The burly mahogany Abraxas bulled his way through a bush uncaring of the clinging and poking little twigs that sought to bar his way. He was on a trail, dammit, and he was entirely too impatient to be turned aside from it and risk losing it again. Not only his older half-brother Amon, but a whole group of his erstwhile family members (did they count as erstwhile when it had, in fact, been HIM who'd wandered?) travelling southward from the snowy northern continent. Whatever they'd been up to, the group scent had changed, mingled, seemed to become more... official. Had Amon claimed a pack?

The mixed scents slammed right into the border of a newly claimed territory, and Phenex raised his heavy head and did a stompy little victory dance right there. He'd been right! The Abraxas had claimed a pack of their own, with Amon in his rightful place at their head. The new scent markers confirmed it.

With a fierce grin on his thick muzzle he lifted his head and let out a bellowing, slightly off-key howl to announce his presence. He didn't want Amon to think he was trying to avoid the family! No, that would imply he was just being lazy, or selfish, or - Fallen God forbid it - disloyal. No, he'd do his part, and prove himself.

Amon had taken to spending the most humid of afternoons in or near the creek, patrolling it's length for prey come to drink or fish drifting through eddies. He was doing just so when Phenex's howl lilted out into the air, drifting towards him and unmistakable in it tenor and tone... or rather, lack-thereof. Amon frowned briefly, wondering where his half-sibling had been off to while the rest of the family was striving forward? Of course, he had not been the only one absent and in the end the number they held had been sufficient, so he could not bring himself to be disapproving. Only curious, and perhaps a bit miffed. He extracted himself from the creek bed, rubbing his paws against the grass on the banks to rid them of silt and clay before trotting off in the direction the howl had come from. He wondered if Phenex would wait at the border or was simply announcing his presence, but either way the howl had summoned him so he supposed he would find out when he finally did track him down. Arriving at last, Amon saw his brother's hulking, earthen figure standing near the borderline. Amon dipped his head in a polite greeting, face remaining neutral. "Phenex. It's good to see you've returned. I'm glad you found us here." Amon would not pry for details, knowing that ought to be forthcoming soon enough anyways. He would see what Phenex saw fit to share before questioning him himself. "Talk" "You"  Think

To say it had been a long time since he had seen his brother - or any of his family, for that matter - would be an understatement. He was hardly a yearling at best when he'd been cast away from the family, deemed unfit to carry the Abraxas name; he'd been a nervous child, anxious and fearful, and he'd hadn't been able to hide it from his family no matter how hard he tried. While most wolves would've been downtrodden by their rejection, feeling deeply flawed and somehow unworthy of the Abraxas name, Typhon had only grown stronger because of it. He hadn't quite fully lost that nervous streak, of his but over the years he'd spent on his own he'd grown far more adept at hiding his insecurities - fueled almost solely by the need to please his family and prove he wasn't as weak as they had thought.

He'd spent years now keeping his distance, hearing snippets here and there about various Abraxas wolves and their pursuits. For awhile now he'd kept in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. It was obvious that his family was all coming together, for some purpose or another.. he'd caught whiffs of their scents here and there lately as he traveled, but only now - when he heard his brother's familiar call, familiar even though his voice had deepened considerably over the years - did he decide he'd be joining them too, if they'd have him.

Slowly he made his way along the creek, noting something he hadn't realized before - these lands had been clearly marked by as claimed, by none other than his family. A burly grin appeared on Typhon's features as Phenex came into view, though he couldn't help but fear he wouldn't be welcomed. At the very least, he had to try. His focus shifted to Amon as the two grew nearer, his head bowing low toward the earth in respect to the elder wolf and his brother. His expression softened, head lifting as he took a few more steps toward them, masking his nervousness with a slow and steady gait and an even expression "Did you miss me, brother?" Came his rumbling tones, a touch of playfulness tugging at his lips, though it once again softened as he cast his eyes to Amon and dipped his head in respect yet again.

© argent 2017

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

An off-key howl tickled at Pyralis ears and she groaned before rolling onto her other side, her paws over her face. She'd been up all night wandering and just returned to the pack territory that morning but wait… wait one second. Her head shot up and she yawned, blinking the sleep from her eyes and she tried to play the howl in her head once more. Was that Phenex at the border? Well, well, so he was back from wandering? Pyralis got to her paws and strode out of her new den toward the source of the sound. She moved at a leisurely pace, certain Amon was already taking care of it and when she arrived she was pleased to see not only Phenex but Typhon as well.

