Fishing wasn't so hard, Valeriya concluded, knee deep in the salty bay waters. It was a lot warmer now that the season was turning, but it still left her limbs numb if she stayed in it for too long. With a cry of triumph she lunged, head plunging beneath the surface and jaws flashing blindly. She clamped around the writhing body of her soon-to-be meal and hauled it upwards. She stumbled towards the shoreline, ocean water stinging her half opened eyes. She stumbled and scuffed the pads of her paws, but at long last she collapsed upon the ground, wriggling meal secured. With a crunch she clamped her jaws around the creatures head, stilling it. She let loose and airy laugh of relief as she began to eat, knowing that luck had been on her side. The eastern lands were fertile, that much she was grateful for, but it had been a steep learning curve now that she had to feed herself. Her body was not only riddled with new scars, but her once plump form had grown lean and hard, if not quite gaunt. The once-princess no longer looked like a soft noble, but instead like a young rogue cast hard upon the surface of the world. In truth, she would have it no other way. The wide expanse of freedom that had swallowed the fae once she'd forgone her homeland was dazzling. Valeriya had nearly lost herself within that abyss, but she felt no reason to claw herself back to the surface. The dark, dank, godsdamned hellholes she had made her new home were infinitely more interesting than the rocky moors she had been born amongst, even if it meant getting pushed around by other rogues, or chased off the few kills she'd managed to make. "Talk" "You" Think

Sigmarr was wondering out of Ebony for the first time in a good while. Not far, he didn't want to worry Katja but he needed a bit of time to recuperate from training and also to confront the ghosts that seemed to enjoy their time feasting on his heart. Svetlana had been taken by Virgil and he knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of them were to follow. It made him furious that their second mother was being so careless of their own feelings! If anything he'd expected her to rule Ebony but no? Olympus was more important than them, it was why she'd abandoned them so early anyway, to go back to her precious pack. But that was perhaps the problem of both Raisa and Virgil. Love held at a distance. It was killing them and hell? maybe they were dead already. Sigmarr frowned. He supposed he couldn't blame Virgil as much as he'd like. After all, wasn't she suffering as much as they? What the hell had Raisa been thinking? But it was no matter. Svetlana would not stay in Olympus. She hadn't wanted to go and he would do anything it took to rescue her. That was of course if Baldur didn't beat him too it. The odd male seemed equally furious at what had happened. All the same though Sigmarr would prefer it not to end in the death of either of them. He trusted Katja to handle it. The sound of the ocean called to him, the waves colliding with the beach. He loved it. With a soft smile he headed down to the bay waters but as he went a familiar smell tickled his nose and his ice blue eyes lifted to see a familar figure standing in the water. It couldn't be? no? the ghosts were after him again. This had happened before. Glimpses of his sister in the corner of his eyes, tickles of her smell, glimmers of voice. It wasn't real. Except? this wolf seemed to be very much there. Sigmarr's hackles raised slightly as he approached cautiously. "Val?" His voice parted from his maw. A hopeful whisper as if a louder tone might cause her to simply vanish. Another vision to scatter before the shattered soul he'd barely managed to keep together with blood and freeing bouts of violence. "Speech"

The voice that sprung so unexpectedly upon her ears was almost as strange as it was familiar. It was... deeper, and more resonate. Her head flew upwards, eyes flying wide. What on earth...? But the viasge that met her was no apparition, no trick of the mind. For all the she could see this truly was her brother standing before her, so close at hand. Valeriya surged to her feet, pelting towards the wolf who had been but a boy the last time she'd seen him. Oh, what a difference a season could make. "Siggy, you bastard!" Her voice was affectionate, boisterous and jovial and awestruck at his presence. She did not think that the boy had not seen her since she'd picked up the harsher cant of the rogues, fraught with more colorful language. "What are you doing here? Oh my gods, it's so good to see you!" She made to press herself against her brother's body, shoving him and nuzzling him all at once. His smell was more comforting than she could have thought possible, and the young fae found her body quivering with excitement. This unexpected turn of events had brightened her countenance significantly. Had Sigmarr left home as well, was he roaming the east just as she was. And if so, why weren't they together? Valeriya had always felt closer to him than to any of her other siblings, though she still loved them all. Sig had been her partner in crime, her right hand man, her most trusted companion. And oh gods above, she had missed him dearly. "Talk" "You" Think

