Development [Valeria]

[Galathe]

Contrary to what his indignant outburst the other day might have said, Galathe held no true feelings towards Descai and was very flexible in loyalty. It was simply his father that he was trying to please since it was only his father who could truly congratulate Galathe on his achievements. But now... Apparently this Valeria, who Galathe had only heard mere whispers of, was taking over Galathe's entire life. The Templar—Galathe was slightly irritated at being looked at as mere muscle when he might have been a great Warrior in Descai's old hierarchy—frowned in confusion. He felt as if he had such little control over his life now. Indeed, he had been at the complete mercy of his father before, but he felt better being essentially a slave to someone he knew rather than to what had been just a rumour until later in his short life.

Shaking his head to clear it of the tangled thoughts, Galathe slid his legs deeper into the warm waters in which he was bathing. The winter, something that was rather new to the male, bit cruelly at his chilly paws and the familiar hot springs helped to warm them up. At least he didn't have to leave familiar territory. Staying in homey places stopped the feeling of being out of control or even slight loss of the life that he had led until Valeria had come along.

Growing up, the mixed breed brute had always sworn loyalty to authority, but who was authority now? He was happy following Vorilye and impressing his father. It was logical to give this new femme a chance but it just seemed so absurd for a stranger—family or not—to come along and to rob Galathe of his values, what his life had revolved around.

Who did he serve now?

Then he reflected on her words of an untold story. A disbelieving chuckle escaped Galathe's maw. That just rang of dishonestly. Maybe, had she not so insistently tried to prove her loyalty and innocence, the pack's youngest member would have given her a chance. But this was obviously begging for an opportunity to lie about Valeria's loyalty that Galathe just would not give.

Why was the pack in such a state of confusion? Was this Descai or Valyn? Was the alpha Vorilye or Valeria? The male did not know what to make of the mess of a situation so he just numbly sat there, his rough tongue brushing out grit from his pelt. The monotonous activity was soothing and did not require thought, so he focused on that.

---

Words: 443
Tags: Valeria
Notes: Gosh, stop being such a drama queen Galathe XD
Muse: Good

[Valeria]

While things might have been confusing around Kamari, there was one thing Valeria knew: if she could not convince the members of Descai that she was not only worthy of their loyalty, but that she demanded it, this would never work. At the conclusion of their meeting, Valeria could sense the likeliness of each wolf to swear allegiance to the pack. While Pharaoh was more malleable or level headed, Saphira lingered somewhere in the middle with Galathe obviously being the one who would put up the biggest fight. His words had been rash and negative throughout the entire ordeal, and if Valeria could not find a way to convince him of her dominance over the pack, they would likely wind up with him outside the pack's boundaries.

Like it or not, this was Valyn territory now.

Valeria had promised that she would not act rashly against her brothers, but that did not mean she had to accept blatant disrespect and insubordination from them. If Galathe could not learn his place, there would be issues. Unfortunately, Valyn's old reprimands of banishment would not suffice in the infantile state of this new hybrid pack. If she were to do such a thing, it would likely break the shaky alliance between the two entities, effectively ending their chances of this arrangement working. 

And so the Seraphim found herself trailing after the young male, curious to see how they would get past this very defined fissure between them. Where Galathe saw nothing good in her, Valeria knew that she was not only a capable alpha, but an accomplished one. Despite their fall to Kairos, Valyn was remarkable in its own right. The pack had existed with almost exclusively females for well over a year. But with every new year came change, and it was only right to adjust to fit the circumstances. Now happily seated upon the throne she had believed from birth was rightfully hers, there was little reason to act so spitefully against the males. They still were not as trustworthy as her sisters, in her eyes, but perhaps in time they would prove themselves as well. Pharaoh had already shown remarkable promise above the others, whereas she was still not sure where she stood with Saphira. She would have to seek out her younger sister as well in hopes of repairing the old bridge that had once bound them together.

The Seraphim found her younger brother out by the hot springs, and whether he was simply going about his business or trying to distance himself from the members of Valyn, she was not sure. But Valeria was not going to continue to allow this divide to grow wider until it spread to the others. They needed to fix this, and they needed to fix it now.

