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 Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:44 am
Menelaus and his daughter had been wandering, lost in both in a mental and physical state. Tempest especially hadn't been the same since they were last home in their pack with her Mother and the love of his life, Chivosi. Menelaus thought sadly, but fondly of the mate he'd probably never win back, his hope was nott lost, simply well founded.
---
On this day Menelaus found himself wide awake, he was perched by a stream of water, eye's dancing to watch the different currents move the water along it's path. It had been no secret that the aged alpha was a dog of water. He would live in it if he didn't require oxygen. It would have been the perfect hiding place for all that had gone on, he had no excuse but mental capacity and limits being trampled upon for unknown reasons. It made him sick to his stomach with worry for the female that he had left alone, but he had other worries too, like his poor distraught daughter. He still wondered quietly to himself on a regular basis as to why she decided to go with him. He was sure she had her reasons.
As his mind trailed on he heard a rustling behind him, taking a whiff he knew it was Tempest slowly making her way through the brush to get to him. "Good morning Tempest." He said calmly, He wiped away the rest of his thoughts to focus on the one good thing he had left, that he knew wouldn't completely be awkward with him.
--- "Good morning Father." She said slowly, her steps were cautious and her eye's were dodgy. She couldn't look others completely in the eye, as if she was afraid they'd see into her soul. Tempest gazed at the water pouring, pooling and streaming it's way away from them. "Are we ever going home?" She knew he was expecting this question, it had been weeks since they last spoke about it and she could almost see the pull on his heart strings at the mention of home. She wondered just how far from the borders they were, she didn't have a good idea of where she was, her internal clock seemed broken.
All he could do to answer her question was a slow nod then a glance away. They were a picture of destroyed family ties. Broken hopes and unfulfilled dreams. Tempest looked at his with glassy eye's then back at the water, simply sharing a silence between them.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:56 am
 Balios had taken to wandering further and further from the pack lands on his border patrols. Perhaps the storyteller had inspired him to wander. Or perhaps he was simply itching to get his paws wet with experience. One couldn't be a pack ambassador and diplomat without wandering a bit, could they?
His actions were marked by a certain slow, self-pitying shambling gait. He wasn't exactly miserable, but he wasn't glowing with his usual over-abundance of happiness either. Corinth was gone...Apollo was gone...Guinevere was gone...and now even the storyteller Senka was gone. All left to go investigate Antianeira, their warrior sister-pack, and leaving Balios alone to fend for himself.
It was altogether quite frustrating and a little off-putting. He felt a bit abandoned, really, and that was the part he hated the most.
The dappled wolf paused, lifting his nose to sniff at the air. Odd. Wolf-smell. And...one was slightly familiar, stirring at the strings of his mind vaguely. Intrigued, trying to place the scent within his memories, he shifted his path toward the water.
He hesitated, eyes flicking from one wolf to the other. Finally, hoping he was remembering correctly, he cocked his head and asked uncertainly, "...Grandfather?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:15 am
Together the two wolves gazed up, almost at an identical speed and all, but Menelaus was an inch faster and almost gasped.
---
Menelaus stared hard at the young adult wolf that stood before him. Could it possibly be one of Derecho's? He felt natural instincts begin to kick in, his tail began to twitch happily and his eye's nearly watered up when that one magical word slipped from the maw of the mystery wolf. Grandfather. "Balios!" He echoed proudly, he hadn't completely forgotten everyhing, but the look on Tempests face reminded him that she wasn't around for her nieces and nephews.. not mentally atleast.
He turned to her, briskly wanting to get the introductions over with as quickly as possible. He had so many questions for his grandson, it was unbelievable to see the young wolf again. He hadn't see this little guy since he was a pup! "Tempest, m'dear. This is Balios, one of your nephews froma litter Derecho has sprung." Menelaus spoke kindly and softly, Tempest was known for her outbursts. She was a little emotionally distressed on many ocassions.
He was pleasantly shocked when her eye's lit up with excitment.
---
"Balios.." She spoke as if tasting the name on her tongue, "..my nephew." Again, the words seem to have a flavor to her. She smiles slowly at Balios and takes a slow step forward, as not to startle him. "Hello.. Balios. I'm your Aunt..Tempest." She gazed at his color palette, he certainly had Derechos face, but the rest of him was splotchy, not quite in the bloodline she knew.
It felt weird to say Aunt, she didn't feel like one, even if living proof sat before her very nose. She returned a little more quickly to her Fathers side and looked at him with pride, she had been getting better when making contact with others. Her Father gave her the proud smile of approval she was looking for. Then he spoke again.
