should... be asleep.. but want to keep posting. XD; set a couple hours after this thread. bad ares! 324 words.

Ares had abandoned his half eaten rabbit, and regretted it. For all of his boasting earlier with Amata, he was having a terrible stroke of bad luck now. He had already lost two squirrels, a rabbit, and a mouse, and was now in the process of finding some comfortable place to just nap away his frustration. Or maybe it was because of his bragging - Karma or Fate or Nature or something paying him back for thinking that he was better than them.

He sort of didn't want to be alone, but he also wasn't sure if he'd be pleasant company. Irritation still lingered from his encounter with the child, and he might just lash out at the next person to rub him the wrong way. And that would really suck if it was Mati especially. Or like, anyone. He was friends with Jazper and Flayra, too. Also Conor, but he was less likely to randomly encounter given he was living in the pack-lands with his mother. Ares shivered at the thought. He wasn't like his mother, no matter what that... dumb puppy said! He wasn't he wasn't he wasn't.

He wandered over towards a large tree near the edge of Rabbit Lake. Its roots formed a sort of nest, one that appeared to have been used as such but not claimed by anyone in particular. He clambered his way over the roots, walking around the tree in a sort of whimsical child-like fashion, playing a game of only setting his feet on the roots and not the grass between. The nest was reached again, so he curled up inside of it, un-shifted still from his earlier attempts at hunting. A light breeze played across the nearby lake, creating ripples on the otherwise glass-like water. Tiny fish darted beneath, but did not break the surface, and a curious dragonfly buzzed loudly over the adolescent's head before deciding that the wolf was not worth any attention.

oh snap :o and going to go ahead and change his title to Worm now. 300+

Savina wasn't sure what she had done to deserve all of this, but it seemed the gods had it out for her. It seemed she couldn't go a single day without respite from trouble. True, until recently her life had been greatly without issue. But now it was heaped upon her back to the point of breaking. She preferred to take the bad with the good and did not want her life to run in cycles of all good luck and all bad. It was too much for her to handle. Her hackles were raised as she searched for the sent of a particular Basic Officer. She had found Amata upset, crying and bruised. The snot had done more damage than his damn mother! A soft growl rumbled in her chest.



What the hell was wrong with these Chances? Did they have some kind of genetic defect that made them incapable of interacting properly with pups? Ares had seemed different, better than his mother. He had seemed to despise his mother, and yet now he had committed that same grievous error, and on her same child nonetheless. It was a good thing she had not come upon the scene while he had still bee present or else it was likely she would have moved to draw his blood. The Commander was sick and tired of people messing with her family. It was not to be stood for and soon Ares would learn the error of his ways. Whether or not he stayed within Crimson Dreams was yet to be seen.



Finally her nose picked up his scent and with a clenched jaw her pace quickened, tail flicking in annoyance and anger. The bite wound on her front right leg tightened and pain shot through her, but she pushed through it. This needed to be handled and it needed to be handled now. As his mottled form came into sight, snoozing beneath a tree by the lake, her lip twitched wishing to reveal sharp fangs. For now she kept them hidden though. The female stopped as she stood over him, her emerald eyes hard as stone. "Get up." Her voice lacked any of its usual warmth.

Ares gets the scary angry table! XD. and kk, awesome. 302 words

Ares was a heavier sleeper than his mother, generally speaking, but he had only been lying down a few moments when the voice broke through his near-dozing mind. And the voice held a hard edge to it that just might have woken him, deeper sleep or no. His limbs obeyed the order, spoken as it was, before his mind had even unclouded itself back to full consciousness. He blinked his eyes a few times as his vision adjusted to the light playing on the lake and the dark, angry form before him. Again reacting just instinctively, his tail drooped, his ears fell. He wasn't dumb enough to be completely uncertain of the subject of this encounter - it probably had to do with the strange incident earlier.

He felt like he should speak, like he should try and justify himself, clear his name, but he honest-to-God couldn't believe that any action he had taken in the course of this day was wrong. He had to hear Savina say it, had to make sure they were exactly on the same page about what horrible crime he had committed, in order for him to explain slowly, patiently, that she misunderstood. That he hadn't done anything! "What's.. the problem?" He said carefully, slowly, letting the confusion seep into his voice. Unlike Tokyo's careful manipulation of her tone, he wasn't fabricating anything, just making sure his raw emotions were being demonstrated obviously enough to be understood.

