[Alexander]

Speech:#99ccff

The fishing trip had more or less been a success. Alexander had done his best to catch as many fish as he could, and he found himself quite enjoying the day and enjoying the company of the other wolves. He'd even managed to sneak away with one of the larger fish he'd caught- his brain dead set on bringing it to Hakan and his daughter, Kyra. They hadn't made it to the fishing venture, and the golden prince couldn't help but worry about the pair. His mentor was strong in mind but he was growing older, and Kyra was still very much pregnant; a meal for the both of them might have been just the thing they needed. He'd been doing his best to fall back in line under Hakan's leadership as a healer, but sometimes healing and herbs needed a good old fashioned meal break. So he'd set off in the direction of the castle, dropping the fish off and checking in on both wolves before departing on a minor mission for the old healer. He was to seek out ginger root and lavender and begin culling as much as he could for a future use that was still hidden to the boy. But, like any good student he set off in a random direction and hoped that his broken memory would lead him in the right direction.

Alexander plodded through the fields and forests of Nardir with his nose to the ground, hoping something- anything- would jump out at him and give him a lead as to where he was to go. Yet as he walked on, his attention was grabbed by something, or rather someone, off in the distance. His ears perked up, golden green eyes squinting at the figure in the distance. He knew them, of course- how could he have forgotten the child that approached him during their fishing trip? The golden prince lifted his head and plodded closer, tail swaying gently side to side. He wasn't...used to kids, but he didn't really mind them either. They were a breath of fresh air, and who knew- maybe this one knew where he could find those herbs.

"Hey there," he said in a low rumble as he approached from behind, "Rapture was it?"

Down an unknown road

to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander,

it will lead me to you

[Sekirei]

Rapture had been sitting and looking at her reflection. Her mind was full about the goings-on and she was worrying over Aku-Aku. Sometimes, she could hear her mom crying quietly at night. It made her feel sad that her mom was unhappy. She knew her mom was a she-wolf of great faith but that faith in herself and her pack had been shattered. She didn't let it show. Rapture only knew this by chance and played the part of a happy child. Partly to make her feel better and partly to ease her burden. Give her one less thing to worry about. The young pup didn't understand the situation at all but that didn't mean she was blind and deaf to the effect it had on everyone. She hated feeling so helpless. But how could she not? It just didn't seem right to her young mind that Aku-Aku being broken was being held against him. Sure, she knew he had done...something...to make others mad at him but didn't they know he was broken?

"Hey there, Rapture was it?" came a deep rumble. Rapture came out of her thoughts to look behind her. Her face immediately started burning when she saw it was Tobie. Even her ears turned scarlet. "Y-yes. Hi, Tobie." she replied, getting to her paws and turning to face him. Tobie had such pretty eyes. She dropped eye contact and scuffed the floor. She felt a bit silly, acting like a schoolgirl and getting tonguetied. Her mood, which had gone on the upswing when she found herself face to face with her crush, nosedived just as hard as her mind looped back to what she had been thinking about before the golden wolf had appeared. Did Tobie think Aku-Aku was a bad guy?

Tico had called it a Clan trait. Everyone born into her family tended to worry a lot about what others thought of them. They also tended to get stuck in a loop when things got hard. It was how Great Aunt Starfire died. She got caught in a loop of negative thinking and never recovered. Rapture was just the latest to show it. She sat down in front of the older wolf. She started tracing shapes in the dirt. She didn't want to cry in front of him. He seemed shy and she had a feeling crying in front of him would make him nervous and unsure. She didn't want to stress him out and make herself look stupid either. At the same time, she didn't know who else to turn to. Tico was always ready to lend his strength but Rapture didn't want to burden him either. He was Clan by choice, rather by blood, but he was still family. Rapture also didn't know if Tobie was even aware of what had happened either.

But regardless of her wishes, her tongue started wagging. "He's not a bad guy. He didn't mean for things to go so wrong. He didn't mean to lose control. He's broken. But Auntie Kyra doesn't want him to see his pups if he comes home. Does that mean they won't be Clan because she doesn't want them near their daddy? Aku-Aku was always good to me and my brother and sister. Mommy said he was good to her and my aunts as well. Why wouldn't he be good to his own pups? That's just not fair. Auntie Kyra won't listen though. She thinks she had nothing to do with it." she said, tears leaking out of wide eyes that stared at the grass under her feet. Her voice was tight and her fur was started to spike. 

"I don't blame him for running away. He had to leave because Nardir got toxic. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to leave before he was broken beyond repair. But Mommy thinks he couldn't come home even if he wanted to. Because no one wants him here anymore. Mommy also lost faith in mercy and fairness. That's so sad. She thinks he won't get a fair chance and that he's better off on his own. But I don't want that. I want Aku-Aku to come home." she said, rubbing her eyes. She felt really stupid saying all this to a total stranger who was probably of the same mind as everyone else involved in the current tragedy. She couldn't help herself. Even if he was of the same opinion as Auntie Kyra, Tobie felt safe enough to unburden to. Not as judgmental and probably of a clearer head and conscience. Plus, Tico had told her that if she was ever upset, she shouldn't bottle it up. It was how Aku-Aku got into the state he was in before he ran away from home. He bottled things up and he lost control after the right buttons were pushed. He had never felt safe in his own pack. By that logic, it wasn't entirely his fault.

Rapture's rambling just went to show that she was still just a child, confused and upset at the situation. When she said Nardir got too toxic for her cousin, she was counting herself in that number. She blamed herself (as any child would when family was split up) for Aku-Aku going away. She should've been able to do more. She was going to be matriarch someday. As the eldest of the next generation, that was her destiny just as it was Merc-Merc's to become Queen. And it was just as doubtful that the Queen would give him a fair chance either. "Grown-ups are so stupid. Why can't they leave him alone?" she said. It was obvious she didn't mean it because there was no real bite behind it. It was expected of a child to think that adults were stupid when things were hard. That's what made them children.