Kalion, Camden & Others

Kalion had been away for a week. He had been on a mission to breathe some life back into the Lurkers, and seeing as Lyckos was still a brooding, volatile monster he had taken it upon himself to change things around here. He breezed through the alleys with the biggest of smiles on his face, for he had a surprise for his brother that was sure to bring some of the old Lyckos back. The hybrid bounded through the open doors, sweeping the room for his brother, the alpha of the Lurkers, but didn’t see him anywhere on the first floor. He did, however, see a figure that made his heart swell with pride. In the corner of the room, there lay a resting tangle of legs and fur. The black and tan adolescent was one of the reasons Kalion was so happy to be back, for that ragged bundle of fluff was none other than his son, Taros. Kalion trotted over, nosing Taros and waking him. Taros was on his paws in seconds when he realised his father was home, and there was some eager tail wagging and licking in their excitement. Kalion would be sure to seek out Sequioa later, as well as Raige and Lyriani, but for now, he had something else he had to deal with first, something which would also include his mate and their pups. “Lyckos!” he barked loudly from the ground floor, his eyes trained on the stairs that he believed his brother would descend soon, “Lyckos, I bring visitors!”

“He’s not here, he’s out with your daughter marking the boundaries of the alleys with our scent,” said a stocky hybrid as he came out from under the stairs, stretching his hind legs after having a rest. Kalion’s smile faded slightly, but never the less he greeted his nephew with an enthusiastic bump on the shoulder. Camden didn’t look particularly ecstatic, but he returned the greeting with a curt smile, “Who are these visitors then?” Kalion’s eyes suddenly lit up as he remember his guests. He turned his head to bark at the open doors of the den, through which came three large dogs. The first was a chocolate Labrador, with warm, dark eyes, and her tail wagged even though she was a stranger to these canines. She was closely followed by a very large Great Dane, who had a familiar brindle coat, and very familiar hazel eyes. Behind him was a perfect mix of the two, a slim, graceful hybrid, who practically danced across the floor after her parents. Camden’s jaw threatened to drop in astonishment. Kalion couldn’t help but grin as his nephew quizzical gaze moved from the three strangers to him, but he did not answer the question in his nephew’s eyes. No, he would wait for the pack to gather at the scent of strangers before revealing who these new canines were.

Lotus & Others

Lotus had never gotten a chance to meet Hydras. But now that the secrets were getting out, it appeared that Lotus' sister killed Hydras. That didn't hit her too hard, though. She never knew Hydras, and she couldn't really remember meeting Tainted. But she felt sympathy for Lyckos, whom she still considered to be her father. He raised her. It was only natural that she still call him father.

But what did hit Lotus hard was Aurinka's death. She had grown close to her biological half-sister. The Lurkers' former 'ally,' White Feathers, had murdered her in cold blood. And then she blamed Aurinka's death on Rowan, a Lurker ally, who tried to defend Aurinka. Naturally, Lotus was depressed, and very very angry.

She wasn't in much of a mood for visitors, but she came out of her little den anyway. With a sigh, she sat silently next to Camden.

Susi, a daughter of Aurinka and Windsong, was curled up under a flight of stairs, sobbing quietly. She'd never see her mother again. She didn't want to see any visitors right now. She just wished she'd hurry up and die so she could be with Aurinka again.

Sequoia * Raige

Sequioa seemed quite twitchy as she came back to the alleys, and who could blame her? She had just seen a wolfess at the prarie who could pass for Aaka, but Sequioa knew that the Silver Glades alphess was dead. Wasn't she? She was dead. Yes. Yes she was. The hybrid yelped and jumped side ways as her harlequin son came bounding out of the darkness. Yes, she was jumpy indeed. Already Raige towered over his mother, and she growled lightly at him but the male merely ignored her. Scared you, didn't I mom? He laughed softly. His moods were definetly unique, one happy being perfectly content and the next being ready to kill anyone for the slightest mishap. As Sequioa glared at the ground, she continued to stalk forth until the scent of her mate came to her nares. She trotted forth, her son easily keeping pace with her. Stop that! She snapped at him. It irked her how easily he could out power her if he really wanted, but she knew that her bite was enough to send him to the ground if he needed it. Sequioa gave a curt nod to Camden and smiled faintly at her mate as she approached. Raige merely stood by her side, not particulary caring that his father back. Oh yes. Typical teenager.

