The Heart Of The Wolf.

Cor Lupus, What the hell was Cor Lupus. Cayden Nekishu stepped out into the Colosseum clearing, something he'd stumbled upon rather unintentionally yet had also drawn him in somehow, some faint nagging at the edge of his mind to continue to explore the place until he'd crossed the veil.
He didn't understand what exactly had happened but he knew that the air tasted different even to his human senses, the body that carried him of his human form with his katana sheathed sideways across the top of his backside, the shaft of the weapon on his right ready to be drawn into his main hand at a moments notice, ready to meet trouble that he wasn't truly expecting though Raikou's lectures had stuck with him and these days, he kept himself prepared for when things went south, even in the human world where he thought them so lost to their natural senses and instincts.

Bare-footed, he slowly made his way across the thin layer of sand cast upon clay flooring. His environment seemed somehow unnatural and yet he felt as if he was meant for it. The air about him was rather inexplicable, Cayden's body felt heavier that he was accustomed to, despite being in his secondary form, his training with Raikou having surely seen to his ease in its use by now but the Arena grounds around him seemed to want to weigh him down just noticeably so that he had to put a little more thought and effort into his movements. This was, he now wondered, possibly something that might aid in his training.

His pants were rather loose and baggy, a tan color and a material that was light to move about in, they gave his legs the freedom to strike with a swift high kick, the height of someone face to face with himself. They held no pockets however Cayden carried a loose leather belt that split off into two straps at the back, able to carry both his Katana, the blade for which was used for most fighting and the traditional Tanto samurai edge that had been given to him by Raikou following their training's end. Of course they still practiced together however it was by now little more than friendly competition with one another when the time permitted them both to do so.
His chest carried only the hooded and open jacket, also of thin material that zipped up at the front and held short sleeves that meant for swift and agile strikes with his hands, plenty of room for which he could use his arms in the best possible defense for himself and close quarters, his clothing gave him little in the way of restrictions. The most he had to worry about was getting hung up on something in passing yet Cayden's mind was sharp enough to avoid that these days. It had, once, earned him a broken nose from Raikou in taking the advantage of such a mess up. Not one to be repeated if Cayden could help it.

Unlatching his Katana's sheath along with the Tanto from his belt, he pulled the weapons from his person and gently lowered them to the sand floor, taking care in where and how he placed them, obviously caring for the blades more so than his own attire. His right foot came forward and soon twisted with his heel to step out and to the side away from the blades for which he soon fell into a martial stance, right arm coming up near his forehead in which his hand extended out and open. His left arm coming to his stomach, remaining only a small distance away from touch, his wrist turning to face palm skyward before his fingers came to ball into a lightly clenched fist and he took in a slow breath, parting his feet and balancing his weight perfectly upon either side.

It was much like a dance from here, recited in his mind and reflected in the agility, flexibility and swift strikes that followed through. His hands met the air with a snap of fabric against his masculine arms, dust being shaken from his knuckles, pieces of sand miniscule to the distant eye flicking up about his form as he lashed out with fluent grace in each step, each turn, each throw of his body through the air with intentional contortions and every perfect landing. In his self-reflective training, his mind was taken from all other things and he harnessed the skills he'd been taught well by his mentor. Nothing else mattered in that moment and such was the way of pre-meditative conflict.

Leaving the west border, she was satisfied that she hadn't found as many traps in this area nor any threats that needed taken care of. Placing her hand above her eyes she blocked out the sun as she scanned the surroundings. All in all, it appeared her home and family were safe. As she patrolled the lands she also filled her satchel with herbs and other plants for healing. Some of these plants where in odd places. Her yoga pants scuffed and dirty. but they were light weight and it helped with the temperatures that seemed to rise every day. Her shirt was of the same material, long sleeved. To protect her arms from thorns that protected some of the healing herbs she needed. The satchel attached to her hip was almost full now. It was time to head back.


She passed the Coliseum on her way. Her foots steps giving pause as she heard shuffling inside. For a fleeting moment she thought that the members of Cor Lupus would be in there. Shaking her head she sighed softly, truthfully the thought of Cor Lupus made her sad. The group had pretty much disbanded, or that's how she felt anyway.

Only curiosity had her moving forward to investigate. She was glad someone was using the coliseum, to bad it wasn't Cor Lupus. Which begged the question, who was it? Being cautious, she set her satchel outside of the coliseum. She went through all the trouble to pick them, she'd hate for them to get ruined if whomever was in there was not friendly. She scanned the corridors finding rows of weapons lined on the wall. Grabbing a staff that was just the right length and weight for her form, she headed inside.

The scent of wolf heavy in the air and not one that she recognized....

