Little to Do [Any]

[Squeeji]

Pollux had been keeping to herself since the Sallin visitor had come. The Gamma had little to say or do with her fellow packmates, but to be fair...there was no one around. Those who were, they were too busy fussing over Nightblood's puppies...she had little interest in doing so...while most were already spoken for, and no one asked her if she wanted to train one.

Not surprising. She was not a warrior, and that's all they were bred for. But there was no sourness to her, she had given up caring about how crooked things had been. She would let the future to decide Arnlan's fate, and her own correctness.

But still for there being a war about...Pollux was alarmed that things were so quiet. Had she been cut out of planning? Or were things really just that dead? She grumbled, flicking her tail and shaking her head.

The cold of winter at least was starting to numb the pain in her heart, soon she knew, her depression would pass...and this would be nothing more than a fleeting joke. She missed having company, the metallic female sighed, shaking her head. She missed Castor.

But he wasn't here anymore.

So Pollux trudged on, trying to find someone, or something to do. Part of her wanted to check upon the Sallin guest, but she assumed he had died already...or look for Umbra to see what was going on...

[Electus]

Mortil exhaled raggedly as he padded through the stifling darkness of Arlan. He hardly had time to even do that anymore, such were his duties. It wasn't easy work, juggling so many obligations at once. He needed to get away from it all for awhile. But even then, his walk had a purpose.

Pollux was right. Arlan was a land of shadow. It needed warriors, true, but not in the traditional sense. Mortil could only teach them how to fight.

As Umbra said, they must be taught to blend with shadow before the war began.

And so Mortil continued to sniff at the air, searching for Pollux. The Gamma could be damningly elusive if she chose to be.

But at last he found her, wandering aimlessly through the heart of Arnlan.

"Pollux." he said, inclining his head. "I wish to talk."

[Squeeji]

Pollux stopped at the sound of Mortil's voice, and she turned slowly, nodding at the scarred male. Her expression wasn't the derision that she had when it had been growing cool. But rather, a slow almost slack dullness.

"Of course." She sat down, and waited for the warrior to speak, her bi-colored eyes twinkled in what seemed to be curiosity. "What's weighing on your mind Mortilitas Umbra?" she smiled ever so slightly, though it was somewhat a hollow gesture.

"I was just thinking of you..." she chuckled slightly "Speak of the devil, I suppose...and he will appear." As she sat she seemed to bother herself by removing the packed snow from her front paws, all the while keeping her eyes on the one eyed male.

[Electus]

"Speak of the devil, I suppose...and he will appear."

A thin smile graced the ash-grey wolf's face. "Indeed."

He sat, and tilted his head to one side. "As you already know, I am training Nightblood's pups. Combat techniques, et cetera. The rest is pointless conversation between us. The point is, I am readying them for war."

Mortil looked evenly at Pollux. "However, they lack a certain...quality, if you will, that Arnlanian warriors should possess."

[Squeeji]

"However, they lack a certain...quality, if you will, that Arnlanian warriors should possess."

Again, Pollux smirked, but she seemed to nod sagely as she heard the warriors words. "Of course they do." she said it simply, though not wanting to cause insult to the male she kept it blunt. "You aren't an Arnlan warrior. You are just a warrior who happened to end up in Arnlan." she shrugged, sighing.

"Arnlan has not ever had a bumper crop of fighters, but the ones they have always had have been ones that have used to landscape to their advantage. Avenging shadows that flit in and out they were very magical things...and most of the reason why we're seen as a legend" she sighed, and shook her head. "But where are they now? The Alphas, surely remember the old ways...perhaps the ancient male Austrinus in the far north of these lands."

She flicked her tail some as she thought. "I can fight, but I am not nearly one of those wolves...theirs was a meld of guile and deathly skill...like a shadow made out of swords." The gamma looked over Mortil and licked her lips.

"But what do you wish me to do about this?"

[Electus]

"But what do you wish me to do about this?"

"Are you familiar with the origin of the name 'Umbra', Pollux? It is latin...latin for Shadow...Shade. However, Albireo dislikes me. I cannot be on the surface all the time. Especially in front of Nightblood's pups. Hm."

