My Brother's Keeper [Galathe/Open]

[Ryker]

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Though Ryker had not known exactly what to expect of this place, the pack lands were far more interesting than he might have thought. Ultoris's lands consisted of the largest caverns he had ever encountered, yet after a very short time he adjusted to the lower light and closeness of the underground haven. This was exactly what the male needed; a world away from the rest of the world. Out there, he constantly felt vulnerable and alone. And although it would take him time to learn the ins and outs of pack life, he was fairly certain that he could make a home for himself here. That was, if the past did not come back to bite him.

Ryker could never really escape the sinking feeling that something was just out of his reach. Though he knew it was likely just the memories of his past threatening to break through, he constantly lived on edge. As a full grown male that was capable of taking care of himself, it was only this constant discomfort that had drawn him toward Aleru; the closeness and dividedness between Aleru and the rest of Anikira put some of his fears to rest. Zohartze had quite frightened him with her seemingly recognizing him and being afraid of him. Though she had never told him exactly who the Vorilye she referenced was, he could only hope that he had not previously gone by another name. He was constantly afraid that something in his past was going to reach out and snag him back in. Whatever he had been in the past, he did not want to go back there. Somehow, he knew that there was a darkness in him that he did not want brought back out, and perhaps this sheltered life would bridge his past and future together. Maybe if he could get over his insecurities, if his past did come back to him he would be prepared to deal with it.

But alas, right now Ryker was still a scared mess of who he used to be. Though many of the headaches had faded to a dull ache, the red eyes still haunted him every night. Every time he closed his eyes, they were looming right below the surface, threatening to tear him to pieces. It was because of those nightmares that, once he was accepted into the ranks of the pack, the male quickly found himself putting distance between him and the rest of the pack. He had a fear of not only corrupting others, but that he would manage to cause them some harm. Was he not dangerous in some right? Someone had sent assassins after him, so it would not shock him if they were still out there. He had to keep everyone else safe, and if that meant that, for now, he kept his distance, he would do it.

Ryker paced anxiously around the awe-inspiring rock formations, but there was little he saw besides his own failures. For such a strong male, he was constantly stuck in the past. And until he could find a way to escape his own insecure mind, he would constantly be plagued with the thoughts of "what if."

---

Tags: Galathe
Notes: Anyone else is welcome to hop in too, but I want the brothers to meet XD

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[Galathe]

At first, it had been strange living underground. Galathe had felt trapped and restricted initially but, as the large male grew used to it, he found the almost cosiness of it to be comforting in a way. It reminded him of the den in which his first few months of life had been spent in, with his sick family. They were gone now, dead to the illness that had seized them all; only Galathe had survived the disease, leaving Vorilye to be the only member of his immediate family that was alive, and the ex-Alpha was soon to be dead from whatever had been plaguing him, slowly killing the once-great wolf off. He never had family to cheer him on through the world, to see him into success. Perhaps that was why Descai-Valyn had seen him as an immature pup rather than a valiant knight defending Descai when nobody else could grow a pair and do as such.

But I don't care. My loyalty is Ultoris' now. I was never associated with this Descai or this Valyn pack. They do not exist to me, the mixed breed brute insisted to himself, repeating the final sentence like a mantra. His past could not get in the way of his path to acceptance in Ultoris.

Although he was comfortable with the territory, that did not change the fact that Galathe did not know Aleru as intimately as he would have liked to. He was also yet to meet any wolves so that had to change. One place that intrigued the Mackenzie Valley dominant was the collection of rocks jutting upwards from the cave floor—stalagmites, apparently. Curious about the unique location, white paws set off in the direction of Dystres.

What he did not expect to find among the stalagmites was, however, a splitting image of his father. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that there were golden rims around the stranger's ears, something that Galathe knew was not of his father so it could not be that Vorilye was here somehow, but it still shocked the male. Yes, he did have many half siblings, but they were all in either Descai-Valyn or dead, right? And then the inconnu's emerald green eyes came into view. Galathe had admired his powerful father a lot back when he was in Descai and knew, more so than his own eye colour sometimes, that Descai's Alpha had golden optics adorning his face. Knowing that this was not the Subordinate's father comforted him somehow, enough so to snap out of his daze and say something to the male.

