I was day and he was night; light and dark. We were so different and others would never associate us together. But when we did collide, you got dusk and dawn; something truly beautiful. Maybe that was what fate had planned for us, to break people's expectations of us. As a demon, he was thought to be scary and heartless. And then there was me, they saw me as soft and weak. We would need to play off each other's strengths and weaknesses. It would be hard of course, these differences would surly collide and others would want to see us fail. There would be sparks and our souls, which seemed to be tied together, would surely be bruised and beaten by the end of it. But maybe, just maybe we could mend the wounds and fight to prove Moladion wrong.

I could see it, that little bit of determination that came through with Astaroth as we walked. He wanted me to break what he and everyone surely thought of me just as much as I wanted to. He could make me stronger, and at the same time I could prove that demon's were wolves just like the rest of us, just misunderstood. It was my nature to give everyone a fair chance to prove themselves, even the demons deserved that. They had such a complex history about them, maybe if the others could just learn more about them like I was attempting to do, they wouldn't hate them so much.

As I inspected his den, I could see him puffed out with pride. It made me laugh slightly, seeing in wait so patiently and so proud of his den. He followed me around while and then when I told him I liked it, his ears flicked forward and he beamed. He may have tried to hide that reaction but nothing went unnoticed by my silver gaze. Even his tail managed a quick wave, making me smile. That little bit of happiness he felt shot through the link that connected us and touched my soul. When he flopped down lazily, I copied his action, but with a more graceful and delicate descent.

When I asked him, I waited almost nervously to hear if he would hear me out or not. "I will listen," he confirmed with a nod, making me relieved and ecstatic that I had his attention. "Then I tell you mine." he added, taking me a little bit by surprise. I didn't think he would do so, but I was pleased that he was letting me in to his life as well. I nodded as he rested his head on his paws, prepared to listen. I was a bit hesitant, but I started anyway.

"I come from a large pack of wolves that lived on a rugged, harsh mountain. We were a strong pack, the top pack in the area. My parent's were the alphas and they were good rulers. I was the second youngest, with two older sisters, an older brother, and a younger sister. I was the smallest, the runt, and in a pack full of large warriors, that was a problem. Many did not like me, saw me as a weakness and liability to them. My siblings also disliked me, because I was too small to play with them or train with them like they wanted. So they ignored me or pushed me away. My grandmother and mother knew I wasn't going to fit in with the warriors, so they set out to teach me how to be a healer instead. My father still taught me how to fight, but he clearly favored my siblings and I knew I would never be heir, not that I minded all that much. I mainly grew up alone and separate the others, but even I could see how much hatred and evil was beginning to form inside my older brother. He was set to be the next heir, but he was power hungry and cruel, so my father named one of my older sister's heir instead. This infuriated my brother, so much so that his actions became more and more malicious each day. Until one day, he just vanished without a trace. Actually he was out recruiting rogues to come in and slaughter everyone. I should have warned them, but....I just didn't think my brother was capable of actually doing something like that."

I had to stop for a second, my chest having tightened with anger and sadness. I sighed and looked back up to Astaroth. "He returned, Rogues following his every command with a blood lust I have never seen before. They came in and began to kill everyone, starting with my parents to send the others into turmoil. He gave everyone the opportunity to join him under his rule, but everyone refused. They stayed in fought, but were ultimately cut down, each and everyone of them; even the pups. All I could do was run. They chased me, my brother had ordered that I not be allowed to live. I ran for days, weeks, months, and then years. They never stopped chasing me."

A small growl slipped past my lips as I thought of the few close calls I had had with the rogues. Sometimes they got a lot closer than comfortable for me, their presence always lingered everywhere I go. "Finally I threw them off and lost them just before coming here, to Moladion. The story should stop here, but it doesn't. Apparently my brother was so furious that his little minions had failed to kill me, he took it upon himself to kill me himself. It was safe here for a while and I was beginning to feel like I could actually live somewhere again and not run. Until the other day, I heard him howling just outside Moladion, calling to me. So I began to hide and hope he'd think I left. But the same day I first saw you at that strange gathering, he found me. I came face to face with him for the first time in a long time. He hadn't changed much, he was still just as large and psychotic. I ran, it seems its the only thing I can do. He'd kill me if I tried to fight him with the skills I have now. That's why I had originally come to Iromar, and then I found you."

I hadn't noticed my voice had started shaking slightly in fear, just from the simply thought of my brother. "Soon though, he's going to get tired of this little game he's playing with me and he's going to come. I feel like a ticking time bomb because of him, that everyone and everything around me will get hurt since I continue to run like a coward." I looked into his eyes, there was fear and vulnerability there. I had let Astaroth in, something no one else had succeeded in. I was fragile, and he could break me if he wanted to. It was extremely hard for me to talk about. My brother had ruined my life and wouldn't stop until I was dead, or he was.

❤ THANKS SKYE