He hadn't meant for them to see Xerxes like this. He'd been wandering away from Taviora, getting a break from consuming himself with his imprint Warpaint, to wander around the free lands and think about his next move. Would he go back to Diveen and continue his training with Orifel? Should he go back to Asteraia and see if Avtandil would still train him as a warrior? He still wanted to be a spy and a thief but none of those things would hurt in teaching him stealth and some fighting. You never know when you might need it, after all. Warpaint was a big girl and she would be huge fully grown. He would probably look like a pup next to her but he had accepted that. He would be the brains and she would be the brawn. Not that she was dumb or anything like that. He thought she was super smart. He just wanted to be cunning, even manipulative when necessary. He had come upon the smell of death not too far into the woodlands and he'd followed it, wondering if he might come across Beltane or another one of the darker themed wolves who like to stare at skulls and stuff. He would never forget his encounter with Beltane and looking into those dead eyes of the decaying skull. He'd never forget what he saw in those eyes. It would haunt him the rest of his days. He had decided to check it out but it took some time since he didn't have a lot of training in tracking yet. He'd ended up on a few dead ends and got turned around more than a few times but he never gave up because the smell was more than death. It was family. His brother, Xerxes, to be precise. He felt a prickling of fear in his chest the closer her got but he was determined to finish the trail anyway. By this time, he needed to know. He hadn't seen Xerxes since they were pups. They'd always been rivals. Xerxes was vain and arrogant. He thought he knew everything about everything and he was Ankh's favorite, no matter what she said to convince them different. Sure, they doted on Tikal but Xerxes was a momma's boy, no doubt. He was bound for great things, but Fen wanted to be greater. But Xerxes was still blood. He was still his brother and the thought of someone hurting him or worse....it made Fen's chest tighten with an emotion he didn't like at all. He could taste it in his mouth and he ground his teeth in frustration. And then he saw the lump of lifeless fur and it all became clear. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, his tail held down behind him as he slowly made his way over to the body. He knew by this point already what he would find. Xerxes was dead. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. He was just....gone. He looked into his brother's empty eyes and knew he wasn't there anymore. It was just an empty shell, a carcass for the buzzards to feed off of. His eyes widened as he calculated, not sure how to comprehend it. Xerxes was only three years old. He was young, too young. He had so much left to do, so much left to live for. How could this happen? He saw the bloodied area where his throat used to be and he swallowed hard. Someone killed him. His legs were shaking, his teeth grinding as he stared at his brother's empty eyes. And his ears and tail....someone took them. He could see where they'd been all but chewed off, and not by scavenger teeth. The one who killed him must have taken them. But why? Who would do this? His head snapped up when he heard the sounds of someone coming and he braced his legs, ready for battle even though he knew he wasn't built for it. He would defend his brother's corpse because it's all he could do for him now. He wasn't here to protect his brother so instead he would protect what was left of him, even if his brother was gone. He saw the two figures though and paused, his body relaxing a little, giving way to the trembling again. It was his parents. Of course they would come out looking for Xerxes. He didn't mind for them to find him like this. He sighed, seeing the pain and sense of failure in his father's eyes and he wondered if they would think him a failure for not protecting Xerxes from this fate. He swallowed, averting his gaze to the lifeless eyes of his brother again. "I....I'm sorry." He didn't know what exactly he was apologizing for. He knew only that it seemed expected. Xerxes was dead and he wasn't. Why shouldn't he apologize? Fenyang male.3 years old.28in, 89#.born to AnkhXViserys.brother to Xerxes&Tikal.bound to Warpaint.mated to none.father to none.loner 
|