"Galathe," the alphess called out evenly, effectively summoning the male with her call. "We need to talk about this." There was no better time to get things out in the open than now, before they had a chance to break to pack apart yet again.


Word Count: 512 words
Tags: Galathe
Notes: My muse for Val has been really good lately.

[Galathe]

The voice that had cause Galathe so much confusion spoke out to him out of the blue. It was Valeria, for whatever reason seeking Galathe's company. His multihued head turned around to the black and gold female, giving her a powerful blue glare to show her that he would not be an outcast in his own home.

"We need to talk about this," Valeria said evenly.

"What is there, exactly, to talk about?" came Galathe's equally as calm and collected reply.

He knew that, in reality, there was plenty to talk about, but Galathe had nowhere to begin. Maybe he should let her tell her story and then the blue-eyed male could decide whether or not she was lying, if he ought to take her seriously. Right now, Galathe's feelings towards the female who had so abruptly come in and changed the male's life were very sceptical. He could not see how his family had so easily and quickly accepted someone who could have had—and still could have—malicious intents.

Standing up, the sceptic moved into a cool, indifferent stance, facing Valeria, that was neither dominant nor submissive, his tail casually swinging around the middle rather than up or down. He would not put up a fight—at least not a physical one—although he would not mindlessly submit and agree with this, he would say, stranger. Or at least, acquaintance which was not particularly liked.

"I will try to listen to you if you explain yourself and—well, everything. Not only why I can trust you, but also what you plan to do to Descai." Although he did not outwardly admit it, he did feel that he had been a little harsh when Valeria had interrupted the family gathering, although he refused to admit that he was outright wrong. He had defended his pack as would be expected if someone intruded, and did not keep his guard down just because of his blood relations to the invader. But, this time, he would be a little more open, but that was not to say that he would accept what his half sister said. That was up to him to judge.

---

Words: 380
Tags: Valeria
Notes: Galathe will eventually come to accept the change ^^
Muse: Decent

[Valeria]

Where the words had once held anger, Galathe now held himself as a more poised and level-headed individual. The change in tone came as quite a surprise to Valeria as she opted to level with the male. Words of anger would do little to no good here, and if he was willing to listen to her, perhaps there was hope for the pack yet. The changes had not only been abrupt but unexpected to Descai, and certainly there would be feelings of resentment toward her at first. Valeria aimed to not only prove herself as a leader to these wolves, but to also build them up in an effort to take back their homelands. They were a strong and determined family; it seemed that the headstrong gene of their father had been passed to nearly everyone in the family. Few of their clan were pushovers or doormats. They all knew what they stood for, and for right now Valeria needed to convince them all that they stood together, not apart. With a gently smile, Val started in on the male.

"There is much that we need to discuss. I understand that things are confusing right now, as they are to my pack as well... But whether you see it or not, we are a family," Valeria stated calmly, her golden eyes leveled with the male's gentler blue ones. It was odd to speak to the male knowing that he was of the same blood, yet bore little to no resemblance to her. Both herself and Zofia bore the traditional golden muzzle of their father, whereas Saphira's and Pharaoh's markings were more obscure. Either way, it was clear to see that they were of the same blood, but Galathe was unique. He must have taken mostly after his mother, while Valeria could see traits of their father in him as well. "I am not a stranger to these lands, nor are they any less my home than they are yours. While I may not have lived here in several years, it does not devalue the loyalty that I have to my family. Look around us... Everything that is here was fought and won. And yet we have all been reduced to skeletons of packs... Valyn and Descai will not survive apart from one another. We are of the same blood. It makes little sense to watch us both perish when together, we might survive."

Valeria could not know how her younger brother might take the news. In fact, it was a bit more complicated for her to explain the situation in such terms considering the male was actually younger than her own children. That in itself made speaking to him as an equal far more difficult than she might have expected. Whereas Pharaoh had portrayed himself with a far more mature, level head, Galathe's initial reaction led Valeria to see him as a pup still. It would take time for her to see that not only was he almost grown, but he would be a valuable addition to their joined packs.

"I do not know how much of the pack's history you know. But I do not believe things are as clear as they should be about Descai... Look around you. Everyone in the pack now is related to you. Most are under two years of age... Yet there are many others in our family. Some, I do not know where they have gone. Others have perished. But Descai has not been strong in many years, and if Father is gone, there is little hope for the pack to continue on. I do not come here on a power trip or to take away your birthright, rather I come to provide both of us a chance to continue on and make something of ourselves."


