Crossing Over (Eclipse Stellar & any others).

The Iliara Forest, Cayden knew it to be the borders of the Nayati packs territory yet technically, he'd not crossed that line so much as pushed his luck with the boundaries. It was here that he found himself sitting upon the cool grass with the wind whipping up around him, his ears flicking back as his crimson eyes, those of his fathers, took to the surrounding environment with great interest. Nearing the end of his third year, Cayden Nekishu hadn't yet felt he'd had the experiences of the land that many others had spoken to him about. Infact, his experiences seemed to differ greatly from the few that'd spoken to him. He knew few of his own pack, tired of being sheltered by his fathers reputation, over-shadowed in a sense and in his desire to see more and feel more of the land that was supposedly his home, he sought out something else in the way of a thrill. The Nayati were intriguing to him as was any forbidden fruit to any curious individual. They were reportedly hostile when their lands were tread upon and yet in Cayden's time he'd seen very few of them and only the once that he could recall.
Benjamin Nekishu...-Everyone seemed to respect the man, he seemed to demand it if only in the presence of the others and Cayden wasn't entirely sure why. His old man had certainly been around a long time, Cay had assumed though the young male didn't want to be consumed by that same cloud of expectations. He wasn't his father and didn't want to see life through Blaze's eyes and experiences, Cayden yearned for his own, to make his own mistakes and learn from them if needs be but be able to prove to himself and to the pack that he was a capable hunter and a worthy pack mate. Perhaps then the others might actually acknowledge him as one of their own. It might have been a stretch but in the absence of friends and his sisters nowhere in sight to tell him different, what else was a young, cocky male to do.

His first choice had been enough to call attention to himself should anyone else be in the area, he'd taken down a calf and spilled the contents of its stomach across the grass floor where the wind would carry the scent wide and far about the trees. Truthfully Cayden hadn't been hungry but who was he to waste an opportunity. The life of a loner had taught him much and to turn down a free meal, well that just wasn't in his way of being. Picking at the inside of the still warm body, he toyed with strands of meat while he patiently waited to see who'd answer the stench of blood and the prospect of fresh meat. The cows, not his.

Several days had passed, so many in fact that Eclipse had ventured further south. It was not uncommon for the harpy to travel, in fact that is what she was used to doing for years now. Move from one place to another. She had to this time as her blood had coated her temporary den after the fight with Tate. It was a delightful fight, but after her encounter with Blaze she felt it best to put some distance between she and the Kostas territory. It would allow Blaze to come to terms with her return, for her to come to terms with it, and for anyone looking to pick a fight with a possible weakened wolf a long way to travel. Should anyone truly want to cause her harm after traveling such a distance than atleast she has had time to heal.

Her left ear was healing; blood no longer matted to her fur and her ear could actually move now where as before she had to keep it half turned otherwise the tendons, which were still sore and healing, would have tore further. The bite along her scruff had healed already- her advanced healing powers aiding with both wounds but she was holding them back after deciding to savor the pain for a little while longer. Perhaps it was her was of hiding the pain of she and Blaze's encounter. Full of pride though, she might never admit that what transcribed between the duo hurt more than the physical wounds she had received did. As Eclipse walked, her head was high and tail held parallel to her shoulders. She was relaxed but always on alert for signs of danger or even a meal; and with the wind in her favor it seemed she would get the latter of the two sooner than expected..

The obsidian phantom moved fluidly across the terrain, covering the ground quickly so as to not put we a chance on a free meal. Even if it would take another fight she was sure that she could leave with some food, if not all of it. As she neared the slaughter site her gait slowed to a trot and then walk, approaching a earth toned brute from his flank. Her head lowered and a low growl ruminated from her chest as she announced herself to him; stopping atleast a yard away from him and his kill. Never being the wiser that this was her son that Blaze had taken back from her those many years ago....

So soon, someone had approached him so soon but not from the direction of the Nayati lands as he'd been expecting. The low threatening growl caused his ears to swivel back, his maw lifting in instinctive response, his eyes darting to his left as he took the slow movement of the other in his peripheral vision, blood from the kill clouding his judgement and unable to find her scent among the liquid of dead mass dripping from his front. Initially he did not move, his mind racing to the surrounding environment quickly taking it all in, a momentary consideration for what might be his saving grace. Nothing but trees and shrub, plenty of room for a fight though nothing to give neither himself nor the other any real advantage over one another. Strength and will, it seemed. A fair and bloody fight.

"I would reconsider if I were you..." His words were filled with malevolent threat, he'd been trained after all in his younger days by a brute killer and knew how to apply himself in the moment. Slowly he turned so not to spark an pre-emptive attack from the other, his red eyes casting off the moonlight trailing down around them through the tree heights, a crimson glare taking in the female, older than he. Darkness showered her, it made him think twice of what he was seeing in the moment though her stance went unchanged and knowing what he did, he stood his ground, haunching his shoulders forward, standing tall upon his fours, muscle stricken body tense and eager to meet her middle ground for the fight she so seemed to wish for. "I won't hesitate to kill you like the others, this claim is mine.." he added with a vicious growl, barking out at her. Stepping forward to show there was little provocation in the females presence, Cayden moved to lesson the distance between them.
He couldn't be certain but something seemed off. He couldn't recognize her entirely, not in the light and not in believing her to have been killed by the hunters that had pursued them after WolfMortum had abandoned them for his own personal vendetta. Since, he'd lived a hard life with few mercies, on his own and only recently returned back to his homelands, only recently had Blaze take him into the pack. However it was that she thought her son had wound up here, there was no denying he'd lost much of his old persona, no longer a pup but an able fighter and ready to kill for his feed. With no one else at his side, the epitome of his loner self had risen up in his will to stand his ground.

