Ghost Lion Crag the night so black that the darkness hums

Up along the ridges and high reaches, the view was remarkable. Had it been for any other reason than following the trail left by @Arcturus, Dirge may have taken in those sights. Perhaps once upon a time, they would have meant something to him—mountainsides had always been a means of pinpointing the next place to venture, a means of pathfinding. Instead his focus was on the damp path forward along a narrow walkway towards the next plateau-of-sorts.

It was there that had found mute traces that his brother-in-law had been there, along with @Dragomir. Promising, if anything, but shaky at best. The weather had been inclement off and on, twisting between snow squalls and snow melt, and even now he was wary that it would hold. The sun could peak through the clouds all it wanted to, warm all it could try, but there was a decisive chill to the air that even he could not shake here.

He traced his snout along deformed footprints, wondering many things with no particular direction to settle on in his thoughts. Torn, for ultimately he sought Arcturus and wanting answers for himself, but knowing that finding Dragomir was equally important if only to ensure that the boy was safe; there was much uncertainty in what had transpired along the crag's path, more questions arose than he had reasonable answers for, and Dirge was unwilling to entertain the possibilities.

A fresh marker arose and he paused almost cat-like in pose, curling around to better investigate it once more.

tags are for reference

Yami's restlessness had increased exponentially in the past few days to the point where she found it strangely difficult to be around anyone, including Kiwi. She found that fact a bit alarming considering the fact that she'd previously been perfectly content with Kiwi being her entire world. She didn't know what to think about what she thought. Especially because while she didn't want to be around anyone, she was also growing to be increasingly eager to be fully surrounded by pack. So much so that she didn't care anymore if it was Kiwi's pack or not.

That thought was far more alarming than the other, truth be told. She of course had zero intention whatsoever of leaving Kiwi's side, but she did wish there was a way for her to convince Kiwi to put Skairipa aside and join the ranks of another pack with her. Yami knew that was likely a hopeless endeavor. Still, she thought of it often. Maybe there was a way... Maybe.

Yami sighed and stood, digging her teeth into the stick she'd been gnawing mindlessly on with sudden tension. She held tight to it for a moment, then spun, flinging it as far over the rocks away from herself as she could. She listened as it clattered on the rocks that surrounded her, a frustrated growl rumbling low in her throat. She turned in a half circle, intending to stalk away and find something else to do when she spotted something out of the corner of her eyes that made her freeze. There was a wolf nearby, and she'd unwittingly thrown her stick right at him.

"Shit--" Yami exclaimed, spinning back around to face the figure in the distance, "Watch it!" She held her breath for a moment before letting it sweep out of her lungs in a sigh a relief. It missed him, bouncing on the ground a few feet away from him. She winced still, knowing she probably gave the guy a heart attack. "Sorry!" she called after a beat, frowning again as she took another moment to actually look at him, finding something familiar about him but not immediately placing it.

He continued on, following the trail as it reached yet another narrowing and a bend. One foot had been set to keep going when he heard the skittering of feet and the subsequent swearing; the stick clattered past him and bounced onward off the side of the ridge to sights unseen. In an instant his eyes had set on her, hackles bristling to life, but the recognition was there and evident in their shared expression.

He relaxed, but only so much.

Perhaps Hydra realized he had gone off on his own after all.

"Yama? What are you doing out here?"

It was unlike her, he thought, to venture. Yama had been reclusive for as long as he had known about her, and though their interactions were far and few in between he had a sense it was her in that distance. The times were strange indeed, and if Arcturus saw it fit to excuse himself from the slopes of Moonspear then perhaps she did too.

i think yami and yama are similar enough to pull this off... if not lmk

did he want to see dirge, so soon after the fallout?

arcturus had seen the alpha's figure weave through the stones from a higher vantage; keeping to the shadows, he had watched in silence with his breath baited as inwardly he wrestled with what to do. if hydra was with dirge, it could be an ambush -- but could he truly pass his friend by without so much as a decent word?

while he debated he heard the clatter of something heavy swing down the slopes -- peering over the ledge he caught the arcing end of a stick as it plummeted, raking scree and pebbles with it as it went.

behind it, the voice and figure of another wolf arcturus dearly wished to avoid.

he sucked in his breath through his teeth and made himself known by exposing himself along the rocky climb, picking his way down towards them at a heel-dragging pace.