Word Count: 639 words
Tags: Galathe
Notes: Val has gotten pretty insightful lately... Sheesh.

[Galathe]

Where Valeria smiled gently, Galathe's multihued face remained stock still in its neutral expression. A calculating gaze raked Descai's new leader, neither disapproving nor approving. The black-and-gold alphess spoke of family—of course they were family, but so what?—and started piling fancy wordings and phrases to make her sound more intelligent, when really she was simply stating that if Descai and Valyn banded together then they would have a higher chance of survival. Of course, she was right, but how was Galathe to know that she did not have an ulterior motive? Was it not a bit sudden, a bit desperate, to barge in and suggest things out of the blue? She then went on to explain that, once Vorilye was gone, Descai would be hopeless. That was true... None of the older generation apart from Vorilye himself were fit to lead, and the younger generation was too young. But how would Galathe know of Valeria's talent as a leader? So far, everything that he had gathered was that she had founded a pack that had lasted for a mere year, only thriving for months before dawdling to a state that might as well not have been a pack at all, before it was taken by Kairos with futile efforts to defend. That was not what Galathe wanted Descai to become.

"So what are you going to bring to the table? From what I have heard, your abilities to lead a pack to success are not the best. Vorilye has proved his worth by having a long-standing pack, still alive today and it seems that it will continue to survive with our loyal younger generation. I see only your daughter and two other youths with you. How do we know that you will not lead this pack—Descai or Valyn, whatever it is—into a worse state than it is in currently?"

So far, Galathe did not feel any more comfortable with the changes going on than he did previously, but maybe Valeria would have something to say as reassurance. His faith was dwindling now, knowing that there was not much longer of what he knew as Descai, but he would not desert. Not when there was some—perhaps small, perhaps unlikely, but still ever there—hope.

---

Words: 390
Tags: Valeria
Notes: Jeez, these replies have piled up :/ Sorry for the wait!
Muse: Meh

[Valeria]

The skepticism of the young male continued as Valeria listened patiently to her younger brother. It was true that few of the pack had followed with their overtaking; Valeria was suspicious that several were not able to make it out of their territory safely. A gentle sigh passed through her lips as she looked past Galathe.

"You may not see many now, but our ranks were strong. Zofia, myself, Zirena - your other sister. Jaienyx and Athena, Amara, Emerald and Breeze. And then the pups... There were many. I have four children of my own. Levi and Valhalla are among the ones I have not seen after the volcano erupted. I fear for their safety, as I fear for the lives of those I have not seen since we were driven from Kal'dyne." The Seraphim paused briefly, having to collect herself once more. It was painful to think of the lives that may very well have been lost to Kairos. There were so many of their ranks that she did not know where they were anymore. "Leadership cannot always outmatch sheer volume, Galathe. Where perhaps ten stood with Valyn, Kairos outnumbered us two to one. We are lucky that any of us escaped with our lives." The alphess grew harder, more steely at the thought. She had every intention of making those wolves... making Typhon pay. The brat had taken her home and her family away from her, and she had every intention of leaving him with more than just a scar the next time they met.

"Where you may see weakness, I see strength that we survived at all. When you have nowhere else to go, the first place you think to go is home. Make no mistake, our timing was not planned, nor was this our intention. I planned to move my pack north... up to the lands where Kairos has no hold. But I have no intentions of allowing my birth pack to lose everything when we have already suffered so much." 

There was not much else the alphess could to do sway Galathe's loyalty. Perhaps in time he would realize that Valeria meant them no harm. At the very least, she could hope that their conversation would at least breed a sense of familiarity among them, so that she would not just be the stranger who seized power from their father. Everything here depending on the Descai wolves accepting Valyn into their home, and Pharaoh had simply been the first step. She could hope that Galathe, as well as Saphira, Romulus and Remus, would accept their new places in Valyn. If not, there was a long road ahead of them.


Word Count: 445 words
Tags: Galathe
Notes: This was shorter than I hoped because I can't really feel my fingers in my own house :3

[Galathe]

Despite his active attempt to remove his bias, Galathe's partisan mind kept making silent retorts to Valeria's words. She listed names, but they were just names. He knew nothing about them—how they were, what they did, what they were like... For all that he knew, these wolves could have ended up traitors.

