Rage boiled in the pit of her stomach. Abandonment... She scoffed, the sour word filling her mouth like bile. What an idiotic concept. She wasn't a child anymore, and it was time she stopped acting like one. Family, another amusing concept. It was something you built, not something you were born into. You did not get to choose the pair which gave you life, could not choose the souls who were destined to be your kin. All things said and done, you win some and you loose some. She tilted her head back and sent a howl rolling through the dark woodland, calling her brother to her side. Kassander was all that remained to her, and Svetlana was supposedly back now too, though if she was being honest the misgivings remained. Still, he would not be alone... She gritted her molars, bared her fangs, glared at the violet light which flickered on the lake's surface. Snow blanketed the terra, illuminated under a full moon, as if the sun had not set at all. Raisa was a joke, her legacy was utterly laughable! The Xanilovs? Ha! A bunch of run-down useless cowards. And Valeriya was done fighting a useless battle for the sake of someone else's dream. She loved her brothers, her sisters, but she was doing them no good at all while she rotted away in her mother's shadow. It was time to go. "Talk" "You" Think

The howl that reached Kassander's ears filled the would-be healer with foreboding. It was Val and... she sounded so angry. Was something wrong? Anxiously the auburn-coated boy leaped to his feet and bounded toward her call. Snow crept between his toes with each leap, bringing to mind simpler times. Watching his siblings play in the snow, so carefree, so joyful, so... together. Snow made everything look clean and new, smoothed all the rough edges and the ugly patches. It could very well be his favorite time of year if it weren't also so very dangerous. He didn't care for the thrill of danger, for the freedom of the Great Out-There, not like his siblings. Not like Val. He skidded to a halt in a weak spray of snow before his equally-auburn younger sister. "Val! Is something wrong?" Something looked wrong. Sounded wrong. Had something happened? Well if something were wrong he would do his best to help her. "What do you need me to do?" "Talk" "You" Think

Kassander look flustered, worried, so caring. For an instant a burst of guilt flared in her chest, not for what she was about to do, but that she had built it up. She refused to consider herself a failure, deciding instead to harbor it as resentment for those who had come before her. I am no wolf of Old Ebony, she told herself, I am a wolf of Alacritis. She leveled him with a strong gaze, attempting to withhold the firestorm of rage that had consumed her, lest he think she was disappointed in him. Her sweet brother, always so caring and helpful. How they had been sprung from the same litter she would never know. "Everything's wrong, Kass," she whispered in a strained tone, less she scream. She was no pup, she was a woman scorned and she would not stand for it. "Everything about this is wrong. Ebony is a joke, and... and I refuse to lay claim to it's ashes." She looked off towards the horizon, eyes misty. "I have to leave." It would seem sudden departures ran in the family, but if she lingered one moment longer in this festering mire she would surely fall to pieces. "Talk" "You" Think

His sister's words struck him dumb for a moment. Val, leaving? But... didn't that make sense? She'd always been the one longing for adventure, resenting all the responsibility she had forced on her just as much as he used to resent not having it. Their relationship had nearly come to a very volatile end as children when he'd tried to take his own problems out on her, and he'd very nearly left the pack to strike out on his own - laughable considering that he'd been shy of six months old at the time and hadn't a bit of sense. Val on the other hand had done exactly that only short time later, and she'd not only survived she'd thrived and found a confidence that he could only admire and envy. He'd watched her take control of the pack but... clearly she hadn't been happy and content. You could only fake so much. And he couldn't really disagree with her about their mother. "I understand," he spoke softly. He stared down at the snow between them in thought. That thin layer really did make everything that much more beautiful. Maybe if Virgil hadn't stolen him away from Ebony he wouldn't have felt this way, maybe he'd have said the hell with Ebony and the Xanilov name just like he had as a pup but... the thought of coming home had been what kept him going in Olympus when he'd been terrified and alone and withdrawn into his own head. With a sigh he lifted his masked head to look at her. Val. "I want you to do what makes you happy and if that means you leaving Ebony then I think you should, because you being happy means a lot more to me than Ebony. But... I can't go with you. I need Ebony to keep going. I can't leave it. And..." his voice dropped, timid but with a solid surety of what he was asking. "I could take care of Ebony. I could be alpha." "Talk" "You" Think

Kassander had take her completely by surprise. He wanted to lead? ...She blinked. In her blind rage she had not even considered, had not seen anything beyond the all-too-distant horizon. Yes. It was perfect. Her jaw dropped and for a moment she looked at her sweet, caring brother in an entirely new light. He was patient and kind, knowledgeable and diplomatic where she could only be reckless. A dark edge crept into her mind, wondering if leadership would taint him as it had her, as it had tainted their mother. Truly, they must have been cursed. "You have every right to claim the throne," she whispered, "and if you wish to stay of course it is yours. Should you cross paths with Svetlana I'm sure you two can resolve things peacefully... Know this though, I am not leaving you. Only this pack. I will come back to check in with my sweet, perfect older brother whenever I can." She stepped forward, seeking to press her muzzle into the crook beneath his jaw, an embrace somewhat out of character for her. But the love she felt for Kass was real, a powerful force, enough to move mountains. Screw Raisa, screw whatever back ally scut had sired them, Kassander was her brother and that would never change. "Talk" "You" Think

His words seemed to surprise Val, and for a beat he was worried that she would say no, that she would dissolve Ebony anyway because he couldn't inherit, he wasn't good enough... but her reply stopped him short. He did have the right to claim it, didn't he? He didn't need to ask permission like a child. Val had been running the pack quite capably - though not happily - for some time now and it was clear that whatever anyone thought they were adults and capable of deciding for themselves what to do. He'd known that of Val for a while but applying the realization to himself... it was a heady mixture of emotion. But one thing was clear - he did want Ebony. He was terrified of failing but he wanted it. "I do want it," he said with more assurance this time. Val tucked under his chin and Kass relaxed around her, enfolding her in a gentle embrace. "I know that, Val," he assured her. "And no matter what you'll always be welcome in Ebony's lands any time. But can you promise me something?" He pulled away to regard her with absolute seriousness. "Will you look for Sigmarr and Sindri while you're adventuring?" He knew that Sigmarr probably didn't think much of him and might not want him as Ebony's alpha, but he'd rather not be alpha and have his brother and sister back safe than the other way around. "Talk" "You" Think

He spoke with an assured voice that Val had not heard from him since his release from Olympus. With this responsibility, she wondered if he might grow into the brave, confident man she knew he could become. Her time alone had forced her to blossom, to find her strength... Perhaps this would be how he found his. She let out a deep breath, one she did not know she'd been holding, and stepped back. He assured her that she would always be welcome, and gave her a simple request. "With my every waking breath," she swore. Her anger washed away as she softened, reminded once more that for all the hardship she had faced, Kass had in many ways been her rock, simply by being. He was already so much stronger than he seemed to understand, and one day she would make sure he knew it. But many miles remained between that point in time and the one they currently found themselves in. There was so much to do. She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, planting this moment in her memory, memorizing every scent and sound. The night was so peaceful, bitterly cold, yet there was a warmth in the woman that had nothing to do with the frigid temperatures. "Whatever happens, I will always love you and the rest of our siblings. Never doubt that. And I'll never be able to thank you for everything you've done for me." She turned slowly, took a few steps before turning to glance over her shoulder. She would not say good bye, for it was not a farewell. "I'll see ya soon, Kass." -EXIT UNLESS STOPPED- "Talk" "You" Think