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.

ooc:

If anything could be said at all about the progression of time, it was that within it uncertainty was boundless and the unexpected right behind it. The past days had given her the time to reflect on how narrow her thoughts had been of late, to believe that nothing more than stagnation and bitterness would bud from her relationship with Jaden (if any soul would be generous to dub their interactions thusly). It was at last revealed that this was not the case, but her worries were far from relieved.

What was on her mind now was her standing with her dearest friend, her Nomad brother with whom she had spent most of her life before leaving the collective. Hardly was there hide or hair of him, even in the dens he walked in and out of sight as a ghost burdened by his own thoughts. And she knew him well enough to believe there was little part of him that would seek her out as Jaden had to mend their damaged relationship and carry on. To expect something of the like would be no different than anticipating the mountains to move, bringing the same disappointment when they remained immobile despite all the well wishing for even an inch.

If she wished to see him, she would have seek him out unlike how they used to be as pups. Hardly a day went by when he was not at her den, poking his nose in with philosophical knowledge to fill her ears, always going in one then out the other. And then she would grow bored and force him to place, turning a lesson into a scrap and a lecture into a day of rolling in the snow. A part of her missed how it was then... perhaps the part that still desired to be pursued, even if it was for conversation. Even if just to see his face. But had she found him, what would she say? Apologize for placing her anger on him? It was not a Shepard's role to apologize for their actions, no explanation was needed to the flock that followed their lead. But as his friend that want was there, to admit her wrong and find that comfortable place with him again. But would it be to appease his ego so that she would find favor with him again, or were her intentions more innocent then her receptive thoughts? It was difficult to say but one way or the other, she missed him as friend, as pack brother, as an interest to breed, it mattered little. What mattered was the emotion she held onto, the one that convinced her to leave the den and search.

Emerging from the dens she witnessed the fall of the day as the last rebellious arms of light tried in vain to catch the sky. The velvet shrouds overlayed the land and as she took to the mountain, the whole of night had fallen with but a few early stars and the glowing face of the moon acting as her shining light in the darkness. And then a glowing red-orange hue cut through the encompassing black acting as a generous beacon and symbol of life. A life she sought that kept himself hidden from what, she did not know. But like a moth attracted to the glowing embers she walked toward it with soundless steps. Were it not for an unfavorable wind she perhaps could have snuck up on him as she had often done when they were pups. A little ambush in the hopes of rekindling a familiar flame but far ruined was that chance leaving her the only option to approach him directly.

Like him she was situated in her towering form adorned with nothing but her golden fur and the feathers of both the vulture and owls decorated throughout her lengthy mane. From a single braid running down her front she freed a long feather of the vulture's wing and twirled it between her fingers as she walked around the small fire to his side. Her clouded eyes passive glanced over the flickering flames and lingered instead on the engravings in the ground. Her brows peaked with recognition and tail began to sway excitedly. She knew this game. The one with all the interesting pieces and rules for their movements. But she would not indulge in that nostalgic game. That was not the reason for why she had sought him out. She forced down her excitement then and came to his side, carefully drawing herself down beside him. Still she twirled the feather better the tips of her digits then reached out with her available hand to gentle take a few strands of his dark mane. "...I have found the vulture to be a ruthless and cunning companion..." she uttered softly and began winding the loose strand around the stem of the feather. "But even with his unique and often disturbing behavior... I have grown to like him."

When fixed, she let the feather and strand fall over his shoulder then comfortably let her cheek rest against the fire lit grey.

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

The wind foretold of her arrival before anything else, and soon she would emerge bringing herself to him. What was this? What were her expectations? Did she wish to hear his report? As his eyes watched her approach, he remained silent and allowed her to speak, words which he did not expect from her. They were intelligent words, that is of course not saying that he thought of her as stupid, just that he did not consider the words of a Lambda to emerge from the mouth of an Exultare. Even more surprising was the apparent affection that those Words carried, she identified him as the vulture, cunning and ruthless. Yet she had grown to like him in spite of himself. At which point the Grey wolf didn't know whether or not he was supposed to take those words as a compliment. More disturbing however, was the feather. To most this might simply seem as a gift from one person to the other. But in the Nomad culture gifts were rare, and genuinely only came in certain situations. And considering her current state of being . Curious. He thought to himself, making no moves to stop her.

"..Perhaps you do, however...the vulture is inclined to follow its nature.....when you are weak...crippled...helpless...it shall still descend and eat its fill...".

At this point his eyes would meet with hers, his face remaining expressionless as his words conveyed his thoughts. "...It takes a very good companion to make any creature go against its own nature..And more often than not, one would rather choose another..more friendly animal...". This reply was two fold, first of all it was an acknowledgment of her intellect, that she was using the mind of a Lambda in forming those words, second it was an abbreviation of their relationship and what would follow. If X'ies was the vulture, he was first of all warning X'yrin that his Patience was not infinite, and second and perhaps more importantly. If this feather was something that she intended as a means to show her interest. To choose her path wisely, if she wished to express her interest thusly the path before her was not going to be easy. No doubt they would conflict many a time, things would be difficult for her, particularly the issue of having to deal without, or wait for any sort of reciprocated love.

