It was a hard concept, but he knew that it was true that he couldn’t give up on finding Isabelle. Otherwise he would drive himself insane. He felt sad that Elizabeth had endured so much and yet she seemed strong despite her will nearly being broken moment ago. At least he was assured that she wouldn’t fall back into the state of mind that she had been in. But it was true that he had never had to bury a child so young like she did.
 
“Sounds like your family have been through terrible times. I know about that too well.” It had been a long while since he thought of his own parents as well as his people. It was a shame that he lost nearly everything within a few days of war. It was through miracles that he found his siblings, one by one. Liz didn’t seem to have such luck though with everything that happened to her and hers.
 
“I’m afraid I will be tortured until I do find her though. She’s the last part of me I have in this or any world. I have to find her to silence all the questions lest I drive myself mad. I’m sure you understand.” Krystopher fell back into the chair and listened as the sirens started to died down. “Must have. Guess Blaine and Jayden will head home soon, along with everyone else.” By now he wondered what would happen when he got back and Blaine complained on his whereabouts. He didn’t really mind it though. “Remember that well, Liz. You can’t keep living in the past, no matter how hard it is to push forward. I’ve been there plenty of times and it is hard, but you do have support, I believe. Lean on them if necessary; sometimes it far better to do that than to go through it alone.”
 
He had stayed until he was sure the others would return to aid her and excused himself. For the next couple of weeks, he kept himself busy with his twin great grandchildren or sparring with Jayden or getting into various trouble with Blaine. Of course they had to worry about Toya catching whiff of it and bribed Aurora from snitching to her. Sometimes he would be left to his own devices and would remain in his room or in the study. Today had been a quiet day with his brother having to take off on business and his children were watching over their mother to make sure that she didn’t overdid herself. Krys was in the study, reading more of the book from the night he had to look for Elizabeth. He was just getting to the good stuff when he was interrupted by one of the servants. It had been a long time since someone called him “Lord”; it was something he wasn’t very much used to and had to stare at her for a moment before placing the book down. It was unfortunate that he would going to have to leave but he was curious since he didn’t know too many people outside of the White Court. Then he heard that it was Liz and he nodded before heading downstairs.
 
She seemed to be doing fine as he approached her. She looked good, especially without stained blood all over her. Straight to the point, she asked him to run with her; but it made sense since she was still kind of recovering. Everyone else was rather busy and he had nothing more to do around here. “Sure. It’s been a long time since I hunted.” Now that he thought about it, Krystopher hadn’t shifted in a long, long time. It would likely do him some good to stretch out and get some running down.   
 
He had a feeling he knew of where they would go since Blaine had mentioned a place nights ago. “Think around the lake will do.” He accompanied her on the path and before they knew it, they were around the Kirika Lake. Like his brother had stated, he could see the plains around it, provide miles of freedom and potential quarry. He slipped off his coat and removed his dark shirt and unlaced his boots. Being shifters, he wasn’t bother by getting undressed though normally he would shift without needing to shed his clothing. But Krys figured that it would be fair to do so if she had to. Soon his pants were off and he let the change come over him. Before long, a large black wolf stood in his place with those cerulean eyes. “Ready whenever you are.”

“You do the same thing I do Krystopher. Try not to drive yourself mad until you find the answers. You’ll find her, I know you will.” There was a peaceful smile on her face that was for better or worse with the situation. She tilted her head and looked at her savior and chuckled. “I think you need to remember that you have people to lean against as well. You have a whole pack’s worth right here in Sularia. Troublesome as they may be they are your family.”

Once he had come down to see her she tilted her head again and studied him for the very first time. While she had been in pain she hadn’t quite taken the time to look to see what he looked like since everything that night had been rather hazy. “A hunt sounds good for both of us then.”

Walking with him out the door she simply nodded. “Around the lake is a really sound idea. Not a lot of big angry creatures to avoid there.” She chuckled a bit not that it would have bothered her overly much. Once they were in a good spot she started to unbraid her hair and throw her clothes and other things into a pile. Her necklace was the last thing she took off and she looked like she was pondering on it for a while before she tossed it just the same, though safely, into the pile of clothes.