Ignoring the strong scent of blood, his nostrils twitched as he tried to take in the faes scent. "Who the fuck are you..." His eyes squinted, she looked familiar though his memory had wavered in the years, the mother he remembered had a different look about her, or perhaps it was a feeling that drove those thoughts so vividly. Being so young, he barely knew who he was these days let alone who his family had been back then. Forced to grow up so quickly, Cayden was nothing of the happy go-lucky pup that he'd been when she and his father were still together.

The female had just announced her presence with a growl and the young brute was already on his feet ready to strike. The air around them was already thick with the smell of blood mixed with the scents of a pack border be had dropped the kill so close too. When he spoke, more like barked, at her she found not help but smirk. Why would she reconsider? Iridescent fur shimmered in the rays of milky white cast down from the moon above as her stance changed to one more defensive. Her tail rose and ears stayed perched high on her crown but the fur along her back rose and the lips her her muzzle pulled back to reveal ivories ready to sink in to any meat they might find this evening: whether belonging to the kill or the male did not matter.

"If you wish to kill me then you best be ready to die should you fail."

Dangerous words came from her lips. Sounding sweet with the promise of death not unlike the sirens of old luring sailors into the jagged rocks to their own death. AThe male was taken in her scent as she flicked her tail mildly waiting to see what he might do before she took an opportunity to move forward towards his kill.  He certainly was taking his time getting a good look at her just not the way some males do- his was as though he was putting a puzzle together that he had lost pieces to. While she looked at him debating if she should teach him a lesson in manners to ones elders, not that she looked that old or look for food elsewhere. Food was plentiful around this area as it seems the pack that may have roamed the lands once was no longer keeping up with their border. Anyone could have walked right in believing the pack to have moved on to better grounds or simply vanishing. It was something that she was used to seeing in her days as a lone wolf. While onyx eyed phantom had spent most of her time as a loner she had also spent time as a protector to packs. She had not been looking to be an alpha again yet could not escape the sense of protections ones family, a family that she had lost, taken from her in the night

"You may want to consider asking someone who they are without sounding like an arrogant ass."

Of course she had not realized that this was her son so many wolves that had crossed her path had acted with the same air of high and mighty that he did. Eclipse could not help and compare the earth colored lad to Blaze though. Each seemed to be stuck high and mighty- demanding of those around them. While she demanding at least she backed up her bark. Blaze only barked at her as this male was seeming to do as well. The comparison fell there for now.

"We will make a trade. I will give you my name and you will relinquish your meal over to me, when I have satisfied my appetite I will leave and you can have what remains."

Her head cocked a little as she made the proposition. Trading seemed to be a trend for her in these lands, in fact it was that way in most areas she went. If you wanted someone you either forcefully took it or traded for what you wanted. Typically it was the fight which brought blood more so over answers and while she would have enjoyed another fight she would have preferred to eat something without having to chase it down first.

"Deal?

This female seemed to have lost her mind if she thought he was willing to drop his claim at the mention of her name, "how ludicrous" he thought as he moved to step slowly to the right, moving to begin encircling the female, the kill laying there in a bloodied heap though she wouldn't reach it before he could reach her should he be forced to move. "No, I don't think so...-I asked you a question but if you want to make demands, you best know who you're dealing with..." He growled coldly under his breath as he moved to take a good look at the wolves figure, she was fit, agile, experienced from what he could tell though so was he and his confidence wasn't holding back, he wouldn't allow himself the smallest hint of doubt in such a volatile moment, "Much of my life, I've survived on my own and as you carry no scent of the Nayati nor the Kostas, I assume you know that I'm not about to step away from a kill without spilling your blood over it..." His maw flared, his heated breath expelling a faint breath of steam against the chilled morning air as he moved with intentionally threatening pause in his pace, taking his time to move around behind her in a patient walk, half expecting her to turn with him as he moved to step around her.

It crossed his mind that had she even managed to take him down, someone else would likely take her life in the process. Benjamin would seek a murderous onslaught to kill the one that ever harmed one of his own. Cayden didn't speak of it though the thought entered his mind all the same, it forced his eyes to shift passed the female momentarily before turning to look back to her, his head still hung a low, "Cayden Nekishu...-It's going to be the last name you hear before you die trying take the claim of a Wolf under the Kostas Pack...".
With the spoken name he had enough ambition to begin the fight before she took the initiative herself. Not only had he given his name but that of his packs and it wasn't something he did lightly. Neither was someone seeking to steal from him. In most cases it deserved a crippling blow however this one seemed to rub him the wrong way and as such, he surged forward, the presence around him suddenly much darker than he could acknowledge, it was the sudden aura of a killer, the former training brought out in him by another though untapped and not yet within his reach to hone. It might however, be a presence the female would recognize rather intimately and even Blaze, Cayden's father would know it with a burning hate for the presence. WolfMortum's vicious attitude and tutelage from days past, fueling Cayden's will to take his opponent down, his head moving to lash out for her throat as he neared her with killing intent.