" Thank you for your gift".

He said, bringing his arms up to embrace her cheek to cheek. " It seems much progress has been made since my departure, you have done well in establishing some self sustainable link...this will help our chances of progression and succession....". He spoke of success, statistics, words that meant little in the long term. Ultimately though these were merely words to help him avoid the main topic in front of them. "....But that is not why you have come to me, speak your mind X'yrin".

ooc:

In all her time of knowing him and his sect of the Nomads, her ears had become accustomed to the meaning-within-meaning of his words. Try as she may to maintain a blissful ignorance, it was near impossible to keep when set against a probing mind. Why any would seek to keep their mind's soft was a question that only one born outside of the Lambda could answer. It was because of how cold and logic their words tended to be. Invasive and cunning, deceptive left to the interpretation of one's mind while inadvertently leaving a vulnerability to probe deeper in. Unlike the bartering Marecks her sect was not based on words but actions. And when words were spoken, they were only the jist of a thought and often terribly broken. Were it not for her Shepard instructing her to learn from her friend, undoubtedly she would have remained as mute as the others save for her brother. And as a result she knew how to combat if not work through her dear friend's mind if only by a fraction in comparison to his full potential. But she was skilled enough to give her voiced thoughts meaning as well as interpret his own.

"There are prey that feign weakness that can trick the eye of the vulture," she let her muzzle rest more securely on his shoulder, gradually tipping her nose beneath his mane to bury into his neck. "When it appears the prey is helpless...a fitting feast for the vulture... its eagerness to appease its nature could very well be its downfall. The prey may not be weak at all..." she lifted her gaze from beneath her unruly bangs to meet his expressionless face. "It could just be lying in wait to ensnare the vulture. A good companion is one that accepts the bird and its nature but makes it aware of the dangers its instinct might not let it see..."

She left the meaning of this observation for his interpretation, choosing to follow his lead in a conversation change and smiled fondly to the compliment of the Family's achievement. But that light expression faded when he probed into her reason for seeking him. She was inclined to deflect with a light-hearted jest, proclaiming it was an Alpha's right to see her packmate's when she liked. But she thought better than to insult his intelligence like that and humbly sighed in immediate defeat. He knew her all too well it seemed. Her arms had wound around him in their short embrace, but lingered as her hazed mind drifted in thought. She did not have difficulty knowing what to say, but rather how to say it without the unnecessary flamboyance of riddles.

"I came to see you," she replied simply enough but the fade of her voice declared there was something more to confide. "I wanted...to be certain that our bond had not tarnished. Your departure was not on pleasant terms because of my doing...and I feared that time away would further fray that bond. I wanted to be sure that this was not the case."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

There was a mild twitch to his face as she spoke, what one might interpret as a smirk. She had learned indeed. All those years ago her father had asked him to teach her like this, to make her aware of such things and here she was, using Lambda logic and words against him toe to toe. The twitch broke into a laugh, it was brief. But it was there. " You do your father proud, should he have heard such words he would know of your success". His words of course drifted back to that day of them as pups. Of course, in some way he could have considered it a success for him in fulfilling her fathers wishes, but it did not feel right to claim such as his own. She was the one who reaped the benefits of it. As their embrace ended, he picked up a stick, broke it in half and tossed it into the fire to keep the small sanctuary of warmth going.

"You were angry, and why would you not be? You discovered that the man you sought to mate with had betrayed you in a sense, worse..that he refused to accept penance and challenged you on the point..."

He looked at her tilting his head "....You were angry at him for his betrayal, and me for bringing it to light. Perhaps your anger at me was less deserving.....but such are the ways of things....I hold no ill will towards you, when I returned you still seemed off put by my appearance, so I removed myself, it has given me time to consider what I have learned". So the short answer was no, he didn't consider their bond broken. He looked to the make shift game of chess and seemed almost lost in his thoughts once again. "....I have learned that there is weakness out there....I have met the other packs and have identified this as one single key aspect....they are not like u-..not like me......". He fixed his last point, technically he couldn't include X'yrin in that statement anymore after all..she had been infected by the same thing that plagued everyone else.

"...I have concluded....that if I do not make a move, if I do not pass on my ways....my mind....".

