A Second Howl

A Second Howl
Date of Scene:	20 December 2012
Location:	Fluorgis
Synopsis:	Skoll howls in search of his sister.
Cast of Characters:	Skoll Ulfang, Hati

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Skoll Ulfang has posed:
It's a little after the werewolf had babysat Zia's statuesque... literally... body - having guarded her throughout day and night. He knows though, that he could not possibly always be there to watch her. It would be far safer for her, if her world were restored - and with that, the power of her crystal. It certainly means that this werewolf has more reason to try and work towards that goal now - other than for both Avira and Zia's 'general' sakes.

Right now, it is evening. Skoll stands amidst the desert, atop one of the small sandy hills. Within his heart, there is doubt. The first time he'd howled, Hati had not shown up. And that night, he'd just wanted to give up entirely. To believe, even for a moment, that Hati's heart had been entirely taken by darkness. But what if something had happened to her? So many reasons that she didn't show up...

He had to trust his sister.

And so, he howls. He howls as loud as he can in his human form.

Hati has posed:
There was no real way of passing along a message to Skoll that she wouldn't be making that arranged meeting. It isn't as if she'd run into traffic, or that the car got a flat. No, Hati had been swollowed by a giant pot-centipede, then rattled around like a set of Yahtzee dice, and shaken back out, only to find herself laying in VALKYRIE HQ earlier today, with her head still swimming and her body feeling like she'd gone through a really crappy episode of Gladiators.

Speaking with Avira hadn't exactly gone to plan either, and in that moment when she had hoped someone might actually see her reaching out, the human-turned-mutate had to go. Important people to save, or something. Huff. So, Hati had come out here to clear her head and to hunt. In the desert there isn't a great many types of creatures that make decent food, but she'd managed to catch a deer unawares. It's well dark now, and not an unusual time of night to hear a wolf howling.

There's a long beat, where it seems like this might just be another failure. Then, there is a reply. She's not too far off, and Skoll is likely to smell the wolf's camp before too long. She has the meat roasting on a makeshift spit, with a fire crackling beneath it. Hati isn't wearing her trenchcoat, since the heat of the desert is enough to bake most normal people. The scars that he had seen on her wolf-form are visible across her upper arm, which is left bare.

The firelight illuminates her face, but she avoids looking at him as he approaches. The last thing she wants is to wolf-out again, especially as her anger is just that much harder to control when she's got claws and fangs.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll's heart jumps when he finally hears a howl in return! The werewolf's ears perk and swivel to pick up exactly where it is coming from, before the beast goes into a sprint into the direction of the mild flame he'd spotted a little while earlier. There'd of course been no way for him to know that was Hati, until she confirmed this with her howl. And he didn't want to approach random strangers right now - that'd just be a distraction.

Running along the mullen sand, Skoll soon manages to find his way to the actual encampment, and goes into a slower stride as he approaches for those last few yards. The youth sticks his hands into his pockets, and realizes how Hati is trying to look away from him. He knows why though - it's not something he finds insulting - though amongst family it sometimes was considered so amongst Werewolves. After all, it meant one didn't trust the other - or didn't trust themselves enough not to lash out. A lack of restraint.

Skoll doesn't care. He is just happy to see his little sister. Skoll's just wearing his shirt and pants, his boots are elsewhere and the same for his jacket. He's probably left them behind at the Shard Seekers HQ - and could easily grab them if needed. Although - it must be noted - deserts do grow cold during the night. "Hati." Skoll calls out to the female werewolf and nods his head at her before settling besides her - so she doesn't need to feel forced to look at him.

"You didn't answer... that first night after our meeting. Are you alright?" He's inspecting her scars in fact, as he says this.