"Well, well, it is good to see the pack is finally regrouping. Phenex, Typhon, how have you been?"

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Ashiel had heard an unfamiliar call at the borders and he quickly started making his way toward the creek, curious who these visitors were. The call seemed upbeat and that lead him to believe it was the call of family and not some stranger or enemy calling upon the alpha of the new Risen Empire. When he arrived his uncle and mother were already there as well as two wolves he did not recognize. Dipping his head in respectful greeting he moved to stand near Pyralis. "Hello there, my name is Ashiel. Who might you two be? From your looks am I correct in guessing Abraxas?" "Talk" "You" Think

Phenex waited with a nervous impatience for Amon to appear, and when his elder half brother's form finally came into sight a wide grin split the younger's thick muzzle despite - or maybe in anxious reaction to - the neutrality of Amon's own expression. "Amon! I've been tracking you all the way down from the north! I see you've made a pack now and all..."

He trailed off, his grin suddenly disappearing into startled blankness as first a familiar scent, then a familiar form, and lastly a familiar voice assaulted his senses in quick succession. What... no... wait... really? No, impossible. He stood with his heavy limbs stiff and unmoving, thick neck pulling his head back in shock as he stared. "Typhon? But - you're dead. Our father killed you. How... what..."

He wasn't a quick thinker in the best of times, all instinctive and impulsive action and very little forethought, but now he felt like all the gears of his mind had ground to a screeching, smoking halt. He hadn't even begun to process the sudden ghost-like return of his presumed-dead littermate when more voices suddenly battered at him for attention.

It took him a long moment to turn his hefty bulldog-like head from Typhon's form (he had to be really really alive, right? Because Pyralis could see him, and this yearling. Or could everyone see ghosts at the same time? He had never seen a ghost before so he couldn't be sure) to blink thickly at Amon's littermate. He forced an admittedly somewhat sickly grin back onto his muzzle. "I've been good, been great. Been training, getting stronger, hunting. How about you?" He was babbling nervously, he knew, talking way too fast but he couldn't seem to slow the flow of words.

He didn't recognize the youth but his very markings and coloration made his lineage obvious as the child of one of the Abraxas. Was this one of Pyralis' pups? She'd whelped just before he'd gone wandering. Though hadn't Amon been having a second litter around that time too? Unthinkingly he began to scratch at the front of one foreleg with his other forepaw, a subconscious precursor to what would undoubtedly become a nervous gnawing fit when he was alone. Taking a wild stab in the dark he exclaimed heartily at the youth, "You must be one of Pyralis' kids! Ashiel, was it?" There were, after all, only two out of that litter and the yearling definitely wasn't the female so that just left one name to pick from. "I'm Phenex, and thi - this... is..." he stopped mid-gesture at Typhon, twitching reflexively away from the automatic introduction he'd been about to give what was surely a ghostly apparition, or another hallucination.

Two other wolves seemed to have heard his brother's call as well. One, Pyralis, was vaguely familiar to him from his childhood - and the other was far too young to know of him. They were of minimal interest though compared to Phenex, and his sapphire gaze fixed unblinkingly on his brother. It'd been a long time since he'd seen him, and despite the years that had passed he had expected to see him as he once had been, a pudgy boy with oversized paws and ears - and yet he had filled out his stocky body just Typhon had, far from a child now. He spoke briefly to Amon before turning to him, watching as his smile faded and turned into something more like surprise.. and maybe a bit of fear? He, too, froze, uncertain how his brother might react to his sudden arrival. Had he carried their father's fears with him, that Typhon was somehow broken, unworthy of the family name? He'd been caught up in his excitement, finally ready to return and to prove his worth - so much so that he hadn't even thought how Phenex might feel about it.

"Perhaps father was not as cruel as you believed," Typhon offered simply, forcing a grin despite the pit of anxiety that had formed in his stomach and threatened to consume him. "I was only cast away, not killed. Wanted to be sure I was fully ready to carry on the Abraxas name before returning." His gaze flitted nervously to Amon, hoping he wasn't displeased with his return - wondering briefly if he'd known he hadn't been dead.