He picked up the piece of the grid that represented the rook. He looked at it, turning it in between his fingers before handing the useless pebble piece to X'yrin. "...It would be a waste"

ooc:

Her Shepard would have been proud; high praised coming from the mouth that seemed played house to a wicked tongue. Though she knew that was only part of the whole, something more resided beyond that poisoned weapon. That much she was confident in from her experiences when they were pups. Same as his laugh, her smile was short-lived, overtaken b y the seriousness of the mood as he recalled that particular day's events from his own perspective. Yes she had been angry, but as a disciplined Exultare she should have been able to calm that internal rage instead of letting it control her. Giving into a passion like that...nothing good would come of it. Acknowledging his role in that scrap, she looked to him with eyes of understanding and gratitude. In all their bond was still intact and knowing so gave the Nomad considerable relief.

But still she reminded silent turning her eyes to the fire as he continued to voice his thoughts. They had yet to talk about what was learned about the other packs. How they felt about their Family and their aptitude for becoming potential allies. It weakness was the word used to describe them, then it was enough for the Alpha to go on. Truth be told she had not expected complete success but the teachings of her family kept her from falling into the trap of what her own eyes could see. When it came to judging character, she trusted the Lambda's eyes before her own for they could see better than hers the merit of those they sought. However, she would have been a blind follower if she did not ask for an explanation.

"To expect that any would be like you is ignorant. There are none that can match the Lambda, just as there is no equal to the Exultare, or the Evan'ules, or the Marecks, or the 'unspoken'." Taking the offered 'piece' she looked to the grid and the pieces that remained. "I am certain your Shepard would say that others outside of your family are weak by default. Only those that have trained with and endured your lessons would be able to show their strength in another form than retaliation. You go into this believing you know the game to be played when it is something different all together. A vulture that circles a feigning prey, so certain that it is dead when it is anything but. You must be willing to accept that the game...the prey is not what you are used to seeing it as. Learn and adapt to what is being played and then find its weakness."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

He watched her as she spoke, though it seemed she was now being more confrontational concerning his views on the other packs. "....The game does not change, the rules however..do...". He knew that if he wanted to, his poison tongue could lash out and reach into her heart. But he held himself back from doing so, it would achieve nothing save for placing them back in the position to which they had started. He leaned back, allowing the cool stone of the mountain side to give a more solid foundation for which to relax against. "...No, he would not say things as such...one must always appreciate that there will be a strong enemy out there somewhere...perhaps not our equal, but weakness by default...tis a foolish notion....one must always be wary, to stand at the heights of such haughtiness...would be a self deluding, self defeating illusion...". He took up one of the larger stones, the one he represented as a knight placing it before her.

"Casa di Cavalieri, strong in body....but in mind numbed....."

He looked down at the stone pressing it into the soil. "....One call, four answer....so ready for violence...a pregnant female and the Alpha Male among the four...had one of us ever done so among the Nomads we would have been punished for such...". He thought perhaps that might answer itself ".....Foolishness....; risking the packs future...removing numbers from its defense....they are a blunt instrument....they are weak...". He laughed again at the thought however, he remembered just what Jaden had been like when the big male had came with his sword drawn, he thought that Jaden might have commited towards fertilizing the soil of the Casa's lands. " But one thing to be said about them, they did amuse me....Jaden was terrified, I thought I would have to apologise for his soiling when the large male came...". There was then silence as X'ies fell back into thought, wondering just how the rest of that meeting had went, no doubt Jaden had smoothed things over as he had anticipated. Still, that meeting had provided him a basis for a plan concerning their own pack.

His eyes returned to the fire as he picked up another stick and tossed it in. "....But the concerns of other packs...they are inconsequential at the moment....tell me, do you plan to mate with Jaden?".

ooc:

Admittedly she had been wrong to think she knew the thoughts of the Lambda Shepard, but in that error came clarity gifted from the mouth of that elder male's protégé. Similar advice had been given by her own father, claiming that despite her strength there would always be someone stronger that existed in the world. And with that warning, it was up to her abilities to prepare for that moment even if it never occurred. Rather than sit and accept this as fate, she was encouraged to make herself formidable against this unseen superior power. Make herself ready to take it when and if the time came. But was X'ies prepared like that, she wondered. What did a Lambda consider strong when their definition of weakness was so obvious.

Her eyes followed the piece as it was moved while ears perked at him acknowledging the Cavalieri. Strong in body only. The Issor hadn't been given reason to consider otherwise before. Her interactions with them were nil at best and in truth there had been no reason for her to seek them out...or at least Jazper save for the days before when her need was dire. And evidence piled against their favor as the scene of that day was depicted in detail. What tainted her light expression to a darkened shroud was word of the pregnant female and the obvious disregard of their defense. Jazper had to have known better than to let the meeting transpire like that. Didn't he care about the future lives that depended on them? And what of the mother... So ready to put herself and the unborn life for danger...and for what? Had this been home and one was senseless enough to place themselves and their brood in jeopardy, it was likely they would have been ostrasized and made to experience the danger they had placed themselves in. Punishment that would not bring the mother or children to death, but within reach that the mother would know of the danger.