Yami had nearly figured out just why the strange male looked so familiar when he threw her entirely by mistaking her identity. She blinked owlishly at him as she was swept away, back to her youth. It had been years since she'd heard that name. Years since she'd been mistaken for her twin. Her heart ached painfully as nostalgia overwhelmed her and all the thoughts she'd always worked so hard to keep at bay came swimming to the surface.

She swallowed hard and shoved them back. She ought to leave. Yami didn't want to be anywhere near someone who would recognize her as Yama. He was from Moonspear. She blinked. He'd been there was Revui had tried to kidnap her. She definitely needed to leave. And had she not been so distracted and actually realized there was yet another important figure from her past approaching, then maybe she actually would have.

"No, I'm not.. Yama," she answered slowly, hesitantly, "I'm Yami."

What was she doing?

Wait—Yami?

Something clicked; he remembered why that name was familiar. But there was another scattering of stones on the ledges above, and his attention snapped to that in an instant, and the recognition was much faster.

"Arcturus," he breathed, surprised to find him. Not surprised by the wary, leery way the darker of the lost found his way down. Relief was within Dirge's grasp, if not in body language then in tone, even when a new twist to their sordid tale arose.

He spared a glance towards Yami, but found it hard to keep his gaze from Arcturus.

"Go to your left, the right's not sturdy," he called up towards him. And almost deftly, casually, the usual color of his mirth to Yami: "You'll have to forgive me for mistaking you as your sister. Didn't expect to see you again."

What a fine line to walk.

to have dirge hail him, and then give him instruction free of resentment.. arcturus glanced to dirge in surprise, yet followed the male's suggestion as he carved his way down the scree-fall.

yami. what a reunion.

he didn't come too close. there was a wariness in his gaze still, and while the cuts along his muzzle and neck had healed over, they were still gruesomely visible -- still vulnerable. arcturus couldn't say for certain if dirge was here out of benevolence; he would not leave it up to chance to find out, either.

"dirge." he supplied, and then, to yami rather stiffly: "yami."

Yami saw acknowledgement dart across the male's face, but it was quick to divert. She followed his gaze (and her own ears) to where a third wolf was joining them. This one took her zero time to recognize. Arcturus.

Her stomach twisted into knots at the sight of him and immediately, her gaze darted around. Was this some kind of ambush? She tensed, ready to run the moment she figured out just where Revui was lurking so she could avoid all three of them. It was too much like last time. Actually it was almost exactly like last time. Pretty sure it was an AW Dirge started then too lol.

There was no sign of the second brother anywhere, which didn't mean he wasn't around somewhere. But it did mean she couldn't be certain of the best route of escape, so she stilled and took a breath. She'd been weaker then, hadn't known Kiwi then. She'd grown a great deal since then. She was a fighter now when before, she'd been alone, scared and pathetic. She could handle this now. She didn't need to run.

Yet.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked between Dirge and Arcturus a second time. She hadn't paid attention to Dirge's apology, but she'd caught his name at least when it was uttered from her brother's lips. Her frown deepened. 

"Arc," Yami said, surprising herself a bit with her own use of the familiar nickname, "What happened to you?" She glanced at DIrge again. There was definitely something tense and weird happening here. She assumed it was her presence, but she hadn't had anything to do with that mangled face, so maybe there was something else.

yknow I could make a new thread.... or she could just invade this one.  Lemme know if you don't want her!  And feel free to skip me

When Yami left for the first time in a while, Kiwi didn't mind at first.  But after a while, alone on the mountain, she couldn't help but follow.  

Her sights were still set on Skairipa, but with so long without a single interested bite, her hopes were finally beginning to fall.  The wolves here were too short sighted, too tied to lesser rulers, to see the promise of what she offered.  Couldn't they see Skairipa would be greater than any of these other packs?  Couldn't they see her merits?

No.  She'd need to make them see, and chance encounters was not enough.