Hati has posed:
"I was a little bit indisposed." The girl replies, having already expected that he would be upset about her not showing up. Of course, she had expected yelling - that was more their father's way of handling things, so his concern is a surprise. That blue eye that is closest to him looks in his direction, her brow raised over it. There is a bruise across her temple, a sign that she's probably telling the truth, at least. Unlike Skoll, Hati didn't heal at 'unlimited' speed, and the potions she'd qualfed had helped the concussion, even if it hadn't gotten rid of the effects completely.

"A fool was using Heartless to steal from the refugees in Manhattan." She huffs. "As if that's a good use for dark creatures. Idiot." She growls to herself, taking up a stick and prodding at the fire. "If you don't believe me, ask 'her'." She's not being very clear, "The one you stank of the first time you saw me." The wolf takes a breath, looking a little puzzled, "Less now. Though I guess that makes sense. She told me you two weren't mates, because you weren't interested." She's trying to pick a fight, that much is certain. "What is it, the beastly ones don't do it for you, brother?" She chuckles in that darker tone.

Just like before, there is so much in her words that could come off as cruel, but there's something in her eyes - as if she were testing him. This is the sort of talk that would have had her father raising his hand to her, so she's seeing just where the limits are. "Or maybe you're two-timing on her. Who's the other one? Trying to start your own little pack of females, Skoll?" She smirks, the motion moving one of those scars on her cheek. "Dad would be so proud."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll, in many ways, proves that even if one has a bad father, the child doesn't have to be 'bad'. Though you might not be able to say just looking at the wolfish youth. But then, he had his mother to thank for that, giving him the values he lives by right now. His eyes shift so he might notice the blueish discoloration on Hati's skin. Indeed, he notes, she has a bruise. But moreso, he wants to just believe her. The youth reaches out to the spot, moving some of her hair out of the way if she'll let him - not wanting to touch the painful spot.

"Idiot indeed. Heartless are too focussed on 'hearts' to steal. And to take from refugees... that's just low." The werewolf points out. Then Hati goes on to refer to 'someone'. Is she talking about Zia? The rest she continues to say suggests it's not Zia, but rather Avira. He tilts his head when she gives her that puzzled look. He wonders what she finds so strange about him smelling like Avira. Then she goes on to talk about him and Avira being potential /mates/? The question actually shocks Skoll for a moment, followed by an irritation when she continues to talk about 'beastly ones'.

The werewolf gives her a bit of an annoyed look, one that only grows when she continues. "You were smelling Avira on me before - and the other you probably smell on me could be Zia. They're not a 'pack of females'." He growls lowly. His ears are flattening a little. "I'm not 'like my father'." The question on what he thinks of Avira ends up being... avoided. Still, by Skoll's expression, the item has been noted.

The werewolf does turn his eyes away a little though. "Not to say that she's unattractive as a beast. But... it's not who and what she is. It's a poisonous darkness - I feel. She should not be like that. I... am very worried for her. I care about the girl - y'know? Don't want her to get harmed." But then, he wants to protect Zia as well.

"But no... no, I want my Golden Wolf - Hati." Under the assumption that the Golden Wolf were to be his loved one somehow. "But... I can't find her. What if I've already found her? The stories tell me nothing about how I'll know."

Hati has posed:
It is instinct that has Hati pull her head away the moment that Skoll's fingers come near her, the tips of his fingers just brushing her hair as she growls in a low tone. It is not common for a wolf to show any sign of weakness around someone who is not trusted - who is not pack. While Hati might not have a pack any more, some things are still ingrained in her far more than more human reactions. Her eyes narrow towards him, unsure what the gesture could mean.

The fact that her words do seem to rile him gets a quirk of the wolf's lips, showing a single fang as she watches him show those signs of annoyance. "Is that so? Then why don't you step up and be a real wolf and take her as your mate? Seems an easy enough thing, if you actually had the balls to do it." Of course, then Skoll has to go and talk about how he worries over Avira. It's enough to slick the girl's ears back along her skull. He had seen the softer look behind her defenses once before, and it's clear that it exists there even now, no matter how much she might be trying to hide it.