But the Knight led pack was not like her home at all, and what pedestal she had held the pack on began to crumble at its base. Her disappointment kept her from hearing the jests made on Jaden's behalf. They were insignificant as far as she was concerned, a means to get a rise out of her to defend her fellow leader. She would not appease her fried like that...but he still knew how to invoke a reaction out of her with words alone. But it was better controlled this time, despite the deteriorating sensible side of her. Her reaction was little more than a tightening grip around him and a deeper press of her muzzle against his neck. "You must want to mate," she replied, setting aside answering his question for now. "Why else would you ask if not to show your own interest."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

" To determine just what sort of future I'll be seeing from your pups"

He replied blankly, but her nuzzle was more than enough to return a true answer from him."...Is what I would say if I meant to hide my intentions". He returned the grip, and the nuzzle like for like.His pressed against her, close to the neck. This was unconsciously both a sign of affection, and a place of safety. Of all things X'ies Lambda feared being in a position in which he would be left open. Left vulnerable, and this was precisely one of those times. He knew just what kind of training the females of his family went under, unsure if X'yrin was aware of it.A Lambda male was trained groomed and presented as a cunning mind, a thinker, a tactician , a politician. The females were trained in a similar way, taught to read the body language of others, to plan to think ahead to use their words. But they used it in a different way...seduction was an effective means of information gathering and manipulation. But also...assassination. Males were taught torture, females were taught elimination. In this position, with her muzzle burrowed so near his neck...his mind flashed to the what ifs. How vulnerable he would be to a swift bite to the neck, one harsh pull and he would be dead. Finished, what if she was still angry?...what if she was just here to.... No...that's foolish.... With a calmer demeanor, his tense body relaxed.

" I do not pretend that you are not of interest to me....you are strong in mind and in body....you would be a perfect candidate". But it was not just that however, there was more to the idea of the two of them. " ...We have been friends for a long time, bonded despite our families differences...I promised your father I would cherish the bond we have...and I believe...I believe...". He let out a sigh, he was beginning to babble, this was it...a chink in the Lambdas armour, so good with words but now he was lost with what to say at all.

"...I am not very good at this"

ooc:

To any other, his response would have been deemed tactless and unsavory. Lacking all but logic his words were cold to her ears and in effect they lowered to the warmth of her autumn crown. At least he was honest, she could commend him for that. However those laid ears came forward again in surprise, feeling his more engaging touch and received more in answer than she expected. Shock sat quietly on her muzzle, drawing her clouded eyes wide but seeing only the dancing flames of the firelight.

It was not like him to express anything other than a logical view however painful. And in his voice she could hear him fighting the urge to speak as he would, dismissing feeling and stating fact as it was. But she could hear him trying and felt what came of it. The tension that gripped him then slowly released as he in his own unique way offered flattering words to convey his interest. A perfect candidate, perhaps the closest to affirmation of his interest she would receive, and for some reason his awkward attempt made her smile...giggle even as she had as a pup when watching him try his paw at her family's fighting method. Now as he had then, he was opening himself to be vulnerable in her presence, a test of trust for the Lambda if ever there was an ideal one.

As she mentally recalled the past, her verbally recalled the request made by her Shepard those many seasons ago. At the time, she hadn't understood the significance, but as they played and grew together she came to better understand why he had been adamant about that bond. Even as children they had become complements to each other. A night that could not be without its day, strength balanced by wisdom. It was a bond she held true to up until she could not longer stand the stagnation of the Nomad ways. It made her smile to hear he had remembered and sought to honor it but it was a fleeting glimmer at best overcome by uncertainty. She met his eyes as he tried to grasp for the words to say then all out confessed his inability to do so. It was a terrifying moment to see her friend like this but she would not let that fear touch her face.

Instead, she carefully raised a hand to cradle beneath his chin to tip his muzzle down just enough to grace it with her own. "I know..." she confided, speaking quietly not of his difficulty in grasping the right thing to say, but of something more that carried on silently. "The bond we share is unique to our family, something that most born into a pack outside of our own would not be able to comprehend. Beyond our mountain home others live for each other and thrive and make their bonds of the notion and expectations of love...something we were not privileged to know of unless we discovered it ourselves. I did not understand him as a child, but I know now why my Shepard asked so much of you. Because that bond had already formed...and had I stayed...had I not left you, there is not a doubt that the bond would have transformed us beyond what we are now."

She placed a gentle lick on the end of his nose resurfacing one of the moments of many where she had done so during their lessons and play. "Perhaps it is selfish for me to say...but it is not something I want to lose with you...regardless of the form it takes."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

Her question had initially given him confidence, that he could let down his guard for his friend and express what he wished. But her words proved him otherwise mistaken. She may not have bitten into his neck, she may not have seduced him in a sexual manner. But none the less the results were just as devastating to him. He would not show this, at least not in a way that any other that did not know him would tell. His eyes moved back into their lazy position, once again thoughts,feelings and intentions hidden in a fog of uncertainty. His body, limp and relaxed before once again grew tense, walls immediately flew up shutting him off from her and the outside world.