Sigmarr instinctively tensed as the woman came running straight for him. Limbs shifted equidistant apart as his weight balanced out among the limbs, ears flicking back though not quite to his head. Yet as she neared there was no denying it. It was Valeriya. It was his sister! Tongue lolled out, tail wagging despite a slight flinch at her unusual greeting. Val's voice had changed, gaining a harsher edge to it but at the same time still as melodious as he'd always remembered. Sigmarr moved forward to nuzzle her, fighting against the tears of joy that threatened to ruin this viking's composure. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He laughed but it slowly pittered out? his tail slowly stopped wagging. "I take it? moth? Raisa's gone?" Well, of course she was. How much had he really believed that she'd return. He shook his head. No. It was over and done with and Valeriya was back that was all that mattered. "Forget it, that's in the past and we need to look forward. So much has happened! Katja's ruling Ebony now. I'm training to be a warrior, I met this weird brute name Baldur and? he kind of looks like me. Not that it means anything but?" He shrugged. It was so easy to bear his heart in front of her. "But? Virgil's? hurting bad and in turn she's hurting us. She took Svetlana back to Olympus and she's coming back for the rest of us." Again he shrugged. "I don't know what to do? " He'd been so determined to stay in Ebony to wait for Val's return. She was back now so would it not be better for him to go with his family? But at the same time he supposed there was still this stupid, naive hope within his heart that Raisa would also return. And he wanted to be there to greet her when she did. And if not that, well? the were Xanilov's and Ebony was their pack. One they had a right to rule. "Speech"

Sigmarr took her exuberance with grace, and she could hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke at last. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, and that brought a knowing grin from the boy's sister. Oh, Sig would be so jealous when she told him about all the adventures she had had after leaving! At first it had begun as a quest to follow Raisa's trail, but everything else had just been a bonus. "Oh, you know," she said with an aloof note tingeing her tone. "Kicking ass and taking names. Being my own fae, making my mark, roaming the land and carving out my own path. Nothing too major! I was searching for Raisa, but she's long gone." The girl's visage darkened, and she rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Fuck her though, seriously. As if we need a mother, she was barely there to begin with." The news about Virgil was disturbing, though it was not the first time she'd heard it. Katja had told her of the going-ons during their moonlight meeting a few nights past. The thought of being force claimed anywhere, by anyone was enough to make her hackles rise. "If Virgil wants to claim me," Val said with acid on her tongue, "she'll have to catch me first. Come with me, Sig! Two is better than one, right? We can come back and visit Katja sometimes, and even this Baldur guy if you're friends with him, but you don't need to stay here! Come be free with me!" She couldn't find the words to express her feelings. The thought of being out and about, without anyone else to tell her what to do, where to go, what to eat... It was exhilarating. Surely her brother, who was closer to her than anyone else in the world, would feel the same. "Talk" "You" Think

Sigmarr felt suddenly conflicted. On one paw he was proud of his sister for sticking it out as a rogue and for making her name known. It made him just a little jealous. But on the other paw? he felt a painful fire burning in his gut. She'd been out there having the time of her life while they'd been struggling at home, desperate to keep their family together, drowning in uncertain futures. He flinched again at her harsh language but he agreed. He had to let Raisa go. It was easy to encourage his siblings not to worry and move on but it was another thing to get himself to believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth. Valeriya continued to talk in her carefree attitude and when she asked him to go with her he could only stare in shock. It sounded so tempting? to get up and just forget responsibility, to forget his past and just have fun for once without feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Hell? he was the youngest sibling after all. Wasn't he supposed to be the wild and reckless one? Sigmarr smiles softly. He and Valeriya were so alike and yet so different. "That sounds amazing Valeriya? but I can't." He closed his eyes shut for a moment and when they opened again they glinted just slightly with an icy edge. "While you've been out there having the time of your life I've been trying to keep our family together. I'm aware I'm failing but I won't just up and abandon Sindri, Svet and Kass. Please?. Val, you should come home! It was bad enough loosing Raisa but loosing you too? what am I supposed to tell the rest of our family?" "Talk" "You" Think

In one instant, Sigmarr's words made Valeriya feel horribly ashamed. They struck her hard and without mercy, pulling into question every thought and action she'd brought to life over the time span of her absence. Had each night she spent away been a betrayal? Had she left Sigmarr to wallow in the mire her mother's disappearance had caused. But then she scoffed, anger filling the cracks in her resolution. The fae's eyes narrowed. It was not that she thought her brother was wrong in his desire to stay home, merely that she could not believe he of all people would prattle on at her about family. "Oh yes, our beloved pack. Sig, I wouldn't take it personally if it's falling down around you. Raisa didn't light it on fire when she left, it was built from ash to begin with. And I'd hardly call half starving the time of my life, but at least it's real!" She took a step forward, startled to see the difference in their height, but far from knocked off her roll. "I'm not going to live in some bubble my whole life! And you shouldn't either! Let's go get Svet and Kass and Sin, then, they should come too! The five of us together, just us, the way it should be. We don't need anyone else, Sigmarr. We're strongest together!" Her tone was brimming with fire and passion. The wildling princess would not be swayed from this course, and it had been cemented in her mind that civilized life was not the path they were meant to take. There was a wildness within them all, even in Svetlana and Kassander! They were all meant for greater things, and none of that could be accomplished within the confines of Ebony, or Olympus for that matter! What couldn't Sigmarr understand that? "Talk" "You" Think