Umbra circled once. "Ah yes. To strike from shadows. Albireo would not listen at first. He is stubborn! But I understand. The myriad ways of combat, that is all I am made for. To strike! Then to fade away."

The warrior's voice dropped, low and smooth. There was admiration in his voice. "Then your enemies turn to find nothing! Only corpses. The terror...the psychology of it is beautiful. A dance on the razor's edge...graceful and morbid."

"You will teach them stealth, yes? I can only do so much with what Albireo has given me; not much, I am afraid. But you...you, he trusts. Your wisdom has more merit than mine. Perhaps if you aid him, Arnlan's army will be feared."

Umbra smiled a devil's grin. "Perhaps it will be a shadow."

[Squeeji]

There was something on the old female's face that looked half like she had taken insult, the other half looked like she just gave up. "Of course...again. There is no merit unless it serves the warriors." Pollux spoke in a hiss, and shook her head.

"I will do this." she took a step closer, her mismatched eyes whittling down to slits. "But, I warn you. The pup that looks most adapt, I will take. And I will teach it how to serve this pack as a Scout or god forbid, something more worthwhile than cannon fodder." she stood sternly, carrying her rank firmly.

"There is a great disservice done to this pack. Nothing but warriors, no brains, no subtlty and not even any hunters." Her ears twitched and her tail flicked in annoyance. "But I promise to teach your little pups how to be like shadows."

[Electus]

"But, I warn you. The pup that looks most adapt, I will take. And I will teach it how to serve this pack as a Scout or god forbid, something more worthwhile than cannon fodder."

Umbra smiled. "I expect no less from you, Pollux. I agree to your terms. The deal is solid."

He circled once then twice before settling again. "Now here is my response. You will inform me of your decision of who to train. Take who you will, I care not."

The ash-grey wolf titled his head. "Is there anything you would like to discuss, perhaps? You seem troubled as of late. Are you angry, perhaps? Or frustrated? Hm?"

[Squeeji]

The Gamma nodded curtly in agreement. "Then its its done." she said with the slightest smirk cracking across her muzzle, as she regarded the mad half of the warrior strangely as he asked her about herself.

It seemed terribly out of place from Umbra, but what the hell, she would bite.

"I am often troubled in these seasons Umbra...it it not something I often talk of. " that smile withered away from Pollux's face as she seemed to contemplate whether or not to tell the ash gray male anything, she had told him once long ago that she had been in love...but she told him nothing further since then. "It was several years ago, I lost my...I guess, you could call him my mate...with lack of a deeper term." her voice though cool, had a wavering quality to it.

"I don't speak of it often, because I'm sure that most would think I am simply over reacting." the shewolf snorted, her tail flicking in a bit of deep seeded annoyance. "and all of this mate drama with Nightblood and Armageddon has only raised my ire...you see as bad as they think they have it, at least they are both alive and there for one another."

Pollux lifted her lip a little and her ears pinned to the back of her skull, as she tried to shake off her bristling emotions.

[Electus]

"I don't speak of it often, because I'm sure that most would think I am simply over reacting." the shewolf snorted, her tail flicking in a bit of deep seeded annoyance. "and all of this mate drama with Nightblood and Armageddon has only raised my ire...you see as bad as they think they have it, at least they are both alive and there for one another."

Umbra smiled frostily. "Ah yes. Nightblood and her...mate. I have no business with him, and I doubt that I ever will. Her first mate...he was much more fun. Though I've noticed that her mates have tendencies to wallow in self-pity quite often."

The ash-grey wolf shrugged noncommittally. "But, it's none of my concern. As long as I keep Albireo from losing his head to foolishness, I am content."

He looked sidelong at the older wolfess. "Would you do anything for those you loved, Pollux? How far would you go?"

[Squeeji]

"Would you do anything for those you loved, Pollux? How far would you go?"

"I lived for the love of him Umbra...and not a moment passes when I don't remind myself that I threw myself in Hell for his happiness." Pollux frowned, though there was a sadness in her voice, it was tinged with a what sounded less like survivors' guilt, and more like some self righteous anger.