He was not angry that she had turned down his offer, disappointed yes. But angry, no. His reaction was borne of self preservation, of eliminating personal weakness, removing it as an option. What did bother him however was how he had been lured into it, if she knew his intentions were thusly why did she ask him the question? Why did she give him hope only to take it away? Because said the inner voice, the one that questioned motive, the one that he knew as his inner Lambda. She is just like a Lambda female, she sought your weakness and found it....now she has seen it...she will not forget it...if you are to counter it you must-. Rid himself of it, he moved out of their embrace, using the excuse of the dwindling fire to draw more sticks and push them into the flame.

" As you say"

He said, ending that topic with nothing more to it. " You have made a move in establishing a fundamental beginning with the barn and the animals. However there are different things required for the future.....if you would allow my advice....implement a training program for the pack, train them to fight, however judging by those we have gathered thus far and our terrain I would say training them to fight directly would be counter productive...the world already has enough warriors....it would suit our needs more...should they learn to fight in the shadows...". He stood and moved over to his make shift chessboard. "...The game always requires two rooks, so...I will seek an apprentice". In reality his words were hollow, avoidance tactics like before...still they made sense if to be taken seriously. "....Finally, I'm going to have to ask that someone craft me an actual chess set...stones are well and good...but lack the structure...".

ooc:

A brief opening and then business was regained as usual. The transition was swift and had she not been acclimated to her fellow Nomad's disposition she might have fallen for his dismissive tactic as following through with nothing more than tending to the fire. But she knew him better than that after all. She had known him better than even his own Shepard, perhaps not completely how is mind worked, but well enough how is heart worked even if it was believed he didn't have one.

She did not fight against his withdrawal and in fact played along with his continued analysis. There was more to accomplish in the Family, this was true. A training program was certainly worth exploring. In fact it was necessary to maintain the stability and keep all at a heightened level than let them wallow in weakness. She knew that as a whole, their cores were weak. There were differing representations of personal strength, but nothing that unified them... nothing present that showed as a whole that the pack was strong. Perhaps it was time to stop catering to them when time allotted and make it important for all to become able physical bodies. "Assassins, you mean?" She spoke up then albeit quietly when he offered them learning to fight in the shadows. She hadn't the slightest idea how to begin training like that.

As he stood her thoughts came to a halt and she pushed herself from the ground as well. His talk of the game and pieces were not what her ears were hearing. It was the empty voice used to utter them, lowering her against her skull as if their octave hurt them. He should have known that for the sake of appeasement, she would have played along and catered to his mood. But this was not a time when she felt it fitting now. Not when the prior conversation had ended so abruptly and without a true resolution. Was he upset with her? Was this him shunning her now? That cherished bond... was it gone now? No... he wouldn't let their bond be jeopardized, she truly believed this. Like her, he was a wolf of loyalty to his Family, regardless of the form it took. Surely he had not forgotten that. But she could only assume having lacked the confidence to put her full faith in this belief. How he acted now, she couldn't be certain.

Never the less, she continued to follow his lead. "If that is what you want, then I will see what I can do. I trust that you will be strict in finding your apprentice just as your Shepard was strict on you." Another attempt at recalling the past; a hopeful attempt and bringing back some familiarity. But it would not end there...she couldn't let it. There was something that was still unresolved. Walking around the fire she came to stand before her dearest friend. Regardless of how he looked to her or how he wished to make himself distant, she had already seen what she needed to not let it go; a possibility she thought was lost to him.

Reaching out with an umber hand, she took one of his within her own and held tightly to it. "X'ies... since you have returned, have you seen my companions at all? The owls and the vulture? They've finally stopped bickering with each other and learned to co-exist. Though... at times I worry that the vulture may become too proud and forget his importance to that unity. To be honest, I don't know what I would do if he was with me one moment, then left of his own volition. He is...irreplaceable."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

" Indeed...assassins....short blades, bows....poisons...considering his skill set I'd say Jaden would be able to teach those skills rather well". That led onto another point, he knew that Jaden was a killer, the fact he was proficient in short blades and archery...well it wouldn't be too far away to assume that he was a former assassin. It was then that his old friend brought up just how his father had been strict on teaching him the ways of the Lambda, in truth, X'yrin had absolutely no idea just how far that actually went. If he was as harsh as his father had been on any other member of the pack- he turned to look at her at this point. The fog within those eyes did not drift. He merely stared in silence, thinking of the things that he had done, that had been done to him. No weapon could be crafted without spending time burning in the furnace...nor could it take shape without the repeated blows of a hammer.

