Lyckos

Rain had started to splatter the alleys, adding to the winter chill in the air. The puddles that were forming on the ground were forming on the ground were slowly turning into ice, making the ground slippery.

With no sound, a tired giant appeared through the fog of raindrops, soaked and sleepy. His thin coat was dripping and gave the impression of silkiness from all the moisture. His head was low; swaying from side to side in a casual movement as he trudged through the various alleys’ that he was beginning to navigate without thinking. He was home, at last.

His tired brown eyes were slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep and his posture was one of exhaustion as he turned left from a narrow alleyway to approach the Aegis Den. It was a welcome site but one which would always haunt him and hold anguish. The last fight that had occurred in the alleys had taken place in this stronghold, the place they could, or rather should, have been safe.

It was this recent battle that had kept Lyckos away for so long. He had needed to clear his head and regain himself, which he had achieved with the aid of his brother, Kalion. However it had resulted in the many sleepless nights and huntless days which had taken it’s toll on the hunter and which had left him exhausted and vulnerable. Luck had been on his side, in a way, that he hadn’t been in any major scuffle.

In the better frame of mind he had returned to the place he knew as home; with the Shadow Lurkers. Taking in a deep breath, Lyckos readied himself and entered the den, unsure of what had been, or was going on on the other side of the doors.

His spirits lifted to find no gathering that suggested problems. He smiled to himself and looked around for the pack he called his family.

Vengeance * Redemption

Vengeance leapt through the hole as a massive creature walked right over her. The rain had begun to soak her black and grey pelt leaving the small female shivering. As she found the safe haven of the den, the pup shook off the rain drops and trotted to where her brother was being interrogated by Hydras. Putting on the mask that many knew, she came forth and said "We can't tell you....Its a game. And besides, we don't really know. We were to busy trying to hide." She smiled at her 'mother' her tail wagging to and fro. Her smile was filled with innocent glee and she turned towards Lyckos. "And...Hes here to see you, mom. Who is he?" She had never seen a dog that big before, and was filled in awe of the great Labradane.

Fanta.Silverfur.Pups

Fanta looked up at Lyckos entered the alley, her blue eye sparkled when she saw him. "Long time Lyckos."

Silverfur gave a woofing greeting to Lyckos.

Arget and Suenga saw the massive dog and both scampered to Fanta, eyes wide with feat. But Feather had something else in mind, she rushed up to Lyckos. "HI! I'm Wind Feather! Who are you?" The pup demanded.

Hydras, Bullet, & Skeil

About to speak with Redemption and Vengenace, Hydras received word of another potential member, who she could now scent outisde of the den. And before she could react to this, Lyckos appeared. So many things happening all at once!

Three new 'pups' had made Hydras's day, and Lyckos just topped it off. Her frustration at being pelted with information was quelled as her eyes fell upon Lyckos as she gave the large brute a warm smile. "It's nice of you to drop by." The alphess said in a joking tone, stepping forward to touch muzzles with him. Being use to making decisions, she decided to be proactive about how she felt for Lyckos, and thus the brief display of affection she gave him. Looking to her two 'childeren', Hydras's smile remained planted on her tri-colored muzzle. "So long as you are all safe, we shall keep playing..." Hydras frowned slightly when she saw the pup shivering, "...but, we must keep this game inside. You look half frozen." Reaching forward, Hydras grabbed the pup by the scruff and pulled her closer. There, she sat down and flicked her tail around the pup to help warm her up.

Having filled themselves up at the Dump, Bullet and Skeil were on their way back to the den. Bullet carred the remains of a cooked turkey. It wouldn't amount to anything for such a large pack, but at least the pups would have a little to put in their bellies.

Skeil came in next, dragging a small sack with her. Inside was a heap of fat, turkey skin, bread crust, and other such morsels of food that the humans had dumped in and saw as unfit to eat. "Gather 'round pups, there is a feast for you tonight!" The pit bull called out, tail waving happily as she looked around for the pups. It would be enough to feed them, but the rest of the adults needed to get out and hunt still.

Fanta

Fanta pricked her ears at Skiel came, panting happily and stood up to join in the middle of the Den.

Arget and Suenga quickly sat down by the meal, looking at Hydras, there mother had taught them about domience, and waiting for her to take a good bit.

Silverfur slunked into the alley, dragging a small, frozen doe in his maws. "One more feast!" Silverfur called, grinning as he flopped the doe near the turkey. "The doe's small, looks half grown, but will do."