What ever the fuck was wrong with males needing to walk around her? She snarled as she turned to her left to meet him head on. Ears furled back now along her head, tail curled to keep it protected, and she lowered her chin to protect her throat. They were offensive maneuvers should the male wish to give her arm. The last male who walked around her was now tending to his own throat as this one was about to do. He had chosen the latter of the two things that most loners do, to give up his up his prize. The only difference that she noted is that he was not a loner, he was within a pack. The scents around him, now that he was close, smelled like Blaze's pack. It sent a shiver of delight down her spine. It was his members' who made decisions for themselves and their decisions would either end up severely battered or bruised. Today she may not have been looking for a fight but the male was going to give her one.

Her scruff was about to take a great deal of damage this week. She was taller than her son, who had given his name just before striking out against her rather than waiting for her to make the first move. Which his first lesson with her would have been never to circle a woman - now it was about to be don't attack someone unless you know what you are up against. As Cayden launched himself towards her, she turned her head to give him the access she wanted to her scruff but not to her jugular. Her throat was already out of the question as she had guarded it properly just before his onslaught.

Once she felt his teeth enter her neck, since she was unable to avoid getting bit somewhere at this point, she grinned with the pain but made no move to attack him just yet.

"Well I am proud of you Cayden, attacking your own mother over a prize..."

She laughed, a throaty laugh as she quickly snapped her head to the left where his neck was. Her maw opened and she lashed out with bared ivories aiming for the side of his jugular now which he had left wide open for her attack. Her legs maintained the footing beneath her body as he pushed against her and she used the added weight to propel herself towards him in an aim where even if she could not grab his throat she would grab his shoulder and push him backwards. Should he remain attached to her neck than he would have no choice but to back up or rear up in which case she would surely knock him to the ground and hold the dominant position over her son.

((Short post, my apologies though I'm being tied down by IRL matters)).

'Attacking your own mother over a prize...', the words didn't make sense though he couldn't help but know she was speaking the truth. His eyes widened in alarm, his maw lifting from her neck as he begin to pull away, hesitant in his shock so much so that when Eclipse came around at him, he was in no position to be able to counter or evade her.
Thrown to the ground floor as her fangs took to his flesh and fur, he yelped in pain, writhing beneath her weight in attempt to break free, his movement only adding to the blow she'd struck him and forcing him to eventually give up as he lay upon his side, held down by the female who had taken advantage of his lack of patience and overpowered him in a decisive strike for his throat. Had it been anyone else, despite doing just as much harm to himself, he'd have possible sought to shift form in the hope of piercing her with his katana however this was his mother, and he'd until now, believed her to be dead.

Something of a girdled growl rose up in his throat as he spoke against her grip on his throat, struggling to speak clearly enough for her to understand him, "I thought you were dead...-It's been almost three years...-Those hunters, they...-Where the hell have you been all this time..." His maw flared as his anger rose up in him though only due to her dominance over him. The words couldn't come fast enough and did his shock, his confusion little justice. "Get off me!" He growled with a forced bark, straining to counter her weight in the hope of rising back to his feet. Though Eclipse was older, his form despite his youth was keen and able enough to twist out from under her, forcing a bleed in her hold on his throat as he grit through the pain to free some of himself in the process. Eclipse still had the edge though Cayden refused to give up, trying to pull himself away from her before he could demand an explanation.

With her body pushing him forward, and catching him off guard with her words, she had succeeded in pushing him to up and back to the ground. Her teeth hanging onto his throat not to draw blood, but to restrain him. It was a bold move for her to do; but she did not wish to spill the blood of her child. A child that was now grown well past the pup years and it pained her so not to have been there for him. He thrashed beneath her, trying to escape and growling out words at the same time. The temptress relinquished her hold on his neck and cocked her head.

"Hunters? The hunters separated us the same night that your father came and took you and your sisters away from me. I was out numbered and out manned. Wolf Mortum and I may have been prime fighters but your father was not sparing the man power to take you guys away from me."

Her voice was soft as she spoke to him, clarifying what he knew against what she knew, in doing so her ears twisted back upon her skull at the idea that he thought she to be dead. She supposed it was only right if one hadn't seen their mother in a while but they were ambushed by Blaze and his pawns and the pups were snatched up. She was just as alive and living as she had been then, only now she and Blaze were not together again just yet.

"Did one of them lose you on their return back here?"

She asked the question, a low growl resonating in her chest at the idea. Eclipse's fur began to raise along her spine at the idea that someone had dropped her little prince. The idea made her chuckle quietly as he was no longer a pup but she was still his mother and just as protective then as she as now. It was a natural response that she could not help even if she had tried. With a shake of her head, she lost her appetite and her need to protect him. He was here with Blaze now and would be well protected. She'd only attack him if he tried to attack her again and it would all be in self defense by this point.

"I am sorry Cayden.. I did not mean for you to be without me for these last few years."

Eclipse turned  away from the meal, and turned her head away from Cayden. The woman was usually proud in her actions but turning her back on her children was not something that rested comfortably with her. She had only wanted to give them the best life away from the drama and constant bickering that came with the pack life and instead had made it twice as hard for him.