An idea mulled through her one track mind, and she wanted her advisor's take on it.  The one wolf whose opinions deserved her consideration, the one wolf whose loyalty she never had need to question. 

By the time she arrived, Yami was speaking with others.  Kiwi came upon them silently, circling around, and slipped in along side her friend.  Her head was held high, but she kept silent.  She had no fears of intruding.

As much as he wanted to explain, he knew the question off Yami's tongue was better left to the healing Arcturus. Who up close, or at least as close as he would permit, was worse for wear. A sense of dread welled in Dirge then, his own eyes crossing over the myriad of scrapes and gouges left behind.

It had been no minor scuffle. He was certain of that now, had his reasoning for why Hydra had acted judge and jury. Concern evident on his features, he made a tentative step towards Arcturus only to stop; there was a reason for him keeping distance, and thus it seemed wise he might too.

His mouth opened to speak, to inquire, but another whirled up to their gathering with such impudence that it detracted from it all. Small and confident; his gaze was on her instantly and needlepoint, borderline annoyed.

"Now who's this?"

soooo i didnt realize it was my turn in this. i am so sorry.

understandably, yami was not at ease. neither was arcturus -- he guiltily followed every arc of her gaze, as if expecting any moment their brother would resurface, and that their unfinished dispute would resume.

none arrived, though a dark shape skulked close shortly after yami's difficult question pressed him. he watched the stranger as she approached, noting the way she moved suggested she was familiar with one of them; when she pressed alongside yami, the ostrega's mouth clicked shut.

a friend, perhaps..? his ears tilted as dirge took a step forward and then seemed to think better of it. suddenly, he was feeling this was a crowd -- it was stupid of him to be here. dangerous.

"i got into a fight." he navigated that answer rather vaguely, following dirge's glance to the russet lionness that, for all of her small stature, gave him very little impression of weakness. he could say more, but dirge's question still hung in the air unanswered, and arcturus wished very sorely for the attention to be off of him for once.

Yami didn't expect that her brother would spill his guts at her prompting, but still she was annoyed when she barely got a word from him. Fortunately, she was over her brief interest in either of the males. Her attention had shifted when Kiwi slipped up to her side, and now more than ever she just wanted to bail on this situation. One the one hand, she felt safer with Kiwi there--it wasn't two (or more) on one anymore if this was some sort of plot to try and kidnap her again, more like two on ten with Kiwi being at least nine and a half. On the other hand, Yami was more tense than ever. She did not need Kiwi anywhere near her family. More accurately, she did not need her family anywhere near her Kiwi.

So, Yami met Arcturus's explanation with a roll of her eyes. "There's a shock," she muttered, bumping her shoulder lightly against Kiwi's in a way that she hoped would signify to her friend that she wanted to bounce. She looked over at Dirge and narrowed her eyes feeling needlessly protective and further annoyed over... Well, I don't know. She's just annoyed with everything at the moment. Being uncomfortable and paranoid can do that. Not your concern," she growled, giving a swift, wary look around before making a slight gesture with her head to Kiwi and starting to move away down the rocks.

Kiwi's eyes flared with a bit of irritation as Dirge callously asked who she was... as though he had the right.  She let out a breath of a laugh, though, when Yami cut him off so effectively.  Of course she did.

That look was all she needed, and Kiwi was suddenly very glad she'd come.  With a last look at Dirge, one that held no small amount of triumph, she made to leave.

Arcturus would get his wish, and perhaps a bit more.

Dirge, on the other hand, was a little disappointed that he would not get to learn just who the stranger with Yami was. Perhaps it were better that way that they did leave—it would let him have his chance with his brother-in-law that he had sought. He watched them as they took their leave, his gaze not shifting until he was certain that they had retreated fully from sight and earshot alike.

Which left him to let it linger once more on Arcturus and the wounds that littered him. It gave him the opportunity to let his features soften and echo concern where he could not immediately find words; his ears fanned back gently and in spite of the urge to better look him over, he stayed where he was. He wouldn’t risk running him off, but it was a finer line to walk than it had been with their previous company.

