Raziel sighed softly, he was only the member of Swiftcurrent Creek for a week or so and immediately, a bunch of wolves told him about the chaos his little brother caused, the trouble he caused for himself and others. Won't you gods ever take pity of my little brother, he deserves so much more than he has, the roman thought grumpily to himself. This Paarthurnax that was Shadow's ex mate now resided in this pack, carrying his brother's babies. Raz wondered bitterly why every time a female left a male, they got to keep the kids, the other wolf who's part in finalizing the last part of creating babies weren't allowed near their own kids. The mothers who did that were truly selfish, too selfish, and he doubted she even tried to get the Alpha to let him through, too weak. If the agouti male had his way, he would kidnap her right now and ship her over to Shadow's pack then move her back once the babies were born and old enough to eat meat. A bit of happiness was what his brother deserved, his first litter of kids and not being able to meet them. Who was that cruel?
But that was impossible right now, the best he could do was make sure the kids knew about Roman culture and Rome, and that their father was one of the best wolves and they should try to be like him. Raz knew how terrible it was to think your father was an evil madman and he didn't want his brother's children to think that the whole of Rome was like that. It was a beautiful Empire, truly. What about the gods? And the stories of the founding? Raziel would do his best to take care of them in the absence of Shadow.
Right now, his mission was to track down this Paarthurnax and chat with her. The Roman wouldn't hurt someone his family loved, and he knew Shadow still loved her, his brother never loved easily and when he did, his love ran deep. There was a gigantic flaw in his plan, Raz didn't even know how she looked like, smelled like. The only clue he had, was that she would have a huge belly, she was pregnant after all. So he sat off, trudging beside the Creek, sniffing the air, hoping to catch a Creek wolf's scent.
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Heavy with pup, and with the day of the litter's arrival drawing nearer as each day passed, Paarthurnax tried her best not to stray far from the den that she would deliver them in. Bazi, her former Alphess and the dearest friend she had, was a constant and welcomed presence; in the absence of her pups' sire and with several wolves of Swiftcurrent against her place among their ranks, Paar needed the closeness of those she trusted. Scimitar, Kaskara, Galileo, Star, even young Nefarious... she did not know some of them particularly well, but she did feel a strong bond to a number of her pack-mates.
Thirst was what drove the pregnant Frostfur from her burrow that afternoon, and she left alone despite Bazi's offer to accompany her. Time by herself was something Paar had come to appreciate, considering how little of it she would have by the time her litter was born. As she waddled awkwardly in the direction of the territory's namesake, the bi-coloured wolfess looked across the frosted land that lay between herself and her destination, only to spot the ashen form of a frighteningly familiar male.
She paused. Froze. With copper eyes focused on the sterling pelt of who she immediately assumed to be her former mate, Paarthurnax' hackles at once stood on end and she remained rigid in her place, unwilling to close any more distance.
It wasn't long before Raziel found what he was looking for, a pretty female who's pelt was a mix between white and gold. Gleaming copper eyes and a large, bulging belly symbolizing her pregnancy. No wonder his brother fell for her, she was beautiful, one of her kind, though she must also have a beautiful personality to match. Shadow was never much of a womanizer, preferring to love one forever, obviously that idea did not work out. Raziel moved silently and slowly towards her, wondering if she was thinking he was her former mate. The resemblance was startling, he've been told.
Stopping a small distance away from her, unusual green eyes that resembled the color of poison and the murky depths of the sea, he sought to look into her eyes before dipping his head respectfully. A newcomer, he was at the bottom of pack hierarchy, so despite her running away from the Bypass and coming to the Creek, she was still his superior. I'll correct that soon enough, he thought to himself. "You must be Lady Paarthurnax." he spoke in a soft voice, coated with a light accent.
Raziel gazed at her belly, surely it wouldn't be long before the pups were born. "You're the lady that broke my little brother's heart, if I haven't heard correctly." he paused. "And now you carry his kids, his and your kids." his tongue went to lick gleaming alabaster fangs as Raz lifted his head and smiled. "Raziel, half brother of Shadow at your service. But you may call me Raz."
He turned to her, and although her bristled dropped, Paarthurnax was still clearly uncomfortable. She gazed coldly in he ashen male's direction, raising her proud tail until it arched dominantly over her hindquarters as he took it upon himself to approach her. In a silent warning she fleetingly curled her upper lip back to reveal pristine white fangs - do not come any closer - as she focused on the unfamiliar teal eyes on a face that was too like that of the male she'd left.
This brute knew her name, dubbing her as "the one who broke his brother's heart", which caused Paar's already tender heart to skip a beat. Her fierce eyes narrowed, her velvet ears thrust back, and she took a long stride backward away from the sterling stranger. He went on to provide a name to match his painfully familiar face: Raziel. Shadow's half-brother, apparently at her service.
"Stay the fuck away from me," the bi-coloured beauty said with new boldness, entirely un-ladylike and unhappy with his remark regarding Shadow's heart. How the hell had this beast gotten through to Scimitar, to find himself among Swiftcurrent's ranks?
