In Dire Straits - I've Got Your Meninges In My Teeth (Achilles)

CRUX

thorn in your side

The boy was growing steadily older, age growing his muscles and extending his legs. He was not yet at the fullness of weight, but his height had reached his full three and a half feet. The boy was nearly a man, nearly rounding the corner of a year of age. His face had grown from cute to handsome and he had weathered the awkward age of lanky legs without complaint, though he kept his ally, Tiras, and her odd pelt blanket close. While crushes were frequently on the boy's mind, he pushed them aside to focus on his education and learning.

Most of his childhood, his mothers had done their jobs well enough. He'd barely had a chance to meet with the woman his mothers called god and lover, but he still considered her a de-facto mother of his, even if he was uncertain of his allegiance in the religious sense. He'd not had time to learn as much as he'd wanted to - felt disappointed in his own inability to focus on the task of seeking out others and demanding knowledge.

He was now large enough to fend for himself if his questions brought the wrong type of attention, but he was still young enough to not seem out of line by wishing to learn.

Today, he was out in the cool morning air, enjoying the cold that came with desert nights and almost dreading the heat that would come with the day. Winter was nearly upon them, but still it seemed that heat dug its claws into this land's very veins, lurking in the shadows and waiting to cause sweaty pawprints and panting tongues. He smelled someone nearby and turned to approach, ears pricked foward. Name yourself, he spoke calmly and evenly, narrowed eyes scanning the surroundings and searching for the male whose scent had been absent for a long time but had recently returned.

OOC

Dialogue - Thought

He hadn't intended to stumble upon anyone here but it seemed his intentions were not in line with the fate's design. He happened upon a young wolf, not quite fully grown but would obviously reach his prime during the first falling of the snows. The boy called out to him so the Yellow Seour thought it rude to ignore the summons and go on his own way. He came out into the open so the youth would see him clearly, his black and gold fur ruffled slightly by the brush among other things.

Achilles regarded the child's pelt with feral but calm blue eyes. He looked rather familiar though Achilles wasn't exactly sure why. He sniffed at the air around the boy and realized exactly who he belonged to.

"Ah, her pup." He smiled patiently at Crux. "Achilles, I know your family." In many ways but mostly he knew Nevada and Darken. He liked them both, finding them very capable and resourceful in their own ways. The best thing about them was that they weren't crazy, he didn't like crazy. Nevada, especially, challenged him in good ways, religious ways. He recalled their chats fondly.

"Tell me about yourself, what brought you here today and what drives your heart."

CRUX

thorn in your side

"Ah, her pup."

What? Crux spied the male as he approached out of the shadows, careful gaze scanning over the larger male and determining whether or not the posture was aggressive or not - it didn't seem to be.

"Achilles, I know your family."

The male seemed strangely calm, though he held the same feral light in his eyes that most in the valley held. The boy considered the statement for a moment, even as Achilles smiled at him. You do? Of course he did - his mothers were well known and well respected. The third, loftiest among them was even one of the gods, though by all standards anyone else wouldn't consider her to be his mother.

Suddenly, the name flicked into his memory - he knew that name. The Yellow Seour. Immediately, he dipped his head in respect, something his mother had taught him early on.

"Tell me about yourself, what brought you here today and what drives your heart."

While he wasn't certain of this wolf's motives, he knew that if the older male wanted to harm him, he easily could. I am Crux - I search for knowledge. Similar in a way to his mother's childhood fantasies, but he had no care to keep records or bother with things of that degree. I desire understanding and a name for myself - myself, not just my family. A rosa, an ex-judge, a seour, two baishun, an ex-rosa... his bloodline was ripe with power but he wanted power of his own. Ambition was in the boy's blood, but he wasn't certain of the technique or the method.

So, Yellow Seour, teach me.

He nodded slowly though it seemed that the boy knew his mothers were both very well known, especially after they'd gained the favor of the Red. He tilted his head and memories filtered back to him, "Yes, Pathos has a knack for provoking thought." They'd had a talk about his own Goddess early on in their friendship, something he did consider their relationship to be. He liked the challenge Nevada posed, even if it rubbed his fur the wrong way at first. If it had been anyone else that had stirred such doubt about his Foetida, he'd have reacted a little more violently but she was different.

"Crux," He tasted the name, a name he liked, simple and strong. "Good name."

He tilted his as he regarded the white wolf more carefully, "Important." He supposed it fit, if he was something Nevada and Darken cared for then of course he was important. "Do well to live up to your name." He nodded, pleased with the statement.

The wolf explained himself and his desires, Achilles smiled at his declaration. "You have a family with a big name, so your quest is no simple one." He thought about it though, the family was large and it even danced with his own...if any of his children still lived. "You can start with understanding yourself Crux." Achilles set his eyes on the boy and motioned at him with a paw. "What do you like to do, what do you believe your talents are, what traits do you value most?"

He tilted his head until his neck cracked, "I value bravery, loyalty and order. These are aspects of Foetida which covets the path of strength and power." He smiled toothily, "They are not the only traits but they are the ones that shine brightest among the followers of the Yellow."

CRUX

thorn in your side

"Yes, Pathos has a knack for provoking thought."

Pathos? He blinked, confused for a moment before understanding took him. Oh, ma-Nevada isn't Pathos anymore. The Jitte, Ronove, took her rank. He could tell from context clues that the change had not been at all a welcome one, at least not for Nevada. When she'd told him of her past role as judge, it had been clear that she longed for the position and found it unfair and frankly insulting that a wolf who held such little control over his own emotions was the judge of emotion. "Let him be Ethos instead!" he remembered her saying when she thought he hadn't heard. She's just a Baishun now, with Darken. He felt odd calling them mama and mother now that he was growing older, though he still affectionately called them that when he was with them.