He was quiet as Phenex spoke to the three other wolves, his mouth moving quickly; he couldn't help but see some of his own impulsive nervousness in his brother, but perhaps it was merely because of his sudden and quite unexpected return? He forced another grin, an attempt to seem as normal as physically possible, when Phenex gestured to him in introducing himself. "T-typhon," he stuttered despite his best efforts not to, nodding as though reaffirming his words. "Phenex's brother. Been gone a few years, training as well, on my own. It'd be an honor to join, wherever I'm needed." Would his family know him as the weak, nervous boy he'd once been? Cast away and left - presumably - to die? He hoped not, as he was here now and determined to prove himself loyal and as useful as they needed him to be. His gaze slipped back to Amon, expectant and eager.

© argent 2017

Phenex's surfacing again was fortuitous indeed, but Typhon's arrival had been about the last thing Amon would have expected. Shattering the man's normally impervious wall of calm, Amon found himself sitting slack jawed. His impression, or rather, the impression Gaios had left upon them was that Typhon had been killed, along with others, for their personal imperfections. It was a common enough practice. Their breeding had led their race to be physically superior in every way, and it wasn't for nothing. Amon hadn't blinked and eye, he hadn't thought twice. "Did you miss me, brother?" It was playful, courteous, mature in a way Amon had difficulty pairing with the youth he remembered. His gaze flit back and forth between the lighter male and his russet sibling only once before he forced himself back into a state of composure. Amon cleared his throat, and allowed a very real smile to cross his features, if only for a moment. "I must say I did. I mourned your passing, for that's what father called it." It was a sour thought, but one Amon would ruminate over later. He doubted he would get much sleep tonight, not that he did anyways these days. There was always something to be done. Pyralis and Ashiel's arrival was met with a gentle wag from the hulking shadow, his teal eyes brightening a bit to see them. Amon gave his sister and his nephew a brief nod in greeting, pleased that they had come to greet the brothers as well. At first Amon might have thought Phenex and Ty were traveling together, but the nervous man was clearly just as surprised. "Perhaps father was not as cruel as you believed," Typhon said, but Amon did not bother to give that even a passing thought. He was merely shocked to wonder whether or not Ty had lost his rose-tinted glasses yet. Typhon introduced themselves to Ashiel at the boy's behest, and expressing a desire to join at the same time. "Any Abraxas is welcome here. Our Empire is strong, but there is always room for another capable wolf." And Amon would consider him such until he proved otherwise. His birthright afforded him that much at least. Looking back to Phenex Amon gave a small nod. "Two capable wolves, if they so choose." He could excuse Phenex's stuttering, strange ways for the moment. After all, the male had always been... squirrelly, and certainly learning his brother yet lived was enough surprise to unbalance anyone. "Talk" "You"  Think

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis grinned at her son as he appeared and she nodded in answer to his question before reaching over to lick the top of his head between his ears to smooth out a bit of stuck up hair that had caught her eye. Phenex began to stutter and as he did Pyralis' gaze suddenly narrowed before turning to Typhon. Dead? When was this? Her gazed turned to Amon as she tried to piece together just what she'd missed. She had so many family members that some times it was hard to keep them straight and of course her constant wandering would some times get in the way of those familial relationships. She'd lost siblings to their father's jaws before, including a littermate. Had she known? Or had she just blocked it out? Not that it mattered if he was actually alive!

What the hell was going on? It took her a moment to realize that Phenex was talking to her. Babbling about this and that and she turned to him with a grin. "Good, you'll need your sharpened skills for the quest at hand. I've finally gotten around to starting a family. Yes, this is my son Ashiel. I have a daughter as well, Asharya."

Pyralis snorted as she heard Typhon's voice but she said nothing. If anything she felt a pang of jealousy. In her mind their father always coddled the younger generations. She turned her attention to Amon.

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

Ashiel hung back, just listening and learning about the new arrivals. It was all quite confusing. Apparently they'd thought one of them, Typhon, to be dead? He wasn't quite sure what to think of Phenex either. The man looked formidable but he behaved as nervously as Lydia had when mother first brought her home. He nodded in response to his name but let the adults take over the conversation. For now he'd just hang back and see if he could decipher more about the strangers and indeed, about his grandfather. He'd never really thought much about the man. As strange as it sounded to him his aunts and uncles had simply just existed. It was weird to think of them as being pups and having parents. "Talk" "You" Think