It didn’t take long for the change to come for her either as she shifted and shook her white fur. She stretched her front paws then her back legs as her tail came up in a satisfied groan. “Thought I was going to die if I didn’t get to stretch on all four soon. They had me on lock down and god forbid if Belle understood that I need to stretch like this every once in a while.” She itched herself freely now as her deep amber eyes looked over at Krys. She had to say that she was maybe just a little above half his size. That was the advantage of purebloods, they could be faster and stronger if they wished. The sun reflected off her coat and could be blinding at times but she solved that by rolling in the dirt right there. She knew that they would at least need to camouflage a little bit, at least she did.

“I’m ready.” She pulled herself up and gave herself a good shake as she padded off to look on the outskirts of the lake. She bounded around in the lavender field and stuck her head up over the tall stalks of lavender to look at Krys before proceeding to pounce on him. She tugged at his ear before letting go and stalking out in front of him. “Should be some good game around the tree line. That’s where I always find some deer and other rodents that the academy lets loose. Gods know this place would be barren if it wasn’t for the academy’s magic and transplant methods. The whole lake area and farm fields are all artificial thanks to them.”

She stuck her nose to the ground and sniffed around just a bit. “Large game or small?” Which did he prefer? It had been a long time since she had hunted with another wolf perhaps that was why she was so giddy about it.

Krystopher laid down onto the ground and waited patiently while Liz prepared herself for the shift. His eyes didn’t oogle on her naked form as appealing as she looked; he wasn’t that sort of people plus between shifters, it wasn’t as taboo as it was for humans to see another in just their bare skin. Once she shifted, the black wolf rose back up to his feet.
 
“I’d imagine. I merely let it slip my mind for some reason.” Not to mention, it had been too long since he went on a hunt. He hoped that he wouldn’t be too rusty and with Liz getting back into it, they would need to coordinate well together to have a good hunt. Beyond what he learned of her from that night, he wasn’t sure what she was really like and the sort of hunter she was. It was good that she rolled around in the dirt for a bit to mask her white fur, so he assumed that she did well in sheath. “Do you go hunting alone often?” He was curious since there didn’t seem to be too many wolves outside of his family here. He pondered if she just solo hunted these days, and knowing such things would help them build cooperation in the long run, he was sure of it.
 
Once she took off, he trotted behind her into the fields, getting reacquainted with his lupine form before he realized what she was about to do. He snapped playfully at her but she was quick to get away. She seemed happy that she was back in this form and not restricted. He felt it was a good thing as well. Shaking his fur, the wolf glanced at her direction and peeked over ahead to where she suggested they take their hunt. His ears perked straight up; he could indeed hear some movements from the treeline and deeper. It sounded like there would be plenty of game for them to tend to. “I see. I suppose that all of this was created for a more at home feel or is there some significance beneath it?”
 
Krystopher was just about ready to stalk into the area and slowly made his approach towards the forest. “I tend to go for the large game myself. Deer sounds pretty good right about now.” He would make sure not to go overboard with it too; one, maybe two would be enough for him. Once he reached the woodline, he waited for her before silently prowling about. He was careful with step as much as he could be. Any sort of noise like a twig snapping would not be in his best interest. Despite his size, his fur was good at concealing his form and not stand out so much. Every now and then, he sniffed at the air to see if there was a herd of them about. “Once we find them, one of us can circle around and that way we can cut one of them off. But we should pick a target when that time arrives first”, he suggested softly enough for only her to hear. 

Liz chuckled a bit and shook her head. “A shifter who forgets to shift? Now I’ve heard everything.” She was teasing him and she hoped that he could see that. She was completely different when her mind was focusing on the hunt instead of all the negativity around her. It was almost like a shining star in the distant dark for her and it showed greatly. “Yes, I’m the lone wolf of Sularia. I have no pack. Never really have since I was born even with Kai. He was… less than thrilled about his lycanthrope blood than I was. He didn’t want to be ruled by the moon, he simply tried to stop it. Kai was my twin brother, I know I’ve mentioned I had a twin but not his name.”