(OOC: I am not on very often, I do try to get online on Fridays(maybe I shouldn't have posted ..sorry in advance.) Please skip or let me know if you would like to continue without me)

Beyond the eyes of those within the Kumari, while Cayden had been trained much more recently by that of Raikou Diasu in the art and traditions of Bushido, the Ronin and wanderer of the lands today was not the only one to have shaped the way the young male fought, carrying his strength often in rather blunt, brutal physical strikes with little a hesitation. This cold and relentless behavior in the manner of fighting meant that he would never rise to meet the title of Samurai as those often intended when taking on the path of Bushido; and it also resembled the shadow of another who had walked these lands so long ago, incidentally the one who founded Cor Lupus in a bid to gain his fathers acceptance and trust, Cayden was fighting like WolfMortum, taught as a pup to hold nothing back in the way of mercy during a fight, it was a darker side of him that had carried him through his life as a loner and lately, something he'd tried to keep quiet in the company of his father and his pack.

His Crimson eyes burned something fierce, Cayden Nekishu taken almost in trance as his hands snapped out at the air, specks of sweat flying off of his arms and his knuckles with every thrown strike, the air around him swirling in response to the essence of his physical body in tune with his emotional and spiritual presence. Unknown to Cayden, it was for this reason that Raikou Diasu had not taught him all of his techniques in battle, ending his training sooner than Cayden would have liked, not speaking of the anger that was within him and so eager to come out in their sparring together.
He had been training for some time before Aleria had popped up though he'd still not managed to notice her presence as memories of his past crossed through him, images of WolfMortum and his mother, some he didn't recognize being so young and lacking the understanding over what happened yet he could not shake the feeling that he was in some way being haunted by the male of his past; as if to add salt to the wound, Cayden had been trying for years to mimic some of WolfMortum's strikes, some of them being the most effective yet destructive movements he'd seen in a battle, it was a finishing move of Wolf's that he was trying to enact in the moment that Aleria had found him.

"Nikushimi no omoni..." he whispered to himself quietly under his breath, it was of a foreign human tongue and one he'd had to research long before returning home yet they were the words that Wolf had once spoken and they had been part of the ritual, the sequence that had unleashed an attack that Cayden had seen tear through those that had attacked them, a white skull of power burning in black flames that had eviscerated and devastated the enemy. 'Burden of hatred', that's what he'd once called it and evidently a name worthy of the attack as Cayden was about to find out.
Shifting, his feet parted against the sand floor, his hands moving to come out to his front, touching by the back of his palms, fingers outstretched as if he were intent on catching a ball or object of the like. His chest expanded as he took a slow breath and closed his eyes, allowing a moment to pass, an image to reflect the determination and perhaps even obsession in surpassing the kind of man his mother had taken him away from his home for. "Niku-..." He began to speak slowly as his hands slowly came inwards towards him, doing his utmost to focus on gathering all his concentration in collecting the appropriate amount of force to give a physical body to the charging strike, the air around him unknowingly darkening as his eyes remained closed, his heart however mimicking a similar darkness as his emotions flared in envy, jealousy and rage for the past. "shimi..-no...", the sand slowly began to be swept out away from him in every direction as the negative charge of his will and share spiritual presence sent the wind into a frenzy and bubbled around him in a black and purple glow, vague to the eyes yet none the less present and likely noticeable to Aleria, perhaps one of the few who had witnessed the strike before by her adoptive father.
The veins and muscles in his neck and arms, his chest and upper body tensed as the power he could feel within both his hands threatened to be to much for him, his brows narrowed as he opened his eyes, his pupils sharp, honed in on the area of the Colosseum ahead, ignorance to the chaotic flare of the wind encircling him as his practice turned into produce, the earth beneath his feet cratering against his weight as he pushed to step forward screaming furiously, anger that was not there moments ago, funneling the power that surged through his arms as he thrust both hands out in-front of him, "OMONI!!!".

It felt as if all his strength was being suddenly stolen from him, leaving him empty inside as his anger took form, tendrils of black and purple energy swirling around his arms, moving to erupt in violent form from his palms, a screaming white skull crying out as it shot through the air towards the Colosseum wall, the sand floor beneath it's trajectory hardening into cracked earth before the area exploded with such a force that the sand all around him was thrown up and became a thick plume of smoke and dust clouding his vision as Cayden was forced to drop to a knee out of share weakness, both arms lifting to guard his face from being blinded by the torrential winds of sand and ash.

By the time the smoke had cleared around him, Cayden hadn't moved an inch. Kneeling on the one leg, his arms limp at his sides, his shoulders rising and falling as he panted in exhaustion, his eyes staring out across the arena in disbelief and great fatigue, staring at the target that had been the far wall only it had been left obliterated against the attack he'd produced, the one and only ability he'd ever actually succeeded in after years of trying...-The violence, the danger that it had promoted staggering him.

((No worries, Aleria. I understand I'm also on and off due to my irl situation. Don't worry about it! post when you can and we'll get somewhere eventually xD))

As she ventured in, the sounds of scuffling grew louder. She rounded the corner that opened up into the space where the male was practicing. Her feet stopped dead in their tracks. Her eyes focused on his every detail. Only one person she knew moved like that...her father.

She made not a sound as to not interrupt him, but she was so focused on the resemblance of his fighting technique she didn't think that perhaps she should move on, and so, she stayed to watch. It was almost painful as it dredge up the fact that Wolf was no longer here... but it made sense that Cayden would know of his moves...