---
"How are things at home Balios?" He asked slowly, not sure it was within his right to ask. He was indeed and ex alpha, not the alpha. He barely had any say of anything in his life anymore, or so it felt to him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 11:48 am
Balios wagged his tail, a grin lifting the corners of his maw, brown eyes sparkling. He remembered Menelaus -- he had visited once, when he was a pup, and they had all wrestled, and it had been a lot of fun. And then...where had he gone? He'd disappeared almost as suddenly as he'd come, and at the time Balios hadn't stopped to really think about it.
His eyes ticked over to his aunt, and he grinned. He had other aunts...two of them...Varia and Aleu...and they'd both given him lots of cousins. But Varia was mean and he'd never gotten to meet her, and Aleu was really nice but rarely ever spent time with him because she was busy with her own little family. It was very nice to meet another family member.
"It's nice meeting you, Aunt Tempest," he said, nodding in friendly greeting, "And to see you again, Grandfather." How about that. He had two grandfathers, now! He wondered if they would like each other.
"The pack has been faring well. A new litter of pups seems to crop up every time I turn around. And..." he hesitated, not sure if he should say this but thinking it would be better if Menelaus didn't see it in person and be shocked, "...there's a new alpha male."
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 2:38 pm
Menelaus went into a cold silence, he remained without words for many moments. Balios had been quick to speak and so he had no time to think on each topic. The last statement was more of a stutter than a speech. Balios had been right in hesitating telling the aging male this. He was heart broken, though he ofcourse knew that to ask his old mate to wait for him would be unrealistic, but still. He smiled slowly at Balios, trying desperately to hold onto his emotions, specially with the already distressed Tempest sitting next to him. He looked down to her, unshed tears glistening brightly in his eyes.
She too had the same glistening eyes, he lowered his muzzle to her cheek and snuffled lightly as a tear hit it. He saw something that he hadn’t expected though. He saw hatred flash through his young daughters eyes. He stared hard, hoping he’d been wrong, but he wasn’t. He sighed to himself and forced that smile to Balios again.
“Thank you, m’dear boy, for letting me know. Perhaps returning home isn’t what Tempest and I should do. Would probably cause more grief than anyone needs.” He chuckled softly and moved to nose the now flustered looking Tempest.
---
Tempest basically saw her life flash before her eyes. She heard his words, but needed the moment to let them settle in. She watched her Fathers heart break right before her as the words cut him like a knife. She bitterly swallowed back as many tears as she could. Holding back the outburst she truly wanted Balios to see. But the pain wasn’t hers to bear alone. She felt the nose of her Father bump against her cheek and nuzzle it slowly in a comforting fashion. This action caused a single tear to drip onto the already wet nose. She bit back the rest and stared coldly at Balios, the hate in her eyes weren’t for him though. Her perception of whose fault things were was skewed.
When her Father spoke she nearly began to ball. His words finally hit home. Home.. something she may never see again. Her Mother, whom she probably never wanted to see again anyway, but her sibling. Aleu, whom had loved and taken care of her when their Father and her had returned from a disaster. “I think you’re right Father, but perhaps... we could visit before leaving completely?” Her eyes pleaded with him, begging him to say yes to her.
---
Ofcourse he couldn’t say no, they’d plan a trip eventually he was sure. But he didn’t answer, just gazed at her. Given a moment he stared back at Balios, almost all life lost in his eyes. “Well, I’m glad things have been going well. Pups must mean that the hunts are going well aswell.” He gave another forced smile.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:56 pm
Balios winced; he shouldn't have said anything. But what was he supposed to do? If they wandered much closer, they'd hit the border, and Galahad was almost certainly doing border patrols. What if they ran into the alpha male? Surely that wouldn't be any easier on them?
Pups. Oh, god, should he tell them about Chivosi's newest litter? Was that just rubbing salt into a raw wound? Surely it was, but wouldn't Tempest want to know about her newest half-siblings? Balios tried to think of how he would feel in the same situation.
"You're always welcome here," he said, finally, because that at least he knew was true. "No matter who you are. That much has never changed about YMCA and it never will. You may come always." The young wolf had a fierce pride for his pack, and it shone in his eyes and the strength of his voice. "But I'd understand if you don't want to stay."
