The Lost King

[[Midnight]]

This place is a prison
And these people aren't your friends
Inhaling thrills through $20 bills
And the tumblers are drained and then flooded again
And again
Ther're guards at the on ramps armed to the teeth
And you may case the grounds from the cascades to puget sound,
But you are not permitted to leave

Caden's wounds were healing. They bothered him greatly at times, but they had stopped opening up and he had greateer mobility. There was this stiffness in his hindleg, however, that gave him a heavy limp. He could not fend for himself in the position his fight for freedom had left him in. He could not even expect to run back to his pack if there was the slightest chance he could make it there.

His spirit was starting to give out. Every day he looked a little less like the young Alpha who had banded together a bunch of loners and earthquake survivors. He had this constant expressionless gaze that made him seem out of his wits. By now, he had stopped looking northward, had stopped listening for the sounds of his packmates coming to his rescue. He did not even growl at the Moons who approached him.

They kept him fed just enough to keep him alive, so he had grown ill quite quickly. His pelt was a haggard, ungroomed mess. The most damaged piece of him, however, was his heart, which was constantly aching with loneliness. It really hadn't been long since he had been captured, but it had been long enough.

Caden had been broken in.
He didn't think much of it. It seemed, right now, the only option for him.

He managed to talk his guard into letting him stroll the territory, just for some sunshine. He insisted that he was starting to die - he could feel it - and to live he needed to regain vigor in his body. It worked, and now he was wandering unfamiliar routes. The guard followed him instead of leading the way. Caden would look around every once in a while and not see a single sight of them, but he knew they were there, not far behind. Caden could only walk so fast, anyway, so they could probably leave him for a while and easily find him later.

It was all he could do to crouch at the edge of a small hot spring and taste the water. It took too much energy, so he just lay down on his belly instead and let his front paws soak in the hot water. It was a nice feeling, and he felt that, if he closed his eyes, he could drift away.

I know there's a big world out there like the one I saw on the screen
In my living room late last night,
It was almost too bright to see
And I know that it's not a party if it happens every night
Pretending there's glamour and candelabra
When you're drinking by candlelight

What does it take to get a drink in this place?

What does it take, how long must I wait

[Fire]

Caspian was feeling particularly triumphant as he meandered his way toward the dens with a hare hanging limply between his jaws. It was his easiest and cleanest kill so far, possibly because it was his only clean kill so far. Still, he was pretty chuffed with himself, and wondered how many others had managed such a perfectly executed...well, execution, before they were half a year old. His plan was undecided, which was why he was sporadically changing direction. On one hand, he wanted to see Caden, which was why he was there in the first place, but something was stopping him. It wasn't fear, there was no way it was fear. Even if he were afraid of Caden, which he wasn't, there were guards, and the fact that the Dancing Star Alpha was completely alone and outnumbered. Caspian didn't care about though. He didn't need guards, or sheer numbers, or his father to protect him from anything.

So what was stopping him? He still wasn't sure when he reached the dens, sniffed at the air, and found out that Caden wasn't even there any more. The scent was still strong, but it was stronger still a little further up the mountain. It seemed odd to Caspian that he was allowed to leave, but he supposed somebody would be watching him. It would be cruel to keep someone in a small, smelly, cramped den all day every day anyway, but cruelty was the pack's speciality. Perhaps it was for something important, like a pack meeting, or a sacrifice, or something a little more interesting than wandering about, so he followed the scent.

As he trailed Caden, the hare still hanging lifelessly between his teeth, he wondered vaguely if he should have invited Binah along with him. She seemed just as keen as he was to torment Caden. He quickly decided that he didn't care at all whether Binah was with him or not, and she would probably get on his nerves anyway.

Caspian followed the two scents, the other he assumed was a guard and not someone helping him to escape, but he wanted to make sure anyway, until he came across a large pile of brown fur lying at the edge of a small hot spring. At first, he assumed Caden was dead, but he noticed the gentle rise of fall of his chest and thought again. He ventured a little nearer, and then a little nearer, until he was stood a few feet to the side of Caden, staring at him. Then, he carefully placed the hare down by his side, to make sure Caden didn't think it was for him, so that he could get a clearer view. He took in the matted, untamed pelt and the aura of hopelessness surrounding him, and decided that this wasn't at all how he'd pictured him. He'd imagined fierce determination, pride, chivalry, strength. It was stupid of him, now that he thought about it. Caden was a pitiful mess: what more could he have expected?

