Bullet & Others

Ninaki was looking somber, holding the same expression as he had countless times past when their grand pack took losses. The gauntness to the aging beta's frame made him appear all the more grave, and a year or two older than he really was, and certainly had an affect on the others around him who reacted to the weighty expression. Bullet had informed him of the tragic death of Taros and Kane, and was now seeking out his alpha to repeat the unfortunate news.

"...you've got to hold still Taska." Off towards the corner of the large room, Skeil was tending to Rataska's torn face and neck, and trying to talk the big hybrid down from her shocked state, with minimal luck. Argolis was about beside himself with rage, pacing hotly across the floor and darting looks at the wounded that had returned, including his grandmother. "How dare they attack us! What a foolish move, we should gather our forces and storm them, and make them regret this day!" His snarling words earned nods of approval from Kambode Jr. and Honthale.

But not from Desmon, who had some cautious to share, "We don't know how big their pack is, Argolis.” The tri-coated wolfdog reminded his cousin, "Emotions are high right now, give everyone some time." Including your father and grandmother. He didn't say it, but the look was carried in his chocolate eyes.

Lyckos & Others

Lyckos had been up on the roof of the den with Pirqua, who had reported the return of the group who had been hunting at the Canyon. However, the reports had been the group was lagging and appeared injured, so the alpha had watched as they had trailed and limped back towards the den. Tearing down the flights of stairs to meet the incoming party, Lyckos froze as he took in the wounds of his pack, and his expression fell at Ninaki’s whole aura. The sympathy and gravity of the atmosphere cut him like a knife. He did not even need to speak, but his eyes said it all, ‘What happened here...’ Then he caught his mother’s entrance, and the shock and terror that grasped him almost knocked the air from his lungs. “M-mother?!” He was at her side in an instant, watching helplessly as Dawn and Lyriani tried to clean up her wounds from Leope. There was a very obvious absence, two in fact; “Where is father? Kane?”

Camden watched the chaos from the corner, his single eye flicking from wounded packmate to wounded packmate. At first, he couldn’t help but think maybe Hydras had lashed out at someone again, but as more and more piled in, Camden crept horrified into the corner, and he still remained there, unable to comfort anyone, when he couldn’t even comfort himself. Ariella crouched beside him, whispering words of reassurance to try and ease him, but she couldn’t seem to get through to her mate.

Kalion had escorted Orelia back into the den, and stood over his mother while she sank to the floor. The chocolate Labrador was exhausted, blood crusting over the deep wounds raked down her sides by Leope’s claws. Kalion’s eyes were blank and haunted, and he did not react to anyone, he simply stood and growled ever so gently at the world, for being so cruel. Even as his daughter Sayre tried to ask him where her brother was, Kalion could not hear her, as he replayed the moment Kane slipped from life.

Iphito couldn’t bring herself to look at her mother, so instead tried to rally the pack and directed efforts to comfort the wounded. Dawn was moving around the room, offering what little support she could to those wounded in an effort to repay a debt she felt she owed to them by not helping fight. Taros Jr was all for attacking their enemies now, along with his cousins. Camden’s children had been ushered to the upper levels by their great aunt Iphito, so they would not see the bloodshed of their family.

Ninaki & Others

Lerna stayed with her grandmother, moving a little stiffly from getting thrown to the ground, but aside from those bruises and the aching cuts along her side, she was lucky to come out as well as she did after fighting the lion. Besides, she was young and fit - it was Orelia that she worried more about right now, and not just because she was physically wounded. She laid down next to the elder canine, and joined with the others in helping to cleanse the wounds and provide emotional support when it was sorely in need.

Bullet took the duty of approaching their alpha, and he did so with a weary look in his tired eyes and a deep sense of regret. "Lyckos..." The big wolfdog dipped his head to the leader, and went on to explain what he'd already told Ninaki of, "We were ambushed at the Canyon, we had no warning, and there was no room to flee." Despite the heaviness in his heart, and the pain he knew it would inflict on Lyckos, Bullet went on in a strong tenure, "We managed to slay one of them, but Taros and Kane were lost. ...I'm sorry, Lyckos." The hybrid had to look away for a moment, disturbed in a similar way as Kalion was at recalling the gruesome flashbacks in his mind, but he also looked away to account for where Dawn was. A moment later, he spoke again, "It was the Nuova Alba. There was no rhyme or reason for their attack, not that I know of. We've never caused them grief."

Lyckos

Lyckos’ muzzle gently probed his mothers wounds, as he tried to work out where he’d smelt that scent before. His brain could not deduce who it belonged to, or the banner of the pack it represented. Although it smelled faintly like that of the Haunters...

