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He shouldn’t have. Ira knew that; understood it. He shouldn’t have. He hadn’t been able to help himself, though. When he had found out that Bones had been kidnapped, taken by a group of wolves in the dark of the night he had felt sick. Sick and beyond that, angry. Irate. Who were these wolves that thought they had any right or business stealing his girlfriend? Beneath that he had felt relief. Relief that she had not left him with intention, but the relief was not enough to make the teenager see sense and without stopping to realize what he had done he had gone after her without any real direction of where she had gone. Their scents had been long faded when he had finally made his trip to Swiftcurrent Creek. He had not paused to rationalize what leaving, suddenly on the whim without bothering to talk to Jinx would do. What he, possibly, would be doing to himself.
What have I done?
He had took off without thinking, disregarding the fact that Jinx had told him he had not been allowed to leave the Mountain. He had no real intentions of leaving them with any permanence, Jinx was his mother (or at least the closest he had to one) after all and in his own twisted and dark way he loved the Kesuk woman. He loved her and was devout to her even if the stunt of rebellious, ill-guided heroics might have seemed different. It had been stupid to trek his way to Tortuga. He wasn’t sure what he had hoped to accomplish with them. He had been as insolent and arrogant as ever sure that he would storm their safe hold and rescue his damsel in distress, delivering her from the great evil that had stolen her from him.
Except the assassin in training hadn’t gotten far and the angry wound down the side of his neck — aimed for his jugular but missed due to his vigilance and defensive reflexes (or stupid luck) — spoke of how it went. He had ran when he realized that more were gathering, retreating because he had no other choice if he had fancied living (and he did), and without proper knowledge of how to care for the wound, other than trudging through the coast when he had came across it that was not claimed by Tortuga, the stinging of the salt as it burned against the split flesh the wretched boy bore with clenched teeth and pants until, eventually, it numbed as did the ache of his bruised ego. Perhaps, even, coming back to Silvertip Mountain was a mistake. Would Jinx be angry? Or worse yet, disappointed in him? Or would she not care at all? He wasn’t sure what was the worse possibility. He wasn’t even sure if she would want him back after he had pulled his stupid-ass “heroic” stunt which hadn’t been that grand or heroic. Unfortunately, it had not gone that way Ira had envisioned it going because he was still a child and didn’t, apparently, know shit about rescuing anyone.
His pace slowed as he neared Silvertip, his ears slicking back to his skull in shame and humiliation as he wondered what kind of reception he would receive. He dare not envision it in the case that it went exactly how Tortuga had gone: not at all how he wanted. He lifted his head and sent up a howl, nevertheless, waiting with an itchy wound that had been festering from the lack of care besides the salt water rinses and with baited breath hating that he didn’t know. Turns out humiliation tended to sweep arrogance under the rug leaving Ira with the deduction that he did not like humiliation very much.
After crossing the Silvertip borders, he was met with the owner of the call: a young male, just as he thought. The boy had an almost white coat with silver down his spine. His eyes were a silver tone as well, with blue flecks of a similar hue of Kaname's eyes around his pupils. On the side of his neck was an untreated wound, festering, which looked rather painful. Kaname gave the pup a low bark, approaching him with his tail curled over his back. "Can I help you?"
There was a tiny inkling of doubt that the more he allowed it to fester, the more it evolved from ‘tiny’ to something more tangible until it trembled in the air before him like a living, breathing entity. It was ridiculous, of course. He couldn’t actually see his doubt, but he certainly felt it beneath the annoying pain of the wound the pirates had left him with from his fool’s trip. Who had Ira really been trying to fool? He wasn’t born to be a savior and trying to extract his girlfriend from those lawless beasts had been his most stupid idea yet…beyond going against what Jinx had specifically, more or less, told him. It had been a childish ploy but he was not so sure it would be as easily dismissed as that. He was willing to swallow his pride and grovel at his mother’s guardian’s paws like the pathetic pauper he probably was at that point, if that was what it took. He didn’t care because he didn’t want her to be angry or disappointed with him, both of which she would be fully entitled to being if she even cared at all.
