02-22-2010, 11:16 AM
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It appeared Firefly hadn't been exaggerating when she'd told Kol of her relationship with Inferni. The fiery woman's request was answered promptly by a voice Kol well recognized, and her tension eased ever so slightly. She had known that Anselm held a place of importance amongst the hybrid clan, and the manner with which he instructed his packmates that the request was his business alone verified that knowledge. The dark Dahlian still felt incredibly uneasy beneath the cruel gazes of the trophy wolf skulls, but she had come to trust Anselm and would never believe he would willingly lead her and Firefly into a trap. Her trust may one day prove to be foolishly and fatally misplaced, but Kol's heart spoke otherwise.[/html]
As the ruddy male appeared from the darkness, Kol's lips curled into a genuine smile of warmth. Her tail thudded softly against the soft earth as she returned his friendly tailwag. "Anselm, it's good to see you again, my friend." For a moment, a simple sense of old friends getting together for pleasant conversation came over the charcoal female. Images of brainstorming jewelry ideas for Firefly (which she made a mental note to finally finish and give to her former packmate as soon as possible) and bantering back and forth with Anselm flooded her mind. Only too soon were the images replaced by the tragedy of Firefly's treatment by Haku and the sight of Anselm racing across the battlefield on the day of Haku's infiltration of Inferni in the first war. The glimpses very suddenly reminded Kol of the true reason for the night-blessed meeting.
Kol was content to let Firefly speak first. After all, she was the liason and Kol's sponsor for the night. The woman's explanation was brief, and the Stormbringer nodded her sincere appreciation to her before turning her tired violet eyes back to Anselm's ruby gaze. A heavy sigh escaped her throat as she began. "You've no idea how much I wish this meeting were under better circumstances. Anselm, there has to be some way to end this before things explode. I was blind in the last war, a foolish little girl who wanted desperately to prove herself to her newly chosen family. A lot has happened since then, both within Dahlia and without, and I realize now how stupid I was. Don't misunderstand me, I love Dahlia de Mai with all my heart, and I'm only here to try and do the right thing for the members of my pack. Haku has dragged all of Dahlia into his misguided vendetta, and I can only imagine his reasons for it. I used to see a troubled soul behind his icy blue eyes, but now all I see is a darkness that's finally swallowed him whole. Unfortunately, he's gathered a great many new followers, and those of us within the pack who fear where he's leading us are helpless to do anything on our own. To challenge him is to invite death; to attempt to leave the pack would undoubtedly do so as well." Kol's thoughts once again returned to Haku's daughter Coli, and the miracle that the girl was still alive. It was still a mystery to Kol why the Rosen had never gone after her, as there was no doubt in her mind he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone he deemed a deserter. "I really don't even know why I'm here Anselm. I just know that I have to try to find some way to end this stupid war before anyone else, on either side, is lost."
Part of the woman still railed against the idea of what she was doing, her loyalties torn between the allegiance she'd sworn to her leader and the duty and devotion she felt toward her pack as a whole. Haku was no longer the same wolf who'd earned the younger Kol's respect and loyalty, but she'd sworn to follow him back then nonetheless and what she did now was breaking that vow. Her heart still told her that her greater duty was to the safety and protection of Dahlia's members as a whole, but it didn't make her emotions any less conflicted. Either way, the thought of seeing Alexey or innocent Bris harmed in any way by a senseless conflict had been what had made up her mind. She could only pray that Haku never found out about her apparent betrayal, or that he found out at least after things had already been set on a path to peace. Kol was taking a great risk and she knew that, but after all, what did she possibly have to lose? Her children were dead, her mate was missing, and her little sister was safe in her lack of knowledge in Kol's deeds. Her life would be the only price she might pay, but to Kol, that life would have meant nothing if she'd abandoned her honor and supported a mad tyrant in the destruction of his very kingdom.