Her teeth bared and she bristled with rage. "His happiness, his love of his pack. I ran to warn them...and he died. For that I will be forever alone." the shewolf dipped her head a twitch coming from that torn ear of hers...the scar that Castor had given her. "I gave up my happiness for his..."

"I suppose for that, I've given up a lot in the name of love..."

Pollux snarled and kicked at the frozen earth with her claws, cursing. "But I'll continue to do what he would have wanted...to work hard for Arnlan."

[Electus]

"I suppose for that, I've given up a lot in the name of love..."

"Hm." Umbra stated, tilting his head. "Love is a foreign concept to me, I suppose. I've no use for it, nor do can I in the first place."

He circled once before standing still again. "However...I feel...frustrated."

Umbra stared into the sky, squinting a single eye. "Age does not frighten me. Some regret growing old, but I care not. Though this frame will become less...serviceable, I will still fight. The life of battles will be carried on till I meet death."

He blinked. "But I grow restless. Albireo is frustrating. He keeps his acquaintances close at hand...and he is busy wasting his time doing foolish things..."

"There may come a time when I no longer wish to cooperate with his silly games."

[Squeeji]

"Love is a foreign concept to me, I suppose. I've no use for it, nor do can I in the first place."

Pollux just laughed bitterly, nodding in what seemed a bit like agreement. "Well, you certainly aren't missing anything." there was a slight indignant snort in her voice. She paused and then seemed to look considerate for a moment, "You are the lucky one..."

But the Gamma looked oddly at Umbra as he talked about frustration, though she hated to admit it, she certainly liked the blood crazed serial killer better than his more amiable counterpart. "I can understand the...frustration of being overshadowed by your other half." there was a curious look playing on her face as she scrutinized the warrior a bit more thoroughly.

"But what would you do? You can't anymore destroy a part of yourself than you would fight a mountain..." but she had to venture a guess, "When that time comes...are you asking for my support in this thing?" But Pollux seemed to certainly say this off the record.

[Electus]

"When that time comes...are you asking for my support in this thing?"

Umbra shrugged. He wasn't sure himself what it would come to. But eventually, all things will be played out...and then he would see.

"For now, I know not. I myself know not what will happen when war comes calling with its thunder and fire. I am confident that Albireo will try to keep me hidden away, to avoid any...unpleasantness."

The ash-gray wolf growled. "He is foolish to believe that he can keep me away."

He looked at Pollux with an inscrutable glint in his eye. "What makes a horse different from the human creature that rides it? One day...the horse might decide that he will play servant to the king no longer...and he will throw him. One day...one day I will play servant no longer. I will be king."

Umbra smiled. "One day the world will deal with Umbra, not Albireo."

The warrior looked contemplatively at the sky again. "Perhaps I am lucky," he mused, tilting his head, "lucky that nothing prevents me from seeing the world as it is."

"I assume...that we will keep this between us?"

[Squeeji]

"I understand. Abireo...as you call him, Mortil; screams of war, and I don't think he knows exactly what he's asking for. Its been part of my annoyance as of late...as everyone asks for it. But they don't know what they're bringing down up our pack's head." Pollux shuddered, there had skirmishes of course, but there had been no great wars since she had been pup...even then she didn't really understand. "War is like a monster on the rampage, it isn't a game...but you understand that."

"These pups are playing at something that isn't a game...and they start their families...and they want their battles...tell me Umbra, how well will that go?" A devious little look twinkled in his mismatched eyes, she knew well enough without the warrior answering that the bodies would reach the skies.

The Gamma snorted, her ears swiveling with what seemed to be an almost morbid humor. "I hope for all our sake that you manage to get some sense into Mortil before we all suffer from his follies..."

"Perhaps maybe neither of us are capable of seeing things as they are..." she waxed over that a moment, as it seemed no one was nearly as outraged about this as she was. She winced her eyes together until the pain in her head subsided, and she looked at the gray male one more time.

"I assume...that we will keep this between us?"

The shewolf got a very solumn look on her face, and nodded. "Between just us." she promised.