He hated this. She was so excited and looking to confide in him as they had as pups but here he was, playing the adult and crushing her dreams in one fell swoop. When had the light faded so swiftly from him? Then he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They'd all been forced to grow up far to soon. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sarcastic tone she took when discussing their family. Did family mean nothing to her anymore? And I'd hardly call half starving the time of my life, but at least it's real!" He growled. "We're real too Valeriya! Our suffering is real whether you care to acknowledge yours or not. Running away into the wilderness isn't going to erase that pain." The words slipped like daggers from his maw before he could stop them. "I'm sorry? that was stupid." He listened to her words as she continued to speak so earnestly to him. It wasn't a half bad idea, honestly. Too just take up and leave this world behind. Too live together and maybe get a chance to heal each other without having to worry about the rest of the pack getting involved. What would Katja say? And what about Baldur? He needed to train to become stronger. "I? I don't know Valeriya. I need to train, I need to become stronger and the way to do that is learning from the best. I can't protect anyone if I don't know how to fight. How to kill. But? you're idea's not a bad one?" Sigmarr's voice trailed off as his eyes gazed out into the forest. "Our siblings will be safer in the pack but? they have a right to decide. Why don't you come back to Ebony and we can ask? If they want to go with you I'll go too but if not? well, I'll stay and make sure nothing happens to them. But? I really wish you'd stay too." "Talk" "You" Think

The acid in Sigmarr's voice stung, eating away at a bit of the girl's naivety. Even the apology hot on the hate's tail could not wipe away the residual burn. She let her lip curl, white fangs flashing in the day's light. What the fuck was his problem, anyways? How could had stand there, miserable and withered and wasting away and tell her that the choices she made were wrong? Hell, maybe she wasn't eating as well as she used to, but she was happy! Or, well... maybe something close to it. Closer than Sigmarr was! And doubtlessly closer than their siblings impounded in Olympus. She would say nothing to his spiteful words, forcing them in one ear and out the other, rolling off of her like water on a duck's wing before the poison leeched into her skin. He needed to train? She held in a scoff. Like anyone would teach him what he needed to know there. Who would dare lay a paw on their prince? What did he know about real combat! If he wanted to know how to fight, how to kill, a pack of coyotes on the only kill he'd see in three weeks would do the trick, she could promise him that. But still, she remained silent, a coal of rage kindling into life somewhere in her gut, it's fell heat radiating outwards and making the air around her feel unseasonably cool. Even his allowance at long last that she might have a point would not snuff out the blaze. The words had been said, the damage done. If I was running away, she thought viciously, you'd never see me again, I can swear to that, sweet brother. How dare he insinuate that she was a coward, he had no idea what she'd been through! "Why don't you come back to Ebony and we can ask?" At long last she let loose a harsh bark of laughter, finding his words more than humorous. "Sig, don't get me wrong here. I miss you guys, but if I have to waste one more breath on that hellfire shit hole I'll chew off my own tail." A strong wind gusted off the water's surface and she turned to find a wall of dark clouds approaching, have snuck over the horizon unannounced while she'd been distracted. "Shit," she mumbled. Turning back to her brother, she leveled him with a dry stare. "I've gotta split, brother. Give my love to Svet, Kass, and Sin. Tell them I haven't forgotten them, and I'll be back when the season turns. Stronger than ever, you'll see. And even stronger together." With that she turned, scooping up what was left of her fish into her jaws and dashing into the woods. She half expected Sigmarr to call out, to give chase, but she hoped he didn't. He just didn't understand. -Exits unless stopped- "Talk" "You" Think

Her tone emerged cold and biting and one of Sigmarr's ears flicked back, his hackles starting to raise. What had he said? He was agreeing to go with her if their siblings wanted to wasn't he? Why was she getting so pissy? He growled. "Things are changing, it's not a shit hole any more. We're rebuilding it!" She turned from him and his heart broke. All that work, all that worry, everything for her and she was just throwing it away! Why the fuck had he even tried? "I'll let them know you're leaving? but your love? Go tell them yourself." If she loved them she'd go tell them herself. He didn't want to be the one to have to explain why she wasn't coming back. The one to have to bear the wounded looks and the pain. It was clear she could give a rat's ass about Ebony and her family. And she said she'd be back but suddenly Sigmarr doubted it. He'd probably never see her again anyway. Suddenly he was beginning to understand why Raisa had left. In this moment he wanted nothing more than to run away. This responsibility of trying to keep the family together was wearing on him. He felt sick and tired. He wasn't ready for this, wasn't ready to be a leader, wasn't ready to be a parent? No, he couldn't do this any more. He wanted to look after his siblings but it was clear now he was nothing but a fantastic failure. He failed to be worth enough to keep Raisa's attention. He failed in his attempts to keep his family together. He failed in bringing Valeriya back. He failed to prevent Virgil from taking Svetlana. What would be next? Would Sindri be kidnapped? Would Kassander fall ill and die? He was a fucking disaster around them. It was so tempting to just give up and get the hell out of Alacritia. But if he were to leave it wouldn't be to follow Valeriya. It was clear she wanted nothing more to do with him and he was not the kind to needlessly give chase. She wanted to be alone. He wouldn't deny her. Sigmarr turned and quickly stalked away. -exit Sigmarr, end thread- "Speech"