With a growl, she looks away again towards the fire, reaching out to rotate the bit of meat so it does't burn. "If that's why you came out here, then I'm afraid you're going to be sorely disappointed. I don't know anything about Sevarius or his plans, I don't usually do that sort of work for the Shadow Lords." It's easy enough to dismiss his 'brotherly' concerns as something else - as worry for this potential mate rather than any real worry over her. Typical.

"There was darkness in her heart before this, and maybe someday she'll be strong enough to overcome it, but... Is it so bad to be a monster?" She looks at him again with a low rumble in her chest. "To be like us? Maybe you'd rather pretend to be human than what you are, but I know what I am."

With the meat seeming to have fully cooked, Hati plucks it off of the fire, setting it down across a bit of canvas and then pulling off a big back leg before digging into it. She doesn't offer to share her kill - a sign among wolves of distrust. The smaller wolf chews, then looks skyward at the moon. It's just a flick of the eyes, but it's there. Then, swollowing, she growls. "Maybe you should worry less about your wolf, and more about how you really feel. Otherwise, your wolf might slip right through your fingers." She shrugs her shoulders, seeming indifferent.

"Mother always said that your heart would know before anything else. Or maybe she just never bothered to tell /you/ that. You were betrothed, afterall." She sneers.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll notes the little hints as to her regard of himself quite easily. They are after all, of the same social background. However, unlike Hati, Skoll has picked up on most of the humans' way of doing things. Still, one never leaves behind one's own nature and tradition. Her moving herself away from him to stop him from touching her indeed betrays her true distrust of him. That's not some 'act', that is for sure.

The wolf then shakes his head again. "She has others that care about her." He makes for a weak excuse. A strong wolf would not let others stand in the way of their 'conquest'. But more importantly, Skoll had simply not thought about the things that Hati is offering up right now. Not like that. To think of Zia in a different light, or Avira... or anyone else for that manner. To think of them of the Golden Wolf without him knowing if they are the Golden Wolf...

Still, the werewolf makes for a little growl in regards to Hati suggesting he doesn't have the balls. But more-so, he's angry at what she suggests he is here for. "I am not here for any of that, Hati. That subject just happened to come up due to something you said. I am here because I am your brother. You are important to me after all." He sighs and lays his head to his neck. "I honestly didn't even think about coming here for help... I just wanted to see you."

The youth then turns and looks at Hati's cheeks. "She's not a monster. Neither are you. We both know that 'looks' is not everything. It is the deeds that define someone as a monster. She's a... beast. I don't mind her form, but I am afraid thatthe darkness within will change her. That it'll make her into someone who is no longer her." He shakes his head. "And no Hati, seeing as you seem to think this - I know I am a werewolf, but to live amongst the people and be accepted, one has to adjust to their social standards."

And then the girls goes on to eat her own kill. That's alright, he considers, he's not hungry But at the same time... not to even offer some of it...

The werewolf lets out a sigh. "Is it really like that...? Should I really just... stand still? But... I don't know if I 'can'." He moves a hand to his chest. "My heart... it's been shackled."

Hati has posed:
"So?" Hati's ears are still slicked back as she says this, almost as if she's challenging him, and perhaps she is. It isn't the place of an omega to question others within the pack, but she is no longer an omega, and she and the wolf beside her no longer share a pack. The fact that she speaks so freely is a sign of her having claimed that freedom that she would have otherwise never had. "The Skoll I remember wasn't so much of a coward that he'd back down just because someone else came along on the hunt. Going to cower in the back with your tail between your legs while a real wolf comes along and steals what should be yours?"

She lets out a snort of breath, her judgement of his behavior is a harsh one, but perhaps she expects a lot out of the boy who would have been alpha. Afterall, he got the pampered life while she had to beg for scraps, and what does he have to show for it? Too afraid to follow his own feelings, while she would probably latch on with both hands if she had any sign of someone who might see...