Still, he felt the need to say something now that he'd made the effort of getting there, and decided to leave the taunting for a little later.

"Shouldn't you be fighting my- fighting Duke or...something?"

[[Midnight]]

Caden's senses were a bit dulled by several factors, the foremost being his exhaustion. He did not notice Caspian's curious approach and was still staring at the spring waters through narrowed eyes. His mind was starting to get foggy with incoming sleep, and it was as his muzzle started to drop that the smell of coppery blood brought him back to reality. He was smelling the scent of a fresh kill, the hare just a few pawsteps away from him.

Fresh meat. His jaws immediately became slick with saliva as he looked over at Caspian. There was slight confusion on his face as though he did not understand where Caspian had come from. And why did he smell of a kill? His gaze lowered to the dead hare and he simply stared at it rather stupidly.

The male seemed to be a young pup. Caden hadn't seen this Moons wolf yet. The ex-Alpha watched him carefully and prudently. He may have been weak and disheartened, but his sharp perceptiveness was still there.

Fighting? Caden couldn't help but smile. It was a faint smirk that just barely lit up his eyes. He could just about guess what Caspian was thinking. What happened to you? his face seemed to say. He struggled to come up with words in response.

"Fight Duke? Now why would I do that?" he asked slowly, as he inched his toes a little deeper into the warm water. The old spark of his humor would be visible to those who knew Caden well.

Caden certainly would love to fight Duke, if only he was in better shape.

[Ashara]

When Layla had heard the Dancing Stars pack's alpha Caden had been captured and needed guards she had of course volunteered and been accepted too but that was probably because no one wanted to have her around camp since she was according to them 'too nice'. But surely the Dancing Stars alpha would be be much nicer than her his pack was after all known for being 'nice'. She probably wouldn't even seem overally nice to him probably just normal.

She had been told by someone that he was walking somewhere and to go find him. So thats what she did she followed a scent that she thought must be Cadens. She could smell someone from her pack had gone this way not long before but she didn't recognize the scent to belong to a wolf she knew.

After a while of following the scents she heard the sounds of a running spring. She slowed assuming that it was at this spring that she would find Caden and she was right too. Soon a wolf a pup came into sight. As she came closer she could see behind him a ragged mess of fur laying on the ground near the spring. *That must be Caden* she thought sympathetically *What did they do to him he looks nothing like the mighty alpha they always spoke about* She stood quietly hidden in the shadows taking in the scene. She noticed a rabbit laying on the ground near the pup his first catch maybe even? She pricked her ears to hear what they were saying wondering if one of them would notice her soon as even though their backs were turned from her the wind was blowing her scent towards them.

[Malo]

It had been awhile since Fallon had been on guard duty over their captive. Seeing as her shift was coming up, she had gone to the dens to relieve whoever was Caden's current potential death dealer. Upon her arrival at the den however, she quickly noted that no one was there. For a moment she was confused, but she caught the scents of her packmates and their captive, and she quickly followed suit to the springs. It didn't take long for her to catch up to them-Caden moved at a snail's pace compared to his healthier, stronger rivals. After relieving one of her packmates, she'd followed quietly behind Caden, her hazel-green orbs cold and unforgiving. Although this was one of the easier jobs everyone had as of late, it made Fallon sick to her stomach. Caden had injured her. Caden deserved her revenge.

Her wound had healed somewhat, but it was nowhere near one hundred percent. It pained her to walk some days; on her good days, she could walk at an almost normal pace, even though there were signs of her slight limp. She hadn't bothered to try joining her pack on its large hunts. The pain was too much to run on for long distances, so she settled her stomach with small prey such as mice, rabbits, and the occasional quail.