"Don't even get me started with Wolf..." Cayden grumbled low under his breath as he stood back up, shaking his pelt something begrudgingly as he looked back to Eclipse, disappointed that she'd managed to get one up on him so easily, embarrassed in how swiftly it'd been done by his mother of all people, not the proud show in a reunion one might want though their family was anything but ordinary anymore.
It interested him a little to hear that she blamed Benjamin for apparently taking him, a slight laugh in disbelief rolling up in his throat as he shook his gaze from her in a skeptical sway, looking off around them in order to ensure their privacy before speaking up on his and his fathers reunion, "Dad didn't manage to grab me like he did Maylin and Mikayla...-I've not seen Kayla in a long time and the last time I saw Maylin she was standing between me and my father. I wasn't forced back into these lands, I came of my own accord and wanted Blaze dead thinking he was the reason we were split apart...-According to him though, he blames you for trying to take us away from him", eyes crimsons eyes darted back to watch his mother somewhat accusingly though he stood side off from her with little show in that he was willing to pursue the fight any further, "I survived on my own, getting here for two years wanting nothing but my fathers death and he was never truly at fault.." He added lowly, speaking in little more than a whisper though he assumed Eclipse had heard him.

Looking back to Eclipse, he fell silent for a moment as she apologized to him though he barely heard it in truth, his eyes were on her form, studying her in questioning the difference between how she appeared before him now compared to how he remembered her from so long ago. He hadn't initially recognized her for who she was and it was still difficult to comprehend that she'd been alive. The next thought that followed stung at him rather hard. If he hadn't have fled the humans, would he and his sisters have remained with her or would they all have returned with Blaze. Did he abandon them after all his anger and resentment for the way life had turned, had it been his fault and failure to choose the right decision, the right direction to move in?

"Does he know you're here..." Cayden questioned after a time, moving to circle her somewhat though this time only with the intent of keeping her from walking away, wanting to hold her gaze as he asked if his father had known she was back.

Eclipse turned her head and her ears perked forward as he listened to his speak. His voice held anger whether it was towards her or towards the entire situation that they had endured those years ago was unsure to her at this time. Although, the phantom would not blame him for being hostile towards her; after all she was the one who had made the ultimate decision in taking him away from Kumari lands.

"I did succeed in taking all three of you away from here and it was of my own, not of Blaze. So it seems you wanted the wrong parent dead."

She pointed out to him in a matter of fact tone that made her lip curl in a light warning that should he wish to act on killing her, or trying to kill her now than he would be met with worse fate than the light pressure she had applied to his throat not minutes before. Dark eyes watched as he moved to circle him again, however this time she moved and positioned herself to cut him off. Her body turning at such an angle that she would meet him head one.

"Cayden, yes your father knows I am here. Also, do not circle me ever again unless I am dead. I
am not prey or a piece of ass nor are you a vulture or a raven circling a carcass. You are a wolf, a predator not a scavenger."

The woman's head lifted as she spoke, standing proud and making sure her son heard every word. While they may have spent time a part she was damn well sure that he was not going to circle her as if she was a piece of meat - food or otherwise. She had no intent at this moment to leave when he had questions for her. Although this was not the safest area for them to speak.

"As I am sure you are aware as well, being so close to a boarder of another pack discussing such personal details are not the wisest. Why don't we move away from the barren area where onlookers and listeners will have a harder time deciphering what we are talking about?"

(Sorry it's crud.)

(It's certainly not )

"Apparently so..." Cayden growled angrily under his breath, his body pausing in his circling her though soon to turn to face her front on, his head low and looking back at his mother rather aggressively, far more so than he'd have liked; his remark  a response out of stubborn defense more so than sincerity though between the two, it didn't much seem to matter who and what was genuine, the hammer was steadily on it's way down and Cayden was growing more defensive and more furious with every word Eclipse had barked back at him in such a threatening and cold hearted tone.
The fact that his father had known she was back yet had refrained from telling him only fueled the flames as it seemed both of the pair wanted to hold their secrets and smother him in the safe keeping of lies built for his ease, this was not how he lived and not at all something he'd stand by without going Benjamin in his own time. Later, once he'd dealt with his mother; she who he hadn't yet decided how to go about doing so.

"I don't give a fuck about the Nayati and as far as I'm concerned, their Alpha's closer to mine than you are so bite down, we're not through here and I'm not fucking moving an inch until I've said my piece..." Cayden's tone had gotten away from him more than he'd meant to though his mother, in his eyes, was betraying every soft and loving memory he'd once held of her, "I only wanted to take Benjamin's life because I felt he didn't try hard enough to keep yours. However you want to see me, you don't know the shit I've been through these last few years and you have no right coming back at me and telling me how to act..." His maw flared, baring his teeth back at her as he continued, "Of the two of you, YOU were my mother, the parent I loved before I came into the truth and still something I refused to let go of despite knowing that you abandoned your pack for that wretched cunt...-Soon as he turned his back on us, we were out in the open and vulnerable but there was still no one else I cared for, long after finding myself back here in my homeland but now you're coming back at me like I'm something else...-Like I'm not your son? If that's the way you want to play this, then fuck it, you want me to act like a predator, I'll show you a predator...".

