I'll think of something -private-

[Draeg]

Spring. A time of new beginnings. Where the troubles and tribulations of the previous year seemed to melt away like snow in the early morning sun, becoming nothing more than a memory of the past as the world seemed to start anew. Unfortunately the arrival of spring didn’t always herald the start of good times and prosperity as most liked to believe but rather the start of new problems and obstacles to face and overcome. This spring was turning out to be one of those cases as a certain amber varg was starting to discover. There herla were late this year. Several moons had past since the last snow had melted heralding the end the harsh winter season and still there had been no sign of the fleet hoofed lera anywhere other then a few stray hinds.

Draeg was concerned, without their chief source of food readily available to them there was no telling what would happen to Ge-Rad or its neighboring packs. He had heard tales of packs going to war in instances where prey had been too scarce to support more then one cluster of varg as had been the case with List and Koran, not wanting Ge-Rad to be drawn into another pointless blood feud the amber dragga had set out from Ge-Rad in hopes of locating a suitable cache of prey that might be able to support his dwindling pack.. Unfortunately so far all his efforts were proving fruitless, the largest thing he’d seen in past two hours having been a squirrel and even that had proven beyond his capability to catch once it had vanished into the forest canopy. Disheartened with his progress and frustrated by his lack productivity he decided to let off on his search for the time being and rest, settling himself beneath a shaded spot at the base of an old sycamore and plopping himself down on the soft loam. Perhaps he would have better luck after a quick rest.

[Koan]

The best years of his life had slipped away slowly, scarring him as deeply as the etched wounds on his body. The male found that an accurate analogy, a constant flow fowards, a constant adding of torn flesh and rent soul, damage that sometimes broke even the strongest of creatures. Perhaps he truely had reached his limits as a warrior, a fighter, perhaps now, he was best suited to some position that didn't require strength. He felt old, weak, ruined. He had loved and lost; the expression, he had once heard 'It is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all...'

That was a steaming pile of crap.

Losing what you loved was infinitely more painful then never having had it. Perhaps he was cursed, this sword-metal wolf. Not only had he been cost the first creature he ever loved, the fae he had grown with; what would his lovely Huts think of him now...?; he had been cost his cobalt beauty as well. Fenris and Tor only knew where Lydair had gone; she had disappeared with the seasons, taking his only respite from his regrets and longing away.

The male had been too weak to father his cubs on his own. He hadn't been there for them, hadn't been able to do what his own father, Draeg had done for him. He prayed, nightly to the mighty sun wolf that he could be forgiven for what he had done. He didn't claim to be perfect, not even a strong, dominant male anymore.

The months of wandering had finally finished breaking the Sword of Ge-rad; his edge had dulled. Those amber-chip eyes looked more like the eyes of a broken Sikla then the look of one who would do battle and protect anything important to him.

Who would remember that he had wounded the former Dragga of Ge-rad when he threatened to tear apart the pack. Who would remember that he had tried to defend his pack from invasion?

No one, thats who. As he strode through lands he recognized from so long ago, he stumbled over a shape on the ground, staggering to the side and whimpering as he realized it was another wolf.

"M-my apologies."

[Draeg]

Shaded from the worst affects of Fenris smoldering gaze Draeg allowed his mind to wander. So much had happened in the years following his unprecedented ascension to Draggahood. Becoming a grandfather, Kop’s capture, Krael’s corruption, the war, Demon’s confession, finding out about Lestat’s heritage, Cwen’s death, Sorcha’s birth, Krystal’s affection for him, Ayasha’s adoption. It wall all so much to take in that sometimes the amber brute still had trouble believing any of it.

As always he reflected on how much he had changed in that short span of time as well. While he was still fundamentally the same varg Cwen’s death had affected him deeply. He had grown darker and less trusting of others, becoming almost volatile at times except when in the company of close friends or family. No longer did he pray to the gods of his homeland or ask his ancestors for guidance, what faith he had had in the gods had died alongside his beloved Cwen.

Only the company of his niece and last two remaining offspring had brought him out of the depths of his depression and prevented him from being completely overwhelmed by the poignant bitterness that threatened to consume him. Even so there were still days where the scarred dragga would find himself reverting and be forced to occupy himself until the mood passed.

Sudden weight pressing down onto his side he grunted as something bumped into him, rising to his feet with a start and rounding on the impertinent varg.

“Watch it pup!” he barked, maw cracked in a furious snarl.

His snarl died as he got a good look at the whimpering sikla, blinking his eyes in surprise as he found himself staring at a face he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Koan?”

[Koan]

The younger male's head snapped back, staring at the amber varg before him. He knew that hide, that scent, those eyes, that voice. He remembered all of them quite clearly, and his ears pinned back further. A knotted scar adorned the younger males face, the remains of a wound dealt to him by a bear, months before. He was scarred and pitted by battle, and now, he was broken. His father, the only person he had ever wanted to make proud, was standing before him, staring at the weak Sikla he had become. He took a half step back, before dipping his head, deciding to pretend he was mistaken.