Valeria went on to explain that she had four children—Galathe noticed her use of the present tense, 'have four children.' That was strange. She only had one of them now—the rest could be dead for all that they knew. The alphess' next sentence just made this assumption stronger, Valeria speaking as if they were likely dead. From what Galathe had heard, Kairos was quite brutal and he did not expect a pack that was, by the sounds of it, not doing the best generally, to survive the barbaric wrath of this pack.

At the large female's next words, Galathe agreed finally. Yes, Valyn—or rather, what was left of it—was lucky to have escaped with their lives. And... Valeria had learnt her lesson, had she not? Maybe Galathe should trust her a little—not to put his everything to her, but if he just accepted her slightly to get a better view of her perspective...

"Well, perhaps your intentions are good, perhaps your leadership abilities have improved, however, I do not like how you view males. If I am to stay, which I am now considering, then I would like to be respected and not viewed as useless scum."

It was no secret on the island of Anikira that Valeria had rather sexist views, irrationally holding 'sacred' females above vermin males. Galathe held nothing against females, so why should females hold something against him? But, despite this, perhaps the male who bore no resemblance to his father aside from being somewhat large was considering Valeria rather than disregarding her as a wolf who meant no good. Maybe this could work out if only Galathe was given what he could have had before—otherwise, he might be leaving for some other alpha to dedicate himself to, for there were quite a few packs that Galathe had heard word of that seemed somewhat interesting. Valyn was not one of them, but this was a time of change and perhaps Valyn would be changing just as much as Descai was.

---

Words: 404
Tags: Valeria
Notes: Written in a rush! Got to go somewhere now >.<
Muse: Decent

[Valeria]

The Seraphim sighed gently, her golden eyes watching the male calmly as he said his piece. There was not much she would be able to do with the male's views with words. Clearly, it would take time for him to realize that Valeria and her sisters were not out to take over or conquer the males of Descai. There were only words here, and those could mean very little in the grand scheme of things if she could not back up her claims. "Galathe, I have never called you meaningless scum," Valeria breathed softly, nearly offended by the male's words. It was difficult to think that he would believe so little of her that she would make such derogatory marks against her own brother. They may not have known each other well, but they were of the same blood.

"I may not have had many males in my ranks apart from my own sons, but that does not mean I cannot see the intrinsic value in you. Galathe, one half cannot exist without the other. While I promote female dominance in my ranks, it does not mean that I have such a hatred for your gender that I would drive you away from your own home." While she knew there was a lot of ground work to be laid, there would be time for that. So long as Valeria could convince her siblings to stick around, there would be a hope for them all.

"I know there is only so much that I can say... I am sure we will get to know each other better over time, but please don't count me out based on the rumors of my pack," Valeria stated, her eyes seeking some form of acceptance from the younger male. While she did not need his permission to build this pack back up, it would be easier to re-establish their home if they could all stand up together and make a commitment to the pack.

The Seraphim found herself staring off toward the pack borders. There was much that needed to be done here, including marking the territory with the new scent markers of Valyn. "I have to find Saphira, and I need to make sure our pack's borders are secure. Please, seek out some of my Valyn sisters. Get to know them... I am sure that once you get to know them, you'll understand just why I think we can work this all out together."

Word Count: 416 words
Tags: Galathe
Notes: Not my greatest but I fell behind on replies XD

[Galathe]

It was becoming quite evident that arguing was not getting them anywhere, no matter how civil the debate compared to their initial encounter. The Valyn alphess seemed to deflect all of Galathe's claims and accusations, making it clear that their discussion was going nowhere. Valeria was not going to change from what Galathe said—either the Mackenzie Valley dominant would have to change himself or leave.

The thought made him almost melancholy, nostalgic for the simple times before Valyn came to town, a part of him rising that he had never encountered before. Before, the multihued brute had simply been living to impress his father, without a thought, without an emotional reaction to anything. Now that his loyalty was no longer tethered to anyone, he was confused, yes, but also thinking for himself. Although he still believed that his mighty father was a great wolf once, he was not so sure of that fact anymore, wondering if he had been blinded by his own dedication to proving himself to authority figures. Perhaps Vorilye's time was shorter than Galathe had so hoped, more pathetic than Galathe had so believed.