Her posture changed somewhat as he began another technique, her ears perked up as he spoke. Could he truly be trying to ....yes he was!

Sending quickly sent energy to her feet to ground herself just as the wind picked up. This would be enough to keep her on her feet. Not wanting her own energy to clash with the monstrosity of his, she dealt with the wind and the dirt hammering against her body.

If this attack is anything like her fathers, it would truly be a sight to see again. As his energy sparked and swirled ripping apart the ground, sucking up the earth around them, she could feel the intensity, almost his anger. The wind beat at her body, trying to budge her from her spot. Blinking past the hair that now blew around her face, her hand gripped the staff as she watched his energy build and finally seeming expel from him.

Throwing up her arms, she braced against the wind yet again, although fully unleashed it pushed her back a few feet.

Finally as the wind and energy subsided, the dust settling, she could make out Cayden down on his knees. Extinguishing her own energy at her feet, she brushed off the sand and bits of the flooring from her pants and shirt sleeves not bothering with the rest that may be on her face and in her hair.
Glancing past him, she whistled as she saw that part of the wall had been obliterated. Her eyes settled on the downed wolf, saw that he was breathing, if barely. She still stayed out of reach as she surveyed the rest of the Colosseum around them.

Cayden's shoulders sagged as his human lungs emptied themselves of breath, his eyes on the ruined area of the Colosseum, his eyes a rife with pride though his body could barely sustain himself, he'd pulled off the strongest attack he'd seen delivered by the stronger of warriors among their kind. It was an accomplishment Cayden never thought he'd ever reach, a milestone in his ability to deliver death against those that would threaten his pack, the signature move of WolfMortum, his would-be father figure, something he coincidentally had in common with the one that had stepped into the vicinity to witness such an attack though Cayden had still yet to acknowledge her presence, not having noticed himself, he barely had the strength to keep himself from coming face to the floor as he fell forward, his hands reaching the Colosseum floor before that of his front, panting furiously against the sand, his heated breath blowing stands of earth away from him in great exhaustion. "I finally did it...-I got you, you son of a bitch...." Cayden exclaimed in alarm, soon bursting our with a crazed laughter as his elbows gave way, caving in and slamming down into the ground as his forehead met the sand floor, his body trembling from the over-exertion of energies spent.

It had been so long since he'd started trying to deliver such a blow upon the world around him yet he'd never felt anything alike the negative emotions that had filled him in dealing such an attack, his eyes glanced from every speck of sand frantically in front of him as his mind strained in keeping up with his reality, searching for a way to explain how he'd managed such a feat, wondering if it was possible, if it was even in the slightest bit possible that Wolf's aura could still be in the land, in this area allowing and strengthening him to do so or was that simply him being paranoid and not giving himself enough credit. Had he performed the attack by some miracle, by Wolf's haunting his past or by his own skill, his strength and physical energy on the world that he lived within, so many questions yet the one man that could answer him here in the moment was no longer living among the mortal plane, though Cayden couldn't confirm it, he was the only person alive today that was still capable of performing the 'Burden of Hatred', the black death.

Her attention turned back to Cayden as he shouted at his unforeseen foe. The poor man wasn't in his right mind. But who could blame him...She counted backwards in her head and just as she got to zero his body hit the ground. The proud male had exhausted himself. Placing her hands on her hips she looked down at him. "I can't very well leave you here..." As a healer she wouldn't allow it, his body had taken a beating and she wasn't about to let Blaze's son be left to eat dirt, no matter if their relationship was rocky or not.

She eyed his body and shook her head. Even with her wolf's strength, he outweighed her immensely. "Cayden, are you by chance knocked out?" she called out even though she could tell if she wanted to, but having a problem with others touching her without permission she called out to him to announce her presence before she attempted to move him.

Option A: Move forward with your post with this or

Option B: She could tell that he was okay, if not physically exhausted. The sun would be out soon, and if she left him he would be far worse in the exposure of the sun. Sending out her energy to the forest around them, she watched as the vines answered her call, snaking there way towards him.

Soon his body was lifted mere centimeters from the ground, the vines acting as a gurney as they made their way out of the Coliseum. She collected his weapons handling them with awe and care.

Propping his body against a large tree just outside of the Coliseum, the vines slunk off to their resting place. His Katanas resting near him but not with in reach. She did not need him awaken disoriented and attack, she hopes that he will be in his right mind, but who could say? He could find his weapons to the right of him, right in view but far enough away she would have time to calm him if need be. It was a precaution.

She left him for a short time to procure water for him when he awoke. Her satchel had  herbs and roots he could chew on if he got hungry.

..........

It had crossed her mind a time or two leave him, she had tended to him after-all, there was  nothing else she could do. Instead, she practiced her own skill, which was nothing compared to his, but it kept her busy and centered her mind. When he was able to speak, she had so many questions as to what happened... What was Wolf's life like.. there...? Was he happy? Where they happy? But the biggest question of all, how did he die?