Pulled out of his thoughts by the approach of Bullet, Lyckos turned to face his old friend. However, his eyes were full of apprehension as the tension and regret that clung to the wolfdog practically hit him like a wall. "We were ambushed at the Canyon, we had no warning, and there was no room to flee." Lyckos could predict the next words before Bullet could even say them, and even as they left the others mouth, Lyckos could not even bring himself to react. In fact, the words barely even registered in his head. More deaths, more of the pack he cared so much for taken from him. It was like two pieces of his heart had been torn off. His father, his nephew, his son, his mate...

As Bullet was forced to look away as memories plagued him, Lyckos’ face set itself firmly in place. A stony silence, but his eyes were wrought with the pain of a thousand souls; he had to get out of there, that place of death and loss and suffering. Memories clasped at that den like a bad smell, refusing to give in for a moment’s peace. He could not be there any longer, not if he was to be a fit leader for the pack that was slowly falling around him. “One day they will suffer like we have suffered. One day they will pay for every hole they have pierced into our hearts. Our new enemy, this Nuova Alba, will fall as every other enemy has fallen. And they will fall by the might of our allies and us. Yet...” here, he paused, his eyes, that had been moving from packmate to packmate with a pride and conviction that showed his total confidence in his words and the pack they were directed at, fell to the floor. He seemed to lose himself for a moment, before he could bring himself to look up once more, ”...my time with you, Shadow Lurkers, is at an end. For now at least. Perhaps it is selfish of me to leave you in such hard times, but I fear I would not be able to lead you as you deserve when I can barely look each of you in the eye. You have given everything for me, as have those who died today and all the days before. Now, I am haunted by everything we have lost, and so I am unworthy of my title here, I have lost my stature, my mind is compromised. Whomever you choose to replace me will be a worthy leader. Do not try to find me, Lurkers, you are better off without me. Take care of each other, your bond and heritage is what makes you so great. Goodbye.” And with one final sweep of the room, Lyckos turned. And once he started walking, he did not stop.

Camden’s face dropped, and he moved like a ghost from the corner of the room to stare blankly at his father as he spoke. “N-no...dad!” he pleaded. His cries were echoed around the room. Dawn crept towards Bullet, pressing herself against him for support. Orelia practically cried out in pain. “Lyckos! You can’t leave me!...You-you’re father...” And from the floor above, Lyckos’ grandchildren watched as he left, refusing to break under the pleas of his family, and moved out into the darkness of the alleys.

Bullet & Others

So many ears and eyes were turned to Lyckos right now, their solid foundation that they depended on, their leader and protector. His announcement caught each and every one of them off guard, and an audible silence followed for a second or two that was thick and tense enough to cut with a knife. "Dad... wait!" Learna broke the silence shortly after her brother, barking in alarm at seeing her sire turn and pad away from the group. Argolis was staring in disbelief, and Ninaki, after first believing he misheard his leader, scrambled to his feet and made an attempt to run after Lyckos. "Lyckos, stop! We need you now, you can't leave us....! LYCKOS!" The hybrid's bark held a rumble of desperation in it. "LYCKOS!" Again the beta barked, urgent and demanding, but to no avail.

Bullet was dumbfounded by the move. He watched with scarcely blinking eyes as their solo leader departed, too heavily burdened by grief and sorrow to bare witness to any more of the Lurkers' slow deterioration. In his heart, the wolfdog had sensed as much anguish building in their alpha, and he knew what a terrible weight it must have been to hold out so strong on his own... everyone has their breaking point, and this was his. "Everything will be alright, don't worry." A little shellshocked still, the hybrid nonetheless turned his muzzle down to the young Dawn and caressed the top of her head with a lick.

Eventually, Ninaki stalked back inside, eyes piercing through the crowd of canines as his mind raced to make sense of all that had just gone down, and what the next step should be. As beta, he felt immediately obliged to direct the group, yet... he was getting old, and he'd become weak and underweight in the last year, to a point where he was hardly fit for fighting, much less leading a pack with anything but wise words and an ever weakening voice. "Lyckos will be back." The beta began, lifting his graying muzzle up and trying to stand tall and assertive, despite the ragged, unkempt look of his coat, and the hollowness that was creeping into his eyes. "He merely needs time to clear his head." It was all pure guessing on his part, but he wasn't about to tell them that their leader might be gone for good. "Until his return, we need a standing leader to guide us. We need to play things safely until we can make sense of this new threat." Looking out over the group, he couldn't help but feel his spirits waver a little, or to feel his heart break a tiny bit more. So many looked confused and hurt, and he wasn't sure if his speech was enough to rally them, not when they'd just learned of the death of two of their family members.

