Grave News [Kalix, Sypher]

[Deleted]

He had intended to completely disappear from the pack he had been manipulated into joining - almost a whole year of laying around and getting fat was enough for him. Kalix was pretty sure he could fend for himself over the next winter, especially in the southern half of the continent, so he had wanted to wander off. This new continent was so vast he could easily live out his miserable life in solitude, away from the annoying whining of the whelps that surrounded him. But alas, fortune did not favor these wishes. Instead he was heading back into the heart of Acerbus with dark news for the alpha and his family, well all except one. The youngest son of the giant Vorilye already knew what was to be told, and the poor yearling was not handling the blow well.

Golden eyes glanced backwards to look at the figure trailing along behind him, a striken, sickly look plastered on the young males face. Kalix gave a gruff bark for the wolf to keep up, then continued forwards, sparing no sympathy. Loss was a part of life, and the sobbing yearling would have to learn it. He'd never even met the little whelp before he'd nearly tripped over him on his way out of the Descai territories. He'd found him weeping and alone, which normally would be something Kalix would want to avoid, but the pungent aroma of the alpha caught his attention. Kalix was not a suck up, but having seen the size of the mammoth alpha and his son, he was not keen on making enemies out of that family. So he'd hauled the young male back towards the dens of Descai, often having to literally drag him, and at a few points threaten violence, but he'd managed to make it: he could smell the mines.

"Hey, we're here." At his words his companion stopped, sat and hung his head in complete silence. Rolling his eyes Kalix headed forwards a bit more to sniff around the entrance, no fresh smells of the man in charge; he would have to call for him. Leaving the alpha pup to mourn, Kalix positioned himself in front of the mines maw and gave a quick howl, the cavernous entrance reverberating his call outwards towards the alpha, and his kin.

tags: Vorilye

[Deleted]

Sypher's mind had shut down. What he had seen could not be comprehended and he seemed to have been stricken blank. Empty yellow eyes stared out from his black face, taking in nothing of the world as he followed silently after the wolf who was now forcing him home. Did he even want to go home? He wasn't sure anymore. A few times he had just wanted to be left alone, to die... just like her. Whenever the image of her murdered corpse flashed before him he flinched noticeably, his face cringing and his body quaking. This other wolf, Kalix, had found him huddled near her body, weeping like a child. He had felt embarrassed for being caught crying, but couldn't stop, and didn't think he should have to. It was his mother after all.

Something, or someone had killed her, and left her body to be forgotten. But Sypher couldn't forget, not the happy memories of her life, nor the memory of her death. He wasn't sure what was worse, the flood of joy and family he would never feel again, or having to relive the sight of her broken body.  He shivered and choked on his own breath, stalling a bit, his pace slowing. He couldn't go on... not a step further... what was the point? A swift bark from Kalix brought him back, and he regained his trudging momentum. It hadn't even really registered within Sypher where they were going, but soon enough he was told he could stop. He slumped down onto his rump and let his head hang forwards, ears drooped pathetically off to the sides.

She was gone. Gone forever. He would never see his mother again... gone. Gone. Gone.

Kalix's howl roused him and he registered his surroundings. He was at the dens, and his father and siblings were being summoned. He became panic stricken almost immediately. What was he going to say?! Would they blame him?! Would they think he'd done it!? He would never! He loved his mother! Surely they knew that...? He rose quickly to his feet and shook himself roughly, shaking his head to clear it. Attempting to mask his obvious devastation, he moved to stand by Kalix, head high and ears forward. He would be brave.

[Vorilye]

Why in the world was Kalix summoning him to the dens?

The large alpha male ambled back toward Acerbus, watching to make sure Zirena at least made it back within the pack borders before he broke out in a full gallop. Whatever was going on, Vorilye had a sinking suspicion that it was not good. Kalix rarely interacted with the rest of the pack, so it came as a surprise to the Mackenzie Valley male that he would willingly call out to others. If there was danger amiss, he would most certainly want to know. He had sometimes wondered if the male actually chose to desert the pack. Who knew what he had been up to after all this time?

With a few final bounds, Vorilye found himself staring into the mouth of the dens, his eyes falling immediately on Kalix as he slightly dipped his head in greeting. "Do you have news for me, Kalix?" he questioned gruffly, curious why the male had pulled him away from his search for Shayde. He needed to bring Zirena back safely as it was, but this was an unnecessary detour in his mind. "I don't have all day. There are... matters that need to be tended to," the male hesitated briefly as his mind drifted back to the spunky beta. Shayde was the glue that held him in this position. He absolutely needed to find her and bring her back. She was the backbone of Descai and the longest member, along with that blasted, annoying white femme, Angel. He much preferred Shayde's company and intelligence. She had been worthy of such power and held herself gracefully, particularly for an unmated female. 