He had learned torture at a young age, he had learned how to inflict pain on people through their existing wounds, and then how to create those wounds himself to break a persons mind. But perhaps in truth that was not the real cause for the torture training. Back then he had wondered how his family did it, each time they took one in and made him watch, they didn't make an expression, their eyes...their eyes held no emotion no pity, no resolve...it was as if they were dead. And over time his own eyes had grown that same look, the same look that they took on now. The lessons were less about inflicting pain on others....and more about creating a state of mind in which you were numbed to the pain around you. The pain you caused, be it with your tongue...or with an instrument of agony. No, none of them would be able to take that, they would break.

" No, none of the pack would be able to undertake the same kind of training....they are too old, and.....you would not want them to do it"

For a brief moment, just a second, his face twitched. A brief repressed memory, the horror of the first cut. The first scream. But it was fleeting, and soon his expression was once again as it normally was. Her last comment, he knew not what to make of it Remove the weakness, do not let her exploit it. He looked into the fire, seemingly hypnotized by the flames. "....Vultures aren't known to migrate...Birds tend to stick around regular supplies of food....so as long as you feed it I think you'll be fine". His words were to be taken literally of course, no hidden meaning. Of course he knew the hidden meaning she had in hers, but just did not rise to respond to it. For one the fact she was referring to two owls, a male and a female indicated that she saw herself and Jaden in those roles. Which alone gave credit to his inner voice, however he disagreed with such a representation. Jaden was no owl, he was a magpie, or a sparrow, easily distracted by shiny objects....and....

An omen of death

He did find it interesting however that she cast him in the role of the vulture, whilst true it was an accurate representation of himself in bird form. When cast in the light of mating, and taking his inner voices opinionated interpretation into account. Well, the vulture was a known scavenger that more often than not would pick at the remains of another predators kill. A bird that eats at the scraps and remains.....she knows your weakness. Was she concerned that she would not have a fall back option should her " owl" fail to please her again? Did she expect him to pick up on the scraps of another male? She fears the vultures pride, is this why?..". A mild twitch, a smirk. An interesting thought.

ooc:

Crossing onto the known Evan'ules skill of expertise did not immediately sit well with the Issor. Undeniably, training centered in the ways of the shadows would provide a great advantage to a pack of a few. But the notion of using weaponry, or resorting to such underhanded techniques did not make her feel confident in this initiative. But time would tell if it was worth the effort in the end. She did not contest her companion's suggestion, merely made a note of them to assess later when the time felt right.

For now, her focus was on the here and now, the perceived rift spanning between herself and her fellow Nomad. He spoke of the vulture in a literal sense so much that her ears lowered in disappointment. Surely he knew it was not the birds she talked about, but sought to play along with the idea instead. It was not insulting but none the less bothered her as she was left to ponder of how to carry on her point. She was stopped so abruptly it caught her off-guard, like an opponent playing a game then stopping in the middle of it because they were bored. Was that how he felt now? Without interest? It was hard to believe he would forsake everything they had because he did not truly understand how she felt.

"X'ies." And Exultare would be damned to beg for anything, but for her friend she was not above pleading for what she knew he was capable of. "Please X'ies....speak to me as you did when we were together as pups. When we were together as oddities to the eyes of the other families....bonded together when it shouldn't have been and looked to each other with an understanding that no other could comprehend." With a desperate hand she gripped him tightly while the other rose to rest just beneath his chin. "We talked to each other freely, no need to conceal our feelings behind other words...just how we felt, what we wanted; I am afraid my choice will cause you to leave me...that you would neglect what we share because you find my decision wrong. I am afraid that I will lose you...and it is a loss I cant stand to endure."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

A brief spark of anger flooded the Lambda, whose face would only portray annoyance in the form of his eyes jetting over to her. The spark would, if only temporarily shift the fogs of uncertainty within them. " My how love can be borne of uncertain fear, you ask me to speak my mind now. Yet when I had first arrived you bore me silence or threats of beatings or worse". It was a brief reminder to just how she had reacted when he had first arrived on the grounds with her and Jaden. " Twas not the first time of course something like this happened, it occurred once more when you attacked Jaden yourself....". X'ies began to walk around X'yrin, circling her like a vulture examining its prey.She wished for him to be open mouthed for him not to care of his words as they were in their child like minds? Then he would be free, but his mind had not changed. His mind was adult, and it had already processed its determination of this situation.

" The conclusion therefore is simple, our bound means little in the face of you and your mate. Do not plate me and assume I will be taken by humble words....for to you, it is something that is easily forgotten...."

He would not give her reprise, he would not give her the chance to defend herself. This was the Lambda's assault, and just as he would be defenseless against her, she would now feel the full sting of his mind and his tongue. He stopped at the make shift chess grid and bent down towards it, the orange glow of the fire reflecting on the stones and in his eyes. " You have made the wrong decision, but that is not why I feel compelled to distance myself, you lured me out and placed me in check". He was of course referring to her non answering of his direct question, she had lured him out, given him hope that it as a possibility. That had caused him to open up to her, a direct show of trust and vulnerability. Only to slam it shut in his face. "...Had you simply answered my question, I would have not shown such....weakness". He spat the word as if it was poison "...Rest assured...I shall not make the same mistake twice...Your mistake however...you assume your owl is an owl.....he is a sparrow, a magpie....easily distracted by objects which glitter in the sun...how much does his love hold him away from those objects I wonder....". He was of course speaking from experience, seeing Jaden's drooling reactions to certain females in heat.

