Bittersweet Homecoming

[sarhea]

Gray eyes scanned the dark trees that lead to the heart of Arnlan. The only sound this early morning was that of his own breath and the occasional gust of icy wind as it swayed the bare treetop high above. The great golden beast lay with his tail curled around his paws, nestled down in the snow beneath the gnarled branches of Arnlan brush. The wolf should have been freezing by now, having been in that one position for nearly two days without hardly moving. But his body and mind were fueled by a turmoil so deep it threatened to burn him from the inside out.

Cepheus' eyes narrowed as his ears picked up the sound of twigs crunching lightly under paws some distance away. Rabbit perhaps-he smelled no wolf. A muffled snarl escaped his maw as his lips revealed clenched teeth-no wolf indeed! Not a whole lot had happened since he and Lyra had returned. Nothing except he'd discovered life as he'd know it was gone. Only a handful of members he'd known before his capture still existed. His sister Pollux, his brother Apus, Crow....The lands were full of a bunch of newcomers; newbies who didn't know anything about what Arnlan had come through, who had not fought Sallin in the old days to keep their lands from being overtaken. Cepheus snorted indignantly at the thought as he slammed a paw into the fresh snow that had blown up around him over the past few days.

But amongst all the bitter feelings, great sadness lurked in the corner. As much as he'd picked on and bullied anyone he could in his younger days, he truly missed any interaction. He missed Castor, his brave, overconfident friend. The story of his passing had been a complete shock; and Pollux-he could not imagine the pain she felt. Sadness slowly replaced the bitterness in his gaze as he once again looked towards the heart of his great home. It was time to stop sulking on the borders, time to reclaim his place amongst the pack.

The great golden beast rose stiffly to his feet, all his joints screaming in agony. He grunted as he took his first steps, slowly stretching his stiff, cold muscles. Pausing to shake the snow from his golden pelt, Cepheus turned to the dark trees and began to trot ever so slowly towards the heart of his home. His heart full of pain and longing, the once proud son of the betas trudged through the snow, not knowing what he would find or who he would meet...hopefully he would not make an ass of himself....

{{O-o...Tis a new character/personality for me to play with Ceph...it'll be a learning thing for me...just be warned he's an arrogant jerk most of the time, and if he is mean to your character, it's just the way he is-nothing personal... }}

[Karolek]

Karolek was wandering again - he didn't have much of a goal or a point. Perhaps he'd find his sister and "discuss" pack matters with her. "Discuss" meaning, Sofika would talk and plan and Karolek would try to pay attention, while volunteering a few supporting details. The method made sense to him; an outsider watching the process may have felt differently.

He happened upon Cepheus quite by chance -- not that he wasn't aware of the other's presence, rather, he had not intended upon approaching the stranger; his paws had simply carried him there. Karolek paused for a moment, his dark coat keeping him hidden within the bushes and brambles found in the forest. His two, bright green muzzle-dots may have been visible, if Ceph was looking, though the Alpha didn't much care about that. He made his presence obvious within a few moments.

"You are troubled." It was a statement, rather than a question. A mere observation, spoken by someone with supreme observational skills. Much of Karolek's life was spent watching others, making sure that they respected the forest and the quiet nature of the pack. Interaction was something he enjoyed - more than his sister, at least - and although he was not one to shun company, going out to look for someone to talk to seemed like a thing of the past. A pastime that he had partaken in only as a young, foolish creature with nothing better to do - the Alpha had since found listening. Listening was more difficult than talking; it required more self-restraint (a quality which Karolek seemed to lack) and yet, the difficulty made the dark wolf happy, in a sense. It was a challenge against himself more than any outside object and because of his willingness to accept that challenge, the wolf felt...educated. He'd always been wise, he'd always known about the pack itself, but now he felt as if he knew them more intimately. Spying on members was not something he did often; it felt disrespectful.

As he spoke, Karolek stepped into full view, tilting his head to the side to express a mild interest in the current matter. His mouth remained a thin, expressionless line, and since the rest of his face was hidden not much could be deciphered about whatever emotions he felt. Amusement and curiosity probably wouldn't have been on the Top Ten Guesses list; he liked to give a disinterested impression. Watching the faces of those who spoke to him was always fun, and nothing triggered weird facial expressions like pretending not to pay attention.

[sarhea]

Cepheus's mind was cluttered with fragmented thoughts, each one overrunning the next, keeping his troubled mind in such constant confusion that he never picked up on the Alpha's scent. Karolek could have attacked him from behind and finished it all in one swift motion, and Cepheus would have never known what hit him.

"You are troubled."