Maybe Amata had lied? It was the sort of thing his mother, or Princess would have done, put into a situation like that. Maybe she hadn't really explained why Ares had snapped at her, unwilling to share the fact she had been messing with his book. In that case, her anger was understandable, and the issue could be sorted out very easily.

300+

Well, at least the whelp had enough sense to listen to her and lower his stature. That was good, considering she was already wrestling with her temper enough and him making any more slip-ups would only make things worse for everyone. While she was a leader, she was also a mother, and when one of her pups was harmed she wanted to make the person pay for what they had done. It was easier when it was a member of another pack. She could go to their leaders and make them reprimand their offending packmate. But this time it was someone within her own ranks and that made the situation a bit more difficult. Part of her wanted to attack him and the other knew that things needed a more civil approach. But either way she needed to impart on him that what he had done was unacceptable.



At his words a soft growl rumbled in her chest and her eyes flashed. "I think you know very well what the problem is Ares," she stated in an unforgiving tone. "And don't try to spout off lies like your mother did. This will end poorly for you if you do." Because he was part of the pack she was willing to listen to what he had to say in defense of himself, but that godsend would quickly vanish if she detected any falsehood. "You do not treat any member of your pack in such a way, especially a pup! Aggression of that type is not tolerated here. We do not harm one another." If you couldn't trust your packmates with your well being then who in the world were you supposed to trust? Didn't he understand what a pack was? Savina had had hope for the young male but that hope was waning. Maybe he wasn't fit to live here after all.

414 words

Well, Ares knew what the problem concerned, but he did not know what the problem actually was. He hoped that she would speak further so that he wasn't forced to make that semantic correction; it seemed like that would probably be found at least slightly impertinent. Thankfully, she did, although he didn't really like what he heard. His mother was summoned to his mind, but it wasn't the comparison Savina and Amata had been drawing. No, Ares felt almost like he was back with her, and he visibly flinched at the cold harshness of his leader's tone, more than half-expected to be struck, to be sent sprawling. And it would be unfair, because he hadn't done anything wrong, and he felt like a puppy again, being beaten for accepting a piece of a rabbit from Princess when Tokyo had wanted only her beautiful daughter to eat that night.

"I don't lie!" He lied, defensively. It was only sort of untrue, it wasn't like he lied about anything important anyway. Not anywhere near as much as his sister or mother. Only tiny little white lies, things that would smooth over situations, lies that were easier than the truth but didn't deviate radically. But this wasn't a situation where he was going to lie, anyway. It was the truth that would get Ares out of a terrible situation, because once Savina understood the truth, things would be okay.

"It wasn't aggression..." So Amata had misrepresented the situation! He explained carefully, eying the ground by her feet, still very tense, still expecting to be hurt. "She was hurting my book, and I was just trying to teach her respect for other people's stuff." Ares' eyes flitted upwards, trying to figure out how she was reacting to his story. "I barely even touched her, it definitely wasn't anything serious, just enough so that she could learn!" He insisted, why had Amata been so mad, why was Savina so mad? "I don't understand why everyone's so angry at me, I don't even know what I did wrong!" Ares' voice was wavering now, and he stopped rambling, turning his head to the side, not wanting Savina to see the tears filling his golden orbs. Everyone hated him, now! He'd have to leave the pack, she wouldn't let him say, he'd never see Mati again and he'd be forced out of this bubble of safety, forced back into the world where Tokyo existed in flesh and fur, more than an oppressive shadow.

300+

She saw him flinch under her words and was a little surprised. Did he think she was going to strike him? True, a part of her wanted to, but she was holding herself back. She was doing her best to handle this situation with words instead of action. As much as her maternal urges wanted revenge, her logic was winning out at the moment. The Commander was giving him a chance. Though when he exclaimed that he didn't lie her fur bristled and the growl in her chest deepened. Savina said nothing in response. The growl was a warning for him to keep his head about him. She was already on edge and if he started reacting badly then her instincts might overtake her mind. The youth was on very thin ice.