Lyckos

Lyckos hadn't noticed the small pup as he had entered the den, narrowly missing her. He only noticed her as she trotted away, he was about to appologise when he saw who she was with. Hydras. The canine froze, and just sort of, stared at her. However when the pup looked back, Lyckos tried to regain himself and pulled his gaze away to scan the room, looking at the rest of the pack that was currently here. He didn't have to do much, as his attention was soon caught by Fanta. He smiled, Hello Fanta, How are you doing? Silverfur called out next and Lyckos turned to face him, and gave him a friendly nod and smile. Turning back round to look at Fanta, the black and brown hound noticed two more pups, whom he had never seen before. There seemed to have been a lot of new addition's in his absense. Then, he realised something, If Hydras had pups with her, then she must have a mate. Or so he thought. He sighed, his heart sank, but he tried to keep a happy look on the outside. He never really expected him to end up with her anyway. One of Fanta's pups seemed to have a different opinion about the Labradane. When Wind Feather came over to him, Lyckos smiled and dipped down, so that he wasn't such an imposing figure, he didn't want to be scary, at least not to his own pack's pups. Hello Wind Feather, I'm Lyckos.

He looked over to the pups with Hydras, wanting to see if his lower body stance made any difference to their views of him. Instead he found Hydras smiling at him, and the grin that was on his face almost doubled in size, so much for not letting his feelings show. He managed to control himself and let his face gently relax into a more natural smile as he stood up, back to his original height. When she touched muzzles with him, Lyckos decided it didn't matter if she did have a mate, if he couldn't have her, then he would settle for at least being her friend. The display of affection from Hydras, caught him off guard, but he didn't let it show and he continued to smile. You seem to have been busy Hydras. I see a lot of small new faces that I haven't met, and I don't just mean these two, he signalled to Vengeance and Redemption. How many have joined in my absense?

Skeil and Bullet were next to enter the den and Lyckos grinned at them both, wagging his tail in greeting. He knew he shouldn't eat the food, it was for the pups, so looked back to Hydras for the answer to his question.

Sasha * Redemption * Vengeance * Scream

Scream came barreling through the door, nearly slamming into his father. Pulling up short, the male stood panting heavily. He looked to Redemption and his eyes narrowed darkly. Taking a deep breath, the male trotted past his father and Lyckos towards the much small and younger pup. I need to talk to you. Now. He said to the other male. Redemption glared heatedly at the other male and growled lightly but stood and began to follow Scream to the back. The scent of humans had washed off in the pouring rain, a good thing.

As the two came to the back corner Scream hissed Where are the others!?! Redemption just shrugged. He had gotten here first, then Vengeance after him. The others were no where to be found. Scream took a breath and let it out on a hiss. HE had to find them before the adults found out what they had done. My sister and Patch are trapped in that place. You have to figure out how we're going to get them back. The males glared at one another, hackles raising. Redemption knew he couldn't go against Sasha's son, he outweighed the pup by a good thirty pounds. Nodding, Redemption and Scream trotted back to where the others were.

Sasha came towards Lyckos and grinned at the male. She wasn't much of a fighter, only fighting when nessacry. And how are you, Lyckos? She asked him. She had always liked the male, found him to be a great friend. Now that he was back, she felt at peace once more.

Vengeance stared silently at the massive labradane, but no words were emitted from her small body. Aakas daughter was just like both her parents, with an ability to lie and a hidden darkness that no one else knew of. Silently she stood and trotted towards her black brother, with his white harness marks and said softly The others, they didn't go to where me and the male did. They're still out there. She said it quietly in his ear so that only he heard, and Redemption nodded. When the adults fell asleep, he would take his sister and go find the others. For now, both pups dug into the turkey.

Esscence, the innocent sweet sister of the two dark ones, came bounding forward to Lyckos. Can he play to, mama? She asked Hydras. Out of all the siblings, it had been easiest for her to call Hydras her mom. But, the replica of Aaka didn't look a thing like Hydras, and none of them had noticed it yet. She beamed up at Lyckos and said to him I'm Esscence. Thats my mama. And my brother and sister, they're over there. Their names are Redemption and Vengeance, but they're not very nice.

Fanta.Silverfur.Pups

Fanta nodded greatfully to Lyckos. "I'm just exhausted...pups on the walls!" Fanta smiled.

Silverfur yawned and trotted over to Fanta with a happy lick.

"Are you a wolf!" Feather asked the huge male, looking at him excitedly.