"Er... Hello, sir," Galathe greeted, unsure of how to bring up the stranger's uncanny resemblance to Vorilye. "You look an awful lot like someone I used to know."

---

Words: 486
Tags: Ryker/open
Notes: All of my posts today seem to be about how my characters grew up in a non-idealistic environment XD And Galathe is so full of himself, wow
Muse: Decent

[Ryker]

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It was highly unlikely that one who was not a member of Ultoris would wander into these caverns.

It was that affirmation that held Ryker rigid at the sound of another's paws behind him. He involuntarily tensed at the though of another in his presence, but overly, he was largely, visibly, unaffected by the arrival of the stranger. Or, he at least knew the wolf to be a stranger. As a soft voice greeted him, the male finally turned his head to see an equally large male addressing him. His bright green eyes stared curiously at the young male; he was significantly younger than Ryker himself, yet he carried himself with... pride? The Mackenzie Valley male could not quite place it, but something about this male was different from the others here. There was a uniqueness about him that intrigued Ryker long enough to draw him from his internal turmoil. "Greetings. I am Ryker. What is your name?" he replied in turn to the male, curious who exactly this brute was and why he thought he looked like someone else, yet again. That response was growing tiresome with every day that passed.

Little did the male know, there were several wolves exactly like him roaming the continent. He could not have known this male to be his family; there was no resemblance between the two to indicate it. Yet he felt some sort of pull toward the male, and it was startling to Ryker that he was actively engaging someone who was not the pack's alpha or beta in conversation. The male had quickly taken a "don't speak unless spoken to" approach until he was more familiar with the pack. The last thing he needed was to say the wrong thing and wind up right back out in the loner lands again. The last of his wounds were finally healing up, and he had no desire to go back to a life of scrapping over half dead prey. Pack life was far more cushy, and there was a sense of security with it. But then, why did he not feel secure?

"You know, you are not the first one to tell me I look like someone else," he bit out with a hint of irritation in his voice. "Yet no one seems to want to tell me exactly who that is. I would not think there were a lot of crazy gold wolves running around the continent." The sarcasm was virtually unheard of from Ryker, but he was quickly growing tired of how it seemed like everyone knew some big secret and was keeping it from him. He was unique; that much was clear. But how unique was he really if everywhere he turned he looked "just like someone else?" Perhaps he had family out there, but that did not mean Ryker wanted to seek them out. He had enough problems of his own to handle; the last thing he needed was someone else complicating his life further.

And so the male turned to face the young brute in full, his green eyes narrowed slightly at the young wolf. "I suppose you don't want to tell me, just like the others?" he guessed with a half-smirk. What would make this wolf any different than Zohartze, or the other loners that mocked him for his strange gold muzzle and weird ears? He would never blend in anywhere, so it made more sense to be proud of his appearance than to run from it. His inner monologue abandoned, he stared at the young brute, waiting quite impatiently for his response.

---

Tags: Galathe
Notes: Not my best, but eh.

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[Galathe]

For a few more moments, the mixed breed brute was stunned into silence at the unexpected appearance of his father's near-doppelgänger. The lookalike offered a name—Ryker. The name sounded somewhat familiar, although Galathe could not quite place his paw upon where he had heard it or in what context. After Ryker asked for the other wolf's own name, the Subordinate spoke again, although he did not sound much less stunned than he did when he spoke before.

"M-my name is Galathe." Despite providing an adequate answer, his mind was elsewhere, running through different possibilities.

Perhaps, years ago, since Ryker seemed a few years older than Galathe himself, Vorilye had been of another pack. Maybe he had taken a mate in Ultoris and the result had been Ryker? Or, perhaps, this was another traitor, someone who had left Descai, like Valeria. For a moment, anger bubbled inside of Galathe at how Ryker had probably been in Descai but left before remembering that his loyalty was no longer to Descai, every inch of him belonging, now, to Ultoris. After all, how am I to earn Severus' respect and trust if I don't even appear loyal? And I don't need to worry about that because I am loyal.