To ease her troubled mind, she practiced a few breathing and centering techniques.

Cayden suddenly awoke with a start, his eyes snapping open as he tried to collect himself and recall what'd happened, what he'd achieved, his gaze swiftly lowering to look to his hands which still held the ware from such an attack. There was a pause where everything fell silent, his mind working to catch up to where he presently was and how he'd gotten there, the latter that seemed to escape him and causing his vision to search out for anyone nearby. And it just so happened that his gaze landed on that of Aleria though unlike her, he didn't seem to recall who she was, only that she'd obviously managed to move him somehow and that meant she'd been trying to help him.

"Who are you...?" He spoke out curiously, refraining from making any quick movements, he didn't want to spook her into a fight that he didn't need.
"I blacked out didn't I..." He added as it was the only assumption he could come up with that made any real sense, he knew he'd not been attacked and had he been after expelling so much energy into the black death, he'd have wound up dead or worse, at the mercy of the other.
His stomach grumbled to him in a begrudging and starved way, his human brows furrowing as he hesitantly tried to push himself to his feet though second guessed himself as his muscles still felt rather strained against the output he'd given to his training and expression of Bushido, his masters way.

"Ugh...-I over did it a bit...-You got anything to eat by chance?" He turned to look back to that of Aleria who probably was as uncertain of him as he was with his somewhat helpless position from his assumption, perhaps not entirely in truth as he found himself studying her expression and wondering soon enough if there weren't ulterior motives behind her helping him.

Golden colored ears twitched as his voice reached her ears. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head towards him before her body followed along. She smiled brightly at seeing him awake and not in a “I will kill you” mode. She could see his katana still resting to the side, out of his reach. She took it as a good sign that he didn’t reach for them.

Still standing, she looked down at him as he tried to raise himself up. She moved forward to help him, if he would except aid to sit in a better position.

“My name is Aleria. We’ve only met once. Way back when. I wouldn’t have known that you where you, but word travels. I’m not sure if you remember what you did, but you should be proud. I’ve only seen that technique one other time… it was beautiful…”

Seeing his weariness, she moved away from him to get the oddly shaped rock she used to gather water from the stream. Handing it to him, “I didn’t mean to…. Well anyway, I watched and when it was over you passed out, I couldn’t very well leave you there, the sun would be toasting you right about now and leave you even more dehydrated..”

She also dug in her satchel, the only other human made thing she had and procured a twisted brown and red root. “It’s yucky, but it’ll get you on your feet in know time. Granted you’ll need a proper meal.. but..” She trailed off, letting him get a word in edgewise. Normally she wasn’t so chatty, but she was nervous. Wanting to ask him all those questions was starting to make her feel guilty. Why she didn’t know…she would have helped him even he wasn’t raised by Wolf.

Cayden took the drink rather eagerly, dipping his head in a brief show of appreciation to Aleria before he drank the water from the bizarrely shaped rock, eyeing it afterward with more than a little hint of question though set it down and simply listened as she handed him the root, whatever kind of vegetation it was meant to be, it didn't quite strike him as a preferable meal, or a meal in general as he'd been the type for meat naturally though it was something and like before, she showed his appreciation this time in the form of a short reply; "Thanks..." He said with an edge of reluctance as his tone faded and he thought to her summarizing of events that she'd witnessed.

"You thought that was beautiful?..." He gestured back in the direction of the arena he'd performed the killing feat within, "Not so pretty on the losing side of it...-It'll kill the person it hits, for sure". Cayden's eyes shifted to study the female curiously, wondering if by the way of her expression or rather the lack of her surprise, it was what she'd been wanting to hear, or at-least waiting to. "I'm sorry I don't remember you...-Aleria, right?" He spoke further in apology, glancing ahead of himself in a slight sense of guilty, not entirely sure why she was helping him though she obviously felt she knew more about himself than he did of her; "If I can ask, why exactly are you helping me...-Where've we met before. Are you part of the pack? I didn't expect to find someone like yourself around here...".

She watched him curiously and then smirked as he took a drink. They were animals after all, somehow or another able to shift to a human skin. They lived in the woods, hiding their identity from the humans and he thinks drinking from a rock is odd? She smiled to herself, wolves now-a-days.

Still crouched in front of him, she smiled brilliantly. "Yes, beautiful. You're aura, your power, it was intense. I've seen only one other with levels like that."

"Oh, I know, good thing I was in the opposite direction, otherwise, there would know more me. That would kind of suck..." She says with a smile before she sobers up for a minute and shrugs lightly, "You were just a pup, our meeting was very brief. I don't expect that you would remember."

After he asked her why she was helping him, she took a slight pause. She was never good at keeping things from people, and even doing this to him made her feel like slime. Not wanting to get into the whys of things, she moved onto his last questions, not entirely sure of his meaning. Did he mean the general area, the arena? or... this place in general.. with the Kumari..? Not letting it show that his question throws her off, she blinks again and try's to play it cool, "I'm part of Kumari, yes. Why wouldn't you think someone like me would be around ..here?"