Cepheus froze, the wolf's scent reaching his nostrils. He knew the scent; memories from the long lost past tried to place it with a name before he turned to face the one whom had spoken. The Alpha...his eyes widened as he quickly turned about, his head instictivly lowering. He kept his gaze diverted from locking on Karolek's hidden face.

"Alpha Karolek," he stated simply, humbly. The dark male had always been as big a mysterious individual as his sister, Sofika. He had also been more elusive than Sofika. Ceph had enjoyed hearing the stories as a younger wolf of how Karolek had played with the minds of potential members. Was he still the same? Everything else seemed to have changed. Karolek wore the tradmark emotionless expression that the Alphas were known for. Karolek had not questioned him, yet Ceph felt the need for some kind of response.

"It has been a long time. Arnlan has changed much in my absense. It is a relief to see at least one thing has not changed."

Normally gifted in words, Cepheus's response lacked it's usual luster. It never even crossed his mind that the Alpha could have intepreted his responce in many different ways.

[Karolek]

((Sorry for the wait. O: I've had this post like half written several times, but my computer keeps deleting eat. o-o))

"Alpha Karolek,"

The Alpha simply nodded, choosing not to waste words on something that could easily be displayed through body language. Karolek was talkative when it came to things he knew about -- things like harrassing newcomers and confusing people -- but he didn't like to make himself seem like a pointless babbler.

Usually, anyway.

"It has been a long time. Arnlan has changed much in my absense. It is a relief to see at least one thing has not changed."

"It has changed in my presence; the pack has spread apart. There isn't much of a uniting factor here, but the wolves are getting farther and farther apart. It is...unpleasant."[/color] Karolek hadn't said everything on his mind, of course -- this was just a basic statement, one made to encourage Cepheus to speak, perhaps present some sort of idea. A full-fledged solution was not expected; with so few details on the problem, how could one expect to fix it?

The dark wolf lowered himself into a sitting position, curling his tail delicately around his legs in a strangely catlike manner. He wasn't entirely against the idea of dirtying his coat...but he prefered it clean, truthfully, and the light, almost apprehensive way in which he sat betrayed that quality.

[sarhea]

"It has changed in my presence; the pack has spread apart. There isn't much of a uniting factor here, but the wolves are getting farther and farther apart. It is...unpleasant."

Cepheus took the liberty to also sit, and a hint of relief, if one chose to call it that, came over him as Karolek confirmed a bit of what he felt. He sighed, his golden ears falling back as he threw a solemn glance back into the heart of Arnlan.

"In the years I was gone, I'd almost given up hope of ever returning to Arnlan. But during my captivity, I imagined a great, strong pack, united by battle, victorious over those Sallin dogs. Instead, I come back to this, as you said, a pack growing further and further apart. No mention have I heard of Sallin. Did we defeat them? Are they no longer a threat?"

He looked down at his paws, his claws flexing and digging into the cold snow. If they had been victorious over Sallin, one would think the pride would be evident. Instead, it was more like they had been defeated, cowards that stayed hidden from the others to hide their shame. A pack so secluded would never survive an attack from Sallin. He looked back up at Karolek, a stern, serious look in his expression.

"I fear, Karolek, if what you say is true, Arnlan is in great danger from a future attack from Sallin. How can we possibly defeat them if in times of peace, there is no unity?"

[Karolek]

"In the years I was gone, I'd almost given up hope of ever returning to Arnlan. But during my captivity, I imagined a great, strong pack, united by battle, victorious over those Sallin dogs. Instead, I come back to this, as you said, a pack growing further and further apart. No mention have I heard of Sallin. Did we defeat them? Are they no longer a threat?"

"Sallin has fallen silent as of late. There have been no outside threats. Things have been...quiet. Unnervingly so."[/color] Not that Karolek disliked the quiet; it was a normal part of Arnlan life. Quiet in other packs though, was something different. It made him suspicious, and as much as he hated to admit that someone besides himself was right, he agreed with Cepheus. Karolek was accustomed to being an 'all knowing' figure; his mysterious and withdrawn lifestyle only made it easier to find out the facts that people kept concealed. As much as he knew that the pack was in danger, it was a fact he had not wanted to accept -- the problem couldn't be that bad.

But if other pack members -- especially ones who had been gone for a long time and were just now reappearing -- noticed the issues, then there most definitely was an issue. One overlarge ear twitched in contemplation; otherwise the dark wolf remained eerily still.

"I fear, Karolek, if what you say is true, Arnlan is in great danger from a future attack from Sallin. How can we possibly defeat them if in times of peace, there is no unity?"