Cayden snarled viciously in response, "Have the damn kill, you step foot into Kostas territory and I'll deal with you before my father gets a fucking sniff of your scent...", He was trembling though she'd not notice it, Cayden's anger had breached all heights in the shadow of what felt like her betrayal, he turned away "You should've stayed dead if this is what you wanted...". Perhaps it was his youth, perhaps it was more of his fragility coming through in him than he had wished to show but over the past weeks having been struggling to adapt to the pack life and finding what was right for him, Eclipse's sudden appearance had been astonishing, only the way in which she seemed to talk down to him..-It was like rising hopes only to break them violently against the ground floor. "Why did you come back?...", he craved an honest answer yet tempers were high and he doubted he'd get one. His mother didn't seem to have much of a heart left to give to her children and though he hadn't seen his sisters in a long time, he didn't want them to see her like this...

Eclipse listened to her son as he became more and more enraged with the entire situation. He was still young, but she was treating a fine line here. He was no longer a pup and she was not treating him like one but like a grown adult- the only difference was he had the vile temper as she did at this point in her life and was just as stubborn as both her and Blaze combined. This was going to be a sticky situation she had put herself in unintentionally. With a heavy sigh she began to speak calmly, not slowly,  once he had finished his rant.

"Cayden, you are my son. But I am very well aware that I have lost years of time with you. You are not a child so I am not treating you as though you are one but as an adult.  I was under the assumption that Blaze had taken you back as much as you were that I was dead."

The fur along her back and heckles raised in defense at his words and actions. Ears furled back against her head as she anticipated what his next moves were going to be. He was volatile and the energy around them was humming to life with excitement. He was powerful and she wondered what powers he had developed or was going to be developing as he aged. His bloodline would only see way to greatness if he accepted it.

"Do you really think this is what I wanted? To have my own son ready to lash out at me? I did not know this was you standing here next to the carcass as much as you knew it was me."

This really wasn't what she wanted and if she could have turned back the clock and repeated this all over again she would have done several things different. The trouble was, neither of them knew who each other truly was anymore and it was painful for her to stand here and just listen to the anger that was hiding the hurt from her son. No she did not mean for this to happen to him, or any of her children, she had done exactly what Nyoka had done to her and the realization was like a thousand knives stabbing her in the heart over and over again.

"I came back to make amends."


Eclipse answered his last question, it was true. She had come back here to at least patch a few things that she had wronged in the past. Blaze and Cayden would apparently be the most difficult so far, but she had not seen the girls yet to determine where they would fall into the scheme of things. Cayden was sure as hell not about to let her get close to him to try and make things up.

A low huff escaped the male as his head lifted marginally in response to his mothers reply, his ears twitching though not yet rising from the back of his head as he kept his body poised not entirely certain in how to come back from the anger that had taken him, it all seemed to much to unleash in the one moment, a conflict that originally began between his parents and having consumed what could've been a normal life, he stood before his mother now only moments passed whence he'd been ready and even eager to kill her on the share principle of food.
"You want to make amends..." He seethed a heated breath though made no further approach, his tone wavered in his audible frustration yet broken in uncertainty, he felt like backing away and Cayden didn't back away from anything, he was wildly reckless to the point of endangering himself yet having finally found a place in his life where there'd been quiet enough to do some soul searching so to speak, the world saw fit to collapse down around him again with a whole new set of truths that revealed all the lies behind him, "Shit...-I wouldn't know what that's going to look like but if that's the case, talk to the old man...This family is so fucked..." He growled lowly to himself, the blunt truth in his view over his blood, his heritage.

Slowly his eyes pulled away from Eclipse, looking off in the direction of the human city to which he thought about Veita and how long it'd been since he'd seen her. The thought was both warming, distracting yet brought about a whole new set of worries and as he glanced back to Eclipse, he didn't feel like he had the patience to handle all the shit that his family brought with it. "Why'd you leave in the first place...", another question, one of many it seemed were building up inside of him, searching for any resemblance of truth in his mothers form, "You've come back, obviously there's something worth coming back to, why'd you pull us away from here....-Why'd we go with Wolf...".

Eclipse gave a wry smile as Cayden spoke about how damaged this family was and he was right about that. Although he would only know his tale and what he had seen and heard. Actually living through what had happened in the past was a completely different story.  Her gaze did not leave his as she listened to him continue to speak about what she should do.

"I will speak with Blaze again in due time. Until then I saw it only fitting if I scout around and see what else I could find and get my bearing back."

She spoke calmly as she had given Blaze a clue as to where he might find her and once she made her peace here with Cayden, as much as she could anyway, she would head to that spot and see what might occur between the pair once they meet on neutral grounds. The dame knew just being back here would slowly revert her back to her old ways, her mild personality rather than lashing out first notice. At least that is what she thought and it was a good thought anyway.

When Cayden pulled his gaze from her and looked towards the city sky line, she could not help but wonder what was on his mind now. Was it to run somewhere far away from here? Turning her head, she watched her son carefully - curious as to what was on his mind at that moment and how she wished that had shared a stronger connection so she could help him out. The tension had not left him though and once he turned back to look at her, she was immediately bombarded with two questions. He spoke them in such a quick succession that she almost had a hard time telling a part one to the next.

"I was scared."

