“Son, I do not think you understand, you have collected five sticks when I asked you to bring me exactly three river stones that had eroded into a spherical fashion. Not only is a stick not a form of stone, but the amount with which you have presented me is entirely incorrect. Niviaq, I feel our child is beginning to enter his rebellious years, look, look at what he has brought me, what it this? Stop that Gal.”

The earthen child’s attempts to punce once more on his collection of twigs is met with little more then a scowel from the long-suffering Pan, the golden male allowing those strange black eyes to fall with discord upon his eldest child, the male with whom he had held so much hope and yet had so far proven to be, well, lacking a little in comparison to his sister. The boy he thinks, has taken after Niviaq, a fascinating collection of genetic questions already formulating in his mind when the howl of another is given to taint the air. He had known, of course, of the pack challenge that had occurred and much as the last time had assured himself of the outcome, Purge and her ability to win physical brawls already having proven to require no need for probably calulation. He had enjoyed the female to some extent, she had listened where so many had not and yet she was not the fighter she seemed to believe, nor was her companion it would seem and as such Pan had prepared himself already for yet another change of leadership, moving to lift himself up to his paws, reaching to snatch his earthen coloured son into his jaws, the boy the very spitting image of his own sire to the extent that even with his touches of gold, the child’s appearance bothered him. Indus and Pan never had seen eye to eye after all.

“Come Niviaq, bring our daughter and we shall investigate the return of the blood of Moonglow and Alcide. Galileo, we shall discuss all the ways in which you are wrong when this is done.”

It is unacceptable he thinks, to have a child that confuses rocks and stones, oblivious to the fact that the boy is perhaps still to young to truly appreciate such things as Pan moves to lift him by the scruff in the manner Niviaq had shown him before proceeding to lope towards the clearing tainted in the scent of blood, dark eyes landing upon the retreating figure of Purge as well as Natu, the wolf with which he had hunted earlier. The gleaming golden male, slowed his lope now, heavy, muscular form wandering forward to place himself before this new alphess, moving to lower his son to his paws, the earth and golden boy immediately toppoling over with giddy laughter to roll and bat at his sires belly fur- much to Pan’s disdain. The boy was hardly a prodigy. How very…displeasing. Then again, perhaps he was merely utilizing a different form of learning, one Pan was determined to research when he ahd the time.

“Natu.”

He merely offers the girl a greeting before his attention returns to the grey and dark wolfess whom lingers before them, the one whose howl had held the command that had brought him now, strange black eyes seeming to observe her for a moment before she is subject to his inevitable flood of words.

“I am Pan, this is my son, Galileo, please ignore his childish rolling I believe he may in fact be attempting to explore the world from an up-side down position in an attempt to better compare it to his knowledge of the world when it is right-side up and thus better improve his spatial awareness. I have existed within this pack for some time, having joined it only some weeks before the death of your parents to which you have my condolences, prior to that my family holds quite the history with Boneclaw and Thunderbone and the mountains of Solevion, a brother of mine having served them for some time, my father holding an alliance of sorts with them. As such I am not totally displeased with your return. Your bloodline has proven to be a rather long-lived one and if you can bring some stability I think that would be an advantage. Also you should consider having minimal fluids until at least the morning- it will help the clotting of your blood.”

He never was good at brief hello’s.