So here she was, following behind the Moon's captive, thinking of ways to do him more harm without getting in too much trouble with Duke. She heard the springs up ahead, and quickened her pace. If Caden planned to drown himself, she wasn't going to let it happen on her watch. When she finally caught sight of him, he was not alone. She walked up silently and tilted her head. Behind Caden was a pup she recognized as Duke's, but his name escaped her. In front of him was a dead rabbit, barely touched. Fallon assumed it was not a present for the emaciated alpha. Another wolf, one Fallon did not know, was also among the group. She raised a brow, but said nothing.

Her eyes focused on Caden. He looked far more haggard than the last time she'd seen him. His coat was rough and dirty, and she could see his skin pull tautly across his bones. His face showed exhaustion, despite the small smile he wore. He looked like he would keel over at any moment. It brought Fallon a small spark of joy to see the ex-Alpha in his current state. She couldn't harm him, not yet, but seeing his condition far worse than her own made her feel a little better about her own injuries.

[[Midnight]]

Caden's sense tingled with the presence of other Moons wolves, though it took him a while to realize that he was not smelling the scent of Caspian. His apprehension grew, as it always did, when he felt he was being made into a spectacle. His eyes narrowed and he began swinging his head around to see if he could spot the frightened pup who was in hiding. He saw no one but Fallon, who was gaining on him fast. Her muzzle was parted open to reveal blood-stained teeth, aiming for his throat...

He shook his head to clear it. Yes, it was Fallon he was seeing, one of the wolves he had fought. But he was simply remembering the past. Sometimes the images of fanged monsters intruded on his sleep, eating his friends. Perhaps reality and his own fantasies had finally slipped into each other. Had he lost his mind already? He felt shame and guilt all over again - as if he was letting everyone back at home, down. It wasn't the first time he was feeling this, though. He tried to swallow it down and focus on the realities in front of him. He might have to fight again.

He eyed the approaching female warily, giving her a nasty snarl. Oh how he'd love to finish what had been started! But he knew better. He couldn't do anything until he could get some real food. His eyes wandered to that hare again. Caspian was young and probably stupid, and Caden began plotting a way to snatch it up. Could he just go for the pup's throat? Eat rapidly, then take down Fallon as soon as she reacted?

Woah, reality slip, he thought to himself, shutting his eyes. Keep your cool.

As the Alpha pulled himself up to his haunches, slowly, he struggled to keep his sanity.

"Back for more?" he asked Fallon. He smiled and looked at Caspian again, his eyes showing the warmth of a father-figure. "This is one of the wolves who had so much trouble bringing me in. They almost didn't do it, you know."

[Fire]

Caspian observed the dethroned alpha with a confused expression spread across his grey and tan dappled face. He wanted to know exactly what they'd done to reduce him to this. Caden barely looked like a wolf any more, and despite himself, Caspian felt more than a little unsettled. He probably should have expected it, knowing his father. Duke didn't go easy on anyone, especially not rival alphas. Caspian entertained the possibility that his father would actually be enjoying this, but quickly decided that the idea was ridiculous. His father's emotions only varied from angry to furious to unfeeling and back again. Perhaps, then, Caden had made him furious, which would explain why he was in such a bad condition.

He was sidetracked from his bitter thoughts when he spotted Caden eyeing the hare at his paws. Scowling, he nudged it a little further away from the pathetic lump of fur. And then a thought struck him. What would his father do if he let Caden have the hare? Probably nothing; but if he helped Caden out, that would piss Duke off big time. Granted, he'd probably also disown his youngest son, but that didn't matter much to Caspian. What did matter, was having a home. He didn't fancy being cast out into No Man's Land, so he'd have to play by the rules a little longer. There'd come a time when he was big enough and ugly enough that he wouldn't have to do what he was told. But today, it wasn't Caden's lucky day, because this hare was all his.

He considered the answer to his abrupt, ill-considered question and bit back laughter. "Why wouldn't you fight Duke? If I h-" he was cut short when his ears twitched and he caught the sound of an approaching wolf. When he turned to look at who it was, all humour had left his face, to be replaced by a cold look of indifference.