Ninaki & Others

Rising from his usual place in the corner of the lower floor, the lanky beta strode towards the group with an enthusiastic Rataska bouncing along side of him. "Mind your manners, Taska." He reminded the youngster with easy patience, having become the unwitting role-model and father-figure for Darsie's daughter, when Darsie herself proved a little too immature to handle the task of being a mother. Obediently, the black and gray hybrid settled down to escort Ninaki towards the others, though her lively eyes couldn't help but betray a youngling's excitement at meeting new friends.

Skeil, who'd taken to bunking with Lerna and Desmon lately, was joined by her two comrades as they made their way towards Kalion and his newly returned family. The oldest of the original Lurker pack, the alabaster pit bull was taking her seventh winter a little harder than in past times, but her scarred facade was every bit as warm and determined as it always was, showing homage to the dog's unbreakable spirit and zest for life.

"Looook!" Orchila seemed to be joined at the hip by Katabana, and the two black-faced sister were incredibly hard to tell apart by sight alone. "That one looks a little like aunt Lerna, doesn't she?"

With a nod, Katabana turned her glittering eyes to the labrador, fully enthrawled by the new visitors. Unlike the tiny Montrone, the sisters gloom over their mother's death wasn't nearly as outwardly expressed. They felt it every bit as strongly as their siblings and father, but these two seemed to take everything in stride.

Also joining the rally was Kambode Jr., Havana, Darsie, Honthale, and Pistol. Together, the group of cousins took their place amongst the other canines, while Bullet squeezed in next to his best friend Skeil, and a sorrowful Desmon. While Pirqua, Black Feather, and Moonshadow alighted on nearby railings, Argolis was one of the last to join the group. Baring a slight limp that attested to his near-death battle and a poorly healed leg wound, the brindle male had otherwise made a full recovery and had an impressive set of scars to boast. Hiding his limp as best as he could to maintain his oversized ego, Argolis opted to stand towards the front, nearer to Camden.

Avara

Avara had padded up beside Susi when the visitors arrived, laying down beside her. They were shaken after Aurinka's death, pissed off by White Feathers' constant denial of killing her, blaming it on Rowan. Avara lifted her muzzle, sighing softly. "Shush, Susi, shush," She whispered.

Patch had strode up beside Havana and Darsie, glancing at his daughters briefly. Stormbringer, the deaf wolf, was following closely. Ebony had run off, once more, and her existance was questionable amongst the valley. Patch cocked his head, finding the resemblance between the Lurker king and these visitors. Family? he thought, but confirmed to himself.

Essence * Vengeance * Voodoo * Sasha * Redemption

Essence was the next to arrive, Aaka's daughter every bit as lovely as her mother. Her white coat was shiny and sleek as she stepped towards Patch. Indeed, she hadn't been seen in sometime, but there was no mistaking the young, kind hearted female. So unlike Aaka, and her father torture.

Redemption was next, the black and white male following his sister. He was a much more angry fellow, with lots of hatred all wrapped up inside. His eyes followed Patch and Havana, not liking being around so many at one time. Essence was the one who loved others. Not him.

Vengeance was the last of the trio to arrive. The black and white female definetly wasn't a ray of sunshine, but she wasn't exactly the most depressing individual either. She gave a smile to everyone and sat down outside the circle.

Sasha and her daughter Voodoo arrived next. The doberman gave a smile, while Voodoo went and sat next To Sequioa. How's it going? She murmered softly, being polite to her 'aunt'.