Then finally he shared his side of the story. Her face did not change or soften, but she was incredibly confused. When Tokyo had harmed Amata it was clear she had known she had done something wrong, even when she was trying to cover her tracks. But it was clear that everything Ares was saying he truly believed. The boy really did not think he had done anything wrong. Then a thought occurred to the woman. Perhaps physical lessons were the only lessons he had ever been given. Maybe that really was all he knew. She released a heavy sigh and shook her head. "That is not the way you teach a child, Ares." Some of the anger was gone from her voice, but it was still strong under the surface. "If they do something wrong you verbally scold them, you tell them what they did wrong. You do not strike or bite them. If that's how your mother taught you isn't it obvious it's not right?" He had said he held no love for his dame, so why would he think her methods were correct?



"You teach pups with patience and understanding, not with violence and fear."

381 words


Ares saw her register his story, except she didn't soften as much as he had expected, or really even very much at all. She spoke, though, and her words explained much about Amata and her reactions. Although it still seemed weird, strange, like some sort of foreign custom he was expected to adopt. But if that wasn't the way that people did things - here, at least, or maybe even everywhere, then he had been wrong, and that struck him deeper than he expected. He was trying so hard to be good, to be different. But he wasn't, not really. He was spoiled, rotten, and he couldn't escape it, not even when he tried. "I don't know." He said miserably, answering her somewhat hypothetical sounding question. "I can't-- How do you tell, what's right? She taught me a lot of like, fundamentals.. stuff I don't even think of, like this I guess."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking, and then spoke slowly, very carefully about a subject he hadn't actually touched on with anyone besides Princess since he'd gotten here. "I mean.. I could tell sometimes, like when she hurt me for eating some food Princess shared when I was really little, and hungry.. Or when she hurt me because of my coat colors.. I knew that was wrong." Ares was very still. He was studying the ground intently, not wanting to look up at Savina, wishing very much he wasn't in this situation, that he hadn't done that, that he had known, that he hadn't been so god-damned stupid and ignorant and bad. His voice had gotten very quiet, very small. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I won't do it again, if you let me stay."

Ares wasn't dumb. He knew that when a member of a pack angered a leader as much as he had Savina, they didn't tend to stick around long. It was a terrible, ironic twist of fate. He'd be gone, maybe even banned from the lands, just like his mother. And Princess would come back, would be a member of the pack that he loved, and take his place. Maybe she'd think he abandoned him. Maybe she'd think he didn't care about her, anymore. Fuck, that would be terrible. Maybe Savina would let him leave a message for her, at least, before he was chased off.

300+

Despite all her anger, she felt pity for the young male cowering before her. He wasn't bad at heart, but with his mother he had gotten a very bad start at life. His view of what the world was like was skewed. Even now that he was away from her that woman was still screwing with his life. "I'm going to imagine that most of what she 'taught' you isn't right." It really was unfortunate that there hadn't been a father or someone else in the picture to help offset the damage Tokyo had done. But then again, what kind, self respecting male would ever choose to be with a woman like that? "You don't want the members of your pack to be afraid of you Ares. If what you think you're supposed to do would inspire that, then it's wrong."



As he spoke more about his past the Commander's face did soften a little. It really wasn't his fault that he had had a bad mother. A mother who hurt him and starved him. That would mess anyone up. "No, it wasn't right for her to do that to you Ares. Mothers are supposed to love their children. They're supposed to nurture and protect them. She didn't do that for you. Part of being in a pack is helping to raise the young. It's not only the job of Kansas and I, it falls to everyone." That was something he needed to know if he were going to stay here. Emerald orbs watched his very still form and her ears strained to hear his quiet words. Normally a member probably would have been banished for such an offense, but in this case there were extenuating circumstances. It was obvious that Ares truly hadn't known and that he was sorry.



Savina took a deep breath and released it slowly. "You can stay Ares, but I must demote you to Worm until you've re-proven yourself. You must never do anything like this again or I will have no choice but to make you leave. I would make sure to let your sister know that such behavior is unacceptable when she comes as well." If he believed that was how the world was then no doubt his sibling did as well.

-flail- i suck! 380 words


It was frustrating how she seemed to miss the point that it was so hard to differentiate between that which Tokyo taught him and that which was real. It wasn't like she would sit him down and give lessons. It was the way she acted, the assumptions about the world that came through in her dialogue that he picked up on without knowing better. The things that he had integrated into his world view, the bits and pieces of her mind that he had accidentally rolled up with the general truths he had experienced and the facts he'd read in books. Ares had no idea how to trace things like that back to their source, to figure out where exactly each idea came from. Savina did, however, provide a handy yardstick by which to measure things, though: fear. And he supposed that made sense.