She intends to fully listen to his answer, before moving on to one of the reasons she helped him. (and possible reply back)

It was getting to much, this keeping her motives a secret. She shouldn't even of had any motives...but she did. She never did anything selfishly, she only ever wanted to help others and be useful. "I helped you because I wanted to, I knew if you where to stay there in the middle of the Coliseum, the sun rising to midday, you would be in worse shape than you are now. I know you, well, I know of you and that even though you left you have been apart of us (the pack)", she pauses again, her hands that where resting on either knee, her fingers suddenly curl, grasping the fabric of her pants, a sign she was getting nervous, "and because...", another pause, but this time the cheerfulness on her face and the light in her eyes dimmed, showing a crack in her façade of being happy. "You know...knew... Wolf...." his name was barely a whisper as her emotions welled to the surface. Her eyes instantly leave his face to look down at the ground for a moment as she pushes all those emotions back in their box. Eclipses name popped into her head. If Cayden was here.. she would probably be here too.. She was an adult now.. she should have gone to Eclipse and not cornered Cayden like this. What the hell was she thinking...

"Tch..." He exhaled an audible breath in disappointment as Aleria mentioned the one name he'd hoped not to hear for a good time; he'd heard enough about his mothers would-be savior from these lands. Unfortunately Aleria had raised the subject yet Cayden knew there was no blame in her end, he was partially curious in why and how she knew the man yet couldn't help but show his resentment for the male that had led them so far astray from their homeland. "Wolf...-Yeah, I knew Wolf..." He spoke with a rather evident sense of resentment and regret, "Sorry to disappoint you but I've got nothing good to say about the guy...". Silence followed for a long moment as Cayden merely sat there, drinking a little from the misshapen rock and thinking in self-reflection on the females obvious interest in his background.

His eyes crossed their environment in which encouraged him to respond to her former question about his mentioning her being around here, "To my knowledge Cor Lupus was started by him to protect the pack. When the two split this place became a training ground for those protecting the Kostas hence I was a little surprised you were here but now it's kinda obvious you're from the pack aren't you. You're one of us..." Cayden half nodded to her in confident gesture, knowing the answer already and speaking it more as an claim than a question. "Y'know I was sorta hoping I'd find some of the old people here. The pack feels a little out of touch right now and we could use a strong defensive line again. I wanted to train and try to bring it all back into play while my father leads again...".

Raikou had given Cayden the luxary of being able to tell the signs of body language in people that he were to come across in his future away from his own training. Cayden's gaze returning to Aleria, he studied her in attempt to try to gauge her motives behind helping him while she'd been truthful, as much as he could tell, he was still one to offer reluctance before leading into blindly following or trusting in another. She seemed nervous if he could tell anything about the way she held herself, not something he'd expected in one who claimed to know his former guardian. "How'd you know Wolf?..." He asked, brows lifting a little as he tilted his head in curious demeanor towards her.

Her eyes fly up to his face as he exhales. Hers' are troubled, as bringing up the subject of Wolf is painful for her . "You don't like him." The words were softly spoken. There was no menace or accusation in her voice, just acknowledgement that she could hear and see his disappointment in the subject. "Hm, Wolf didn't get along with everyone..." but what had caused Cayden to dislike him so much? "but, he took me under his wing as his daughter.

She stood then, after dropping that bomb on him. "He believed in Cor Lupus, and so did I. We would train here...sometimes just the two of us...." She had hoped to be a strong as him one day. To be able to protect the pack and keep a level head while doing so, to be able to handle the situation on her own, like he would have been able to. She knew she was not as strong as the others, her skills...if you could call them that, needed work. She couldn't even keep Cor Lupus alive after he died, and that hurt her deeply. The drowning sense that she had failed him...

Those that had joined Cor Lupus, disappeared. She couldn't even tell you who had joined anymore.
Things had gone from bad to worse after Wolf left and then Blaze, and then Blade standing in for Alpha...she shuddered at that. During his reign, she was the only one to see that he didn't get ambushed. She had fooled herself into thinking she was she the sole member in Cor Lupus, doing what her father intended for them to do, to protect the lands from those that wished to intrude and to protect the pack. At that time, it had been Blade as Alpha.

"I've been hoping to see the others come too...", but who was she kidding, Cor Lupus was gone. At least for now. She had hoped since Blaze returned and took back his right as Alpha that perhaps he would call on them.. or.. something would have happened. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't want the original members, herself included, to join back. They all had done a piss poor job in keeping Wolf's dream alive.

She could feel herself being pulled down into those dark undercurrents of her mind, her depression. Guilt. She could fall apart when she was not in front of others. She ceased all thoughts from her mind. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. She turned to face him , her lips turned up in a small smile in hopes to lighten the mood, his or hers she wasn't sure. "I'm sorry, this must be (awkward, unbearable...) a lot to ..take in.", she finally says. "When I heard someone was using the arena, I had hoped that...the others had finally come back. When I saw it was you, and I saw what you where doing, I couldn't look away." He had reminded her of Wolf in so many ways.

