ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.
They had returned some time ago, and yet she still wasn't talking to either of them. X'ies had given the female a glance once every now and again. But beyond that his interest seemed to have waned. Slwoly and surely X'ies Lambda had been growing apart from his own family. Lost in his mind, in the whispers of the moon. He was considring everything that he had seen, everything that he had bore witness to in his trip with Jaden. Things here had changed greatly and yet the only thing that hadn't changed was the coldness held between himself and X'yrin.
Even that between Jaden and her had began to thaw eventually, it seemed that their relationship was like the connection between it and the storm. It would hang in the air for some time, then come to an abrupt and violent end. But that was not the way of X'ies, he never rushed into anything, his lack of true emotion made it so that his ability to care what X'yrin thought of him was limited to just how much it would hold him back.Over the past few days he watched events, witnessed the new members of the pack but thought not to introduce himself. In the days they had returned, he had barely spoke a word. The world outside of the Nomads was strange, but more over it was filled with weakness, a weakness that seemed to spread like a disease. Each turn even in this new family he saw signs of the infection. And the silent oberserver did not like it one bit.
Instead of interacting or attempting to soothe over problems, he instead found himself a remote location by the mountain side that reminded him of home, of the mountains where he sued to play. The mountains where he would go to study the days lessons, to think of his fathers words, and for words that he would share when the time came. He had gathered himself some stones in his hated Optime form, each of different sizes and then brought them to his den of solitude. He drew a grid in the dirt using his claw, then placed each of the stones into the grid labelling them mentally. Chess, it had been a game that his father had taught him, one that had existed for a long time. It was an old game of strategy, one that he had never quite understood when he was a child. But now that the grey wolf was an adult...it helped him center his mind. Helped him understand situations by simply playing them out in the grid.
The opposing side laid out, he began to place his own pieces, the small stones representing pawns " Sira....Leprachaun.... He labelled them as he would those in the pack, then it came to the knights and that one took a little more thought. Who among them was a warrior?... " Jaden...X'yrin..". That was going to be problematic, this helped him see now that there was an issue with capability among the pack. The only two real capable fighters were also the two most important pieces in the game....Jaden and X'y shared their roles as Queen, King, and Knights. This meant...." We have a tactical disadvantage...those most capable of protecting us are also those whose deaths would leave us completely destroyed...". Never the less, he laid down the stones, King ,Queen and Knights. Then came to another larger stone, the Bishops. " The pieces near to the King and Queen...the old male....". He had observed at least some kind of bond between the new aged male and their queen. So it seemed right he take that role.
And finally there was X'ies piece, the Rook. The role he was born to fill. The rook was always placed on the edge of the board, a piece used by the intellegent player sparingly at the begining of the game, it remained as it was, on the boundaries of the grid watching. Waiting. His fathers words whispered in his ears. " The rook...my boy...is always most dangerous when the endgame approaches..when the time is right....the rook becomes the biggest threat to the opponents king....". And with that he placed them in position, and was ready to play the game, albiet, it would be against himself. But then again, who else really presented much of a challenge?...in indeed..actually knew the rules of the game? X'yrin perhaps, at one point he recalled trying to explain the game to her whilst she was nudging him to play.
Night fell and still he had not touched the pieces, part of it was because he was still thinking on his opening move. The other part, because that thinking was hindered by his last thoughts. Back in those times X'yrin's father had given him a task to be his daughters friend, to look after her and make sure that the bond they shared strengthened them both. He was to teach her, guide her in the ways of his own family. To allow her to gain strength to surpass what her own family had taught alone. And yet, he had found in that task he had failed. The two had spent enough time apart that she was now different, time had changed her. And yet he, akin to the stone that parted the waters. Remained unchanged by time, unchanged by circimstance....was it because he was stronger than her? Perhaps..... "Or is it just that we haven't opened ourselves to experience anything that would influence change?". An interesting thought, but one easily dismissed.
X'ies was no fighter, not yet. But his body was powerful enough, and his mind even stronger. He knew within him lay the potiental for greatness, he believed that he was part of the Nomads pinacle. They taught that breeding should not be something done out of love, but something done out of preservation. To make sure that the next generation was strong. Powerful,and yet...this pack was not the Nomads, its members were weak...influenced by emotion, their short sighted goals would ammount to....nothing. He looked down at his pieces, his stones and the grid they lay on. He imagined the hunt, in chess the pieces moved as the player commanded. But in this grid, the pieces moved in disarray. Would that change now that some peace had settled between the rook and the king?
"Unlikely"
An intervention was required, something to stem the tide of weakness....should he breed? No, there was no one strong enough. No one worthy but the Queen, and on the lake they had already established this would never occur. X'yrin was infected by the weakness of love. And X'ies, the Nomad culture and his own logic had shut him out from feeling such things. He had fondness towards her, a mild sense of personal loyalty for his old friend. And of course, an extreme distaste at the idea of her pups being born.....weak. But such was life, it might be time that the grey wolf found someone to carry his young. Something to promote the future. And as he considered this, he built a fire, something to warm him, to bring some light to his solitude.