She spoke about Tokyo, then. It was sort of justifying, sort of nice to hear that his mother had been wrong, that he hadn't deserved what he had received.. Because as much as he knew that it had been wrong, more strongly and fiercely than anything else that he knew in life, there were always... doubts. Because it was possible, ya'know? Maybe Ares really was destined to follow his father's footsteps. To be evil and stuff. To hear someone like Savina confirm that she was a bad mother was just very reassuring. "I know it's supposed to be everyone's job. I just messed up trying to do it.." A pause. "If.. if it's so wrong to do this, why did Tokyo hurt me? I mean, she said it was because I look like my dad, and she hates him, but couldn't she understand that it wasn't my fault that he did bad things?" Pleading for an answer to a question he was afraid had no answer.

Ares nodded at his verdict, secretly rather elated to hear that he wasn't going to be chased from the lands. Yeah, sure, Worm, he'd take it! Anything, so long as he was not pushed from this place that felt more like home than anywhere else in the world. He wouldn't ever touch a puppy again, assuming any of them would ever even come near him. Amata would probably never forgive him.

Nah and figured we could wrap this up 300+

Savina hadn't realized what a project she was taking on by accepting the male before her into the pack. She had assumed that perhaps he would have some misconceptions, but nothing so great as this. She was still a little angry at him, but a lot of that anger was now redirected onto Tokyo. How could a mother treat her own pups so badly? How could she strike them and starve them, simply because of how they looked? Perhaps the woman had been raped, but that still was no excuse. Haven had looked so much like Conri, and yet he had been loved just the same as the rest of his siblings. Pups couldn't help what they had been created from, they were innocent creatures. That woman truly was deranged.



As Ares spoke again, she looked down at him with a sad frown. In moments like this she could see the unfortunate pup that had been abused. The woman sighed heavily. "I don't know Ares, but she must have some very serious problems. Maybe it's impossible for her to really love anyone but herself. To harm your own pups goes against every instinct in a mother's body. I would rather die than ever bring harm to my children. I don't know why you had to have a mother like that, but I am sorry for you." It was a sincere statement. She was sorry for him. No one should have had to live their youngest days in such a state. It was really surprising that he wasn't more damaged.



She felt that this conversation should probably end soon. Ares had a lot to think about and absorb and she should be returning to check in on Amata. Emerald eyes looked back to the new Worm of the pack. "I'm not commanding this, because a forced apology means nothing. But if you find it in your heart, I would suggest apologizing to Amata." It may not undo the damage that had already been done, but it would be better than doing nothing. She didn't want her daughter to be afraid of any of her packmates.

wheeee~ 329 words


One thing that Ares didn't understand was the aspect of his story that Princess had discovered during when she first found Tokyo in Dahlia de Mai. It wasn't only the crimes of his father that he carried on his shoulders, but also the brunt of his mother's grief at losing Champion. If she had ever truly loved anyone besides herself, it had been Champ, and her children had driven him away from her forever. Tokyo wasn't exactly the best wolf before that incident in her life, but it had certainly contributed a good deal in breaking her further.

The problem with Savina's words, her answer, was Princess. If Tokyo had been uniformly abusive, if she had cruel without regard to specifics, it would make more sense... But Ares knew she loved Princess. He had seen it. Of course, his mind skipped mostly over the times that Tokyo would hurt her daughter, but it wasn't intentional, they just didn't stick out in his mind as much. It was hard enough to remember those days, or at least to remember anything other than the dull ache of his bones and muscles, of tears and hunger and Princess getting everything, anything she wanted.. Tokyo loved Princess, he knew that with every fiber of the being, and it wasn't fair it wasn't fair at all. Even if she hadn't been a good mother to Princess, even if he taught her bad things.. She loved her.

He nodded, though, at her comment about apologizing to Amata. Yeah, he would probably.. In a while, though. He felt sort of really embarrassed about this whole thing and sort of just wanted to ignore it for a while. Eventually he could probably man up and face her. But.. later. "Yeah.. yeah, maybe I will. Thanks.. thanks for letting me stay. I'm gonna head out now." Tail still curled under his belly, ear pressed against his skull, Ares gave a faint half-smile at his leader and slunk quickly away.