The fact that he was certainly on edge, however, made the distinction clear.

“He certainly did a number to you,” he murmured. “But I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any others for now. Hydra wanted me to bring Lyra to find you and tend to you, but I didn’t listen.” A pause—that didn’t sound reassuring at all but in fact quite the opposite. ‌Tend to him, right, perfect thing to say to someone who was very wary of his remaining company.


He tried to clarify: “But I didn’t think Revui had done all that to you, either.”

yami was annoyed. arcturus' expression fell like a stone -- so now even his ostracized sibling was angry with him? he felt suddenly very alone while being surrounded by what was mostly his family. that sinking feeling of total isolation did not leave him -- not even as kiwi seemed to smirk as she flanked yami, the two driving off and leaving him and dirge.

arcturus remained where he was, limbs stiff. he could sense a barrier between them, a presence that had not been there so many months ago. he did not know how to take the news of his family trying to find him -- they knew where he was -- it had never been a secret.

he did not wish to be so cold to dirge, but in arcturus' mind dirge was hydra's mate first and foremost, and his friend second-most. to doubt that was to insult the very backbone that had been dirge's assimilation into the spear. "he is a better fighter than i pegged him for." the rueful smile that lingered on his broad features faded.

suddenly, arcturus was full of bitterness that spread through him like venom. "i hope he serves you all faithfully." he spat, horrified of his spitefulness, and yet, feeling vindicated to see so powerful a barb summoned by his own words -- it wasn't dirge's fault, but arcturus was stung and dirge just happened to be in the way of his retaliation. feeling his skin crawl, arcturus didn't wait for a reply. he was angry, aggrieved, ashamed of hurting dirge, and feeling vindictive -- it was best he place many miles between him and all that remained of his old life.

he did not say anything else. on quivering limbs, arcturus made his heated leave.

The coldness was not unexpected; he watched as that regretful smile turned, saw how the bitterness had deeply taken root and spread into a blooming, grisly flower sporting bloodied thorns. It was unbecoming of the Arcturus he knew well, but perhaps it had always been there all along—he was his father’s son, after all. The barb he heaved at Dirge turned out to be no more than an uninhibited glancing blow; better it in words than by way of teeth. But his heated spin away to leave only encouraged Dirge to follow.

He would get his say, whether or not it was wanted or warranted.

“The only wolf Revui serves is himself,” he told the retreating Arcturus; it was a pointed statement, bereft of any mirth he had held. “He made it clear where his loyalties lay when he left you behind and sought to usurp you—he has no place in Moonspear, not now or ever.” There was nothing now that could exonerate Revui of his actions in Dirge’s eyes, nothing that would permit him a modicum of forgiveness.

“Perhaps such a thing would have been tolerable beneath your father’s rule, but it isn’t in mine. I won’t have him darken our hearth again, nor entertain his ambition with some sense of duty,” he went on, “but you still have a place there if you decide you want it. I didn’t come out here to fetch you or be a threat because you did what you decided is right. You’re entitled to your anger, your emotions, and what you do with them.”

arcturus had acted childish, and he knew it as he strode away. a dark scarlet flushed his cheeks of shame and resentment.

still, dirge followed.

that old blade of ostregan pride knifed arcturus; he nearly whirled around to challenge his once-friend -- yet he knew such rage was misplaced.

all the same, dirge was implicitly tied to hydra, would always be tied to hydra. arcturus recognized that deeply, and it aggrieved him that his friendship was coming to an undue end.

he turned around slowly, his movements tight and suggesting hotly lidded control. "i could have told you that a year ago." arcturus's tone was clipped, but it was clear he was also suggesting hydra should have known that. "but it doesn't matter. i've made my decision, and i will not turn back." not even if he lost a bit of his soul along the way. "you may want me back, but there is no place on the mountain for traitors, and hydra would never allow it."

arcturus felt things were strained between them. he could have stayed, but he didn't. giving dirge a look that was almost apologetic, the male made his way back towards the copse with one ear turned behind him all the way home.

i'm going to wrap this up since it's a bit outdated and i am overwhelmed with threads ATM, hope that is okay <3