It was then that his gaze drifted elsewhere. The male's golden eyes settled on his son, Sypher, who was currently appearing quite crumpled. It only took a matter of seconds to realize what he may have suspected ever since he located the strange scent trails in Kamari. "Tell me I'm wrong, Kalix," the alpha male snapped, "tell me where my beta is. I know you know!" he roared suddenly, an overwhelming rage and panic rushing over him. Never before had he seen his son so defeated. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ryker would suffer a similar breakdown. Shayde was like a mother to him when his own mother was a psychopath. He could not handle losing one of the only members of his pack for which he truly cared.

"Kalix, tell me what you know. I want to hear it," he spoke evenly, his temper settling briefly. It was merely the calm before the storm that was brewing into a deadly tempest, threatening to sweep away all who had the misfortune of standing in its path.

---

Count | 459 words
Muse | So-so. It could be worse.
Tags | @kalix
Notes | He's not going to take this well. Just fair warning, if you didn't already notice.

[Deleted]

Cold yellow gaze focused on the alpha as he arrived, his gruff greeting and questioning floating over Kalix as if nothing. Normally such a tone would have irked him, but not today. The news he bore was deadly, and he would need to break it gently if he could. Any insensitivity would likely be met with severe hostility, and the black tundra wolf wanted dearly to keep all of his limbs. But then the alpha changed as he caught sight of Sypher, who was doing a poor job of concealing his devastation. He knew. Before any words came out of Vorilye's mouth, Kalix braced for the impact of them. He was not a wolf who submitted easily, showing even the remotest bit of respect was big for him, but as the temper of the hulking wolf settled, Kalix knew he was in trouble. He was standing before a wolf who he was about to break, he was about to cut into him with words alone, much like had been done to Kalix many years prior.

Ears pinning back tightly, he lowered his head to the Alpha showing genuine remorse and sympathy. "She's gone." He spoke softly, as if saying it quietly would make it less real. "I found Sypher with her body," He looked over at the younger male, allowing him a moment so speak, but the yearling was frozen, his mind likely racing with brutal thoughts of her murder.

"I am truly sorry for this." He paused again, a bit surprised at how truly true he was, then let his jaw slacken as if to say more, but there was nothing else to say. He hunched a bit waiting for the lashings that would likely be directed at him. Any rage that came from Vorilye would be impossible to fight, and while his target, Kalix, would an irrational one, the dark furred wolf understood the need for a target. It had been much the same when his own love had died, everyone was at fault. He threw himself forwards without mercy or discrimination, he would not judge this alpha wolf if he did the same.

Notes: Not much to say here...
Muse: OK
Words: 364
Tags: Vorilye @sypher

[Deleted]

His eyes swam as they followed Vorilye's form, a few hard blinks and a swallow pushing the tears away as Sypher's father arrived. He felt a bit overlooked as his father spoke to Kalix first, giving him no acknowledgement. This allowed him to sink away a bit, his mind turning in on itself to return to the image of his mother laying dead, abandoned under some trees. He couldn't stop the images from coming, the barrage of her wounds marking him permanently.

It wasn't until his father roared at Kalix that Sypher came to again, his eyes casting upwards at his much larger father. Kalix broke the news, gently, quietly. When he fell quiet, his explanation soft and holding little weight of the true situation, Sypher's eyes narrowed. Gone? She was more than just gone! His hackles rose, and he let himself speak.

"She was murdered." His voice was low, and would have sounded dangerous if he was even remotely capable of taking on either of the wolves present. "My mother was murdered! Someone KILLED her!" He was up on his feet now, his whole body shaking as he let out a screaming howl. "MURDERED!!!" When his outburst had ended he just stood there, wide eyes fixed on the ground as he panted and shook with terror and devastation. He wanted to hurt someone, to feel pain, as much as his mother had. He wanted to destroy whoever had done this. Not just kill them back, but destroy them, torment them until they begged to die like she had.

Sypher slumbed down again, stifling a sob. He was barely functional, a tormented mix of hatred and sadness. He gave his father a pained look, no longer caring to appear strong or unaffected. This was his mother, and she was dead.

Notes: Sypher is gonna be messed up for a while
Muse: OK
Words: 312
Tags: Vorilye

[Zirena]

Zirena had gotten safely back to Acerbus with her father. She started heading to the dens to rest but then she heard a howl from Kalix and picked up her pace. As the princess of Descai she felt like she needed to be there although she had no idea what was going on. Her small frame moved silently and quickly over the terrain. Her mother had taught her how to use her size for her advantage. Zirena was by far the smallest of Vorilye's children but that didn't stop her. She had her mother's spirit inside of her. As she grew older, that part of her became more dominant.