Lyckos, Kalion, Camden & *New arrivals*

Kalion found himself bubbling with excitement as the Lurkers began to assemble in all their glory. The close knit family unit that had been through so much and still come out the other side with their heads held high and with unbroken - and unbreakable - spirits. Kalion found himself particularly enthralled by Sequioa's arrival, but seeing that she was slightly overwhelmed at the moment, he quietly nuzzled her neck, before settling down once more.

"Dad!" Lyriani sang lyrically as she bounded through the open doors, having smelt her father a while back and ran to get here after patrolling the borders. She quickly came to a stop when she spotted the new canines with Kalion, and fell silent, confusion flashing through her eyes. "I, er...Uncle Lyckos is coming...he's just, urm..."

What she hadn't mentioned was that Lyckos was in a surprisingly foul mood today, and that she had been so overjoyed with picking up her father’s scent because it meant she could leave her uncle to come and find her father. Lyckos had found out Risen had gone missing, and Tainted had gone into hiding. This meant he couldn't get revenge on the one who had killed his mate and son, and he was feeling particularly bitter about it. Not only that, but Aurinka had been killed, meaning Desmon and some of the Lurker children had been left without a mate and a mother. Lyckos was not fond of Aurinka, but he wouldn't have wished such heartache on her family, for he had been in Desmon's position, and it had brought old, painful memories flooding back to him.

Lyriani circled round the new canines to join her cousin, Argolis, at the front of the gathering. She was about to warn her father of her uncle's mood, when there was a sudden sense of apprehension that slid across the face of Lyriani, and even Camden's face looked slightly worried. It was clearly audible that there was someone approaching, for the clicking of claws on concrete seemed suddenly louder. It was not long before Lyckos stood in the doorway, and he looked less than pleased. For a moment he paused in the doorway, silent and unnerving, before slowly walking forward, his eyes meeting Kalions, “Who have your brought with you? I could smell your trail from the borders, and you are not alone, Kalion.” Kalion’s face fell, confused and taken aback by Lyckos’ surly mood. It was not his voice that answered Lyckos. The brindle Great Dane turned on the spot, a sudden sense of authority surrounding him as he matched Lyckos’ drawling accusation with a voice that was laced with chastisement, “Watch your tongue, Lyckos,” and it was almost like looking in a mirror. Lyckos’ narrowed eyes widened in confusion, and he took a step back. There was no doubting who this was in front of him, and why the scent mixed with Kalion’s was so familiar. Nor would there be any doubt among the Lurkers that this was, in fact, Lyckos’ father. The similarities were far too...well...similar.

Kalion, trying to make up for Lyckos’ silence, quickly announced to the gathered crowd that “This is Taros (Senior), Orelia and Iphito; our father, our mother and our sister,” then, to Lyckos he said, “I thought you’d be pleased...” Lyckos had almost turned into a statue, and his eyes had slid to the floor. Kalion’s voice made him look up, but he did not reply. He simply walked past his family, through the crowd of Lurkers, and up the stairs to the roof, as silently, and as eerily as a ghost. Kalion was filled with dread, and was about to go after his brother to apologise when Orelia stopped him. She placed herself deliberately in front of her son, and gave him a hard look.

“Leave him be, he will come around in his own time,” she soothed, smiling at her son, while he heart wringed uncomfortably in her chest. She hoped he would come around soon, for that had not been the heartfelt greeting she had been hoping for after such a long time. Still, she was very aware that there were a rather large group watching them, so she now turned to the Lurkers and tried her best to look as unaffected by Lyckos’ apparent dismissal as she could, “Hello, I am Orelia. I’ve heard much about you, Shadow Lurkers, and Kalion has had nothing to say but praise and love for you all. When he came to find us to ask if we would come with him to see Lyckos, we couldn’t wait to meet you all. Admittedly, that was not the reaction we had expected from Lyckos, but given the things he’s been through...” she paused, aware that this was not an area she should go into so early on into their meeting with this new pack, “...anyway, I have heard I have a lot of new family members to meet, as well as meet the pack my sons have such affection for! This is my mate, Taros, and my daughter, Iphito.”