It was Fallon. Caspian's eyes flicked back to Caden briefly, just to check that he wasn't trying to make a move on his meal. Content that the alpha was staying put, his attention turned back to the female. He didn't know much more about her other than her name, and that she was a big supporter of his dad, and he didn't particularly care about much more either. In fact, he didn't care very much about what he did know about her. He began to dip his head out of respect but snapped it back up when the wind carried the scent of yet another wolf. Irritation niggled in the back of his head, and his lips curled up, baring his teeth.
"There's no point in hiding," he called out, voice almost emotionless save for a hint of hostility, "we're not stupid."

Again, he was distracted by Caden. He turned to see that once again it was he who was being addressed. And there was something else, something in his eyes. Perhaps it was pity, or patronisation, or something else entirely that he'd never seen. Whatever it was, it made his temper rise even further. Somehow he managed to keep a blank expression, and only the contempt in his eyes gave him away. He forced a shrug.

"It doesn't matter how much it took to take you down. What matters is that you're down, and you're not getting back up." He thought vaguely of the fact that he was siding with his father, which was unfortunate but necessary, especially in the presence of Fallon. "Unless you think your pack are coming to rescue you?" It was a question, but only just. It sounded more like a joke. "Do you think they will, Caden? Do you think your pack are going to risk their lives to save your pathetic ass?" He had no idea why he kept going, and he was only just aware that what he was saying was unnecessary, but the way Caden had looked at him made it so that he was doing everything he could not to shake visibly with anger. "Because I don't. I reckon they'll just leave you here until you rot, or beg to be killed." He frowned. "Whichever comes first."

He turned away, back to Fallon, and felt more at ease almost instantly. "Tell me how you captured him, Fallon," he said eagerly. "I'd love to hear the whole story." Truth be told, he didn't want to have to listen to his or Caden's voices again. It was better this way, anyway, because hopefully Fallon wouldn't let the fallen alpha join the conversation, which is how it should be. Caden was a prisoner. Caden was their prisoner, and whatever chance he'd had of Caspian helping him to spite his father had disappeared the moment he'd looked at him with any sort of compassion in his eyes. He may be young, but he'd been with the Falling Moons long enough to know that compassion was a wasted effort.

[Malo]

Fallon eyed Caden with a look of boredom, ignoring his tone. He was so scrawny nowadays, she could easily break any of his bones with little effort. Any of them could, really, even the pups. As much as she would love to taste his warm, salty blood on her tongue, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. So she smiled in a disturbingly sweet way in his direction. "Oh I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you Caden? Unfortunately for you, I'm just here to make sure you don't somehow crawl your way into No Man's Land. But if you'd like to make my job easier, you could just drown yourself in that little spring."

Fallon then gave her attention to Caspian, listening to his fiery words. For one so young, he was every bit of Falling Moon that his siblings should be. His taunting made her chuckle and she cast an unforgiving glance at the fallen Alpha. She would only let Caspian pester him for so long, but for now the pup could have his fun. Caden was a fool to believe he could so easily impress a Moons pup, especially one as observant as Caspian. So when her younger packmate looked up to her, she couldn't help feeling her heart warm. There were times when Fallon questioned the wolves in her pack, whether or not they belonged, but this one she was sure about. "Alright, I'll tell you. The real story," she said, eyeing Caden with a look that dared him to interject.

She sat down, making herself comfortable. Nodding, she invited Caspian to do the same. "Now where do I start...ah, I got it. Well, it was a perfect day for hunting. We'd had a hunting party gathered in the trees beyond Sunlit Clearing, watching the elk. Then the wind changed. Do you know what we smelled?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust, and tossed her head in the alpha's direction. "The disgusting scent of a Dancing Star. His scent scared off the elk, so we decided to punish him for ruining our hunt. It was quite the surprise when we realized it was the supposedly great alpha of Dancing Stars, Caden himself."

She paused, chuckling to herself. The originally plan had been to just rough up the wolf who'd screwed with their lunch. But seeing it was Caden and ever the opportunist, Fallon had made a quick executive decision. Somehow, she'd convinced her packmates to take Caden into Duke. "It all happened in moments. We surrounded him and one by one, took shots. It similar to hunting, when you think about it. A couple of us went for his legs. Another jumped on his back and got hold of his ears; Caden barely threw him off. I went for his face and neck. He'd managed to grab my paw when I scratched his face. It didn't hurt too bad though," she shrugged, feigning nonchalance. Of course, that was a lie; his teeth going through her paw had been the most painful thing she'd ever experienced, but Caspian didn't need to know that. She was simply relaying the events, with a few details left out.

