Lykos wasn’t quite certain how to feel at this point in time. Happy? Sad? Angry? Mostly, he felt confused. Why was that rule in place? Why was that male trying to get close to his mother? Why was he put as heir? What was he supposed to do? It was all a mess for him, and all he wanted was for Imperium to be back, to have his family back and not conflicted, that male to be gone, and Mercy to be his mentor again. Then, everything was great. Now, not so much.

Sighing heavily, the yearling laid his head back down. He was perched on one of the many interlocked branches of the woods outside of Yfir and Ivalice; it was quite the nice solitude, though there was the incessant chattering of squirrels and birds in his ears. Overall, however, it was quite pleasant… unlike at Ivalice, anyways.

He couldn’t quite call the pack home. No, home was not with Ivalice. Home was still in Imperium, in the orchard amidst the flowers; on the range, laying on one of the strange contraptions; in the knolls, perched atop one of many watching the buffalo down below. Not in the North, with the pines, where it was hard to find somewhere to den. Not in the mines, where there was no escape and everything was risky. Why did his mother even choose that land? Ah, well, the only other real option would have been this one… and he was lad she didn’t claim these lands. He came here to get away, to have peace in his thoughts; he would have had nowhere else to go to do so if she claimed these woods.

Although… it wasn’t like he was getting much peace anyways. Everything was still jumbled, but at least he didn’t have to worry about his siblings appearing, or anyone else in Ivalice, most likely. Maybe loners, maybe Yfir wolves; neither of which he would mind in this instant. That, perhaps, would cause a significant enough distraction that he would be able to ignore the turmoil in his life, at least for a little while.


"SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn

She hardly ever wandered North, but it was all she had been going lately. Mercy could hardly stay in one place for too long, the loss of everything had made her feel so very vulnerable. If she stopped for too long all her nagging fears came back to her, driving her near breaking point. Imperium had been her life, her drive… everything. The reason why she fought, and why she had tried to better herself. She had had two apprentices and she really had begun to care for Lykos. He was such a good kid, and to not have him with her hurt more than she cared to admit. Mercy now had no ambitions, no goals. Imperium had been all those things to her, and now she had nothing. She kept forgetting that it was winter, even up in the north there was hardly any snow. Only the scent of her heat told her of the season, the stench of it following her everywhere. She was still somewhat emaciated, although Gethin had been forcing her to eat. She had let herself go after the meeting with Cascade and the others, not really knowing what to do with herself. Hunting was too much trouble, and her skinny form showed just how long she had been starving herself. It wasn't really intentional, she didn't have any thoughts of dying. Feeling really fucking depressed? Yeah. But she didn't want to end her life, food was just… not really something she had thought about. Mercy let out a sigh, her elongated tail swinging behind her as she walked through the trees. The constant pestering sounds around her drilled into her tired brain, putting her in a rather foul mood. She let out a growl as her ears pinned back to her skull, and the dame turned to leave the noisy woods. That is when her purple eyes caught sight of someone she never thought she was going to see again. Her whole body perked right up as she looked at Lykos, a smile slowly cracking open her black lips. Letting out a joyous yip she took off towards him, skidding to a stop just in time. "Lykos!" she exclaimed happily, not believing her dumb luck of finding him hear. She bent down and nuzzled behind his left ear, which is when she caught wind of his scent. Gone was the smell of Imperium, the faint smell of another pack clinging to his fur. It smelled like Avalon and several other wolves, but wasn't strong yet. Mainly his own unique scent was what she detected. Shaking her head, she pulled back and realized his sour disposition. "What's wrong?" Mercy asked, her smile vanishing at once. She would ask about the new pack later, although she was slightly hurt that he had moved on to quickly. She had no idea that Avalon had claimed a pack of her own, she had been deaf to the world for awhile. "SPEAK"

So immersed in his own thoughts, the boy was completely oblivious to the world around him - that is, until a wordless yip reached his ears. Jerking from his perch, the boy dropped to the ground, only to be nearly engulfed in a cloud of white fur. Laughing joyously, he pressed into Mercy’s touch, tail a complete blur behind him. In fact, his butt was wiggling from the force of his tail wags. Happy-whines spilled from his jaws as he bent down and nuzzled her back. “Mercy!” Oh the joy! How he’d not expect to see her here; what utter luck! He was grinning as she pulled away - he wanted a distraction, and by the gods he had been given the best one out there. The boy could not be more joyous in that instant, until, that is, Mercy pulled away and his previous thoughts started invading. His frown dropped briefly, and she noticed - pulling back, she’d ask her simple question.

He slowly dropped to his haunches, a thoughtful hum running through him. What was wrong? Where to start? “My mother, and her pack,” he rumbled. Best to start there, he supposed. “They left Imperium before it disbanded. I elected to stay in Imperium, until it disbanded. I then made my way North. Upon my arrival, I was made heir. I do not understand this - and it has caused a rift between I and my siblings. There are laws I do not understand, either, that my mother has put into place. It has made me all very uncomfortable… but they’re family. I couldn’t turn my back on my family. Besides, it’s too late now, anyways. I have pledged my loyalty to the pack…” To him, pack was family, perhaps more than actual family. Had he been like his brothers, he’d have no problem with this switch; as is, he wondered if he made the right choice, joining Ivalice… and if he’d come to regret it.

"SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn

Mercy let out a laugh of excitement as he pushed back into her, his tail moving so fast that his back half moved in tune. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, the first time since Gethin had made her forget about everything for awhile. She had been missing Lykos since before Imperium had disband, it would seem like there had already been a tension in the air. The sickness had driven their alpha mad, and they were all at a loss for what to do. She had wanted to stick by her apprentices side, but she hadn't been able to find him. Well, she hadn't really looked too hard. She had been torn up as well, mostly consumed by her own thoughts and deep sadness. She shook off her thoughts though, pulled back to the conversation at hand as she pulled back. Lykos’ smile vanished, making a small whine pass from her lips. Mercy didn't regret asking what was up, but she had a feeling that a lot had happened. She wasn't wrong, either. She listened in silence, stunned into a seated position. That was a lot for a young man to take on. "I can see why your brothers would be upset, it seems like your mother chose you without much thought. And without asking as well! That's a huge weight to put on your shoulders when you first get there…" she said after a moment to collect her thoughts. To make one of your son's an heir without even talking about it first… That was a huge burden to put on him. As their mother she should have seen that his siblings would get angry that he was chosen over them, especially since he did not join his family at first. No, he came later. Mercy let out a sigh, leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek. "What kind of rules?" she asked curiously. She had not been a part of a pack besides Imperium, so she knew very little about what other rules and customs could be put in place. The fact that he said that was too late had her feeling torn as well. She knew exactly what he meant by staying loyal to a pack, and she had no family in high positions like he did. Her elongated tail ran across the ground thoughtfully, unknowingly fanning her heat scent. "If you don't feel comfortable, I would talk to Avalon. I am sure she would understand, and I don't think she wants to force you to stay there," Mercy said slowly, drawing what little she had gathered from her during their meeting. "But if you want to stay, I would talk to her about the whole heir issue. It sounds like more trouble than it’s worth…" Mercy shrugged, she was never very good with advice. Plus she wasn't close to her mother, so what did she know? "SPEAK"

Mercy listened, without any sort of interruptions, and Lykos was completely grateful for that. He felt somewhat of a burden lifted off of him, though he had not yet spoken of all that was bothering him. There was still Vereux, and the other strange wolves who did not understand him and his siblings’ position with their mother. When he finished abruptly, she remained seated, thinking for a moment before speaking. He listened avidly, nodding to her words. “I had the chance to accept or refuse it… sort of. She kinda paused after saying I was heir and looked at me, and said ‘if I accept it’. I said I accepted, because… who was I to refute the alpha’s decision, even if I was uncertain?” He sighed, leaning into her soothing touch. Thank goodness she was here; he had no idea just how much he needed to talk to her, and to see her.

She questioned the rules next, just as he thought she would. “Rules saying we aren’t allowed to talk about anyone in the pack. We are to speak no names other than our own and the alpha’s - my mother’s - to outsiders. She says this is for the protection of the pack, and then she put emphasis on the fact we’re not hiding? And she also says that there are those out there who will use any information against the pack and would hurt one of our members… I just find it so confusing. It doesn’t make sense to me at all. I feel like there’s a singular wolf causing this, and it’s not any of our family, I don’t think. So it has to be one of the newcomers… and if someone’s after one of our members, what happened? The history of that could be important, because it could be because of someone betraying someone else… and it makes me scared that we may have someone like that in the pack.” The words rushed from him, and when he was done, his head just dropped, and he stared at the snow.

Mercy was silent there for a minute as well, and it was then Lykos noticed something - Mercy smelled… weird. Really, really, weird. Kinda like his mother did last season. Why would they smell alike like that? That was odd… It’d be shaken from his mind as Mercy would then give advice, and Lykos nodded slowly. “I think so too, but I think she would be hurt, too.” He looked up at Mercy, blue eyes searching her violet ones. Did she understand? He thought she did, to a degree. He remembered her saying something about not being close with her family. “I don’t want to hurt my family, either. Or disappoint them. But I hate feeling like this, so uncomfortable. I don’t agree with the pack, but I feel an obligation to them. I feel so torn, I don’t know what to do, what to say. I think you’re right though, I should talk to her. I just wished I was confident in what I wanted.” He sighed again, and aimed to lean against the slimmer white woman. He was so glad she was here, and willing to listen to his troubles.

"SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn

Mercy eyed the boy, he clearly had a lot on his chest. Her frown grew deeper, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. He was so young to have all of this on him, and they had hardly begun to converse. He said that his mother paused slightly after her offer, and her lips twitched slightly. This was all making her pissed off, and she had half the mind to go and talk to Avalon herself. Trying to keep it all locked it, her tail thumped on the ground. "A slight pause is not enough time to make a big decision like that. She should have at least let you sleep on it. And I mean at least. That is a huge, life altering choice that needs more than a few seconds," she grumbled. He leaned against her and she set to work grooming the fur on his shoulder, trying her best to offer him comfort. She really wasn't the best in emotional situations, generally she just raged and stomped around. Maybe she was finally becoming an adult now that she was 4 years old. Damn, she was getting old. When he spoke about some of the rules in his mother's pack, he pulled back and looked at him with a raised brow. She waited until the rush of words was through before she dared to say anything. "It sounds very much like they are protecting one wolf. But why have a whole pack protect one wolf? Are they not capable of defending themselves?" she asked with a snort, her claws biting into the snow. "Sounds to me like they need to be kicked to the curb and told that they are shit out of luck to me. It's a waste to save the skin of one wolf if they cannot save themselves. It's going to drag the pack down to their knees, Mercy muttered, her ears flattening against her head. "Your mother is hiding something, or someone. Not talking about any pack member... well that's just stupid. So you have to avoid all conversations about them? I can't ask how your siblings are doing without being written off? If that happens with a stranger, they will no doubt suspect that there is something in Ivalice worth protecting." The more Lykos spoke, the more Mercy was growing wary of Avalon's pack and her thinking. Maybe she should warn Val-. No. He was gone. Cascade, that's who she should talk to. She spoke of raiding a pack when times got tough, maybe they could find out what they were hiding. She would talk to Lykos about it first though, she didn't want to risk him getting harmed. So she bit her tongue for now, that was a conversation for another time. She sighed again when he brought up not wanting to hurt his family. "You're a year old now, Lykos. A young adult. These are choices that you need to make for you and you alone. Your family won't always be there, so why stick out your neck for them? You might just get your throat ripped out," she growled. Okay so, family things were not the best topic of discussion around her. "If you don't agree on the standing of the pack, then I would leave. You're putting a lot about yourself on the back burner for no reason at all. You need to be your own wolf, Lykos." Like her. It had taken courage, but she would not be where she was today if she hadn't left her family. "SPEAK"

Mercy was wondrous, at least to Lykos, at offering comfort. It was all very soothing, and he sighed softly as she spoke, nodding. "Yes, I do agree... Especially at what also happened at the meeting," his voice hardened as he spoke on, and his ears twitched back towards his neck. "A man named Vereux tried for second-in-command. My brothers Kharnage and Dragon were violently angry and snapped; my brother Gryphon was much more reasonable and gave a calm, logical explanation, of which I followed up on. Our mother snapped at us - all of us - saying we will not talk like that again. Talk like what? Giving our opinions? Talking thoughtfully and seriously?" He growled at the end, absolute anger flashing in his eyes. He paused, taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, before releasing it. Calm down. Except, then he thought once more to the meeting and the anger returned, full-force. "And apparently this man Vereux is 'smitten' with my mother, according to one bitch who believed herself better than us, simply for being older." He struggled with the anger as it threatened to overtake him, and he shuddered even as Mercy pulled away, trying to force it down.

He let himself focus on Mercy's words, until the anger simmered down to simply lightly broiling, instead of foaming and threatened to over-spill. It was still present, but controlled now; it was less fiery, and more cool. Her first response elicited a snort from him as well. "Apparently not," he muttered derisively. Mercy went on, and Lykos nodded along in agreement - those who did not defend themselves and relied on others were weak; the only time there is an excuse is if that wolf is a pup, or is too old to fight. Even so, those that were elder ought to be able to defend themselves verbally and face the consequences of their actions themselves, and not run away from it. "I guess so. I don't even know at this point. That might be an exception, but I don't even know. I'd tell you regardless, as I think any of my brothers would." It was saying something even when he would break the rules, even if it was a rule even he wasn't certain existed. He hummed at the last few words of Mercy, and he nodded slowly. "It would, wouldn't it? They'd think something valuable is here, or someone important; they'd either try to use it against us even more than if we were transparent, or try to raid us. So in reality, this rule of my mother's does not protect anyone, let alone the person who is hiding." It was a revelation he wasn't expecting, but now that Mercy pointed it out... it was all too clear. He thought it suspicious, and he was part of the pack and he was family. Who knows how one wholly foreign questioned and found out?

And the family issue. Mercy spoke passionately, her tone starting out soft and quiet, ending in a rough growl. Lykos frowned - her words did hold truth, but there was something that bothered him about them. "Because if I abandon them, or don't be there for them, then I'm betraying them," he explained quietly. That's what it was, now that he put it into words. If he left, he was abandoning them. If he left, he was not only hurting them but also betraying them, and giving up all he stood for - loyalty. While it was true a pack gained more loyalty from him, he did have some for his family and he just... didn't know what to do. On one paw, his family. Loyalty towards them. On the other hand, the pack that he felt he had to join, due to it being family. He sighed heavily. "Damn them," he muttered, ears flattening. "Damn mother for leaving Imperium and making this mess to begin with." It was just all too much, and he didn't know what to do. He felt like a newborn, blind and helpless. Mercy's words were so true, but how could he ignore that niggling feeling that what he was thinking of doing betrayed his entire family and destroyed his own values? He didn't want to be there. He didn't agree with it. Yet, something was holding him there, this lingering sense of loyalty to his blood as opposed to loyalty towards a pack he willingly joins. He knew what he wanted - he wanted to choose his loyalties. It seemed as if all had been chosen for him.

"SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn