than Mercy, whom he'd bloodied on his very first encounter. He had not a bone in him that wanted to hurt Lysis. She was something to be protected, to be cherished, particularly in this moment. Her answer then came, and he responded with a sharp intake of breath. This was really going to happen. Her tongue kissed the crease of his muzzle and a smile broke across his lips. The cobalt Armada rose up onto his hind legs like a great blackened stallion and gently rested his weight upon her hips. His jaws snared the thick skin behind her neck as he shifted forward, hips bucking instinctively. Restraint was gone from his figure as he wrapped his front limbs around her midsection and succumbed to his growing desire. --- fade --- Weariness had taken over the space desire had left behind, and with great effort he pried his frame from atop her own. He relaxed into a standing position behind her, a dazed and pleased smile upon his features. Emerald eyes glistened as he moved forward slowly, pressing himself against her side. "Damn," he breathed, still in disbelief, as he sought to chew on her ear affectionately. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

His touch felt electric, sending shivers down her spine with each movement of his teeth. She hadn't expected this today -- if ever. In all honesty, it wasn't even something she'd ever considered until the moment had presented itself. Despite not having planned this and certainly not expecting it, she was fully consenting, realizing suddenly how badly she wanted him in a way that she had never before. Only when she felt his weight against her, alarmingly gentle for being so much larger than her, would she give in completely to him. Oh, how she loved him.. and this only further proved their bond that she had never once doubted. - fade to black - A slight smile toyed at her lips, more genuine than the usual smirk she wore, her jaws parted slightly as she panted softly as she sought to catch her breath. "Damn is right," she echoed his feeling of amazement as she felt him nibbling on her ear. Her own snout would bury into his neck, happy to rest against him, wanting nothing more than to simply be with him right now. "I didn't know you wanted that," she admitted, a bit warily, after a moment of taking in his scent. Only then would she pull away to gaze more readily at him. Had he even known he'd wanted it, or had the decision been just as spontaneous as it had for her?