She admitted, which was not an easy thing for her to do. Fear could mean weakness and her family at that time was her weakness.

"I was afraid and easily swayed away from your father who I rarely saw prior to and shortly after your birth. Wolf and I did not do any type of consorting other than just finding a new place, away from here. Starting a new pack where I could raise you guys to value yourself worth and not feel restrained by being the children of Alpha's. My thinking that I would be helping you only made things worse for all of you in the end. In my mind your father had greater priorities than his family, it was his rank he was most eager to maintain then. I had my rank but I also had our children.."

She paused and took a moment to gather her thoughts, her gaze hazed as she looked at Cayden and then to the sky for some sort of strength.

"I had already lost one child to suicide..I did want to lose any others. Rather than put you somewhere safe I put your lives in greater danger by separating and now making you question me..the same way as.."

Eclipse fell silent, unable to bring herself to say the name of the son that had taken his life just thinking that it would bring she and Nyoka back together. Gathering a deep breath, she composed herself and looked back at Cayden with dark eyes.

"So now you know.."

The fact that Cayden had had a potential brother or sister further back down the line was a little startling, to not know about his mother having lost a kid in the past, it made his head tilt somewhat as he looked back at her in doubt and suspicion though losing his aggressive edge, he paused, his eyes squinting a little as his mind moved to recover from the small revelation. Was was more surprising however was that her and WolfMortum had apparently, by Eclipse's admission not been of any sexual nature or anything even close to that, that she'd held with his father Blaze. This was a truth that caved the majority of his want to lash out at her to begin with, a fear that she'd chosen another over his father leading to them being pulled and their family being thrown into such a chaos, his eyes found the ground floor as he tried to keep his cool, a little shell shocked inside "So what...-You left because you lost a kid.." His word use was far to casual and though he didn't notice it, he was moving on a point to make, "who took their own life by their own choice so that justified leaving my father with a friend, not someone who even had the slightest intention or obligation to stick around and keep us safe...-I always thought you and Wolf had been...-you know, together...".

He hadn't considered just how much of a guilt trip this would likely be on his mothers end, it seemed selfish of him though he wanted to understand the past behind his family so desperately, why he was so estranged from both of his parents and his sisters, knowing none of them at all like siblings or family should, it was by his will, much like his mothers now that he'd wound back up in these lands and yet still gained nothing in the way of comfort or reassurance as he'd joined a pack led by Benjamin who he knew not how to really bond with, without some part of him feeling like he was either going to screw it up or his father was going to turn him away. Though he'd never said anything to Veita about just how twisted up he was inside, his confusion and conflict might have well been showing far more so than he was willing to put on as he looked back at his mother, eyes wide with an evident lust for the full story in attempt to comprehend and perhaps even excuse the mess of a past that they shared, something to justify just how badly it had all gone.

Eclipse watched her son, still as on edge but he seemed less so than before. She; however, was not about to let her guard down around him. He had shown just as stubborn and ready to pick a fight as she was. His words were casual, perhaps too casual for even her liking. It seemed he has learned enough from Wolf to allow his words to cut far deeper than his teeth. Her brow furrowed slightly as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Kyros was but a babe when he took his life and it was because of his so called Uncle. I had no idea that Wolf was not going to stick around and help. As far as I knew he was going to keep his word which proved how ignorant I was at that point in time."

The fur along her back raised in anger as she thought of what had transpired between she and Hiroshi along with she and Wolf. What was it with male's that they thought they could rule everyone they wanted? He had seemed to do right in the beginning and then everything fell a part from there as it seemed to always do within her life. The obsidian demon knew she was admitting that she was in the wrong then but that was in the past and there was nothing she could do about it now; only move on.

"No, Wolf and I never consorted sexually and never would."

She spoke the cold facts, whether he accepted them or not was her choice. If Blaze knew the two of them were speaking right now he would have a field day trying to rip her a new one. The thought made her smile to herself. Blaze would only be trying to protect their son while she was giving him the answers she knew he craved deep down. Who would look like the bad guy then? Her twisted mind had gone perhaps too far as she continued to think about what would happened. It wouldn't, at least not yet. Blaze would need time to cool off before she approached him again to discuss the matter of her leaving. Speaking with Cayden now though, gave her some form of hope that Blaze might be a little more accepting than their first encounter.

Cayden groaned under his breath, wishing he hadn't even implied that the two had been together, though it did explain a fair bit, it was a train of thought he didn't want to pursue when thinking of his mother. He found his way back to his paws, all of four of them firmly against the floor carrying the bulk of his weight as his eyes glanced about the area they were standing within, still no sign of the Nayati which was a little disappointing in all his honest opinion, he'd been hoping to see where they stood these days. No matter, Eclipse had given him another problem to have to deal with, which meant he needed to speak to his father who'd not yet found the time to explain just why he hadn't told Cayden his mother was back in the Kumari Plains. "C'mon then...." He muttered lowly under his breath, "Let's get outta here" he added before turning back for the direction of the Kosta's territories far off in the distant north.

