As I looked upon his face for the first time since that fateful day, I saw the changes in him. Memory flashed through my mind of blood spurting from cuts along his jaw when I had aimed to take his eye. Standing here before him now, I was grateful he had managed to avoid such devastation. I might never understand why he had so readily turned his back on me in the wake of my defeat, nor why he had fought me when he could have stepped aside and allowed me to reclaim what was rightfully mine, but that did not mean that I wished ill upon him. He was not Roman. He was not Covet, nor Purge. Where there had been satisfaction in taking Covet's ear from him, it would have pained me to handicap Tithe by taking his sight from him. No matter what had transpired, he'd once been pack to me. And deep down, beneath all the betrayal and backstabbing, he would forever be pack to me in my heart. Just as Natu had been, despite the choices she'd made, the desertion of a pack and rank she had vowed herself to. Sometimes, words are nothing more than wind. But to me, the promise of pack for life was not one that I made idly.

His words were as hard as stone as he spoke my name, the tension in the air between us palpable. But as Sleekwing stepped forward to acknowledge the other shewolf by name, and Taika responded with a lighthearted greeting, at least a little bit of the stress diffused from the situation. When Tithe looked to her and smiled, I realized that this was perhaps the first time I had seen such an unguarded expression upon his features. In all of the meetings we'd ever had during his time as a member of my pack, he had always remained shielded and businesslike. Sleekwing did not seem fazed by this change in demeanor from the iron clad male - they had been friends, and so perhaps this was not the first time my brother had seen the male show a different side of himself. The moment passed quickly, however, and I offered a small smile to Taika as my attention focused on her. Despite Sleekwing's cordial greeting and my own genuine question, she seemed ill at ease. I was not shaken by her profession that she and Tithe were long time friends, and I merely blinked as she hesitated, calmly waiting for her to continue.

Sleekwing, on the other hand, further showed his relaxation amongst these wolves. He shifted his weight and then allowed his hindquarters to descend to the earth. This was a sure sign of his trust in the wolves he conversed with - after all, he was the Castellan of Spirane, charged with the pack's safety. And he was not one to treat his responsibilities carelessly. His repose suffused my own bodice with a hint of relaxation - whether his demeanor would affect the other two wolves remained to be seen. Taika continued, broaching the subject of the upcoming play that was to take place. 'Unfortunately;' the sentiment did not go unnoticed by me, but my visage remained impassive at the subtle suggestion that this woman probably did not want her daughter to set foot within the mountainous realm. When her request was made, I maintained a thoughtful expression, thinking over the implications of TIthe's presence within the mountains.

The way Tithe's expression shifted when he looked to Sleekwing was missed by me, but did not go unnoticed by my brother. Sleekwing's ears shifted backwards, saddened by the way his friend lost the life in his eyes when he looked upon him. And when Tithe looked back to me, his gaze hard and unforgiving, a true sadness entered my brother's eyes. Any hope that he'd harbored that perhaps, someday, things might be righted and Tithe would return home seemed to be dashed against the rocks in these moments. My attention, however, was focused on Taika and the thing that she asked of me. "The play has been organized mostly by Liquid Amber of the gypsies, with the help of my daughter, Nymeria. They have invited any wolf - gypsy, pack wolf, or loner - who would like to participate in or be audience to the performance to the foothills of Spirane on the day of the play. Only enemies of the pack are barred entrance to the realm for such an event - and as I have said before, Tithe is no enemy of Spirane." I glanced briefly to Tithe, acknowledging him for a moment before looking back to Taika. "He and your daughter would be welcome to attend the performance, if that is their wish. I will be watching from afar, as will Sleekwing and some of our other warriors, to ensure that all wolves are safe when those we may not know cross our borders." After all, I did not open my borders with so little care given to those of my pack and those who trusted to visit us on such an occasion. I looked to Sleekwing, whose head and ears had lifted, and he nodded his affirmation. "It should be an entertaining afternoon - I understand there is to be some sort of extension tied into Dragonfly's tail to make it extra long for her portrayal of Rapunzel." He grinned, glancing between myself, Taika, and Tithe in turn. My own gaze moved between the two wolves who stood beyond the boundary of Spirane, patiently waiting a response from either of them.