Lyckos

The Labradane was still waiting for Hydras to reply when other pack members arrived. Lyckos noticed Scream arrive, the son of Sasha and Bullet. Speaking of Sasha she soon made an appearance. Lyckos smiled warmly. I'm very well Sasha, now that I'm back. How are you doing?

No sooner had he spoken, Esscence bounded over to him. She looked like Vengeance and Redemption, so he guessed she was Hydras' pup, not yet knowing that she had adopted them from Aaka. Smiling down at the pup Lyckos glanced up at Hydras when Esscence suggested he play with them. He didn't want to do anything Hydras wasn't happy with, so waited for her tor eact before agreeing to anything. He soon returned his gaze back to the pup. He chuckled at her comment on her siblings. Hello Esscence, I'm Lyckos. They're not very nice? Oh dear... Then he bent down and whispered to the pup, just loud enough so that Hydras could hear. Well, that's ok because I'm nice, Maybe we could be friends? He stood back up and grinned at her. He didn't want her to feel alone if she felt he siblings were "not very nice", so he wanted to make her feel like she had other people around her that were nice, apart from her family.

Looking around once more, Fanta spoke. Turning his head to look at her, he smiled. If you ever need someone to watch them for you, while you sleep or something, I'd be happy to.

Looking down again, Lyckos grinned at Feather. He laughed and shook his head. No, I'm not a wolf.

Smiling again, he looked around, to see who spoke first, as his tail swayed from side to side in a joyful manner.

Fanta.Silvefur.Pups

Fanta smile. "That would be delightful, now that Silverfur has been doing deer scouting for the pack."

Silverfur yawned and looked at Hydras, expecting her to be glad that her friend was back. "I'll rest a day before heading back out to get a deer. I've found frozen, escaped sheep here and there but the crows and coyotes feast on them in no time"

Arget and Sunega, jealous of Feather, scampered up and looked at Lyckos with playful barks.

"No Feather! He's a um...um, a, erm, Great DANE!" Sunega yipped, dancing under Lyckos's paws

Arget and tugged at Lyckos's tail, while Feather began to weave after Sunega under Lyckos's massive paws.

Hydras, Bullet, & Skeil

"Much has happened." Hydras responded, her ears flickering at all the voices that sounded around her. So much was going on, but she could keep herself together well enough. "There have been a lot of commings and goings- I need to gather the pack together to be sure myself who is still here." She admitted, wondering herself who might be knew here that Lyckos didn't know.

"Now, don't get too roudy just yet." The alphess said, looking to the pups, "You all must eat first. Go ahead, take your pickings." She glanced to Silverfur and offered him a light smile, "You work is appriciated- very much. Our pack needs a good deer hunter, especially in a time like this." When he mentioned the deer, her thoughts turned to Aidan. She had yet to meet her nephew's offspring, but that could always wait.

Bullet, happily seated next to his mate, watched the pups. He didn't realize yet that their two daughters and son were missing, or that Fanta's Patch was captive.

Skeil, already filled from her scavengings at the dump, was content to lay down near the entrance of the Den and take a nap.

Esscence * Redemption * Vengeance

Esscence giggled up at Lyckos and stood on her back legs, placing dainty paws on his chest. Yeah....Vengeance doesn't talk to anyone. Shes always so serious like our mo- Aaka. She was our pupsitter for mama. She had slipped up, almost saying 'mom' when speaking about Aaka. Esscence was still a little confused about the entire ordeal, but she didn't mind so much. She could handle it.

Vengeance ate part of the turkey that was given, then silently stood. She heard her younger sisters words and puppy blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Her black fur rose slightly, the white standing out vividly amongst her dark hide.

Redemption continued to eat until he couldn't anymore before noticing his sisters raised hackles. Soft laughter escaped him and he said softly to her Whats the matter, Ven? Can't handle little Essence speaking ill of you? A soft growl was the black females response. Silently she stalked away, heading towards Skeil. She slipped through the darkness like a shadow, her eyes glaring hard at the floor. She could handle anything, anything that was thrown her way.

Traitor

A newcomer? Well, I guess I would just have to go see him. I didn't know if I was apart of the pack yet, but I stuck around just in case. Silently I trot forward, femine grace and dignity filling me. I give a soft smile to Hydras, then sit down my eyes on the two. "It seems we have become very popular today." I say in my soft and gentle tone. I was speaking about how Lyckos had appeared, and the three new pups as well. Soft yellow eyes turn to Lyckos, and I give him the same gentle smile as I had Hydras "Hello, I am Traitor." I wished dearly that I could change my name, for I wasn't really a traitor except to my brothers. I smile at Sasha, who is sitting across from me. I had been watching her, and I couldn't help but admire the doberman. She was so kind, so sweet. Her mate, Bullet, was so protective of her, so gentle and kind just like she. Was this another like them?