"He bucked just like prey; he looked absolutely terrified, his eyes were so wide. When I let go, two of the larger males managed to tackle and drag him to the ground. As much kicking, bleeding, and howling he did, I thought they'd killed him. When he finally shut up and stopped squirming, we decided to bring him to your father. It's nice to have an advantage over your enemies, especially when they're leaderless. They were weak to begin with, which is probably why he was so easy to bring in." She looked at Caspian thoughtfully; she'd finally remembered his name. "Always stay one step ahead, Caspian. There's a reason your father has held control for so long, and why he chooses the wolves he does. In some way, we're all like minded, but where some sit and think about action, others act. This was one of those times for action."

Eyeing his rabbit, she tilted her head. She was curious whether or not that was his first hunt. She assumed it was his, because there was no plausible way that it could be Caden's. She stepped over to it and examined it; not exactly clean, but a kill was a kill. She didn't know too many pups who had started trying to hunt yet. Looking back at him, she gave a sly smile. "Good work. You're a perfect example of what I mean. Wait versus action."

[[Midnight]]

It was the hardest thing Caden had to do yet. Sit there and listen while some cockeyed female had the nerve to talk down about his pack and his dignity. He felt his blood boiling with rage, and the desire to kill almost made his sanity snap. He knew things were about to spiral out of control when he looked from Fallon to Caspian, and felt the degradation full force. Oh how he wished he could prove them wrong. These low-lives took him by surprise and did exactly what Fallon had said: they captured him with such unjust and cruel ways. Obviously half a dozen wolves against one was no match! He'd love to see the look on Fallon's face when, someday soon, he'd get his revenge, except this time, it would be one on one. He decided that after Duke, Fallon would be the next to die.

His lips curled up in a sneer and he turned to look at Caspian, all warmth gone. What a shame, he thought, to see such a handsome young pup, being turned into an honorless thug. There was no future of happiness for him, only a path of pain and treachery. He almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.

Caden's sanity had finally snapped. He felt nothing but hatred for these creatures who were just as much flesh and wolf as himself.

"She tells it how it is," he snarled, his tone full of venom. His eyes were wild with fury as he began to salivate at the mouth. His paws were trembling.
"She can't fight her own battles. It's cute how she thinks she took advantage of me. She's like a pup without its eyes open, crawling for the first time!"

He sniffed and turned his chin up, a toothy grin on his face as he looked down at Fallon's injured paw. He was lost in a memory for a moment, that made his grin widen.
"I never howled for help. Not even when I had seven different scoundrels taking turns biting me when they were too afraid to face me one at a time. Some of them stepped away when I targeted them, and waited until my back was turned as I bit their packmate. COWARDS! I could've killed you all if you hadn't been afraid of me! Don't you turn your backs this time, because I might just be in the shadows, waiting to bite your other paw."

He let out a dry, brittle laugh that sounded like ice shattering against rock. His claws dug into the soil as he once again eyed Caspian's kill. He'd love to shove it down the pup's throat, watch him choke on it.

"Strange, I remember you squealing so loudly when I had your paw in my jaws. I had to pin back my ears because you sounded like a whelp crying for mother. I'll make sure next time that I'll crush every bone in your other paw, and your sorry pack will let you starve to death while I stand nearby and watch." His eyes turned onto Caspain again, gazing at him with scrutiny. "Tell me pup, you'd like to see her starve, wouldn't you? If you had heard her whining after our fight, you'd say yes."

Somewhere, deep inside, Caden was crying out in terror. This wolf he had just become was not Caden, but a desperate monster. He was glad nobody back home could see him now. Them not coming to his rescue was the best decision.

