Kassander huffed softly, sending dandelion seeds whirling through the air as he flopped into them. What was he doing? Playing at being a leader as his pack stumbled and crumbled under his eyes? He'd done what he'd thought he had to when he brought his pack to war, and they had won technically. Somehow though, he didn't feel like it. It was his naive and idealistic stupidity that had put his siblings into danger in the first place...

"You are troubled."

The Xanilov glanced up, startled, at the voice. A brightly colored, tall red fox stood a short distance away, calmly watching him with weird emerald green eyes, and was apparently the source of the lightly accented voice. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He didn't want to be rude, but at the same time... he really didn't want to be around anyone right now. If he had, would he have even left Ebony lands?

"Do you need to?" The fox smiled at Kass' silence. "If we only spoke with those we already knew, the world would be a much more silent place would it not?" He took a step closer to Kassander, who remained silent himself as he wasn't quite sure what to make of the strange fox. The fox inclined his head as though acknowledging Kass' thoughts. "You are troubled," the fox repeated, "and you are young, and it seemed you might need someone who might be interested in your well-being. So, we come back to the present. You are troubled."

Kassander sighed, deciding that he really didn't want to argue with the strange little beast so he might as well play along for a little while. "I inherited a pack from my family. My mom left it with a regent for when we were old enough, the regent left it to my sister, and my sister abdicated and left it to me. Now I'm wondering if maybe I wasn't the best choice in leaders. The pack is just... it's falling apart. Wolves aren't really leaving but, hardly anyone who is here puts any effort into the pack unless I force them to. No one's started a pack hunt since... since my sister was alpha. No one had any enthusiasm when fight training was called, and there's only one other trained healer in the pack right now - the other one we had started behaving really erratically and I demoted him and... and I feel like I'm the only one who cares about Ebony." He dropped his forehead to the ground with a thump. Muffled by the grass, he muttered, "and my name's Kassander."

The fox was quiet for a moment, and Kass had hopes he had just left - though part of him was disappointed that his problems might seem so childish and trivial as to bore the strange fox into walking away. But his hopes were dashed when the accented voice spoke again. "It seems to me that if you care, you were indeed the correct choice. One who cares about what they do is a far better leader than one that knows the steps and cares not for the dance. And you may call me Rommel."

Kass lifted his head and stared wearily at the fox. "Rommel, I just... I don't think I can do it by myself. Even with the siblings I have left in Ebony I just... I feel alone and lost. They all have problems of their own and I don't want to burden them with my own on top of that. I don't know if I can keep Ebony going."

The fox slipped up to him, tilting his head to stare down at the young wolf. "Perhaps not so alone, Kassander," he murmured, and gracefully set himself down beside the wolf to keep watch over him.

Kassander snorted, then sighed and dropped his head down. Sure, why not? His mother had a fox steward - it was traditional in their family, another symbol of old Ebony and the Xanilov rule. Maybe he'd deviated too far from his mother's past and that's why the pack wasn't working. Maybe he just needed someone who he could feel comfortable needing without worrying so much about wanting to take care of them. Maybe he just wanted someone to take care of him. "Would you stay with me, Rommel?" he asked, voice quiet and uncertain, almost childlike.

The green-eyed fox gazed down at him serenely. "Of course."

The newcomer had unintentionally followed the scent of her new leader. Coming upon the young male and a fox, she pulled back far enough so overhear their conversation, but far enough away that the king wouldn't scent her unless the wind shifted. She tilted her head, listening to the conversation between the fox and the king. Her ears twitched as she heard the question of the king if the fox would stay, and the answer of the fox. She was shocked that the king would allow a fox to stay with him in the pack. But then again, she didn't know the history of the pack. For all she knew this was normal.

The fox wasn't the only one who had noticed that the king was troubled. Even in her short time in the pack, she had noticed the apathy in the pack, as well as the lack of participation. Nikolai had been worried, and she was puzzled. She barely knew the pack, but figured she might as well get to know her leader. "K-King K-Kassander? Are you alright?" She asked, stepping out of her hiding place behind the trees. She didn't know if he would find it rude of her to ask that question, but better to just ask and get shot down than to never take the initiative to find out. "I'm Aisling, by the way. If you did not recall." She added, dropping her head and tucking in her tail slightly in submission to the king.

Kass lifted his head at the faint rustling of pawsteps, and the sight of Ebony's newest member surprised him. Not that she wasn't allowed out of pack lands, because she was, but just surprising that he'd see her here. After all, "outside of pack lands" was a big place. "I remember you," he assured her. "I'm sorry I haven't done much to help you settle in. I've been a little... distracted lately." That was putting his anxious, scattered feeling mildly. "I've been meaning to test you for the rank you wanted as a healer," he told her, gently changing the subject to her instead of him. He didn't really want to talk about... the guilt, and the self-doubt, the fear. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted company at all... though Rommel's warmth against his side was surprisingly welcome. She was a pack member though, so he rallied against the dragging depression. "How are you getting along with Nikolai?" He remembered he'd assigned Nikolai as a guide for her - though he also remembered how smitten the older male had appeared when he'd first come upon them.

(OOC: Eek >.< Sorry this is so late)

"I'm getting along well with Nikolai." She said, slightly blushing as she answered the leader of the pack. "I understand sire. Being a leader can be quite stressing and such, especially with so much going on." She said quietly, inclining her head to him in acknowledgment of her understanding. "I can wait a bit longer for a test of my skills." She said with a chuckle. "I might have slight understanding of herbs right now, but I plan to so some research and learn more about the different herbs after I settle in a bit more, if that's alright with you." She said, quickly adding the last part, so that she didn't unintentionally offend her leader. "Oh and who's your companion?" She asked, her attention drawn to the fox near his side.