She arrived after her father and listened to him scream at Kalix. That was a side of her Daddy that she hadn't seen before. Or at least not up close and personal. She stayed hidden from the other three wolves, not wanting the same wrath to be brought upon her as it was on Kalix. She had learned all about the wind from her Mother and made sure to be where the other's wouldn't smell her. She thought about just leaving and not getting involved with this whole mess. She already knew Shayde was dead. She had found her body shortly after returning to Acerbus. The finding was horrible and still made her sick to her stomach. But by the reaction of her father to Kalix, she decided that keeping that bit of information to herself would be her best option.

She listened to Kalix speak next. He said that he had found Sypher with her body. She was puzzled but then thought that he must have found her shortly after she and Aurelia had left. Zirena had been too shook up to actually burry the body so it was possible that, that was the case.

Hearing her brother scream was heart wrenching and she could stay hidden no more. She left her place of hiding and came into the line of fire. She payed no attention to her father or Kalix. Her only mission was to comfort her brother. He was slumped on the ground and weeping. The image reminded her of herself when she had found the body. She refused to think of that half-eaten carcass as her mother. She only thought of it as "the body." She remembered her mother as the spunky and independent and strong beta female that she had been in her life. She refused to remember her in her death but rather in her life. Zirena didn't have a very long grieving process. She cried for a while when she had first found the body until she could cry no more and then she thought of how her mother would want her to live. She wouldn't want her to live in agony and in pain for the rest of her life. She would want her to be happy and remember her mother in the best possible light. She hoped her brother wouldn't fall into depression like her older half-brother, Ryker. She was confused as to why he mourned for so long. It seemed like... almost over-kill to her. But she guessed that was the difference between herself and Ryker.

She touched the nose of her weeping brother with her own nose. She lay down beside him and tried to comfort him to the best of her ability. Sypher had always been the one she was closest to . Zeph was her brother as well but he was distant from herself and Sypher. He preferred to be alone. She didn't say a word to Sypher but her golden eyes looked on him with the deepest compassion. She knew exactly how he felt. She had been in the same position only a short while ago.

Zirena had already made plans in her mind to leave the territory and search for the male who had killed her mother. Zirena assumed it was a male because her mother would never allow herself to succumb to another female, ever. She planned on returning to Descai though after the murderer had been served justice. She was a big believer in justice. Mercy was something that a wolf gave family members or good friends or a mate. Not murderers. She planned on asking Sypher to come with her although she was uncertain that he would want to leave, even if it were only temporarily. She knew that her father would never allow her to go alone but if she had her brother and perhaps one more wolf go with her, he may be more open to the idea. She only hoped that he would understand her feeling of need to find this bastard and torture him.

---

Vorilye @sypher @kalix
Notes: Ermm...I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a closed thread since kalix called for vor and his kin? so I threw her in here. If it's an issue I can delete the post. I just have insane muse for her so yeah ^^ I was having difficulty with the timeline between when Zirena found the body and when Sypher found the body and when she came here so if it isn't totally clear, that's why lol.
Muse: pretty good  

[Vorilye]

This could not have happened. Vorilye prided himself in the safety of his pack, and here was a prime example that even in his own home, nobody was safe. Someone had the gall to traipse into his home and kill his beta. As Kalix's words truly sunk in, absolute rage rushed through the male. Never before had he felt such an overwhelming desire for blood. He wanted the very life of those who took Shayde away from him to be strewn across all of Anikira. Their heads deserved to be piked on the borders of Acerbus to show all those who dared to trespass on Descai's territory that death was the only option available to them.

"Search the territory. Any strangers you find, kill them on sight. There is no more leniency here," he spoke with an eerie calm in his voice. He could not stand to lose it in front of his children. He knew that right now, Sypher needed the only parent he had left, but nothing could tear him away from the absolute betrayal he felt. He could not even explain why he felt so strongly; he just knew that someone took advantage of his lax boarders and seized the opportunity to kill his children's mother. There would be no penance for those mongrels. They would rue the day they ever set foot on Descai's territory, and Vorilye would ensure that he watched the life drain from the very eyes of the wolf who killed his beta.

"No one goes out alone. If you are found out alone, there will be consequences. I will not risk my family. Do you all understand me?" he snapped out the last sentence, attempting to keep the emotion out of his voice and failing miserably. Shayde had been his dearest friend all these years, and now she was gone. A moment of passion brought him some of the greatest gifts in his life, but they had never really been more than good friends. He would never get to terrorize her and watch the confusion in her eyes as she tried to decipher whether or not he was serious. She was gone from this world, and now Sypher, Zephyros and Zirena were without a mother. And while that was quite horrendous, he knew this would also be a devastating blow to his eldest. Ryker had taken Shayde as a mother figure of his own, and now once again he lost someone near and dear to him. How would they recover from this again?