He waited with anticipation that had him shifting his weight from one paw to the other, waiting surprised that someone hadn’t accosted him sooner given Jinx’s command that wolves so close to the borders were not to be tolerated. Either the wolves of Silvertip were slipping, or they had thought nothing of his return. Eyes of silvered cerulean ice narrowed at the approach of the ebony man, whose name the Princeling (ex?) wasn’t aware of but had seen a few times in the land. Had Ira grown that much that he was unrecognizable? Or had he already been condemned? His heart sunk deeply at that, fear and horror and trepidation seizing in his heart like ice seeping through each chamber and vein.
The male’s approach was nothing short of insulting to Ira who watched the ebon creature’s tail arch over his back in dominance. Lip twitched as it threatened to curl back, though no hostility had been conveyed. Ira had to remind himself that he wasn’t sure if Jinx would take him back, that he might not have a place among them anymore because he had been an idiot. It did not erase the feeling of contempt in Ira’s core at the dominant display, though, having never done well with others aside from the wolves he respected (which was pretty much just Jinx) dominating him.
After taking a while to examine the young pup, Kaname's tail lowered as he recognized the boy. "Ah, so the prodigal son returns." Kaname quoted as he sniffed at Ira, who he had only met a few times before he disappeared. The only thing he knew of his personality was from Tyrande, another wolf who fled and returned. And what he had heard from him was bad. It wasn't much of a good first impression.
He snorted softly at the tone in Ira's voice. "Calm yourself... Ira was it?" The assassin walked closer to the ivory juvenile. "I can't say for sure where Jinx is now, she's either in the territory or out exploring." His frosted blue eyes locked on the scar on Ira's neck. "But where have you been? Jinx was worried for you." He doubted that the boy left to follow Majesty like Tyrande, but he did smell of the sea, of salt and sand. Where had he been?
For a second Ira allowed himself to feel satisfaction when Kaname lowered his tail — about god damn time, the Princeling thought snidely in true Ira fashion — though it did not last long. When the ebony man had the nerve to call Ira the ‘prodigal’ son, the teen’s temper flared hot and searing beneath his pallid pelt, his black, leathery nostrils flaring.
Jinx had been right, of course. He only hoped she didn’t hate him for being a stupid teenager with a crush. To love is to destroy, to be loved is to be destroyed.
"Jinx has been exploring a new territory lately. If she is there, it might take a while to find her. The last I checked she was still exploring and marking the place." His alpha had an attraction to the new place that he mimicked. The emerald valley was a sight to behold and a perfect place for the pack to live. No other wolves, plenty of prey, and lots of space for them to inhabit. She would most likely still be there. But the dark furred wolf hoped she was in Silvertip territory. He was not looking forward to dragging this spoiled brat all the way to the valley.
In normal teenager fashion, Ira spat "it's none of your business" to him. As if that would stop him from asking. "Look Ira, there has been a lot of tension around here since you left. Majesty left the pack after disobeying Jinx's orders and created his own pack called Wheeling Gull Isle by the sea somewhere. Two wolves followed him: Erika, who is his mate now and is possibly carrying his children, and Tyrande, who came back after realizing her mistake." He bristled slightly. "We have many enemies now. It is important that we know where all of our loyal packmates are and where they have been."
Ira supposed that the introduction was supposed to actually mean something to him, or that he was supposed to be threatened by the low growl that came from the other male’s throat.
And I am the Princeling, but he kept his tongue firmly bitten between his teeth, his jaws clamped tightly shut biting back the childish retort that would, likewise, only make him seem more childish. He had been a fool, had tried to tackle something he should have never attempted (especially not on his own) and had paid the price for it; nearly paid it with his life.
Ira let out a sharp bark of a laugh, triumphant and leering when Kaname told him that Majesty was a traitor.
Ira loathed to admit that he had nearly been killed by low lives but he saw no sense in lying. The attack had been with the intent to kill and he had taken his shredded pride and well, here he was.
"Yes, that bitch. I like to call her a whore after what she did." He wasn't friends with the scarred black she-wolf, but after she two-timed them all she was the lowest of the low to him. "His pack is full of fools, and after Erika moved to his pack some of them have deserted." The encounter with Ypres and her friend was testiment to Majesty's inept leadership skills.
Ira's brash actions was to be expected. But the reason was interesting. "A girlfriend you say? And kidnapped?" He did not know much of the Swiftcurrent wolves, but this was interesting. "And yes, I am satisfied now. How noble of you to care for your girlfriend enough to go rescue her, even if you did not succeed. But why didn't her own pack send out a rescue team?"
