Nothing she did had ever truly gone unnoticed by him, not at all. He had always been diligent in keeping mental tabs on his sister, Celesdue. He had known of Phobia's apparent demise but he had kept quiet on the matter, allowing her time to grieve privately but even then, he had always been around enough to know what was happening. Like Caligula, she had been filled with pups but things had been different for her - now, she had no mate, no true support and she'd never had the ambition, or so he figured, to fight for a home. Though begrudgingly, for he had never been too fond of the idea of caring so intimately for more than his own private family, he had sworn to keep an eye over her, to aid her if she so needed it. Though he had been battered from his combat against Alcide, he figured he could manage well enough - rabbits, squirrels, that kind of thing at least.

After he had tended to Caligula, continuing in his efforts to keep her well fed if not overly so, he had began to follow the newest scent of Celesdue he could find. What he was met with, however, was not what he had expected - her den was splashed with blood, still quite fresh and yet, old enough that he knew he'd have no chance in catching up to whomever's it was. Hers was there, and yet the strangers' blood was thicker, more intense. He inspected the area thoroughly, inspecting each droplet he could find and bristling at the strange scents that lead away. There had been a fight, some kind of altercation and he had not been there to prevent such a thing. Still, he knew in his very soul he could never have been - Caligula trumped all others. He was drawn to protect her above all else including his own family, and though he cursed himself silently over it, it could not be helped. He would tell her and perhaps in time they would seek out Celesdue once more or perhaps she would return again - she was not dead for he was positive he would feel such a thing.

And then, a squeak, an obnoxious sound he knew too well. Instantly he turned to the den, his ears cupped forward and his head tilting to each opposite axis with each squeak. A child, he figured, and perhaps he would have been inclined to ignore it had he not known how intensely Caligula's love for Celesdue ran, even how tolerant she had been of Phobia. If only for her, he entered the den, wearily grabbing the tiny pup in his jaws before he emerged. With a quick check of the area, he took no time in sprinting off, intending to return to Caligula long before the child even had a chance of becoming cold. He would keep the child alive, raise it even, if not in a vain hope that his sister would return someday for the boy.

T E S S E R A C T
[ five - soul of caligula ]