Raziel stepped backwards, his tail hanging by his ankles as a sign of submission. The Roman knew when to yield and when to fight back, unlike many of his siblings who lived to feast on blood and flesh. Ears dropped backwards onto his skull and he pawed the ground with a new kind of nervousness. The silver male was used to attacking wolves if he needed to confront anyone, so he was lacking experience in just talking.
"Stay the fuck away from me," Paarthurnax said, Raz flinched, bowed his head and turned away, moving to the Creek edge. It was half frozen over but it didn't bother the Northerner who was used to fishing in cold places. After watching his mother suffer by his biological father's paws, he hated any idea of harming a woman and even one to yell at him would hurt his tender heart....tender heart indeed. The agouti beast waded into the icy water and waited silently, keen eyes caught a flash of silver and immediately he dipped his muzzle into the water and flung the two fishes into the air. He dove in again to catch one more fish and then waded out of the Creek. Finishing the life of the prey mercifully, snapping their neck to end their pain.
Raziel stepped forward, his head bowed and dropped the fish on middle ground between them. "I am sorry for startling you, I did not mean to upset you." he paused. "Forgive me, milady." He stepped backwards, maintaining the distance between them. "I hope both you and the kids are well."
Her heart thrummed, pulsing hot anger through her veins, and Paarthurnax was so startled by this too-similar brute that she felt as though her limbs might give way beneath her. She watched with a fierce, harsh glower as the ashen male submitted, backing away until he was knee-deep in bitterly cold water, but the crimson Frostfur did not dare stop him. Instead she too took a careful, long stride backward, her eyes never breaking focus with the brother of her former mate.
Raziel skillfully struck and killed fish, before tossing them onto land just beyond the creek's edge. Paarthurnax blinked down at them fleetingly, resuming once more her firm glare on the teal-eyed Angelus Mortis. He offered apologies to her and, as sincere as they might have been, she could not find it in her heart to accept them. "You don't get to come here and dictate to me what you think you know," she started, ready to delve into defensive detail of the reasons why she'd chosen to depart Noctisardor and its harsh ruler. But as she looked upon Raziel, the wolf who would be uncle to her pups, Paar knew that she had no need to tell such a personal tragedy to a stranger. "I don't know who you've been talking to or what they've told you, but frankly this is not your damn business."
"You don't get to come here and dictate to me what you think you know," the crimson female spoke, she was still angry, for what reason he did not know. His eyes not leaving the ground, he couldn't really confirm the fact if she was angry. "I don't know who you've been talking to or what they've told you, but frankly this is not your damn business." Raziel took a step backward, deciding to give some space to his brother's ex mate. She had a damn good fiery temper, alright. Still in a position of subordination, the Roman spoke up, in a soft accented voice. "I'm not trying to, I only know that you used to be Shadow's mate and then you left carrying his pups. Nothing else. I'm only assuming the rest because the Shadow I knew didn't give his heart away easily and loved truly. I haven't seen him for a few years, I do not know if he has changed."
Raz crouched down, tail tucking in between his legs, silver crown lowered. "I beg milady for her forgiveness. It is not my business and it is not my place to ask." This position of subordination did not shame him, he was doing it because he had to and as far as he was concerned, it was his mission and he would do anything to make sure it was successful. The Roman's belly touched the ground and he waited for the fierce she-wolf, wondering if she would continue to spit words of anger at him.
She glowered at the sterling male, her fierce eyes never straying far from his boxy features, her tail lashing ominously at her rump. Silently and very much outwith her usual character, she judged Raziel unfairly and came to the assumption that Shadow may well have sent him here to spy on her. Her temper flared, a flurry of unpredictable hormones and the sheer surprise at how alike this wolf was to his brother, though she did listen to what he had to say.
"The Shadow I know didn't give his heart away easily and loved truly," said the ashen-furred brute, and Paarthurnax took a long stride backward and further from him. She continued to glare, her eyes narrowed and filled with irritation; Raziel's words tugged a delicate heart string, but were not enough to break down the toughened barrier she'd erected for herself. "The decision I made was mine alone," she said once more in her defense, fully aware that this wolf could not possibly understand. He was of Roman heritage, likely raised the same way Shadow had, and she did not doubt that any sibling of her former mate would be as stubborn as he. "I do not need to explain myself to anyone." Not yet, at least. It was a question that would come from her children, and one she was not able to prepare for. Raziel submitted to her, even went as far as to ask for her forgiveness, but Paar's suspicion remained.
"The decision I made was mine alone," she said, and Raziel almost lost his temper right there, but collected himself. Calm down, he told himself. She's pregnant. And pregnant women are unpredictable with those hormones racing through them. You are a terrible wolf, Raz. He said nothing in his own defense, deciding it would only worsen his chances of having a conversation with her. "I do not need to explain myself to anyone." Raziel sighed inaudibly, and took a few steps back.
"I'm sorry," he said, this mission was an utter failure. Aku would skin him right there if he knew what was happening.