Lyckos

Lyckos smiled at Hydras, then felt paws on his chest, looking down he saw Esscence and grinned. Then, something about what she said puzzled him. The pup had gone to say mom when she mentioned Aaka. Could it be that Hydras was not their mother? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be true. It must be, The behaviour she described sounded more like Aaka than Hydras. He smiled inwardly, now understanding the situation. He know tuned back into what Esscence was saying, but of course, he had missed it. He just smiled and said Well I suppose its her choice if she wants to be that way. Your not going to be grumpy like your sister are you?

He chuckled, then noticed another pack-member approaching. There were certainly alot of new members. He smiled at her, nodding his head in greeting. Hello Traitor, I'm Lyckos. He couldn't help but laugh when he said that, it sounded so ... strange said out loud. He then realised she might take offense. Sorry, I dont mean to offend, it just sounded different. Please excuse my behaviour. He didn't want to set a bad example in front of the pups, and he certainly didn't want to offend or anger her. Are you a new addition to the pack?

Fanta*Silverfur*Pups

Fanta yawned and went towards the turkey, man had it been ages since she'd eaten turkey. Thanksgiving scraps? Fanta pulled at the feathers then found the meat.

Silverfur smiled to Hydras, looking at the deer and gave a quick munch before trotting into what he and Fanta called 'their den' though they recently made it their den due to the pups.

"Look! Outside! What is the white rain momma? See the white rain?" Arget suddenly yipped, running over to Fanta nad tugged on the end of her tail.

Fanta smiled. "Why don't you ask Lyckos?" The tired mother was to dazy to answer Arget's question.

The three pups ran to Lyckos, and sat down. "Uncle Lyckos What's the white rain outside. How come it sticking the the ground and it doesn't run off like the rain?" The three pups asked eagerly.

Hydras, Bullet, Skeil, & Pirqua

The smile wasn't returned to Traitor, for Hydras still needed time to adjust to this femme, and be sure of her intentions. On the same note, she didn't offer Traitor any angry glare or snarl- just a calm, indifferent look. Her eyes flashed next to the door, where she could see the snow begin to fall. A light smile brushed her muzzle now, but she held of with answering, for the youngsters had asked Lyckos.

Skeil lifted her head up and smiled pleasantly at Vengeance as the youngster came her way. Her tail whipped against the ground as she spoke, "Having sibling issues, are you?" Although off by herself near the door, it was easy enough to hear the voices echoing in the vast Den.

While Bullet watched the youngsters play, he began to notice an acrid scent creeping into the building. At first, he ignored it. The scent was very faint after all, and he could only imagine it was something caused by the humans.

Switching sentry duties with her daughter, Pirqua came gliding into the room from a high broken window. The lithe little falcon landed lightly on a paint can near Sasha and Bullet. Rousing her feathers, she glanced from Lyckos to the two parents, "It's good to have another adult here."

Fanta

Fanta yawned and stretched her body, looking up as Pirqua happily.

Lyckos

The hybrid glanced up to look out of the door of the den. He smiled softly when he saw the snow, then looked back down to the pups. It's not white rain, It's snow. Do you want to go outside and see? When he said this, he looked at Fanta, making sure that it was alright. He would only take them just outside the den, so they could experience the snow for the first time.

Something caught his attention as it sailed down towards them. Pirqua appeared. The canine smiled, Hello Pirqua. Then turned back to look at the pups.

Fanta and Pups

Fanta nodded softly to Lyckos, her pups needed to get out and run around. Lyckos, what a savior! Fanta thought.

The pups all stared at Lyckos and began to yip happily. "Snow FUN! Snow fun! The frozen white rain of the winter" Suenga began to sing, Arget and Feather also joined in.

Lyckos

With a grin, Lyckos stood up. Come on then, we'll go outside, but don't go too far! Just outside the den, please.

He glanced around, to see if any other pups wanted to come out too, before turning and leaving the den to stand just outside. The snow began to land on his coat, melting from the heat of his body making his coat damp and causing him to become increasingy cold. He didn't mind, it wasn't too bad and it was for a good cause. The pups could have fun and the adults could have a break. It was the least he could do after such a long absense. He kept alert, his eyes darting from one pup to the next whilst his ears were pricked like radar, checking for any sounds of danger and his nose would scent any smell of trouble.