"I don't know what I was thinking...I attempted to leave you be after I got you in the shade. After I knew you would be okay. But I stayed. ..."

She was skipping topics a lot she knew, but she was trying to cover everything. And now knowing he didn't like Wolf, would he want to tell her.

She stopped pacing, looked at him. "They came and told me that my father had died." Her eyes are distant as she recalls that night as Blaze told her. "That was it, Wolf was dead." She didn't know how she sounded to him, for all she knew she sounded like a crazy woman, but she was fighting not to break down as she did any time she though of the only person she had ever called Father.

"I stayed, I had thought that maybe...since he was with you, that, you could tell me how he died..." At the time she hadn't thought that he would dislike Wolf, but then again she wasn't really thinking at all.

"I wasn't around...-In fact, he had already left us. Last we saw WolfMortum he'd turned his back on us and returned to his homeland or so he called it. Arcane or something-a-rather...", Cayden took in a deep and pensive breath as he replied, leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree behind him as his gaze lifted out across the clearing that spanned in-front of the pair. "That's why I don't like the guy...-I'm sorry if he's your old man but he convinced my mother to leave the pack with him, acted very much like that for us too only to leave us on our own out in the middle of nowhere.." His brows furrowed in frustration as his mind took to visions of the past, his words flowing though he barely noticed as he recalled the past events of his life around WolfMortum and the mother he'd known so long ago.

"Eclipse seemed different back than, to what she's like nowadays...-I don't remember a whole lot though she wasn't quite so fierce. Confident and always tried to be happy for my sisters but when Wolf left, everything changed. They'd talked about starting their own pack, living in a new land...-A life similar to the one that had been taken from us", his head tilted against the bark as he turned to look back towards Aleria in brief acknowledgement and explanation, "I always felt hard done by not having had a choice in leaving this place but I was to young, barely into my first month...".

"I guess the would-be home was underestimated or perhaps they just didn't have the strength to hold their own after the journey but starved for food and territory we obviously became easy prey for the humans there. When Wolf left us, he took most of our ability to defend ourselves and one day when we were being hunted by the humans, I was split away from my mother and the girls, figured they'd all been killed. Spent two years living as a loner before I arrived back here mostly by luck, the Nayati Alpha recognized me before I recognized anyone else. When I heard of Benjamin, I wanted to kill him, blamed him but really...-The only one to blame was WolfMortum and..." His tone lowered some, both guilt and sadness coming over him as he finished the sentence, "Well...-Him and my Mother". It was difficult to admit, his reunion with Eclipse hadn't come easily and had left a foul taste in his mouth ever since. Hearing the truth that both she and his father had told him, it wasn't easy to move passed no matter how she tried to justify taking them away from Blaze; in the end everyone said they thought they were doing what was right for their family yet him and his Sisters had been a bit of a mess for it ever since and Cayden still felt sour over their history.

"My father's taken me into the pack, I've been a member of the Kostas for nearly eight months now though I've not seen many of them...-I hear stories from time to time though, from what I've gathered, it never used to be so quiet in the pack. I was hoping that at the very least, with all I've gone through as a loner and given my history with both Wolf and Benjamin, perhaps I could do some good to at-least help defend the pack when it's looking so weak...-And let's be honest, it really is.".

It was hard for her to listen to what he said. She didn’t think Wolf was capable of leaving his children behind. But Cayden had no reason to lie to her. Her eyes where troubled as he continued. She took all he said in stride, finding the words to say to him even if it was hard to believe, but she did. She didn’t feel any better once he was done. She sadder, if that was such a thing that how she had originally felt. Aleria’s own childhood was built with death and fear, but she had grown up and got over it as even today she dealt with her issues of being around others. She had found her family in the Kumuri and Wolf had shown her the meaning of the word Father, replacing all the horror that the one that had sired her had left her with.

She truthfully did not wish to speak about Wolf any longer. Her emotions on the subject where vastly spiraling towards anger towards Wolf that he would have done something like to three young pups and also that of the feeling that she loved him for what he had shown her and the memories she had of him.

“I am sorry, Cayden.” She told him as he was no sad/sore on the subject and she had made him relieve his childhood. “For what it’s worth, I am glad to have you back among us. She looked at him as he said the pack was weak, she didn’t say anything then, but she agreed with him. Everyone had separated, doing their own thing. She herself was rarely seen amongst her family, but she had also been like this, even before the pack had gone to hell.

“Perhaps you can whip us back into shape. What have you in mind?” She so hoped that this helped mend the pack back together, so many things had gone wrong, they needed to be a family again.

"Well...", Cayden took a moment before he could bring words to mimic his thoughts, a guilty part of him wishing he hadn't said all he had when he saw the change in Aleria's expression, ducking his gaze and glancing away hoping to avoid embarrassing her or making her feel uncomfortable at all; moving on with his answer to her questioning his ambitions. "Benjamin's back in charge of the pack, he's resumed his old place as Alpha so I was hoping that others might be drawn in on that alone but Cor Lupus, well I'd heard a lot of rumors about what it used to be and was hoping to find others to help me build it up again"; ambitious was certainly the right word for it, he needed numbers to do so and they'd been few and far between.