Valeria spoke of holding no hatred towards Galathe's gender, but that was not enough. He could be supreme, powerful, appreciated—he knew that—but in order to attain reverence, he would have to be respected first. Perhaps Valyn was letting go of their male thing, but still, he was nothing special in Valyn if he stayed. If he stayed then his relationship with the Alpha—Seraphim, apparently—would be tainted, off to a bad start. If he stayed then he would achieve no greatness, merely a lonely existence as a lowly warrior, given food and shelter and freedom to roam the pack's territory but nothing more than that.

All throughout, the large male remained silent, focusing on what was being said to him rather than what would be said to the other party. At the larger black-and-gold female's statement of wanting to see to other things, Galathe simply dipped his head and gave a short response of dismissal.

"Well, I hope that it goes well for you. I, too, have things to think about. I will try and then get back to you, but if I don't apologise for opposing you anytime soon then assume that I have left." He did not bother with being nice about it, cutting to the chase and making the point that he was considering leaving but would look around a bit first. Galathe's once noble father was now not so powerful anymore—for all that this confusion suggested, he might as well not be leading a pack anymore—and if Valeria did not prove to provide Galathe with what he wanted in life then what was to stop him from seeking a better one?

---

Words: 485
Tags: Valeria
Notes: I thought that we could end this here, unless if you want to do one last post?
Muse: Good

[Valeria]

The Seraphim could not help but watch the male incredulously. Had he not listened to a word she said? It was as if he had already made his mind about Valeria and her pack before they ever had a chance. If he was not going to listen, then perhaps he would do as he said. One who was not open to change was not truly welcome in her heard, as she would not put her own neck out on the line for someone who would sooner cast her aside. Her irritation was evident on her face as the male spoke of leaving, further cementing what Valeria believed might be true. "If you have made up your mind before ever giving your own family a chance, I do not know what I could possibly do to sway you," she retorted, slightly more snarky than she might have normally. She was not sure what had come over her, but his blase attitude toward her, and her family, was getting on her last nerve. "I don't know what I ever did to you to deserve such treatment, but do remember you are speaking to your Alpha," she bit out, her eyes glowing dangerously toward the younger male. 

Perhaps it was the stress from their travels or the already elevated tension between the pair, but Valeria found herself acting completely out of character. She was not known to flash her temper, or her rank, around at anyone. But Galathe did not know that about her, nor would she expect him to realize that. Her mind was all over the place, begging her to lash out at the younger wolf as much as her inner self wallowed in the fact that one of her father's sons might walk away from their home. It would not be the first time one of the pack had left, but the fact that Valeria would have been the one to drive him away was more sensitive than she might have initially believed. There was something wrong with her, that much she could tell.

"I.. I am sorry. I do not know what came over me," she stuttered slightly, her ears falling back ever so slightly against her head. As much as Valeria did not want to apologize to the younger brute, it would do them no good if she allowed her emotions and temper to get out of check. "I suppose our travels have worn me down. Emotions are running high, and I should not speak with such a tone, regardless." She sighed slightly, unable to justify her actions. She was exhausted beyond what she might have normally. What could have come over her? "I suppose I should be on my way. I will not bother you any longer, Galathe."

And so the Seraphim turned away, wincing ever so slightly as she turned. Valeria was not happy at all with how the conversation had gone. Where she seemingly succeeded with Pharaoh, Galathe was a tougher nut to crack. Hopefully, Saphira would be a bit more open to what she had to say than their half-brother. Apparently, blood was not as strong as she might have first thought. And as she walked away, the Seraphim once more turned back to her younger brother, calling out over her shoulder. "As much as you do not want to accept it, we are family. And I will always love my family."

And then she was off, heading out in search of her younger sister. Only time would tell what decision Galathe would make. They would either bond over their initial disagreement, or they would be broken apart. Either way, Valeria had tried. Whether or not she succeeded was yet to be seen.

---

Word Count: 622 words
Tags: Galathe
Notes: Keep in mind, this thread happens after she mated with Mathias so she's starting to get hormonal XD bahahaha