[Ashara]

If she had been another wolf but the kind gentle Layla she might have growled at the pup and his rudeness toward her. She stepped forward from where she had been standing and stayed silent listening to Fallon's story and then Cadens reply. She looked at the wolf and the state he was it a hint of sympathy in her eyes but she blinked tufting to hide it from her pack mates not wanting them to see and then taunt her for her kind heart.
She turned to the pup, Caspian the son her her alpha Duke. He might be the alphas son but he was a pup and she was a fully grown delta alas she replied in her usual kind tone "I was sent by your father himself to guard Caden, I was not in hiding simply observing to see if after guard was even needed". That said she turned from the pup and nodded her head to Fallon as a greeting. The last time she had seen the wolf was before the day she had been there when they captured Caden. Now the she wolfs appearance was much changed, scars covered her and her paw looked bad. Again Layla had sympathy in her gentle amber eyes. For a moment her eyes darted towards Caden who was far worse off than Fallon. Her eyes looked over him swiftly taking it all in still with that look in her eyes. After a moment she turned her eyes back to the other two waiting for a reply from either.

[Fire]

When Fallon spoke, Caspian turned his full attention to her. He hadn't looked at her properly before, but he could see now that she was littered in battle scars and wounds. Her paw looked particularly bad, and he felt another strange surge of anger flare up, still directed at Caden. The desire to wreak revenge on the alpha for hurting her so badly washed over him suddenly, but he forgot about it when she started describing the kidnapping. Sure, he was a Falling Moon, but he was still just a pup; and an easily distracted one at that.

Caspian's face remained almost expressionless throughout her retelling of Caden's capture, save for his eyes widened slightly in suspense. Fallon was so good at story-telling; Caspian wanted to know how she did it. When he returned to the dens, he knew he wouldn't be able to brag about his first kill half as good as Fallon could brag about this. Her next words were completely unexpected, and he wasn't sure what to make of them. It was advice. Cautiously, he nodded; his brow furrowing without his realising it. He tried to concentrate on what she was saying. One step ahead. His father. Like-minded. Thinking about action versus action. All right, well, that wasn't too hard. He nodded again, with more confidence this time. "I understand."

It was difficult not to snatch the hare away from her, but when he realised she was merely inspecting it he relaxed a little. He was oddly protective over the mangled little thing, possibly because Caden was there. And hungry. He felt himself preen a little at her praise, though, and forgot the alpha for a moment. Unsure how to respond to it, he gave her a small smile. It wasn't that he wasn't used to it; he'd been complimented before. But usually others were impressed by his size, or because he was Duke's son, or simply because they felt they had to be.

He was shocked out of his thoughts by Caden's sudden acerbic words. It was as though he'd suddenly awakened; roaring to life. Well, as full of life as he could be whilst dangling so close to death. Secretly, Caden's words surprised him. But he forced his expression to remain as detached as possible. He didn't understand why the alpha was so hell-bent on proving that he was so brave and courageous . What did it matter now? "Look at you," he said, his lips twitching in disgust. "Look at yourself. Why are you so desperate to keep your own pride intact?" Despite his slightly mocking tone, Caspian was genuinely curious. He had no idea what Caden had to gain from stroking his ego. It was useless. Why couldn't he just admit defeat? Caspian couldn't understand.

In the back of his head, he was also curious to hear more of what Fallon had to say. What did she think his father had in store for Caden? What would the Dancing Stars do to get their alpha back? Would they even bother? These were the kind of questions he might have asked his father directly, had his father wanted anything to do with him. Fallon seemed to show a little more interest, which was weird.

Again, Caden addressed him. He desperately wished he wouldn't, though. It unnerved him deeply. Looking in his eyes, all he could see was insanity; and it made his insides crawl. Even in his own pack, he'd never seen a wolf like this. In a way, it was intriguing to Caspian. It was fascinating in the same way it was to play with animals that were smaller and slower than him before he killed them. He wondered if that said anything about him.

"Fallon is my pack mate. I don't want to see her starve." He squirmed a little under Caden's gaze. It was damn creepy, that's what it was. He didn't much want to see Caden starve, either. He wasn't his father. Not yet. The way he spoke to and about Fallon really irked him though. "Don't you have any manners, alpha? Or have you lost them, as well as your sanity?"

He then turned his attention to the new arrival, who had decided to show her face. "All right. You're Caden's guard. You're not doing a very good job, though; letting him wander off like this." For some reason, Caden was putting Caspian in a bad mood. He hadn't meant to snap at Layla. Obviously, he couldn't apologise, but he grimaced slightly at his harsh tone before turning back to Caden.