"I've pulled in Blade so far, he was a little too eager to fight me though he called it training. Honestly don't know if we should be encouraging fighting our own pack mates even if it is training, our focus needs to be set on the outside of our borders as far as I'm concerned but hey...-He's one and I think I can convince Aulan to help us out too". His left hand went for his Katana, the sheathed weapon soon being rested atop his lap as he pulled the housing away from it, shifting a little to reach for his interior pocket of his jacket and pulling fourth a piece of slicked over material, he began to polish the steel down simply out of something to distract his hands whilst he spoke. "There is of course a place for you too if you'd like that, I'm assuming you'd have been with HIM way back then, I bet you could help us out a lot even if it's just a matter of advising me on how things went in the past...".

His gaze soon sought to find her again, offering something of a slim smile though sincere in his gratitude for her helping him recover. "You've obviously got experience and we're from the same family after all, right...-That's what Blaze tells me anyway, this pack is supposed to treat each other like they're family. Can't say I've seen a long of warm feelings since I came into the game though better late than never right?".

Pushing her feelings to she side, she listened to Cayden's words. A small spark of hope blossomed in her chest. This could very well be what their family needed.
"I am glad Blaze has returned and claimed his rightful spot. There are some that can lead and others that can't."
It seemed as if there were more she wanted to say, but she didn't want bear her soul to Cayden about her thoughts on how things went when Blaze had left. He could see the damage it cuased himself.
Hearing that Blade was going to be in Cor Lupus did not suprise her. He had been apart of it from the begining. "I don't think we need to beat each other to a bloody pulp, but training with each other is another matter. If a threat presented itself, we need to be familar with each others fighting style so that we are not all over the place and getting in each others way. Granted I don't think this needs to be a constant factor, as it would take away from patrolling the borders. " She lips parted to say more, but she didn't on this matter, thinking she would just be talking in circles, she hoped he got what she was meant. Members working off of each others strengths and weakness.
"We just need to round up our family. How many members do you think you'll need?"

"I don't mind helping the ones that don't know quite how to or perhaps aren't exactly confident in doing what needs to be done should the need arise we need to fight off others from our lands but I don't know...-I don't need to prove myself to someone and the impression I got, Bladewolf was looking to put someone down and make an impression. It's not how I do things, I don't need to boast, when it comes down to the time and the moment, I'll die to protect the ones that have done right by me..." the words to finish the sentence might not have struck Aleria as perculiar at all though he'd not spoken of the Pack as a whole but rather those that had at-least tolerated him with an open mind, he would not lose sleep over the ones that seemed to no longer put in the time for the Pack however, unless it came down by an Order from their alpha, his father whom as much as he might like to sometimes, he couldn't disobey anymore. Not since entering the Kostas.
"To be honest...-I'm not entirely clear on how many we have in the Pack. I hope I haven't met them all because there hasn't honestly been a lot I've run into. One of the Nayati not too long ago and some stranger I didn't recognize but still...The Kosta's aren't exactly looking to lively. Any suggestions would be good, I'm not looking to order people around, just hoping this will pull some of 'em out of their dens and wake up to the packs needs".

"How many do you know of out there, even if they're not even with the Kosta's anymore, perhaps they'll consider returning now that things are finally moving again, slowly maybe but still...".

"Hm. Blade can take some time to get used too, "she said with a slight smile. "You shouldn't have to prove yourself to anyone. Let alone your family. I am sorry if some have made you feel that way."
She couldn't speak for everyone, for she didn't know their hearts, but she was glad that Cayden had returned. The Pack has gone through very rough times. It was time for some happiness to shine through this darkness. Blaze's children have come home...most of them, they would find Cayden's other sister...she had no doubt.

"Give Blade a few drinks and a skimpy tramp and his mind will be somewhere else," she says half jokingly. "I believe that if you can get Cor Lupus functioning, it will give Blade a purpose for him to focus on.

"The others? I am not sure...to be honest. We've all dealt with things separately and a lot has happened. You and Blade are the only family I have come across. My mother, Aulan, she was here not to long ago but she's seemed to have disappeared as well. Zigan has returned to us, but...well he is dealing with personal things and I haven't seen him around. I honestly don't know if there is that many us around anymore."

"Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit" Cayden remarked as he turned to look elsewhere, a questioning tone that caused his brows to furrow in thoughtful apprehension. "It's possible I haven't spent enough time with the others though the Nayati seem to have taken a similar fate as well from what I can assume, having seen so few of them...-I suppose that's something we can be thankful of atleast, our borders won't be threatened by the likes of them...". His hands took to his material hooded jacket to which he pulled it into his center in a subconscious effort to settle his doubts, a feeble comfort. "I don't suppose I'd be wrong to claim that you seem to have as many questions as I do these days, despite having lived in these lands far longer than I have...-Does that not worry you?" He glanced back to Aleria, crimson hues taking her in momentarily before offering something of a polite half smile, tilting his head to the right in almost wolf like manner, "Sorry if I'm being nosey..." He muttered shortly afterwards in quiet apology.

