All that Vex knew of the Teekon Wilds had come from the stories of his parents as they spun them to him and his siblings as mere children. Whether it had been intentional or not those stories had taken root within the son they called Vex — in honor of the (adopted) grandmother and ironically yet, in lieu of the day they were born into the world. He took in a deep breath of air that was the same as any air but also unfamiliar. The smells of what little Vex had seen of the Teekon Wilds were strange to him. Perhaps it was all a trick of his mind he considered as he continued forward on his path, though where it was leading him he did not know. Leaving behind the nest had been easier than he'd thought it would have been and he'd been ready for this for months. As far as Vex was aware his mother and father had at least two potential children that remained ...and even if they had all taken flight like bats out of hell Ira and Bones would be just fine. A smirk tugged at the edges of his lips as he considered that they were probably happy to be rid of him. He'd only made it his personal mission to be the rebellious son (and many times the biggest asshole ever).

The meadow he'd entered the Teekons was slowly beginning to ebb away. In the near distance he could see a looming, gnarled and dark forest. His pace slowed, the scent of a pack thick and heavy upon the air. He took a second's pause in his steps to lift his muzzle ever so slightly to drink in the scents, deducing what he could from what the information readily provided him with. Though the idea of trading Thief River Falls for another pack so soon was not a particularly appealing idea Vex understood that winter would be upon these lands soon and though he sort of remembered his first winter (which was spent mostly in the confines of the birthing den) he only knew that a lone wolf's chances of survival dropped drastically in the winter months and he didn't particularly fancy bringing about his entirely untimely death, either.

Besides, it never hurt to at least talk, right? With his mind made up Vex made an approach for the borders, stopping when there was more than a respectable distance between the scent markers and his body before he tipped his head back and let out a howl requesting an audience with it's leaders.

Little by little, they had begun to trickle in. Loners from across the map, drawn to the presence of Mephala among ignorant souls. While she herself had never been all to committed to the idea of a higher power capable of dictating her life, the followers they had been granted for their sacrifices seemed too much a coincidence. How many lives had they taken, the innocent and the guilty, in the name of Sithis and the Night Mother? One for each blessing. After the assassination and decapitation of her sister, the dark woman only expected another soul find their way to the shadowed woods before winter, and so, they did. 

The call was met not only by her but her Raven, the judge of souls. Abraxas was all she needed to accept or deny; the child held more sense than the woman herself. The boy was most likely the most intelligent of her brood, and in spite of his stoic mask, the most destructive. There was a reason she permitted him to partake in activities well beyond his age, for he could handle it; silent while the world burned around him. It was a trait combined of both Nemesis's rage but also  of Kove's serenity; a mix so perfect that the woman expect no less that groundbreaking achievement from the child. As she stepped through the shadows, her presence a mere command of submission; she came to stand beside the child and her daughter, a child to bold for her own good.

"Astrid, no," This was not the job of a girl, especially one who could not hold her tongue. A strict yet motherly gaze snapped to the girl, a look that held no room for disobedience. This was a job for her son; she would find other uses for the girl. 

Silent seconds passed before she turned her attention to the male. "Speak," Her voice rang cold, emotionless besides the pure malevolence that rolled off her tongue. It was clear by just her chilling gaze, this was a woman who took zero shit, especially from those who had dared to come upon their bloodied grounds by choice. In the presence of Nemesis, all were at her mercy and upon her territory, none escaped her wrath. Yet, she willed herself to remember that this was her prize, another soul to add to the labyrinth the dark forest truly was. Many came and did not conquer, unable to escape nor prove their worth to the Night Mother; the woman had little muse to believe that this boy would be any different, yet. 

The first to greet him, to Vex's utter surprise was a child. A boy. Couldn't be older than two or three months old. Certainly not old enough to be wandering alone, even within his own territory. Yet there the boy stood, an image of smoke and baby blues, silent and staring at him intensely. It was a look that would have unsettled him if he wasn't ...well Vex. His parents made the most unlikely pair and he, he was a beast born of superstitions. Dark magics had given him shape and form. He was Sos' will. And if it was not the Dark Father than some other deity, surely. It was his birthday, to many a day that simply meant a year older. The day was sacrosanct and he fed off the power of All Hallow's Eve. Perhaps it was a fancy of his imagination, surely all in his head but he felt good about this. In which way it would manifest itself he had yet to know. Time, soon, would tell.

As the boy seemed content just to stare, Vex stared back not wanting to break the silence if silence was what made the child comfortable. Silence could communicate plenty, an art well practiced by his siblings and he. His attention was claimed by another child — of the same age, this one a girl — approached next, bolder than whom he presumed to be her brother. She demanded something of him in a tongue that he did not know, only to be silenced a moment later by an adult — likely the children's mother. Glacial gaze lifted from the daughter to the mother, keeping his eyes averted from her own out of the natural respect desired by their species.

The command to speak was spoke in an icy, demanding voice. Ungentle and unkind. “Is this the part where I bark and you say good boy?” A boyish smirk tugged at the edges of Vex's lips as he contemplated that this was likely one of the worst times for his wit. She was all business and the boy still staring at him was all business. This wasn't his family, and for a moment the king of thieves had brazenly forgotten. Or perhaps he didn't. His wit and cynicism was his armor. He drew in a breath and slicked his ears back to his skull. He wasn't trying to be disrespectful. His wit and cynicism was just who he was and he'd been taught growing up that he shouldn't ever apologize for being himself (which tended to get him into more trouble, usually). “Before you tear into my throat, that was... it was stupid,” It was as about as close to an apology as he was ever going to give, admittedly. “Going forth with the assumption that I didn't just royally fu-,” He caught the word before it slipped out of his mouth, sparing a glimpse at the two young children before him he cleared his throat. “-fudge up, my name is Vex.” But he paused there to gauge the woman's reaction for if he was going to be chased from her lands there was nothing smart about revealing information that would only be disregarded.