To Galathe's surprise, not only had others told Ryker of his resemblance to another wolf—I mean, how many wolves have met Vorilye, Alpha of Descai? Or perhaps Valeria. Probably Valeria they were talking about—but also that they had never told him who he looked like. It was an honour to be related to Vorilye! No, no it wasn't. Why did he keep thinking about Descai? He was an Ultoris wolf now! Descai was nothing to be thought highly of! He had to get his loyalties straight. Just as he was about to tell Ryker, a thought popped into the larger male's head.

Did... Did he really want to be associated with Vorilye? Giving the ex-Alpha's name would indicate that he had known and met him, perhaps personally... That would mean that he had relations out of Ultoris... But didn't Ryker as well? After all, Galathe had only seen golden markings in his father's—no, he had to stop calling the elderly wolf that; it was Vorilye's—bloodline. And besides, hadn't the Mackenzie Valley dominant already given away that he had known Ryker's lookalike? Deciding that it could not hurt, the new member of Ultoris replied.

"I am not sure why nobody has told you. The Alpha of Descai, or ex-Alpha, whatever—it's complicated—has golden markings just like yours, apart from the ears. The rest of his fur is also black, like yours. It's a rather uncanny resemblance, don't you think?" And then he addressed his comment about crazy gold wolves running around the continent, despite it being obviously sarcastic. "Have you not met Valeria either? Seraphim of Valyn? She looks just like her father, who is, or was, whatever, the Alpha of Descai. Vorilye—that's his name—has a lot of children, plenty of which have golden markings, some of which are, I daresay, crazy. I'm sure that there are quite a few scattered around the continent although I have not travelled it all."

Perhaps it had been a mistake to give such intricate knowledge on Vorilye; perhaps it gave away his relationship to a potential enemy to Ultoris, but Ryker did deserve to know. But what if it sent the male to Descai, searching for his probable father? Already he would have sent a member of Ultoris packing. Had he failed again? Was his reputation in Ultoris going to be damaged? Could he really afford to join another pack now? How many fresh starts did he have to take?

---

Words: 676
Tags: Ryker
Notes: I GAVE UP OKAY I REPLIED. And haha it's like Galathe feels like he's cheating on Sev by being related to another Alpha
Muse: Great

[Ryker]

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The older male sat silently as his new companion offered a name: Galathe. Ryker nodded in acknowledgement to the male before he launched into an explanation of his "resemblance" to this Vorilye once more. His eyes narrowed lightly, almost as if he was angry, but indeed he was just straining in an attempt to think if he knew this Vorilye or Valeria. And yet all he could draw was a blank. But to hear there were others out there that shared his markings was interesting, to say the least. But the names meant nothing to him... Nothing at all.

"I am afraid you must be mistaken," he assured the younger male. "I do not know anyone named Vorilye, or Valeria for that matter. Another wolf mentioned Vorilye's name to me, but I am afraid I do not know either of them," he responded calmly. Ryker had come to terms with his lack of a past; at least, he was going to continue to live in blissful ignorance of his previous life. He had no desire to dredge up his past at this point, but this young male seemed to be awfully versed in what might be his history. It piqued Ryker's curiosity, but he was not sure if he even wanted to ask. The male was flighty, or so it seemed. Galathe's behavior was somewhat erratic from Ryker's point of view, and he was not certain if asking further questions would serve to calm the male down or rile him up more.

But Galathe had been the one to bring them up, so it certainly could not hurt to make friendly conversation, right? "How do you know these wolves?" he asked politely, his green eyes watching Galathe with the appropriate amount of curiosity to not seem rude. Ryker was not certain what he thought about this wolf, but he was nothing like the rest of the wolves that approached him over the past year. Ryker was not a small male, but yet neither was this male. In his lifetime, he had not met a wolf that was larger than himself, and yet here stood a giant before him. Though it was obvious he had several years in maturity on the male, he certainly would not be quick to pick a fight against the male. Though he certainly had the skill to outmaneuver and gain the upper hand, Ryker had no desire to get into more fights. He had had enough of those in his lifetime to satisfy even the most combative of wolves.