"I need some time. I must figure out what we will do from here. There will be retribution for Shayde. Sypher, Zirena, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Kalix..." he trailed off, not even knowing what to say to the male. In all honesty, he was pretty much intruding on a family moment here, but he could not quite say that without sounding like a complete ass just because he was the bearer of bad news. Vorilye knew it was not the male's fault that this had happened. He simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was taking all of the black and golden male's willpower to keep from taking out his anger on the smaller male. With a quick huff of frustration, the male turned on his heels and stalked off into the brush, bolting toward the center of the territory to give himself some time to think.

---

Count | 585 words
Muse | Alright
Tags | @kalix, @sypher, & Zirena
Notes | So I absolutely fail and didn't see that anyone had posted after me for a whole month. Next time I suck up like this, pleeeease let me know XD

[Deleted]

Another figure emerged as Sypher collapsed full force into mental break down. It was another of the alpha's offspring. God there were a lot of them. She took a comforting role, aiding her brother in his misery. Kalix could appreciate her silence, and was impressed that she knew there were no words for this. As the gold mugged alpha spoke again, Kalix averted his eyes back to him, listening as he relayed an order directly this time.

And finally, an order Kalix could agree with. He'd have no trouble stalking around the edges of the territory and beating up on strangers without negative consequences, while still retaining his free meal ticket. His glee, however, was still dampened by the gravity of the situation. The alpha seemed to be holding himself back quite well, a fact that Kalix appreciated - he didn't need to get torn apart for dragging the alphas son home, and potentially out of harms way. He was basically a hero. Resiting the urge to scoff, he backed off a little as Vorilye began to speak to his offspring. Like hell Kalix would be dragging around "a buddy" with him where ever he went. If Kalix was going to be caught alone and get in trouble for it, someone was going to die on the way out.

Vorilye addressed him one last time, though it was probably more to acknowledge his presence than anything else. The alpha trailed off, winding his way away through the trees. Kalix let a frown caress his mug: things were going to get rough, fast. He turned back to the two siblings, Sypher still a useless ball. He gave them a short nod, their family bond something he had lost and abandoned as fairy tale a long time ago. Turning away he looked through into the shadows of the trees, his own heading towards the borders of the pack lands. Who could have completed such a murder? Descai was crawling with some of the largest wolves Kalix had ever seen, and yet an outsider had pulled off killing the Beta. Perhaps her position had come out of the production of Vorilye's offspring. It wouldn't be the first time a position of power was given to a lover. Still, the alpha didn't seem the type.

Giving a huff, he set off towards the edges of the territory. How had he gotten so involved in all this? How had he become such an integral part of this place? Hah. He was starting to belong.

Words: 418
Muse: Okay.
Notes: Kalix is gone, I figured Sypher and Zirena can have some time alone?
Tags: @sypher Zirena

[Deleted]

Things happened very fast. There was some discussion and then he and his sister were alone. His thoughts raced, swinging like a pendulum from courageous to devastated. His mother was dead... murdered... someone had taken her life. A sob welled in his chest, threatening to break the silence that shrouded his sister and himself. But then a new vein began to pulse in his mind, bringing more courage than he thought he had. They could find this criminal... bring justice to the deceased. Yes. Yes!

Wriggling beside Zirena he turned to face her, a new light kindled in his eyes as he shook the tears off his face. "We have to avenge her." He stated flatly, and let himself rise. He was certain by Zirena's calm demeanor that she had been thinking the same thing. She truly was the brains between the two of them and Sypher... he wasn't very good at anything yet. He would have to learn. Standing facing the empty dens he let memory flood him. He had grown up here, playing and tumbling with Zirena and Zeph. Zeph! He wondered how his brother was. He'd always been more distant, more solitary. Perhaps they should see if he was alright? Maybe he would want to come with the find their mother's killer. He realized he had begun to pace back and forth as he thought. Stopping again he turned to Zirena.

"Right. How do we do this?" He looked to her now for leadership, as he knew he couldn't launch this sort of opperation on his own. He wasn't organized enough, his brain swirling with too much emotion. "I'm sure dad would let us go if we're together. Do you think Zeph would want to come with?" He sort of doubted his little brother would want to as he'd never been close as Sypher and Zirena were. He let a reluctant smile pass over his mug. Things were going to be okay. He and his sister would get through this together.

Words: 334
Muse: Bleh.
Tags: Zirena
Notes: This has gone on too long. If you want you can wrap it up in your post and we can move on. I just needed some closure in this thread for me.