"Crux, Good name. Important. Do well to live up to your name."

Important? He hadn't heard the definition of his name before, but now that he knew it, it made sense. He liked it even more now, he decided with an affirmative nod. Yes, he'd do his best.

"You have a family with a big name, so your quest is no simple one."

That was an understatement. He'd had big names in his relatives, ancestors who had risen up and fallen away - like hadn't his great grandfather vanished during the war? The male had been a Seour once too, long ago. And his uncle had been a Rosa. Now his cousin was a Rosa and his half sister a Seour. One of his mothers was Rengyo and the other still had a name that was known, apparently anyhow.

"You can start with understanding yourself Crux."

Understanding himself.. How? Questions, questions. He looked the older male in the eye, now fairly positive he wouldn't be attacked simply for asking questions. How did you do it?

"What do you like to do, what do you believe your talents are, what traits do you value most?"

I like to learn - about my fellows and about the Valley. I like to watch and protect. This was harder than he'd have thought. While his mothers were Red and had instilled in him the importance of learning, he didn't fall into it as easily as they did. I value loyalty, trust - and the will to survive and ensure the survival of the pack at any cost.

"I value bravery, loyalty and order. These are aspects of Foetida which covets the path of strength and power. They are not the only traits but they are the ones that shine brightest among the followers of the Yellow."

Had he a lesser control over himself in this moment, he would have chuckled - it seemed every wolf wished to push him towards their god. Even if it wasn't a direct statement, clearly the Yellow Seour wanted him to be Yellow. He didn't fault him for it at all, the boy still hadn't chosen which path he wanted to follow. Honestly, if he could just follow all three he would be happiest. Having to choose among three options was difficult, especially when his mothers all were Red yet his sister was by default White and he was sure other relatives were Yellow.

What an odd little mix of the gods was he.

To be honest, I'm not sure which Rosa to devote myself to. I'm not quite sure why we have to choose. It seemed to be a conflict of interests, to consider one of the triad to be more worthy of worship than the others. It seemed that, if there were some sort of conflict within the belly of the Valley, the three gods might take their followers in opposing ways and might conflict with the unity of the pack. Isn't picking one over the others disrespectful to the others? And what would happen if a war did happen in the Valley. Would wolves separate from their gods to fight for the Valley itself? Would they pick which ideal they preferred and fight for it? What would happen if one god killed the other two and forced the others into submission? The thought concerned Crux greatly and it showed in his eyes.

OOC

Dialogue - Thought

He blinked and looked down at the child, his eyes wide for a fraction of a second after hearing the news but his features relaxed as soon as they'd tensed. "Oh? Hmm..." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, digesting the information. "A shame," He opened his eyes and stared off into the distance, recalling his time with Pat-Nevada. "She fit the role so well I believed it would always be hers." This was also proof he'd been more detached than he'd realized, for something so important to slip him by like it had. His edge's had dulled while the others had been away at war. He cocked a brow at the next statement, just? While it was indeed an honor to be the chosen lover of a Rosa, that being it for Nevada surprised him greatly. "The Red's?" If the boy confirmed it Achilles would nodded in understanding, she'd always favored The Red so it would make sense.

Achilles was glad to see the boy determined to live up to his potential, it made Achilles proud of him.

The Seour listened to him and smiled gently, "You seem to favor aspects of Jin and Ashigaru. Those are White and yellow respectively." In actuality, Achilles had no intention of swaying the boy any way, he had merely been sharing what his own path meant to him and others like him. "Protecting the people of Oukoku-Kai is paramount, every citizen must have this value so it doesn't necessarily link to any particular life style." What the boy valued, Achilles valued too. "Never forget your values boy, if you hold those closest to your heart then you will never forget who you are and when the time of questioning your faith comes, it'll be easier on your soul." For it would come, it always came and not everyone's faith survived when they lost their values.

When the boy explained that he didn't know which Rosa he favored most and that it seemed disrespectful to choose, Achilles couldn't help but laugh aloud. It was a healthy and booming sound. He shook his head, his laughter dying slowly into a chuckle before it stopped with him gasping gently. "Oh that naïvety is adorable," he reached out and pushed the youth's shoulder but not too roughly. "Thank you for that, you reminded me of my own pups just there." If the boy's expression betrayed frustration or its ilk, Achilles would clear his throat, "I don't mean to tease you but where did you ever get the idea that you CHOOSE one over the others?" He'd cock a brow before concern crossed his face. "You don't Crux, ever." He stared at the child for a moment before speaking lowly, "That kind of thinking, that kind of practice could get you mauled boy." The Seour turned his head slightly, his ears turning back, listening for soemthing that might not even be there, that hopefully wasn't.

"You worship each equally and completely, period." Learn that now before it was too late. "You may show favor to a certain path of a certain Rosa but one does not mean more than another, they are each divinity in a mortal shell." He motioned to himself, "I am the Yellow Seour, obviously Foetida's path suits me best but that does not mean I ever forsake Gigantea or Chinensis." He growled softly, "To even consider picking one over the others is blasphemy."

He leaned towards Crux and spoke lowly, quietly but firmly, "You always serve the Rosa Three." His eyes told him what it meant if he didn't.

Achilles leaned away and sat back up, eyeing the boy out of the corner of his eye for a moment before calming down and speaking casually again like when they'd started this conversation. "Be careful what you say around others, not all are as understanding as I." He'd cock a brow in question to make sure the young wolf understood and took heed. He'd loved children once, adored them actually but he'd grown rather cold as of late. He didn't feel Crux deserved to suffer for it though.

"One day a Rosa will save your soul and you will know their path fits you best, time is your only foe in this battle."