"I hope you are not trying to imply that the gold means I'm crazy," Ryker bit out sourly. Galathe's words annoyed him to an extent; he had been accused time and time again of being insane. His flashbacks and migraines had faded over time, but the horrifying dreams still plagued him. But it was not a testament about his sanity; he was perfectly sane. He had to continue to reassure himself every day, and he would not sit around and be accused of insanity based on his appearance alone. "Because that is a bit presumptuous for someone I have never met."

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Tags: Galathe
Notes: Ryker is getting a bit sassy, ahahaha.

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[Galathe]

It dawned on Galathe that this Ryker wolf might be lying. Was it really possible to not know of Descai's Alpha or to not know about the infamous Valeria? Even when Galathe had been den-bound from illness for the first month or so of his life, he had heard whispers of this sexist Valeria and her feminist ways, how she hated males and lead this far-off pack promoting the wellbeing of females. How Ryker did not know of the two well-known Alphas was a mystery to the blue-eyed brute and feigned ignorance seemed to be the most plausible explanation for how little the Vorilye lookalike knew.

When Ryker asked Galathe how he knew these wolves though, he froze, afraid of what telling others would come to.

There were still days that the mixed breed male regretted leaving Valyn for they could not fault him for being a traitor. He would not have left any pack had he stayed, simply put into Valyn due to Descai merging with them and having obviously been born into Descai. Ultoris could have the suspicion of Galathe leaving them just as he had left Valyn if Severus found out about his betrayal to Valyn. And telling another Ultoris wolf... That was too risky...

"Everyone on Anikira, perhaps with the exception of you, would know about these Alphas," the multihued male replied testily, hoping that he did not give anything away. But really, how did Ryker not know about Descai and Valyn? Or did he know of the packs and somehow not know the Alphas as well?

"I don't know you enough to determine the wellbeing of your sanity," Galathe replied, feeling rather lost at the oblivious male before him. Never had the male met someone who was unknowing of things.

"Do you come from Anikira? Where have you been for the past, what, over a year?"

---

Tags: Ryker
Notes: Haha Galathe's mood swings
Muse: Good

[Ryker]

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Ryker had been trying his hardest not to get angry at this male, but clearly he was intent on pushing every one of his buttons. It was impossible not to catch the male's hesitation at the Mackenzie Valley brute's question about these two wolves, yet he was uncertain whether he should call the brute on it or not. The way the young male was acting, he clearly knew more than he was letting on, and it was simply a matter of honesty at this point. And if Ryker could not trust someone, what reason did he have to associate with them?

"You are quite a rude one, now aren't you?" the male mused disapprovingly. Though the green-eyed male was rough around the edges himself, he had little case to antagonize the stranger before him. But Galathe had been the one to approach him, and now it seemed as if everything coming out of his mouth was an attack at the black and gold male. "Perhaps you will not take me at my word, but I assure you I am no liar," he sneered at the young one, his green eyes narrowed in frustration at the mottled male. What was Galathe playing at? Ryker had no desire to reveal that he had no idea where he came from or who he really was; he was trying to put his past in the past and leave it there. But everything about Galathe was dredging up what was likely a history that he did not want to remember. The male's attitude was something altogether different from anything he ever wanted to deal with, and yet he was now stuck in this pack with the holier than thou male.

"Where I come from, and where I have been is none of your concern," Ryker iterated firmly, narrowing his eyes even further at the brute. "Unless you plan to answer that question yourself, I feel you have no right to be probing into my past." Not that I would have many answers for you even if you did, the male thought loosely. Severus had allowed him to live here, but that did not mean he would care for every he met. And what was this male getting at, storming up to him and claiming he looked like not one, but two other wolves, then claiming to know them from rumors? Rumors did not typically include appearances. One must usually have first hand knowledge of the wolves in order to recognize a resemblance, and Galathe was not completely lying to his face, but it certainly felt like it. He either had a past that he was not proud of, or he was withholding information from Ryker for reasons that were presently unknown to the male.

Either way, he was not pleased.

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Tags: Galathe
Notes: Soooooo he let too much information slide XD

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[Galathe]

It seemed that the two Ultoris wolves were not getting anywhere. In reply to all of Galathe's words were Ryker's attempts to sass the larger brute; they were simply going in circles and no new information had been gained on Galathe's end of things.