"I'm not a monster?" Hati laughs to herself and shakes her head. "You were never very good at opening your eyes and seeing what's in front of you. I /am/ a monster. By my choices and my actions. I have killed people. I've torn their throats out." As she speaks, it's almost as if the darkness within her can be felt in the air, although it doesn't manifest in the usual form of those dark flames. "I can't tell you if the darkness will change her or not. That depends on her strength, and that of those around her. Some of us choose the darkness. Others have it choose us." It's hard to tell which one Hati might be, although her own words seem to damn her.

The little wolf gives a small growl as he sighs, putting down her meal. "It's not about standing still. It's about figuring out what you care about and holding on with both hands. Otherwise, you'll see it ripped out of your grasp and you won't ever have another chance to get it back." Hati growls again, feeling frustrated with her brother and his wishy-washy nature. "Because I can tell you that if you don't act, you won't ever have a chance with that girl. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she thinks /you/ don't want to."

Again, it seems like she's put into that role of giving advice. Since when did she become the wise one? Since when did she know anything about love? Maybe she doesn't. Maybe it's just... wishing and hoping through someone else's eyes. Maybe if Skoll finds some shred of happiness, it won't matter when the darkness finally wins out in her own soul.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I'm not a coward!" Skoll growls back at Hati, his ears moving up sharply. "I'm not 'backing down'. I am thinking of them too. I mean /her/... no, /them/. Graaah. I don't want them to have to go through me being young and them growing older. I am certain that won't work out. And how many do you want me to pull against me and take as my own, Hati? How many over the years? I rather live my happy moments with the Golden Wolf..." At least... that's what he thinks he wants... but with Hati taunting him like this, he's starting to question these things.

And then Hati goes on to explain how she is a monster, and his ears flatten. Maybe she's a monster after all. She's chosen to kill people and tear their throats out. The Hati he'd known would never have done that. "You... can still change..." He whispers, but then looks away from her. He's not sure what to think really. This is such a mess. He's not really sure what to say. In a ways, he hates to admit it... but this Hati somehow scares him.

But she's still blood! He can't just give up on her!

The werewolf's ears continue to remain slicked against his head again, and he bows his head a little. "I don't know if I want a chance, Hati. I don't know if I want her. It's all a mess. As I said... my heart is shackled. It's not that easy. I don't know if you realized... but I've got my own bit of trouble - Hati." The beast continues on to sigh. "Besides, I rather take my time. If not grasping on would take her out of my reach... isn't that okay? I mean..." He sighs again, and then sits up properly. "Obviously, then that means that I wasn't fated to be with her to begin with."

Hati has posed:
"Excuses." Hati snaps back at him, rolling thoes mismatched eyes. As much as the blue one might not be her own, it certainly reacts as expressively as the true one that sits beside it. "Tell me some more about how sad it must be to live forever. Oh poor Skoll, who'll likely get to have more than one mate, more than one love, all because he can't die. Cry me a river." She sneers again, rumbling her own irritation at the wolf beside her. "Some of us only get one life, and some of us won't ever find love once, so excuse me if I think you're excuses are pathetic."

Oh, she picks up on the fact that he can't seem to distinguish between who he's talking about. "Oh, now it's 'them'. Hah. Just like father. Stringing along the hearts of so many behind him but oh that's okay, because you've got someone /better/ you're waiting for. Try telling that to /them/. See how they feel about being second best to a myth." She doesn't seem to care about his so-called shackles, or the trouble with his own darkness. She's struggled with darkness for years longer than he has, so such things mean little to her.

"You don't get it, do you? Fate isn't about sitting back and waiting for something to happen. If you sit, waiting, expecting the Wolf to find you, then they'll never come. You have to be the one to chase. You have to be the one to find. You have to be the one to reach out, because if you don't, she'll always be out of reach." She reaches out into the air and grasps at it with her hand, "You make fate, or you let it get away."

