Dragoncrest Cliffs i'm ready now.

The answer he was given was short and obscure. A frown slid across his face at this, but he held his tongue as she continued and made it a little clearer. As soon as he'd reconciled himself with leaving (which had taken all of twelve seconds), he'd decided they might as well just go now. There was no reason to linger here. The cliffs held only ghosts and memories now, both of which he could do without.

Artaax followed as she beckoned and responded to her comment with a softening of his features and a small nod of his head. It was the closest he could come to saying the same. "Will the whole pack follow?" he asked as his mismatched eyes wandered across the trees. So familiar, and so soon to be just another part of his past.

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They would talk for a while, Blixen sharing her plans and then finally, Artaax sharing his. Overall, he was glad to hear that one in particular of their number had turned natrona. He was on death's door as it was considering Artaax had no intention of allowing him to continue in his role as cheka. He would strip the man of the duty he had failed. And, in traditional Drageda fashion, would end the man's life.

Because Artaax had decided that day in the crag that no one could be trusted to keep his family safe. Only was capable of doing the job. He who had no real loyalty to Drageda or to their ancestors. Fuck the pack and their glorious history. He saw now what loyalty to those ideals could do, and he would have none of it anymore. He had loyalty only for those he loved and for the things that could be trusted not to bring harm to them. The pack had failed to stop Thuringwethil from jumping, so fuck them. The ancestors had told her to do it, so fuck them too.

Artaax would protect his sister from any threat that came to her. No one else was willing to question the narrative that had been drilled into their brains since birth. Artaax had always been stubborn, ignorant, and unflinchingly obedient. His job was to protect those he loved, so now he would. He would protect Blixen from her own damn self if that is what it took to keep her safe.

There were likely protests to this plan. Blixen was no longer Wormana and that perhaps meant there was no longer room for a cheka at her side. Artaax would do his usual and not listen. Blixen was fully capable of protecting herself and didn't need him haunting her footsteps from now until eternity. Artaax wouldn't listen to that either. He would inform her she was an idiot and of course she needed him. She always had. And maybe that would placate her, or maybe she had been placated from the very beginning. I don't really know because Artaax wouldn't pay attention anyway.

He would just do it. Because Blixen was his home, along with Mallaidh. Wherever they went, so would he. And it wouldn't matter anymore that there was no cliff, no redwoods, no hougeda, and no mothers to watch over them. They would have each other for always. Because Artaax had decided that was how it would be. He'd had his last lesson, and he was ready now.

we're about to go inactive, so I figured I'd edit on an ending and close this out <3<3<3