"...But that is your decision, and your actions...your moves...will have consequences for you...But of course as you know.... your vulture....will be there to scavenge you....to...pick up your 'pieces'when it happens.........I will not leave you, or your pack....for in reality I have never left you". His last part was spoken in a tone that seemed almost commemorative of their past, before his eyes changed to true anger at his next words.

"....It was always you who left me!"

He stood, at that point moving a step forward,crushing the chess board into the dust as if he intended violence against her. But as econds passed his eyes and face faded into the emotionlessness of the fog."...Do me the same courtesy you find so easily... get out of here"

ooc:

The eyes of anger bore back at her, unyielding and raw though kept behind the transparent walls of control. The Nomad was stunned still by what she saw, what she heard, but when the initial shock wore itself away, her expression had fallen from its sorrow mask and was replaced by something alike to anger. A defensive rage like an animal backed into a corner by a predator but was reluctant to show its throat in defeat. Suppose she deserved this cornering, to have her body nicked and picked and gouged til her innards were lying exposed for the vulture to feast. But her stubbornness would not allow her to submit to this torture outright. Her pride in tatters, she did not seek to cover her exposed self but stood as she was accepting the relentless flog of her dearest friend.

"X'ies...you do not recognize what love is..." she retorted, still refusing to relinquish her bite. "Nor do you know me if you believe I speak to you in order to convince you with 'humble words'." Contesting his order for her to leave, she asserted her right not only as his Alpha, his Shepard, but as his friend to make understand what by her own means she had danced around. But a part of her did not believe it held relevance to him anymore. He already believed their bond meant nothing to her and yet if that had been the truth, why then would she make herself victim to this abuse? Deserved or not she could have left then and there, been done with that level of disrespect made by a subordinate to his Alpha and gone on about her evening whilst writing this venture off as a lost cause. At her sides she clenched her fists in controlled anger. It was because of that bond that she took her lashing.

"You are mistaken if you would call what you showed me 'weakness'," her voice was low and measured, its inflexion changing as she breathed while taking steps around the fire. "You are only reaffirming that 'weakness' that you had in our earlier seasons. Looking back on it now, I could see that my Shepard saw it in you, however small, though we were not allowed to learn of it or explore it. But it happened none the less...didn't it Xies? And I had thought it had been lost on you." Coming to stand beside him, she gently took the vulture feather in his mane between two fingers and twirled it lightly in thought. "My mistake, I believe, goes further back than 'luring' you...it was running away in the first place. Leaving you alone.. nearly severing our bond. I am not proud of the way I left or what it could have- what it had done to you. I have no excuse for my actions.

"But I will say this... your 'mistake' in showing your weakness... you will do it again, and again, regardless of how much you try not to. Just as the vulture will always feed on the pieces of what remains. At least I will see it when no other will. Because to ignore it would be dishonoring our bond. Some that I do still cherish."

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

Recognise. That word....it was different. She was using different langauge from how she had saw him at the lake. Recognise....the significance of that word...he didn't want to consider the implications of it.But that wasn't the way his mind worked. To understand what happened next, X'ies would essentially shut down. It was probably something that even X'yrin hadn't seen before. An induced state of shock that had just completely over ridden everything. He was stood there, looking at her with his foggy eyes. But there was nothing calculating about what was going on behind them. Those eyes were TRUELY dead. It was as if he wasn't even there. He didn't move...so completely consumed in the thoughts and calculations of the implications of that one singular word.

Suddenly it occured to him, the brief description of what people would describe the weakness of love to be. Most importantly, the way X'yrin had described it previously to him at the lake. Love is agony, pain. He had held her crying....his fathers words "...It is a weakness that causes you to do the irrational...things that will prevent your own succession, placing that which you desire before yourself". He looked at her now, life coming back into his eyes, but with that life there was fear, terror like he had never known before. He shook, jolted back. " No". He stated, as if it was going to make any kind of change to the situation. He didn't want to believe it, he wanted to block out every single logical conclusion that he had. But it all led down to the one thing no matter how he looked at it.

