i am the blood of the mountain

As suspected, it took hardly a moment's time for Pan to reveal himself to me. Charcoal ears flicked back at the sound of his approach and I turned away from his den towards the foliage from which he emerged. A pleasant smile took hold of my features as the stocky golden male that was my chief advisor began speaking almost as soon as he was within sight of me. "I expected no less," I said in reply to his statement about having done a fair bit of research into the goings on of concerned packs which I had spoken of. Coming to my side he sat so close to me that the tips of our fur brushed against one another, and I wondered if he thought the closer he sat to me the easier it would be for me to absorb the information he harbored. But I had known Pan long enough to be comfortable with his close proximity, and mahogany eyes focused on his face as he began speaking of Diveen's state of affairs. He recounted the episode which had resulted in much of the Angel family migrating to Spirane, and periodically throughout his speech I would give a nod of affirmation so that he was well aware of my attention to each detail he spoke of. Where some might become irritated by the volume of information Pan so often regurgitated, I appreciated it. While he might narrate something that I was already aware of, he would retell it in a way so as to provide the tiniest of details that other's may have missed; his astute capability for observation a thing I valued highly.

Almost immediately he explained the intentions behind his having put a paw forth in the attempt to claim the throne from Covet. His claim was valid, of course, due to his lineage. But it was less for the throne and more for the information that Pan had put himself into the running. When he came to the stipulations under which the crown would be passed from Covet onto the next wolf my brows rose in surprise. The new alpha was expected to reproduce with a relative of Covet to ensure his blood remained within power. It was not this that took me by surprise, it was the fact that Covet did not even value his temporary stead of King so much as to complete the task himself. A relative would do the duty. But my brows lowered to a more rapt facade as Pan continued, speaking of his views on the reason for selecting Ambrosia. The entire idea of casting out the angels only to place a different one in power had seemed obtuse to me, but the light that Pan shed upon it allowed me to see it another way. Perhaps there had been a stroke of brilliance to Covet's intentions, but they had not worked. Isola and Kane remained within Spirane, as did the rest of their family and pack who had come with them in the first place. None had rejoiced over Ambrosia's ascension to the throne. And now Pan would enlighten me to the reasoning for such a...lack of reaction.

He spoke of Angel law in regards to the succession of the throne. The reasoning for Ambrosia's desolate rule was because she had not been chosen by prior Angel Royalty. Only those who had once reigned could give away the throne. And while they were not the only family to operate in this manner, they were far more known for their family traditions than the other, even older, families of Moladion. Ambrosia had not fought for Diveen; perhaps if she had things would be different for her. But as it were, she had seemingly tarnished the name of Angel. And I had heard the whispers throughout Moladion, that she no longer claimed the name of Angel and simply wanted to lead her pack as just that - a pack. While I could not hold this against her personally, what Pan went on to speak of was true. The long standing alliance between Spirane and Diveen, and Solevion and Trenus before, was not between two lands. It was between two families. The mountain wolves and the angels had forged an alliance long ago, and to this day it had never been broken. When our families were plunged into times of trouble, we aided one another. For three generations that had been true, and it would not change now.

As he came to his conclusion I nodded once more. "I do, and I stand by your advice." His knowledge had been precisely what I had come looking for, the thing that would ensure that I made the right decisions when it came to the future standing of alliance between Spirane and the other packs of Moladion. "For many years our first and foremost ally has been Isola, and that will not change because she no longer reigns over the badlands. I will not offer or accept an alliance with Ambrosia. But for now, my support will remain only with Isola and Kane. If Achilles takes what is rightfully his, he and I will discuss the continuation of our family's relations at that point." If Diveen's true heir sought me out before he went to battle, I would be more than happy to speak with him on the future of our packs, but otherwise I would wait for him to assume the throne that was his by birthright. There was no need to put undue stress upon a family that was going through so much as it was.

"You spoke of Eden in Glorall, he is of the Angel family?" I questioned the factoid that Pan had presented me with, for it was a thing certainly not of common knowledge. The alpha of the seaside pack seemed to be more reclusive than others, less prone to allowing the world to see and know the details of his life. Haziel had given me his opinion of Eden, and I found myself intrigued by this wolf who had cast a friend of mine from his throne, and from Moladion altogether it would seem. But the wounds from that dethronement did not seem to gouge so deep as those in Diveen had. Time had healed those injuries of family pride, for none of Tesseract's children had risen up against Eden. Nearly a year had passed and the dramas of Eden's usurpation seemed almost forgotten. "What else do you know about the new regime in Glorall?" It would be favorable to go into my meeting with Eden with a few choice tidbits of information. Pan, naturally, was the man to go to for such things.

daenerys