He hesitated, not sure what the right thing to say next was. "Have...you been well?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:09 pm
Menelaus stared at Balios, the young adult was thinking hard on something, but decided against whatever it was he was going to say and immediately Menelaus had a general idea of what it was that might not be well to say out loud. He felt his heart drop further, but he said nothing and went on staring. "We'll keep our distance for now. Perhaps we could talk to Merril first instead of going straight for Chivosi.. I don't think I could do that. I realize we are welcome. But Tempest and I need our time away after a shock like this." He stopped all words, Tempest was not his only pup, he didn't know what they thought of their half-a** Father who walked out on them and never looked back. He lowered his head further.
The feelings of guilt and pain just kept on rolling, he didn't know where he would go when this conversation was done with Balios, but he knew it would not be home. Tempest could find a place there, but his was filled. He almost growled at his self-anger, but he couldn't, not in front of his Grandson.
"We have been as well as two lost souls can be. There is no mercy in this world, and so the world is ruthless. But we have been lucky." He stated this, making it plain he didn't want to get into the matter further and then he looked away. He didn't know how much more he could take of news from their old home. He knew one thing, he was happy that Chivosi was happy.
---
As soon as the silence rang clear Tempest knew her Father wouldn't have much more to say to her Nephew. She stared at him, a fake smile, a fake happy glance and she was ready to talk again. The emotions bubbling beyond her happy face would temporarily tamed, but she knew better then to believe she was okay. "Father is being way to blunt with you, we are perfectly fine.. it's just been a long time since we have been home and he's bent out of shape." She grinned playfully, anger flashing through her eyes quickly.
"It's a nice day for a hunt? Isn't it?" She shot out, trying to catch the silence before it came terribly awkward. She stared at him, a hard cold look in her eyes.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:36 pm
Balios's ears drooped. He'd made a real mess out of this, hadn't he? He wished he could take back everything and start the conversation over from the beginning. "I don't mind bluntness," he said, and he grinned slightly at this, hoping the lighten the mood a little. "My dad's Derecho, remember?"
Indeed, he had spent most of his life listening to his parents bicker. He knew perfectly well that his mother was disappointed in him for being born male -- she had wanted nothing more than a daughter to take back to her all-female warrior pack, but had instead been cursed with five boys. That was quite a blow to suffer. He didn't hold it against her, really, that she had loved her adopted daughter more than any of her sons. His dad had always been double nice to him, so that was all that mattered.
Clearly, his notion of a happy family was a little skewed.
"It is a really fine day for hunting," he added, picking up on Tempest's cue. "The weather's nice, not too windy. I could go get my cousin Anatto -- he's from my mom's side -- and we could probably bring something down that's really big." He thought the prospect of a nice group hunt would be tempting for a pair of lone wolves who probably hadn't had the chance at large game.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:43 pm
Menelaus' drooped snout picked up at the sound of a good pun. At the mention of his son's name he actually gave a true chuckle. A small, fragile smile weakly sprawled on his jaws and he nodded to the next statement. "A nice big meal could be what we really need.." He said looking at Tempest, she had her moments of being creative and sweet. It was times like these that he knew her pup temperament was still alive somewhere inside of her.
"Anatto, has a nice ring to it.. why don't you get him then. But please, let us keep my old status out of any conversations. Unless he already knows my name." He said, wanting to create some form of moment that wasn't awkward in the first ten minutes.
---
Tempest, ready to agree to anything to make her Father happy, nodded quickly. Besides she could use a good run, nothing was better than a hunt, she was glad she had brought it up afterall.
"We can wait here of course." She smiled slowly. Trying to get her point across that if this other wolf were to come along, she and her Father wouldn't step a paw pad in the pack territory to help look for him. She know the way her Father was, and one look at that other Alpha.. and a fight for rule might break out, even if Menelaus was in the wrong.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:11 pm
Balios's grin widened, heartened by the progress they were making. "He's probably nearby," he admitted. "He has this bad habit of following people around without them noticing. He has ever since we were little." Balios had come to expect that anything that happened in the pack, his cousin would know about it before anyone else did.
Giving his aunt and grandfather a "stay right here" sort of look, he turned and darted into the woods.
As expected, he ran into Anatto almost immediately. The younger wolf made some sort of excuse about having been wandering to the river for fish, but Balios knew better. 
Together, they emerged back less than ten minutes after Balios had gone, Anatto slinking behind. He was a handsome wolf, long-legged and lean, and he had a shrewd, clever look in his golden eyes. He glanced curiously from Tempest to Menelaus, drinking them in, but said nothing.
Oh, he knew about the old alpha well enough, but he hardly cared. Anatto rarely cared about politics or...well, much of anything, actually. Or if he did care, he certainly never acted like he did.
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