"You must be thinking of someone else, sir. " Koan said softly. He turned away from the Dragga, shrugging. "I'll let him know if I ever meet him, that you are looking for him." The male slowly stepped away, his tail tightly tucked as he walked away from his father. The broken wolf prayed to Fenris that the older male would not press him further; he could not bear to explain his weakness to his father. He could not face the mann that he had abandoned, had left with the cubs that he, Koan, had fathered. How dare he think that he had any right to even address his father.

He continued his slow walk away, not daring to look back because he knew, if he did, he would break.

[Draeg]

Jaw suspended Draeg stared at the battered brute cowering before him in shock, suddenly overtaken by an expected rush of emotion. Those scars, he knew those scars. He had committed each one to memory, memorizing the intricate patterns formed by their distinct shape and location until he felt as if they were just as much a part of him as his own scars. And that scent, not even the passage of time could erase it from his memory. There was no mistaking it, no matter how much the battered brute might try to deny or hide it. This was his son.

With reckless abandon Draeg threw himself at the younger varg, tackling him and assaulting him with a fierce barrage of excited licks and nuzzles. He seemed ignorant of Koan’s previous claim, almost as if his ears had failed to register his son’s words and he hadn’t heard. The only thing the elder male seemed to be aware of at the moment was the sudden appearance of the varg before him, whom he had taken in and raised as his own son. It didn’t matter to Draeg that he had left Ge-Rad to pursue his mate or that Koan had left him to take care of Kaemon by himself, the only thing that mattered to him right now was that Koan had returned to him.

[Koan]

The wolf yelped aloud as Draeg sprang upon him. He crumpled and felt himself pinned beneath the Dragga, squirming and grumbling fitfully as the other wolf licked, nuzzled, and showed his affection for his son. Koan couldn't help but feel a little pleased by the actions of his father.

"H-hey! D-didn't you hear, I'm..." he whimpered and tucked his ears. "I can't fool you, eh, Dad?"

(lame, but trying to keep it moving.)

[Draeg]

Throwing himself at Koan the amber dragga pounced upon the scarred warrior, covering him in a heavy assault of licks and nuzzles and sending them both tumbling along the soft grass. He could hear Koan’s feeble protest beneath him, battered varg trying desperately to squirm free of his father’s grip only to give in to the lavish show of affection a few moments later. Why Koan would do anything as unsettling as to try to trick the Ge-Radian dragga into passing him by without a second thought was a mystery, however for the moment Draeg was content to bask in the glory of the moment and celebrate the return of his eldest son.

Backing off the steel warrior Draeg allowed him a chance to rest along with some much needed breathing room. Settling back on to his haunches the amber brute seated himself directly in front of his wayward offspring, cool amber gaze narrowing on Koan expectantly. “I wouldn’t be much of a dad if you could now would I?” he grinned, batting a playful paw at the gunmetal wolf. Smile vanishing, he continued. “However that begs the question, why would you try to trick me?”

[Koan]

The wolf shook his head, as if trying to clear it as the amber Dragga pulled himself off of him. The wolf's fur was pitted and scarred even more now; he resembled more then ever the beaten sword he once was for Ge-rad. His amber eyes scanned the dirt intently as he tried to think of how to answer his father's words.

"I...really don't know, father. I felt...I supposed...that I sinned too greatly to deserve any respite. I abandoned you, my pack, my responsiblities...even my own children. They never knew me; they learned to treat you as the father I never was to them . What right does a Sikla have to speak to his alpha as his son? What right does a knight who abandoned his king have to return, offering his battered body, broken armor, and pitted blade? None, that's what. I felt that perhaps it would be better if you, the only varg left in this world that I love in -any- way, forgot about me. Perhaps it would cause you less hurt."

He dipped his large head deeply to his alpha. "But even that, I suppose, is out of line. You are my Dragga; I owe you the truth. I owe you what strength I still have. " He closed his amber eyes, submitting himself even more to the Dragga. "Forgive me, Dragga."

[Draeg]

Extracting himself from Koan the amber varg watched his son intently, patiently awaiting an answer to his previous question. He remained silent for the duration of Koan’s speech, allowing the battered varg to explain himself and the reasons behind his not so mysterious disappearance. Through it all Draeg simply regarded his eldest son for a moment before speaking.

“My son, nothing you do will ever change the way I feel for you. You will always have something to offer this family. Remember that a broken sword can be mended, it’s blade reforged. I know why you left and it wasn‘t because you chose to abandon your family, you did so to find your mate. I can’t fault you for that, in fact I probably would have done the same in your situation. And at least you had the foresight to make sure that your pups would be well taken care of, and while I can’t say where Koude or Caoimhe have gotten off to I can assure you that you still have one pup waiting for you in back in Ge-Rad.”

Clearing his throat nervously it was Draeg’s turn to avert his gaze, amber orbs glancing thoughtfully towards the heavens to observe a passing cloud. “On that note, there have been some…. Eh…unforeseen complications that….er, require your…you’d do best to…you’re going to be a grandfather!”