There isn't anything to say about her own fate. It began long ago when their father had made her into what she is, so much more than Serrak or even the other Shadow Lords she has worked for over the years. It had not taken any great being of darkness to turn her into what she has become, only the acts of one man. "To what end? What's the point?" She scrunches her nose up as if smelling something distasteful. "I have no interest in protecting people who are too cowardly to stand up for themselves, or those who would leave behind children to save themselves."

The words of Faruja and his serpentine companion still ring in her ears. Drawing a growl from her lips. "You can't even figure it out. You look at me and you see someone you don't even know. A stranger. A beast who looks like your sister. I told you before, she's /dead/. She died in the snow where your father left her. So why bother trying?" She turns her eyes away, feeling her muscles tense. The anger is rising again - that urge to fight.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
There's something so strange about how Hati now has two differently colored eyes, but Skoll doesn't look at them too long - in danger of the both of them changing. "Stop that Hati." He barks at her, growling, his ears flat to his skull and a more constant growl coming from him. His tail beats against the ground in an annoyed manner. "It sounds like me that you're just projecting. Feeling sorry for /yourself/ and thinking you can't find love, without even trying. I guess it's no wonder, if all you can do is try to irritate me instead of trying to realize that I am here for your sake - that I am here because I want to be with my sister."

His tail fwoomphs heavily against the ground again. "And I am not stringing anyone along." Although he just remembered that he'd not told Zia about the Golden Wolf as of yet. "Besides, Avira knows of my chase for the Golden Wolf. So /you/ tell me how she feels about it." His tail bats the ground again.

Still, Hati's words reach him. Had he been wrong this entire time? Waiting for the wolf, instead of... instead of chasing it! Had he forgotten the aspect of the chase so much, that he'd concentrated only on the 'existance' of the golden wolf? Or maybe he'd just been so into the chase that he'd maybe passed the golden wolf by again. Gah! This whole myth stuff hurts his head. Skoll just grumps... but his expression shows that he's learning.

He then looks at Hati as she comments on not wanting to protect themselves. "But you can still protect the children. And there are enough of those who would /not/ leave the children to save themselves. You can't judge people on a few bad apples. You must have /hope/." His nose twitches a little. "As for my sister - you were just talking about how you hate those who leave children behind. I don't think she's dead. I think she's just burried /under/ the snow... but I will manage to pull her out somehow. And if not me, someone else will. Maybe not the 'omega', maybe not the one who got hurt by my father. But the sister who would fight for the people around her - and not some force of darkness. My father would, after all, probably have made an amazing Shadow Lord."

Hati has posed:
"Or maybe you're just deflecting the issue." Hati snaps back, knowing that she's starting to get under his skin about it. "You keep doing that. Dancing around your own feelings." She snorts once, then plucks up her meal and begins to eat again, trying to dissuade her own urch to snap at him in this moment with the urge to fill her stomach. The two aren't quite the same, but maybe shoving something into the mouth of the wolf will satisfy it for a moment or two so she doesn't rip his throat out. "You can believe what you want, Skoll, but I told you before. I'm treading the line as it is. It's not like I have much time."

Her shoulders shake slightly, the smallest sign of the rage that is trying to escape within her. She looks at him with that human eye, the one that has no chance of turning her into a wolf. "She thinks you're not interested." Hati had said that before, but since he asks so nicely, she'll repeat it for him. "Too busy off chasing a dream to see what's in front of you. It's sad, really." This last part os her own opinion being tacked on.

"People are selfish, and cruel, and unforgiving. I'm no different. I'm no better." Faruja's words ring out again and again in her ears, about how all Shadow Lords should die. She grits her teeth, the meat no longer satisfying the rage. Skoll had stepped in on her before when she was upset, and he had dealt with a far worse creature for his efforts. Now, it is a struggle to hold onto her thoughts and not give in to the wolf's rage. "You don't want to see it... but I /am/ a monster, and someday I will die by the hands of one of your so-called friends. Or maybe by yours. Maybe that would be the cruelest fate." She laughs to herself, then hangs her head, letting it lay against her arms.