While the information that Silvertip was moving was interesting to Ira he regarded the information with a simple nod of his head in acknowledgment giving no voice to his innermost thoughts. Kaname might have been Gamma of Silvertip but Ira didn’t trust anyone with that personal sort of information other than Jinx. If Jinx didn't appear he would circle back and explore this lands Kaname spoke of in hopes of running into her.
He was a prince of death and destruction not some knightly hero of a prince.
The distinction was flattering and unbecoming all at once.
"I doubt they would have told you, but you could have scented a patrol on your way to this...Tortuga?" He hadn't heard of the place before, but it indeed sounded far. Especially if it had taken Ira this long to get back.
"Yes, an island and a rather small one at best." When he was with Lecter and Sitri by the shores of Sequoia Coast, he spotted the Isle in the fog. It was close enough to be travelled to easily, but looked pitifully lacking in every which way. "There are also ways of giving the mother food poisoning at a certain time of her pregnancy and the children either miscarrying, being stillborn, or dying later on after birth. Listeria, I believe it is called." His mother enjoyed using that for killing off children, especially unborn. That way, it looked natural and no one would be the wiser.
The boy admitted resentfully that he was late in searching for his girlfriend. Kaname noted the genuine "Really, if she was kidnapped from her own pack, wolves who should have protected her, then there was small chance that you alone could do anything." He scolded the boy, hoping he would realize the mistake he made by going there alone of all things. "Perhaps, after you've healed, you could go back with wolves to accompany you this time."
It had been a while since he had made and placed them, Ira considered with a terse twitch of his lips in contemplation, the poison coating could have been diluted by the elements by now or simply wore off. Ira wasn’t adept enough to know how potent they remained after a stretch of time but it seemed, if nothing less, logical.
paranoid adept with poisons like he was, however.
The Gamma wasn't sure if he admired the work of the talismans more or less now. The person who placed it down was a careless, spoiled brat, but he was almost jealous that Ira had that kind of thought process at such a young age. He decided that it was a mix of both, leaning more towards his annoyance at the boy's pride. When Ira almost said love, Kaname chuckled a bit. He was still at that stage where he wanted to keep his emotions to himself to avoid announcing his weakness. Love was harmful to the user, but it could be helpful in some cases, as long as you were not blinded by it.
"It smells like grass, nothing bitter or sour. If you rubbed it on someone's kill, it wouldn't be alarming to anyone. I have found a few sprigs, but I would need to find more in order to get a dose that would harm a full grown wolf." Luckily the herb was in walking distance from the borders, so all he would have to do was go out one day and collect it himself. He would have to ask for (or steal) one of Tyrande's "pots" to hold them safely without getting sick himself.
"You are still a child, a teenager. It is your job for now to learn from your mistakes. I can patronize you all I want." he growled. "And fine, it is your choice whether you want to see your girlfriend again."
Ira had always been an highly intelligent child, boasting of his superior cognitive abilities until those around him brushed it off as nothing more than in his insolent and insufferable arrogance. Until it became nothing more than an liberal exaggeration despite that it his vaunt held certain truth to it. The youth’s eyes narrowed when the dark man chuckled at the catch when he had almost spoken of loving Jinx. Ira did, for what it was worth, love Jinx however because he saw of love as destruction he attempted to keep himself from saying it, afraid that, eventually, the curse would do worse to her than abort her unborn children the next time it struck. She had assured him it had not been his, or his by association, fault but the child still believed feverishly in his ‘curse’. Ira gave a grunt when Kaname spoke that it was not a dead ringer for it’s own potency (which would be a good thing) but beyond that had nothing to offer the man.
Ira let out an indignant snort when the man began to bark about how, apparently, age gave wolves who didn’t know him, who didn’t understand him or his life the supposed right to run around and patronize him.
In response to his points on Ira's youth, he got what he expected: a fierce retort. The boy claimed that age did not equal wisdom, and that was true. But despite Ira's strong intelligence, he still did not have wisdom. That was apparent from his sudden departure. Any wise person would not have run off like that.
The boy decided he had enough and went to go find his "mother" Jinx. Kaname snorted and let Ira go. He had enough of this little brat anyway. The Gamma turned and went back to the territory, towards his den. He needed a rest.