Orelia paused, feeling slight awkward, but she need not have been. Quietly, Lyriani stepped forward, and said in a small voice, “I’m Lyriani, your granddaughter,” and Orelia’s tail began to swing behind her as she stepped forward to greet Lyriani. She glanced to Kalion, for she could see him in Lyriani, but she then paused and her dark eyes swept the group to land on Sequioa, whom Kalion had moved closer to to signal her as his mate. Orelia smiled softly, nodding her head to Sequioa, “You must be the mate I have heard so much about, Sequioa,” but before she could continue, Camden stepped forward to get a good look at Taros, who was almost a perfect copy of Lyckos, but clearly an older version, “Camden,” he said simply, sizing up Taros, much to the other’s amusement, “Well Camden, it’s nice to meet you finally. The one standing beside you must be your brother, correct, he has the pattern Lyckos does.” Taros looked past Camden to land his eyes on Argolis.

Amid this, Iphito moved forward to stand beside her brother, a much leaner and faster version of Kalion, with an elegance that was surprising for such a big hybrid. Her eyes slid over the crowd, and she found herself thinking how Lyckos had managed to get himself Alpha of this pack. Iphito has been deeply saddened when Kalion had informed them they would not meet the mother of Lyckos’ children, and even more so when Lyckos had walked past her without a word. She did not speak, merely watched, for although she was going to meet her nieces and nephews, as well as the family her brothers had now become a part of, she somehow felt out of place, but she hoped that it was not to last.

Rival; Havik; Alpine; Susi; Lotus

Rival, a son of Aurinka and Desmon, looked quite a bit like his father. The 100 pound coyote/dog/wolf hybrid led two of his remaining siblings - his sister Havik and his brother Alpine - into the Aegis Den. With his mother dead and his sister dead, he was in a horrible mood. He was ready to snap at anybody. So he did.

"What are you bawling about, Susi?" He snarled tartly at his older half-sister, who raised her head for only a second or two before mourning again. "White Feathers should have killed you instead. Nobody gives a damn about you. You're just Mother's rape child. She would have hated you too if Tainted hadn't dragged you away."

"Rival," Havik began in a shaky, sorrowful voice, "don't take your anger out on another victim." She was normally just as rough as Rival, but she had taken the place of the deceased Aurinka and Basil. Somebody needed to be the peacemaker now that the former peacemakers had been murdered.

Rival simply growled at his sister, shoving past her and glancing at Lyckos' family with a disgusted look. "Nobody cares who you are." He said. Though he seemed cruel on the outside, it was because he was broken on the inside. "Rival! Stop it!" Havik scolded. Alpine raised his red, teary eyes to Lyckos and his family. "Sorry...he's just...just sad. I'm really sorry, and Rival would be sorry to but he's not himself lately." The young hybrid said meekly.

Lotus snapped rebukingly at Rival, whom she knew to be her biological nephew. "Watch it, pup." The coywolf reprimanded when Rival tried to insult her father. And with Rival sulking up a flight of stairs, Lotus met Lyckos and his family. "Hello, Taros, Orelia and Iphito. I'm Lotus, Lyckos' daughter. Adopted daughter, that is. You must be proud to have such a fine son and brother." She said with a smile as she dipped her head to the new arrivals.

Ninaki & Others

The restrained excitement in the room was shaken and partially deflated by their leaders brusque reaction to the guests. Even Ninaki and Pirqua seemed at lost for words when Lyckos brushed past his former family and climbed the stairs to find his way to the rooftop. Skeil exchanged a worried like with Ninaki and Bullet, but before any of them could come up with some way to rescue the situation, Kalion had taken the reigns again and introduced the new arrivals.

Poised proudly next to his brother, Argolis surprised himself when he lowered his head just a touch at hearing Taros' words to Lyckos. The voice spoke of power and dominance, and even though it was not directed at him, the hybrid had obligingly lowered his cranium. However, by the time the introductions had gotten under way and his was sized up in the dane's sights, Argolis raised his head as high as he dared without challenging his... wait, his grandfather...? "Argolis." Surprisingly himself, he spoke his name clearly and proudly, feeling a sudden need to impress Taros.