There is a reason that her devil-wolf form has the name Pyre. It is the part of her that will eventually bring her death. It is the part that she fights with - the darkness having tainted her wolf nature, so that even now it is hard not to lash out at him. It's hard to hold her mind in the moment.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Tssk..." Skoll makes an annoyed sound, still... he doesn't reject Hati's words. He's more worried about his sister than himself. As she said, who knows how many loved ones he /could/ have, being 'immortal'. Of course, he doesn't /know/ wether he'll live forever. That's just a story passed down. "I'll think about it... okay?" He then finally gives in. "But you... surely you have time. Not as much as I... but you /have time/."

The wolf's ears shift a little, into a less aggressive manner. Avira thinks he's not interested. Maybe he's right. He's never really been 'interested' because he's always been looking elsewhere. It's just as Hati says. "It's not that sad... to hope..." He tries.

"As for you - you can still change. And more-so, I still think you are wrong. My 'so-called friends', as you like to call them, just accepted this little girl from the Shadow Lords. The girl who cried for friends. Reize Seatlan managed to seal her darkness and she's under our protection now. They are not like other people - Hati. They /will/ accept you." Even though Riku had betrayed them... they still held hope.

"And no, you will not die by my hands." He then adds, "You are my sister - I would /never/ do that."

Hati has posed:
To 'think about it' is probably the best she can expect, but it feels like another cowards way out of the issue. This is one thing where these siblings certainly do not agree, but then again, it isn't as if Hati has ever had any feelings like that towards anyone. In truth, the girl has her doubts that she even could feel those sort of emotions anymore. Too many years, too many memories buried, and too much of herself corrupted by the darkness that seems to flow in every part of her veins.

As much as she wants to tell him the truth - about how much she is struggling, the little wolf just lets out a breath. "Maybe." She can't really tell him about how dire her own staits are, and how fine a line she walks. It's just one more thing that no one would understand. "While I can, I will choose my own path." She growls to herself, the red of the firelight reflecting in her eyes. "I will not destroy worlds with my hands, but I will not protect them, either." She lays her head on her arms. "I have seen nothing in all the worlds that would make me fight for them. My hope rides on something better coming from the dark-after."

It's probably the first time she's mentioned her own warped way of seeing things. This alone is perhaps the closest she's come to explaining why it is her allegiances fall to the Shadow Lords. Then, she closes her eyes, letting out a long breath. "You may have to, someday. I'm holding on for now, but if the darkness ever takes me completely, then it will be a better thing. Like putting down a wolf that has gone rabid." She trembles again, not the cold, but the effort of pushing the anger down again. "Consider your choice if you should find my fangs around the throat of your beloved wolf."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
It maybe the coward's way out, but for Skoll, it's an important way to end that discussion... because he does. He /does/ need to think about it. Because so much could go wrong. He's still within the grips of the Gaudium Lords after all. If he reached out, that person would be put into /immense/ danger. He knows Zia can take care of herself, but he'd need to ensure Manhattan is recovered first! And Avira? She's a dark being right now... for such things, she must be cured first. But why is he even considering this? Does he actually /feel/ for them? He's never really 'let' himself feel for them. They're both ladies that... he enjoys being around though. But with Avira, he's more her teacher.

The wolf lets out a breath much like Hati - in fact, at the same time as her. A moment that shows that they share the same blood. "Choosing your own path is good. Just be careful to choose the right one. I trust you - when you say you don't destroy worlds with your hands. Many don't lift a finger, as you said. But... I don't know. Is there /truly/ something /after/ the dark? You know that falling to it is bad, you avoid it. What says that anything better will come from it? What if it's just 'the end'?"