Instead of leaving this pack when he had the sniff of blockage to his own advancement as his father would have wanted, he had stayed. Whenever he acted, he thought of his friend. The only reason he was here was -because- - of - -her-.. You hear a rumour of her, the first word in so long...and what is the first thing you do?...you run off and reunite with her....hehe...its always been there.....you aren't so strong after all?...are you?""...No no no no...". He backed away from her, backed into the corner side of the mountain, sliding down the edge of the wall. Covering his face and repeating the words. First at a normal rate of speech and then whispering them to himself as if he was Sira. "...You are infected.....a broken little toy..worse yet.....you didn't even know....but now that you do...you know just what you''ve lost now shes choosen someone else....". At that point. He stopped whispering, stopped shaking, just sat there, wide eyed and silent.

ooc:

The silence that followed was unexpected. As if caught in the middle of a relentless storm and expected to pass through its eye, she waited for the end of the storm to pass over...only to find that it was abruptly over. He had pulled himself away from her, back braced against the mountain wall as something akin to fear touched his eyes. The emotion was so naked, so true, it looked unnatural to be on a face usually calm and collected. Hardened by logic, free of doubt, uncertainty. What she witnessed coursed a chill down her spine, not in fright but recognition for what his behavior portrayed.

All too well she could recount the time she had felt like that, drawn to realize the meaning behind her actions, the feelings she thought were unobtainable. The realization had been just as profound and counsel was far off to aid her. She had been left to deal with it alone and more of it what she could. She could not let him endure what she had alone.

Though he uttered to the contrary, she female smiled sadly for what had become of his was indeed the truth. The realization in his eyes said it all. But she could only imagine how this break of all he knew was affecting his thoughts. Coming closer to him, she knelt down to his level setting herself between his legs and taking his hands to pull them away from his face so she could meet his eyes. "Do you understand now?" The evidence was there, but she insisted on hearing the words from his own mouth. Even if they were not to name the bond they shared as children and preserved even now, she had to know that it was not truly lost on him. That is was no longer being denied... but now known.

ooc: Form, Optime. Time: 9:25pm, after sun set.

She came close once again,this time he didn't move, his eyes didn't move. He just kept staring ahead blankly. His voices, now unified within his mind once again. "...What is this?....what should I do?...should I cry?....do I want to?....I...I don't know.....why...what does it mean to cry?". He didn't know, none of these things he knew. If in truth he was feeling things, then it was new, raw...he didn't know how to express any of it. "....What does it mean to love?...what does it mean to be happy?...". His fathers voice would answer his questions, simply put....love meant weakness, happiness meant personal victory and succession. But these were not what he considered real, he had succeeded before, but he had not felt anything. But now there was fear, there was loss...there was pitiful realization

" No, I refuse this"

He snapped out of it and looked into her eyes. " No". He stood, confidence. Clear as it had been returning to his eyes."....I understand nothing, because if....if I even began to consider the thought I might be...tainted....". He brought his hand to her face, there was a nudge, an ache....a pain in the pit of his stomach as he did so. "...If I considered it, then one of three people would have to die....". "Then I would have to recognise that the woman I had unconciously been seeking since I was a child belonged now to another male...would bear that other males children....that she chose that other male....". He smiled and ran his hand down to her shoulder."...I cannot understand, that a bond runs both ways....to do so would be to think she might feel the same way, and to think that would mean she, unlike me...was aware of it....and if she was aware of it...her choice would become all the more painful..". Of course, his words only indicated that he knew full well of what was going on, what he felt. But he was denying it all for the sake of his sanity. For the sake of his broken emotion. To retain his identity as a Lambda. He removed his hand from her and returned to the fire.

ooc:

Her realization had been just as a profound, but not to the point of invoking her denial. She had fought against it, yes. But hardly thought to name it an ailment or look at it in a negative light; something that would tarnish who she was. To hear him address his realization as such disheartened her initially to where she could not look at him. He feared being tainted by love? Was it hard to embrace without it being in a negative view? Though he claimed to not understand, she knew he had to. He could not have gone through their life together, reflect upon their actions, and still not know how he felt…how she felt.

But she could hear in his voice why… why he would chose to deny it with the fibers of his being. And it was in this that she understood wholly why the Nomad were discouraged from expressing that deep emotion. The pain that came from a love not returned, or a love returned but unfulfilled. Chaos would ensue. The order set by countless generations before would have been undone had one chose to express their truest desires for what their heart longed for. Her father had to have known the history…hard to have seen the looks in their young eyes. And yet he encouraged it. He let them play, let them forge their bond. He said nothing as the planted seed began to sprout but nurtured it and watched it blossom.

The roots ran too deep to pull and in acknowledging them they anchored deeper.

She placed her hand over his on top of her shoulder, daring to slip her darker digits beneath his ashen own. Still, X’yrin couldn’t look to him, not yet. Though she knew all that she wanted to say, it was in fear of those words, in complicating further what was already beyond concealing that she kept her eyes averted and her lips momentarily sealed. Until she made a decision. She sighed softly. “A bond can run both ways… if it began that way, then it would not cease. But…if it would spare the forgers of that bond pain, then…perhaps it should be denied. Never forgotten, but resting on the threshold between what is and what isn’t. Waiting for the tip in either direction. It would be there…though it is not enough for one or the other. It would keep the forgers what they are. Part of their families…but together tainted.”