[Ashara]

Layla turned her eyes back towards the pup gazing at him or a second. "I only just came" she explained. The pups harsh tone surprised her but many of the pack members spoke to her that way anyway. She gave a shake of her head before saying "Even if he wanders a little he could never get far enough to escape, not in this state he couldn't", she said it in a harsh tone, from her time in the Falling Moons pack she had learned to act just like the others. Even if it sometimes hurt her to behave that way she was good at acting and it would be pretty hard for someone to tell that she didn't mean what she said. She followed Caspians gaze towards Caden making her expression harden as best she could but even so she couldn't stop her eyes from showing the sympathy she felt for Cadens terrible condition.

[Malo]

By the time Caden had finished speaking, Fallon had laid down, her face showing vague interest. To be so close to death, it seemed he still had quite a lot of spark. She raised a brow, watching the exchange between Caspian and Caden, glad to see the pup was not easily persuaded to listen. Caden's threats were idle in his current state and not to be taken seriously, nor was anything else he said. However, they had gotten her blood boiling; she had had half a mind to attack right then and there. But she knew that they would lose the leverage they had and that she would probably be punished if Duke had other plans for his rival.

As many jabs as Caden had taken at her, she somehow managed to yawn, feigning calmness. Cutting her eyes at the alpha, she decided to give one back. "Careful, careful, Caden. You're starting to sound like one of us. Maybe keeping you alive will actually benefit us." Unbeknownst to Caden, Fallon meant every word.

His demeanor had changed, everyone could see it. He seemed half deranged, whether it be due to starvation or because he was actually losing his mind was uncertain. Just by the way he spoke, he was no longer the valiant and courageous leader of the Stars. No longer was he so kind, so caring, so...Stars material. She'd never heard a Stars wolf outright threaten to kill anyone, though it was common in the Falling Moons. He was losing himself, and it pleased her. Even if they lost Caden to the Stars in the war, they would soon abandoned their crazed leader. Insanity was a disease one could never get rid of; the Stars had seen that first hand with their past leader, Justyn's father Caerwyn.

"Pay him no mind, Caspian. He probably never had any manners, if this is his way of retaliation. You never see someone's true colors until they're under pressure. Or under the threat of imminent death. Deep down, he never belonged to the Stars pack." She stopped glaring at her enemy, long enough to give him a cruel smile that she hoped made him sick to his stomach. She looked at Layla next, listening with curiosity as she and Caspian spoke. He was a bossy little thing, wasn't he? Or maybe he was just like Duke. She liked him.

"Ah come now, don't be so harsh. While I admire your spirit, she's right. He won't get far. You were able to catch up to him and you're not even a yearling yet; he'd never be able to make it to the border without someone picking up his scent and dragging him back here. I doubt he can even howl for help."

[[Midnight]]

Caden's moment of strength faltered greatly. His moments of fighting back had been short, but already his energy seemed spent. He'd given his everything to intimidate these wolves and show them how he would someday destroy them. They remained unfazed. He had failed, and had done so miserably. He felt his emotional will just seep right out of his body. His head went down on his paws.

Fallon's words were the most biting and hit closest to home. He'd certainly turned into something utterly satsifying for the Moons wolves to see. He couldn't even manage to get a pup scared of him. How sad Caden was now, he realized, and there were several present to witness it. He caught the eyes of the female looking at him with such pity, that he couldn't help but snarl at her before looking away. How dare she even look at him so pathetically! It was offensive. They were all jabbing their paws at him in different ways, apparently tearing at all of his weakest flaws. Pride was the root of them all.

Sorry, Sayuri, Bandit. I want to hold on for all of you, but this is too much!

He had never felt hatred more powerful and his immediate reaction to it was to act upon it. It'd only caused his despair to deepen. But his pride was wounded, and a wounded, prideful Caden was just as crazy as the wolf he had been a few seconds ago. He pulled himself back up to his paws in a sudden outburst, flinging himself towards Fallon, his jaws gaping wide. It was sudden, and he knew he wouldn't get far, but he was hoping to at least wound her before he was brought back down.