The werewolf shakes his head. At least he somewhat understands where she is coming from. He's traveled much himself, he knows the darkness she speaks of; the one in the hearts of the adults. "You can always come to the light - Hati. Don't make me ever make that choice."

Hati has posed:
"Serrak believed there was. I trust him more than I do anyone else." Of course, this would be likely the first time that Skoll has heard that name mentioned. Unless of course the 'lords' that he serves sought out the sorcerer for some task or another, but it seems unlikely. There is a shadow in her eyes, though. Her master has been missing now for a long time, and she only has the most fleeting of guesses as to where he might have gone. Was her trust in him misplaced? Why did he leave her behind? Questions and confusion and memories that were never supposed to return. Maybe if she had never remembered Skoll, he could have remained her enemy.

For now, Hati pushes herself to her feet. She's clearly struggling, and the wolf's ears slick back. "I should go. I need to hunt." It sounds like a silly thing to say, especially as their is a half-eaten kill sitting right there. Then again, it wouldn't be too hard to read the wolf in her body language. The fact that she's trying does show in some small way that she cares. Otherwise, she would just let the rage out and lash out at him again. The girl is /trying/, in whatever small way, to keep some thread of tie to her brother, but the sad fact of it is - other than not hurting him, she doesn't really know /how/.

"Take the kill if you want. I'll eat later." Hati clenches her hands into fists. "I have to go." She turns, forming one of those familiar dark portals. However, just on the edge of leaving, his words catch her, and she turns back to look at him with that blue eye. "What if there is no light left, Skoll?" Then, she trembles again. "Besides, I'd rather it be you than that mouse, or one of the others. At least you'd /care/."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Serrak?" Skoll asks with one ear perked and the other still down. No, this was not a name he'd ever heard. And it was unlikely the Gaudium Lords ever took him up for anything. The Shadow Lords and the Gaudium Lords had different desires for the worlds after all. Though they were a tool, to the Gaudium Lords - the Heartless are an infestation that must not take the worlds. After all, how else would Chaos come to rule them? Or rather... the Earl Tyrant. "Why do y ou trust him?" He asks, and notices that little 'shadow' in her eyes. There's a moment where he feels it may be appropiate to ask her if she still trusts him... but he doesn't.

He watches her get back up, and he notes the half-eaten kill. Needing to hunt again. Yes, she must work out the 'anger' within herself. The young wolf nods his head. "I understand, Hati." He tells her. He remains seated, so she doesn't feel like he'll hold her back. "I'll take the rest of the kill. Thank you." He words, and looks at her as she turns to him - having formed that portal.

And instead of looking dire, he smiles this time. "There's light, Hati. Even you can see it - you won't harm children, and you still wish for a better world. That's light, Hati. Trust your big brother." The wolf then shakes his head. "Yes, I /care/. That is true. But trust me when I say... there is others who can and will care about you. I come to /this camp/ in the future if I want to meet you." He still has a Christmas Present to give her after all. But that can be a tad later. He'll put it in this camp.

Hati has posed:
There is so much that Hati could say about Serrak. The way he had tended to her wounds those first rough days when she could barely stand - unable to revert back from being a wolf. The way it felt when she first opened her eyes after he gave her this new sight, knowing what he'd sacrificed to give that to her. The way he always supported her to fight with her own strength - and be more than what the wolves believed she could become. But maybe... maybe over time that illusion had shattered, and he began to realize that he could never have his real daughter back, and this girl was a pale excuse. "He saved my life." That was all Skoll needed to know for now, although there is so much more to it than that.

The wolf turns, listening to his words about light, wondering if her own advice to Avira had been true words, or just her own foolish hope. Is there really light even in the deepest darkness? "So be it." Hati replies, then steps through. On the other side, her forest calls. She would run out her anger - her frustration, her irritation with her brother and the world by sinking her teeth into her prey. Maybe, when her muscles are tired and her belly full, she might find something that has escaped her for years: peace. But that doesn't seem likely, does it?