Shuffling around, he moved to face her, crossing his legs and leaning forward, his weight carried by his elbows supported against his knees, his head cradled by both hands unto his chin as he looked passed Aleria, not at anything in particular, his mind seemed to wander somewhat. "It's funny really when you think about it. With so few in both packs and the humans not so far off from either territories, it'd make more sense to bring the two together..." He chuckled softly, quickly dipping his head to the left in acknowledgement of the task in all it's improbability; "Not going to happen I know but on the outside, you'd think that'd cover more ground and keep more of us safe...".

"Oh I saw Aulan recently by the way..." His focus returned to her, though he couldn't see the resemblance between the two, "I'd no idea you two were related...-Though she seemed to know WolfMortum as well so..." His voice faded off somewhat, offering another faint smile though more out of awkward sympathy than anything else. "Why aren't the two of you together?" He added quickly so to keep the conversation. "She asked me to teach her how to fight, believe it or not...".

"Maybe so. But it is good that your thinking ahead. There also isn't that many loners threatening the borders, when you'd used to see at least one every now and again." Should they start worrying that they had not seen hair nor hide of their neighbors? (possible rp for plot)

"Not sure to be thankful, or to start worrying over our case of good 'fortune' in not seeing them. As far as our family goes, yes it is concerning that we are not running into each other. I know we have had something that we are dealing with at some point or another," her self included. Guilty. But, she wasn't raised to depended on others and would seek solitude to deal with her own messes. Since being with her family for so long, these traits have slackened some, but not entirely. Feeling like an outsider in your own pack was ironic to say the least.

"It's kinda nice, so no worries." (to be able to speak with someone about her thoughts). Her tone was light taking no offense to his questions.

"If I remember correctly, some of their members used to be with us but long story short, they wanted their own lands and liberties and formed their own pack. Separating from us entirely. I don't think they have any intentions of joining us. However, getting their support if something bad where to happen wouldn't be bad idea. I haven't spoken to Blaze or anyone else, so I'm not sure if there is a pact between our packs, but if not, maybe there should be."

She blinked over at him, "You did?" her voice was full of surprise. The worrying she felt at not knowing where she had gone finally lifted. Thankful something bad hadn't happened to her.

Any one could tell that they were not related, they looked nothing alike there ages where semi close. (I guess?) "We aren't related by blood. But, she's my mother. She and W... um, I was sort of adopted I guess."
The idea of parenthood and having loving parents would have been lost to Aleria; especially the way she grew up. This pack, Aulan, and Wolf had taught her that things were different when the parents where actually parents and loved you. Not some murderous beast with an agenda.

Blocking out the images of death and rivers of blood, she smiled to Cayden, "As I've said, we've all been through a rough time and people deal with it differently. I suppose she needed time away, to be by herself." Aulan had adopted her and raised her last couple of years but now she was grown up, in her twenties (?). Maybe Aulan felt her duties of parenting where over, especially to a non blooded relation.

Aulan and WolfMortum, it really wasn't all too difficult to piece those two pieces of the puzzle together, Aleria the result of the mix it'd seemed, what strange irony that fate seemed to play upon the two; Cayden Nekishu turned to look back towards her trying not to appear so surprised, she really did not strike him as the sort to be one of WolfMortum's own 'would-be' children, especially in that she held nothing of the strong and dark intimidation that Wolf seemed to carry everywhere he went with him. Perhaps Aleria was something more than what Cayden could see but it puzzled him somewhat and struck him off-guard, causing him to wonder just what else about the male he didn't know. "I see...", he ushered quietly before slowly forcing himself to climb to his feet, taking a stand and grimacing against the battle that his body waged back against that of his mind and will-power.

He remained standing within his human form despite wanting to fall back to the floor. Raikou had taught him better than to submit before the eyes of others, especially those he did not trust and that Ronin pride came into play where Cayden questioned the honor in the position he held, instead forcing himself to remain strong in front of the female; though not without the hurt and not without the difficulty in finding the strength required of him. Rather than focusing on himself, he in turn looked back to her once again and spoke out, curiousity taking the tone of his words and offering her question as to her intentions now. "From here on out, I should survive. I thank you for the help but I can't help but wonder where you'll turn next. Better you return to us rather than sink back into the isolation that the life of a loner can be. Trust me, I'm well aware where that path leads...".

Aleria’s eyes widened just a hair as she watched him stand. She knew he was in pain and should not be on his feet. His will power was astonishing. Telling him not to stand; not to be on his feet would be pointless. “Your thoughts and mine are on the same path. My isolation has caused me much. This rift in our family needs to be made whole. Perhaps we can all start to pick up the pieces.” She was only speaking on how she felt though; she wanted to be closer to her family. She had been with them for decades and yet she knew nothing about them.

“The path I seek is to be Home.”

(Not sure what else to put in this Cayden… )