Dark eyes narrowed as the bodily indication the man was about to say something stupid met her recognition. Yet, even as she anticipated the words that would ruin any chances he had, she did not intervene. Whatever foolish choices the stranger made in her presence was not to be interfered by her; she would accept any reason to shoo another unwanted guest from her lands regardless of any talents he held. Tensing, her hackles raised, both out of shock that the man had even opened his mouth to say something so incredibility idiotic, but also of the rage he had dared to speak down to her on her borders. Did he hold no common sense? Pure idiocy was hard to come by, but they had managed to find the biggest one in the pond. And still, she was willing to see right through him; the kind of loner that so high and mightly believed they were above the world until they were not, and to the dark woman, she seen nothing but a teenage rebellion in the form of a angelic faced man before her.

"No, it was childish," The dark woman snarled in response. Stupid would imply the man held no conscious while he spoke, whereas, that was not the case. This one simply did not know when to shut it, a trait so commonly self destructive.  "We have no use for a man who does not know how to filter his speech in the presence of someone that would determine his fate," She spoke with such atrocity, no matter the case of his glib simply being a part of his personality. The man would not find himself anywhere that would tolerate his level of insubordination. Yet in spite of herself, her interest was hooked.

Minutes of pure silence passed; studying the other with a stare that reeked of a malevolent superiority, undecided of exactly how to break the other. It was only after a while did she relax in the slightest; tone of voice changed as her hackles lowered. It clicked as an idea developed within the depths of her mind; one that spoke of an undying need of personal vengeance upon any that dared to cross her. The woman held no sense of mercy, though the other did not need to know that.

"Come,"

Turning her back onto the stranger in with an indication to invite him in; a web of a plan was woven in her mind. While the stranger would live to see another day, there were.. others within the dark forest that would sooner end the man than let it live among their ranks. One encounter with Damien, and the dark woman was sure that the loud mouthed stranger would learn his lesson. It was the purest form of mercy from herself and her wrath, that she could offer; simply grateful for the fact that the other had chosen not to swear in front of her children.

The dark woman was curious to see what would happen; juggling the fate of the stranger in the possibility of setting off a time bomb in the middle of a land mine.

Vex knew the exact point in which he had miscalculated. He could see it clearly, like a splotch of color against a black and white backdrop. It dripped crimson against the stark monochrome of his other words, staring him in the face. Even if he'd thought it had been funny. Clearly, humor wasn't her thing; but he was painfully his father's son and sarcasm and asshole syndrome had not skipped him. She snarled that it hadn't been stupid but instead childish. It was on the tip of his tongue to come back with something sassy about being a teenager and what did she expect but as he rather liked living and breathing bit lightly down on his tongue to keep from retaliating. This wasn't Thief River Falls and his silver albeit scathing tongue would find him in an early grave if he didn't learn to reel it in. Vex didn't think it was right. It was who he was ...why did he want to be apart of something that required he change? Sarcasm wasn't everyone's cup of tea but so what?

“Well, I'm not really the boot licker type, anyway,” Vex said with a shrug. He didn't believe in blind obedience. If they wanted a “yes ma'am” type then he definitely wasn't it, and he wasn't going to rewrite his entire personality because he happened to enjoy sarcasm and mind games. He knew the problem was that he challenged authority and he doubted there was a pack in these Wilds that would put up with it. Yet, wasn't that nature? There had to be challengers to the grand design. He had no interest in any type of leadership position, but he had opinions and he wouldn't stifle them just to fit in somewhere. “So it's the utterly complacent, voiceless and ignorantly blind that you leaders seek as followers?” Because why? Because there was no challenge? But without challenges how could one even know they were a worthy leader? Because one, important wolf said so and gave said leader a shiny badge of promotion? Because they pissed on some borders and put some effort into the pack? Then again, Vex enjoyed a good challenge in life so he could not understand how others did not. He did not live under the idea that life was strictly mapped out to be one way and so thus it was — he rode it for the thrill/haunted house/scary ass motherfucker ride that it was.

She turned her back to him, inviting him in, beckoning to him with a commanding “Come”. Given her little spiel moments ago about having no use for him he was instantly suspicious, the guard hairs prickling at his nape. Oh fuck no. He simply stared after her, eyes flicking to her children before they moved back to her. A lumbering shadow of an apparition flitted across his mind's eye, two burning eyes boring into him. “Follow.” The Dark Father commanded, his voice deep and terrifying, like the earth cracking in two. For as long as Vex could remember he'd always been able to “see” and at times “hear” Sos — the colossal polar bear draped in a coat that was shadows manifested. Ira had told him of the God Bears shortly after he'd expressed about the nightmarish creature that haunted his dreams and rarer yet, when he was awake.

Obedient to the only thing that had every truly frightened him, Vex found himself taking steps over the borders as he followed her, mindful of the young children wondering if they would tag along and if their mother was taking him to his death.

Her daughter was much too taken with the man before them, all the more reason he could not stay. Astrid was promised to Damien, and as she grew, she could not form attachments to any other male but her brothers, that was for the best outcome. Even if the man proved to be a deserter none the less, it would only prove what the man had got so wrong. It was the utterly complacent, voiceless and ignorantly blind that they sought as followers, to cultivate the best deciples in which the Brotherhood so desperately needed. None followed better than those who were blind to choice and freedom of expression, unlike the man that trailed behind them. In this she foresaw his leave, and she would prove to be right in later days. But for now, she took her time in entrapping him into the dark grounds, the utterly taken child not too far behind.