"I cannot force information out of you, Ryker. But if I was almost a carbon copy of a wolf you knew—I mean, saw—would you not do anything?"

Galathe knew that he had given too much away to seem innocent, but that did not mean that he had to reveal his past. At Ryker's next statement, the blue-eyed male fabricated a story on the spot. It was believable, in Galathe's opinion, but if his reputation for truthfulness still stood strong with the Vorilye lookalike was what concerned the ex-Descai member.

"Fine then, if you insist. My past, however, is irrelevant to the conversation, you should note, whilst your past is very much to do with things if it may hint towards the suspicious resemblance of you and other wolves." Saying the first thing that he could think of, Galathe started, "Well, I was a loner for all of my life excluding now, in Ultoris. I was in unclaimed territory and then I met a wolf, Valeria, and, um... She said something about not being her father despite the resemblance or something, can't really remember, and then she just attacked me for no reason. Yeah, I don't like to talk about it."

Would that be enough for Ryker? "Now, you can tell me about yourself. You never know; it might be in your best interests to figure out why you resemble another wolf so strongly."

Honestly, Galathe did not know why he wanted to find out Ryker's origins so badly. Perhaps it was the unnerving feeling of the mottled brute's father being around or simply pure curiosity, but something urged for the knowledge of Ryker's backstory, as if it would provide assurance to the bulky Subordinate. It felt as though the anxiety from his father's doppelgänger's sudden appearance would be dissipated if the yearling knew why or how or what which would, hopefully, be provided by knowing something about Ryker. But would the green-orbed male provide a satisfactory answer? Would he lie, maybe?

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Words: 417
Tags: Ryker
Notes: Yay for the shittiest reply in existence
Muse: Terrible

[Ryker]

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There were many holes in the young brute's story, and although Galathe had him beat in overall stature, Ryker had no doubt that not only did he have more life experience than the male, but he had a genuinely more direct personality than the brute. Every time young Galathe opened his mouth, it took all of Ryker's self control not to snort in disbelieve. He truly needed to work on his ability to lie if he were going to weave stories about his past. But there was something about the male that seemed familiar to him, even if he could not place it. The male was lost in his own right, and Ryker could not bring himself to hate the young male, even if he did deserve a bit of roughing up for his untruthful nature.

"I do believe you need to work a bit on your lies if you plan to reinvent your history, Galathe," Ryker grunted with a half-snort; he could not contain all of his ire toward the male. "You ask for my history, yet will not giver your own. Yet my story is even less exciting than your lies." His green eyes glinted with amusement; he would not hesitate to call the young brute out on his lies, nor would he expect the male to take his snappy attitude without retort. Galathe would learn; he had plenty of time to come into himself. Ryker had no such luck, for as a full grown male he had nothing to show for his life. He had just himself... No mate, no pups - that he knew of, at least - and he was only now establishing himself in pack life. Galathe had the ability to grow and learn in Ultoris, whereas he had already wasted away half his life doing heavens only knew what. "I know not where I come from, nor where I have been," the male admitted cryptically. He had no intentions of telling the young male of the full story. Only those he truly trusted would be privy to that information, and right now he could not bring himself to trust the young brute. It took guts to lie to one's face at first meeting, but it would come back to haunt him if he were not careful.

"I find that many times, there are reasons in this world that are beyond any of our understandings. Why would I try to seek out things that will have little or no impact on my life?" the male inquired passively, his green eyes locked with the male's light blue ones. He was a unique individual, that was for sure. But Ryker was not prepared for an inquisition, least of all by a pup. "I do believe your questions are better reserved for when I know you better. I feel I know you less now than when you first arrived, and that is not a good start."

For a male that was so intent on keeping to himself, Ryker was feeling quite chatty. The male was bringing out his more level-headed self, and it was a feeling unlike anything he had experienced. At least, not that he could recall. But somehow, he found that trying to diffuse the situation felt natural, even when he knew that Galathe was nothing more than a liar. "There are more important things in life than trying to dwell on the past. I am trying to look forward to the future."

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Tags: Galathe
Notes: He's gonna either whip Galathe into shape or be his worst enemy XD

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