"Beyond my clearly little understanding, it seems wherever I go, the past can't help but reach out and fuck with me when things are finally leveling out...-I don't know what these lands were like when you pulled us away but from what I've learned of the packs so far, they're nothing of what they used to be. I must have only seen two or three Nayati in my time and only marginally more than that of the Kostas, my father included...Bejamin's going to have a field-day seeing the two of us enter the pack lands as well, as if he's not already on edge having to take his former place away from BladeWolf, he's trying to keep this pack going strong...-But I'm not sure if he can do it or not", he spoke as he moved, knowing well he was divulging pack information to Eclipse though she wasn't some stranger to these lands in his mind and he knew she was smart enough to pick up on these things as he had done so on his own.

"Any former members that resembled anything of strength in these packs also seem to have cleared out with the exception of my father. I know there's another capable fighter but he's not with either pack, something of a self-proclaimed guardian over the land or something like that...-Don't quote me, I don't completely understand it..".

The woman's head careened to the side, following Cayden's gaze to the border of this so called pack. It was a poor excuse of a pack if she had seen one. Next time she might not be the one to casually saunter upon their lands, she knew another would not be so understanding of boundaries. When her gaze met with his once more, the brute had given warning to move as if danger was lurking just the border.

"You better get used to it Cayden. The past will be with you no matter where you go and will always find a way to sneak back up on you when you least expect it. Best not to get too comfortable."

Her words spoke truth and, once again, whether or not he would accept it was out of her control.

"To be completely honest with you, Cayden, these lands are in poor shape. Let's face it, the Nayati pack, if that is even what they want to call themselves are failing miserably at patrolling and scenting their borders. From this point, in my opinion, they are gone. As for a guardian of the land I'll keep my opinion to myself until I meet him, if I ever meet him.."

The femme kept a step or two just behind the earth toned male, following but giving herself plenty of space as well to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings. The further from the so called border they moved, the fresher the air seemed to be. With a chuckle she shook her head thinking Blade being able to lead a pack, the male could barely keep himself contained when she had shown back up here in these lands. At the thought of crossing over into Kostas territory, she could only imagine what Blaze would do. Their deal was that she would not cross without permission, there was no say as to her own son taking her into the land. There were always loop holes in deals and she was more than willing to exploit them to her advantage.

Cayden rolled his eyes to himself, not turning to look back to his mother as she spoke to the past in response, a walking breathing example of this along with the sense that such was always going to be the way. He'd lived the majority of his life as a loner and only now did he seem to be reunited with his parents, finding it extremely uncomfortable falling under their apparent like for schooling him as if he were still the pup they'd lost so long ago. Perhaps it was the youth in him, though an adult in his own right, he still couldn't ignore that it drove a slight wedge between himself and any feeling of what he'd hoped could've been a mutual relationship, he had one mentor, that being Raikou Diasu, what he wanted in his parents was stability, that which he believed wouldn't exist ever again.

"I came across the colleseum within the human city a little while back..." He chose to follow in suit, changing the subject to that of the state of the lands and the packs, "Found the sanctuary of Cor Lupus, according to Aulan, WolfMortum was a part of it though christ only knows what good he might've been; I'm thinking about taking the mantle..." The suggestion wasn't something he knew how Eclipse might take yet he spoke it none the less with little evidence of want for approval in either her nor the mention of his father, the confidence in him coming through as if to say 'this is happening', his decision already made. "I can fight as well as most in this land, I figure if I'm going to be killed it may as well be for something of any good.." The following remark was one spoken a bit out of distaste, "It's all I've lived for, for so long with so little else going for me after all, I might as well put my skills to the pack".

So, her son thought he could stand up and take over the Cor Lupus? Well that would be a sight to behold but it sounded like prior to he would not anyone come between him and his pack either. Which was it, the pack or Cor Lupus? If she remembered correctly they had, at one point, been part of the Kumari pack, had this changed and they split? Everything that she had seen so far, the land was flourishing in faun and fauna but the predators, mainly the wolves were lacking. What exactly did he hope to obtain? The power to rule a few or the power to rule the many? Dark eyes watched the male very carefully, taking in each word that he had and the tone in which he spoke.

"Wolf Mortum may have been a bastard in some ways but he had a core idea of how to protect and fight. Carrying out those ideals was much harder for him in the end."

Eclipse knew she would probably never change Cayden's thoughts on Wolf but she still had respect for the brute even though things did not turn out the way they should. That respect, carried through in her words even if he, and others, thought nothing but disdain

"It sounds like you feel the need to prove your worth to your pack members. Have they not seen your potential and encouraged you rather than you ousting yourself as though you've got nothing better to do?"

An ear twisted back at the idea that not even Blaze was trying to bring his son and encourage him to do his best and further. The obsidian phantom knew that while she and Blaze both missed out on his young years at least Blaze of all should be pushing everyone to do better and be better.

"The only thing that son of a bitch was protecting was his own ambitions, Mom, don't fool yourself into thinking he had any care for us, if he'd wanted to stick around, to do what was right for me and my sisters, he'd have told you to stay in these lands, then he could leave and do whatever the hell it is that he did that was so worth leaving me behind...-Leaving us behind.." There was a pause, a hint of something he'd given away yet he snapped back at her remark about Wolf 'not being so bad' and apparently having something no one else did by the way of her tone in her words. Eclipse moved to speak further and it only felt antagonistic as she questioned whether people had seen his potential or not, frustrating him for multiple reasons though the most significant fact being that she knew nothing of his potential.