Iphito

The stunned silence after Lyckos’ exit was barely broken by Ninaki’s speech. A few seemed a little more hopeful, but some were still in a stupor. It was Iphito who moved first, walking to stand beside Ninaki and faced the group. They had to carry on, they could not sit around and wait for Lyckos to return, if he ever did. They had to, for the sake of everyone, and for those they had lost. “Is there anyone who feels they would like to stand in for Lyckos? Lerna? Argolis? Camden?” Her eyes travelled between each of Lyckos’ children, but Camden’s face showed his unease at the idea, and a small shake of his head was enough to tell his aunt he did not wish to. With five young pups, himself and Ariella were already preoccupied, and he just couldn’t face being responsible for the entire pack. When he was younger he would have dreamed of this moment, but now he realised just how tough his father’s role truly was. “I know this is a tough time for us all...” Iphito’s voice was strong, but the mood of the entire pack was reflected in her eyes, “...if you wish it, I volunteer to stand in for my brother, until he returns to us.” ‘If he returns to us...’

Bullet & Others

"I will." Argolis called out, breaking from the silence and shock that had taken him moments earlier. There was an anger in his eyes, and behind that, a great sorrow that he strove to squash and hide from the others. "I'll take the lead from my parents." The big, brindle male strode forward, showing no signs of the limp that he'd carried for almost a year after the fateful battle at Pike's Lake. "Brother, that's a lot of responsibility.." Lerna began to cautious her brother with a soft warning. She knew he was capable and confident, but he also had that same spitfire attitude of his cousin Ankh, and she wasn't sure if that would be such a good thing for the Lurkers. She turned her sombered eyes to Iphito questioningly, but before she could attempt to dissuade her brother from taking the lead or try to promote Iphito as their stand-in alpha, Pirqua swooped down from the metal beam she'd been perched on, and landed on a tin box in front of the group. "Whether it be Iphito, Argolis, or someone else that takes lead, it's imperative that we let our allies know what has happened. Rein, Quaidah, and Aidan will need to be alerted of the attack, because as our allies, they may be in danger as well."

Iphito

"If that's what you want, Argolis," she said simply, moving to one side to let him take centre stage. She would be there to be a guide to her nephew, and hopefully to keep the anger that radiated from him in check. If he was anything like his parents, he should be able to handle the role fine. She caught Lerna's glance, and the reply in her eyes showed similar concerns, but she would not deny her nephew his chance at leadership. Pirqua had a good point, and so she looked to their new alpha. It was his call where to go next.

Camden's offspring poured down the stairs, swarming their father, but their happiness was short-lived as they sensed the tension in the room. Ariella shushed the youngsters, ushering them to sit around their parents as they waited to see what Argolis wanted to do.

Dawn tilted her head back, and very quietly whispered to Bullet, "Do you think he's ready? I'm worried he'll drag us into another fight..."

Argolis & Others

"I can do this." The brindle male reaffirmed. He brought his tail up, arching it high like proud banner, carrying his confidence and determination as any fit alpha would do. Those attributes, at least, were well honed in the hybrid and was one positive thing that would help him in his duties... it was his vengeful and slightly more hotblooded tendencies that would need to be curbed and balanced if he hoped to keep his self-declared title and keep the Lurkers out of ruin. "Mesa, go to the Guardians and tell them what has happened. Black Feather, alert the Silver Glades. Pirqua, you can see to Aidan." A power seemed to swell in him, a certain thrill at seizing power and leading a pack, "And tell them to prepare for a potential war."

A deep, quieted sigh escaped Lerna, and she made a point to herself to watch her brother and try to temper his choices and attitude. In her eyes, war was absolutely not the right path to go down right now, not when they'd just suffered two losses, and an abrupt change in leadership. She didn't argue though, and as she gave it a second thought, tried to convince herself that perhaps Argolis could make a good leader, if he were groomed a bit more into the role. With the help of Iphito and the others... maybe it would work.

"I... don't know." Bullet didn't want to speak ill of his nephew, but his doubts were there. "..only time will tell." As one of the older members of the pack, he could see a very clear reflection of his sister in Argolis. She had been quite the spitfire herself when she first seized power of the pack after Scilla and Kambode's deaths. She was reckless and made mistakes, but in time - and with a bit of coaching - she had become a true and honest leader for her pack. Bullet could only hope that the same would be true for her son.