And there went Cepheus with the...seriousness. Karolek hated being overly serious -- but, he supposed it was part of his job, after all. He would have preferred it if Sofika was here to talk tactics; then he'd be free to go wander around and mingle with members absentmindedly. But Sofika was not here, so he might as well step up the plate and do his job for once. "In our current state, we could be under a threat from anyone, much less Sallin." A surprisingly blunt statement from the normally roundabout-speaking Alpha. "However, Sofika and I have been contemplating something of a...pack meeting?" It sounded too serious when he said that...ew. "More like a tally of our current members; and we'll be able to sort people into the ranks they deserve. Perhaps that would motivate them to participate more...,"[/color] he mused, almost talking to himself now. Karolek had a rather short attention span; something that only his sister and his advisor knew, though he didn't keep it a particularly well guarded secret.

[sarhea]

In a sick, twisted way that only Cepheus could manage to muster, Karolek's words brought him relief. The Alpha of Arnlan agreed with him. Karolek had not outright said much in confirmation of Cepheus's statement, but Cepheus was a master of hearing what he wanted, of reading between the lines, even if there was nothing to read. And right now, his easily stroked ego was being fed. The Alpha had agreed with him....

It was more than he had got with Sofika. Their meeting upon finding their way back to Arnlan had been less than expected. Quite frankly, Cepheus had been expecting a hero's welcome. The long lost offspring of Arnlan's former betas had returned...Ceph shook the memory away. There was to be a pack meeting? He would have to get off his rump and get to work. He'd already made a less than desirable re-entrance, and it would not help things if he had nothing to show for his time back.

"A meeting will be good. I've yet to meet all the members. I know the ones that are missing, but I assume several more have come in to fill the empty spaces," he muttered as he looked into the trees. Yes, it was time to get back in the groove. Yes, Castor, among others, was gone, but there would be others to befriend. An almost mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. Yes, he was getting on up there in age, but the thoughts of causing just a little mischief in his old stomping grounds brought twisted happiness to his heavy heart.

[sorry if this is a bit lame...trying to get a reply in before things got to hectic around here...may edit it later, may not...]

[Karolek]

[[If you'd like, we could have this thread end when they hear NB's howl for the meeting? O:]]

"A meeting will be good. I've yet to meet all the members. I know the ones that are missing, but I assume several more have come in to fill the empty spaces,"

Karolek nodded silently, unsure what to say. The dark wolf was never at a complete loss for words -- rather, there were times when he could not find words that sounded nice together. Or, more than likely, he couldn't find words that made sense together. Then again, the Alpha had never been a stickler for making sense in a conversation. "I'm glad you like the idea."[/color] He resisted the urge to add in "Not that it matters anyway, since it's too late to stop the meeting just because of the qualms of a member." Karolek did care about his members, yes, though in his mind there was always a clear line between "Alpha" and "The others." The others helped him, the others were the bulk of the pack...

But he...he was the Alpha, and he ruled them. It was a satisfying feeling, knowing that he had power over them, though not one he cared to entertain often. Power came hand in hand with corruption, and corruption was the game of their main enemy: Sallin. Though he wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Nightshade, it was obvious to him that she never took walks among her "lessers." But that was enough of thinking down that line; he had to learn to be more cautious about such things...

"I am curious to see how many will attend the meeting. And I am eager to find the ones who stay away, whether it be out of fear or...other intentions."[/color] The statement was rather ominous, as was the relatively emotionless tone it was said in. Perhaps this was another one of Karolek's tricks, meant to intimidate Cepheus. But then again...

Perhaps it wasn't.

[[Yay ego-stroking Karolek.]]

[sarhea]

[yeah-we'll let this be interrupted by the call to meeting]

"I am curious to see how many will attend the meeting. And I am eager to find the ones who stay away, whether it be out of fear or...other intentions."

The comment struck Cepheus as rather odd. Karolek was more or less speaking to himself aloud, and Cepheus couldn't help but swivel an ear to the side in contemplation. Yes, this meeting would definitely weed out the weak links, show the true loyalties of the wolves that called arnlan home....

and no sooner than they had been talking about the meeting, Cepheus heard a voice ring out, calling the members. He did not recognize the voice, but soon enough, the very recognizable voice of Sofika joined the original caller...the meeting was starting. Cepheus threw a quizzical glance to Karolek as he stood, shaking the debris from his golden pelt.

"I guess now we shall see once and for all," Cepheus stated looking towards the trees to were the wolves of arnlan were gathering in the darkness. He lowered his head slightly, a quick motion silently saying "shall we?" and he paused to let Karolek head off first. He would join in behind him.