"Nothing's holding me back..." His head lowered, turning back, his maw nearing the ground as he eyed her rather dangerously now, her confidence being rivaled by his own now as he stood toe to toe with his mother, his ambitions burning through out his form as he tensed up, "Especially not some arrogant bastard like Wolf...-And not some bitch that thinks she can come back claiming to know how things are around here...". Cayden Nekishu's anger had been re-awoken by her mention of the packs neglect to acknowledge him and it had bothered him more than anything else in the world to-date. He'd found an easy entrance through Blaze, Benjamin going the distance to take him into the Kostas though Cayden had once more put distance between himself and his father to show that he was worth the effort; and the others had still avoided him. With all the bad blood between their family, his mother was treading some very hostile ground trying to pour salt in his wounds, perhaps unintentional though her intentions meant nothing for Cayden, he'd yet to see her prove her place as his blood, let alone her place in these lands.

"I may be your blood but I don't owe you a damn thing, you'd do better to remember that, especially given I'm going to take the flak for walking you back into our territory...-Don't treat me like some tool, you know nothing about me and that fault falls to you".

Eclipsed stopped when she heard Cayden's voice rise in anger again. She let out a sigh, while she expected rekindling any form of a relationship with her children might have been, he was making it much more difficult. The fact of the matter was, he sounded a hell of a lot like Wolf, the very man he had been bitching about just moments before. Did he realize this? Did she want to mention this and set him even further over the edge than he already was just from a small observation she had made only moments before.

Tired of his bull shit, the fur along the back of her neck stood up, ears pinning back along her head once more.

"I've not treated you like a tool. If you can't handle someone making an observation about what you've said then get a fucking back bone and get over yourself. You're not the only one who had shit happen to them against their fucking will. Go back to your father and let him know you've seen me."

Her tail lashed behind her wildly as she spoke. Salmon colored tongue lashing out against her lips as saliva dripped from her maw, ready to take an attack should he wish to strike. The temptress was not about to let anyone, even her own son, try and push her around. She wasn't under his jurisdiction or anyone elses. Within her mind all she could hope was that he didn't strike out, yet her body was honed and ready to as the muscled rippled beneath her skin, protected by a thick lush layer of iridescent obsidian fur. Nails curling like talons into the ground to either aid in propelling her forward or holding her ground. It gave her further purchase, while grounding her to a core source of energy that ebbed and flowed around them. Crackling like popcorn in her ear to prepare her for another fight, this one, she anticipated to be far more intense than their first little spar.

His paws dug deep against the ground as he made sure to floor himself, poising and restraining himself from throwing down against her. As eager as his temper was in the wake of his pride being challenged, he had to bite back against it as common reason told him it wouldn't improve things and he knew somewhere behind all the shit that was sparking up between them, he didn't want to be one to attack his own mother, perhaps if the good intentions had never been there but not knowing that she'd at-least tried. "Fuck this...-I don't need this shit, go tell him yourself..." His ears pulled back as he grumbled beneath his heated breath, slowly turning away from Eclipse, refusing to submit so willingly yet too withholding any further aggression in regard to spilling the blood of his blood.

He'd been about to walk away yet found himself stopping once again as his Sisters came to mind, his eyes shifting to the right as he kept her in the far side of his view, speaking out to her. "I hope you have better luck than I did with my Sisters...", a sincere remark in all regard and a regret of his own yet hoping that perhaps they may see eye to eye with their mother as opposed to how they seemed to regard the male side of their family; or was it simply Cayden they resented, who could know in the absence of  the ones able to give him the answers. "Go find them, make sure they're alright. If Benjamin has a problem with you being in our territory, tell him I gave you the right. If he has a problem with that, he knows how to find me...-Might be easier for them, having you back when all this shit dies down with you two", he was of course suggesting Benjamin in the end of his remark.

There was little more to say that wouldn't evolve into an argument from here and rather than battle out family politics with her, as much as he'd missed the memories of the mother she'd been to him so long ago, he couldn't stand this feeling, the situation around them that made him feel so hostile and resentful. Shifting, Cayden began to move off to the left in search of the Muchani City known to the humans, perhaps he could find Veita somewhere close by and try to drown out everything else.

With a silent relief, Cayden turned away from her. Growling about how he doesn't need this shit when the fact was, no one did but it was just the card life had dealt each of them and now they had to do what they could to alter their future for better or for worse. She had no intention of speaking to Benjamin any time soon on this matter as it was far to soon for the two of them to speak again. She had to calm down, potentially re-establish some form of roots here, and he would have to relax as well some before she could speak with him again.

Ears lifted from her crown as he stopped momentarily to reference his sisters. She had not seen hide nor hair of either of the two being here. Blaze had made no mention to her about any of their children so it was entirely up to her to find them; whether by happenstance or not. Cayden had given her entrance into the pack lands but with the request to seek out his siblings in hopes they were alright. This was her plan anyway but it seemed all that more imperative that she find them now. It may be the only key to establishing a better relationship with her son who was more than a little angry with her, along with just letting them know that she was sorry and had the best intentions at heart for all of them even if it did not go according to plan.

As the earthen male left her sights to head towards the city, Eclipse moved along the boarder of the Nayati pack to potentially round up some scraps from Cayden's kill before proceeding on her journey to find her daughters.

--Exit Eclipse and End Thread--