Looking far more like her grandmother, the soft, chocolatey-coated Lerna stood up from her place next to Skeil, dipping her head eloquently as she spoke, "Lerna, daughter of Lyckos and Hydras." Her words were noble and calm, contrasting harshly with how her often-times brash and slightly arrogant brother Argolis tended to speak.

Ninaki was the next to speak, though it wasn't to the new arrivals. "Rival." The low, rumbling word was offered with narrowed eyes and a cricked tail. "You'll be polite and respectful whilst we have visitors, or you can wait outside until you are in a better mood."

Lyckos & Others

Taros' eyes kept their sights on Argolis, and as his grandson introduced himself, the dane stepped round Camden to approach him. There was a pleasant smile on his face, and though there was no outward display of dominance, there was an aura about the older canine that seemed to ooze magesty. "Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Argolis."

Lerna's voice pulled Orelia's attention from Lyriani, and the labrador wasted no time in walking over to her granddaughter, "It's nice to have another girl in our family. We seem to have far more males than females in our bloodline. I...I'm sorry for the loss of your mother," she added, when Lerna spoke Hydras' name, "it's a shame we never got to meet her, but I am very sure she would have been proud of you."

From behind Kalion, another stepped forward, only this time there was awe alight in the adolescent’s eyes. Taros, the son of Kalion, had his gaze fixed on the older Taros, and he had a strange feeling of pride within him. His father had chosen to name him after his father? The dane was certainly a humbling sight, and the fact he was named after him was a strange thought. So, Taros (Jr.) approached his grandfather hesitantly, and quietly said, "I'm Taros too, sir," to which the dane smiled, glancing up at Kalion who was beaming away, "So I finally get to meet you, Taros. I must say I was shocked but pleasantly so that your father was kind enough to name you after me."

Rival’s disgusted glare received an equally unfriendly look from Taros, a hurt look from Orelia, and an indifferent glare from Iphito. Her eyes followed Rival, but she sent a thankful look to Ninaki for his reprimand. However, there was sudden movement from the top of the stairs. Suddenly, Lyckos was there, eyes blazing in anger as he aimed to bowl Rival over and send him to the ground. Though he did not bare his teeth, nor growl, Lyckos’ glare was enough of a warning. “Never insult my family, Rival,” he warned, “Now, I think you should listen to Ninaki, and go and calm yourself down. You’re no good to anyone in this state.” He then stepped away from Rival, and picked out one from the crowd.

“Iphito,” was all he had to say, and his sister walked towards him and up the stairs, and the pair of them disappeared into one of the rooms. It was a good five or ten minutes before they emerged. Iphito’s face held no emotion, and Lyckos’ seemed a little calmer than before, but still irritable, with a touch of concern. It seemed apparent that Iphito had bowed to Lyckos’ authority when she waited for him to walk down the stairs first, before coming down to the gathering herself. Once there, Iphito walked to Orelia and Lerna, and Lyckos stood apart from the pack, facing them and his family.

“Lurkers, my family is to be treated no differently to your fellow packmates. You-” but Lyckos was suddenly interrupted by Iphito, “Lyckos, you don’t need to make special allowances for us. I understand it’s difficult for you to have us around with all this trouble in the valley, but surely it’s better that we’re here to help? Mother can pupsit the youngsters, and me and father can help you out.” Lyckos didn’t look convinced, and there was apprehension in his eyes, but he realised there would be no talking his parents and sister out of their decision, as both Taros and Orelia moved to stand in the Lurker crowd. Lyckos sighed, clearly not too happy about this, but he didn’t doubt the strength of his pack, so didn’t press the subject further. “Well then, we should have a hunt to welcome our guests to the Valley. I want everyone to come, but anyone who does not wish to engage in the hunt may sit it out, as long as we all stay together. I think we’ll go to Pike’s Lake.”

Lyckos then turned, and left the den, followed by Camden, Lyriani, Taros, closely followed by Taros Jr, Orelia and Iphito.