While they played in the lavender field she let out a laugh as he snapped at her. She knew it to be playful as they looked around the fields of the lake. He was on alert much like she was, even though she was more playful she had never stopped listening and by the way, her eyes moved, she was also watching. It was out of habit of being by herself that she was so aware, which made getting the upper hand on her like the slavers had a really challenging thing to do. “Home feel I think is a good reason but no there is a significance. A long time ago we depended on the outside lands for trades, for food and other things. Adeluna’s king went mad and attacked us killing many of our own before we stopped his army. The Academy created this place so we could sustain ourselves in case something like that ever happened again. It also helps that Angela is our matron goddess, she helps keep the soil fertile and useful.”

She was right beside him and being very careful as her ears marked where she heard the noises. “I normally go for the large game myself. Mostly because what I don’t eat I can bring back for Crystaline and Mother. Also, it is more challenging and I live for the thrill, or so I get told.” The white wolf nodded to Krystopher as she padded along, just ahead of him. She dipped down low and looked like she was peeking under a bush for a moment.

She flickered her tail and looked back at Krystopher before moving her head slightly so that he knew she had found a target. They moved in the way that they had talked about and when the time was right they took out their first deer. It spooked the other does with it but Liz laid next to the slain doe quite happily.

“How many more should we get or are we pleased with just one for now?” They could always continue the hunt at a later time. She rolled on her back and tilted her head back so she could look at Krystopher. “Not hunting for so long makes the first hunt… tiring. Not too much but enough to make me a bit sad.” After a few moments of silence, she closed her eyes and wiggled a bit until she was back on her stomach and put her head down onto her paws. “How has the White Court been since my unwanted imprisonment started?” There was a hint of humor in her voice as she spoke of her healing weeks.

Krystopher snapped at her when she teased him. “No, I meant that it slipped my mind to even shift because I was thinking of other things.” He knew that she was just joking around though. He did feel slightly bad since she hunted by her lonesome even when she had her twin with her. “That’s a pity. I know that some people with wolven blood may think that they are cursed. I can at least understand it more from those that are bitten and turn into werewolves, but our kind is much more…different. I’m sorry your brother felt as though he was cursed.” The wolf couldn’t help but to shake his head a bit. It just irked him sometimes when someone couldn’t accept themselves. But then again, everyone had their personal battles, their own personal demons that they had to endure. He himself was no exception to that.
 
They played around with each other in the field, which helped to shake the rust off them both and also help Liz to get back to being used to her wolf form. It seemed to come to second nature to her, which was an excellent thing. “I see. I am used to being self-reliant myself. Back in the other realm, I ran a guild in a castle in the middle of a dark forest. We did trade but usually we hunted and grew whatever we need to sustain ourselves.” He missed the Refuge Lunaire very much so, but it was just the physical place. He missed the life he had with his family and loved ones. Starting over again wasn’t something he very much enjoyed but he would do so anyway. He was a survivor, after all.
 
Liz agreed with him on how to take down their prey when they found them. Fortunately she was able to quickly find them some deer that looked ripe for the picking. Giving her a wolfish grin, he immediately circled around the herd, using the vegetation to sneak around them. He made enough movement through the brushes to make sure that she was aware of his position. When they were ready, he burst out of his hiding spot and spooked the does enough to scatter but he went after the closest and they cut off its escape route before quickly delivering the killing blow to its neck.
 
Setting it down onto the ground and out of his maw, Krys looked and licked some of the blood off him. He slowly moved over to Liz and looked down her. “If that’s the case, then we could just drop off the doe now and run around a bit longer. " He stretched his back out and batted at her face with his paw softly. “What do you think? The house is whacky as ever. Toya’s pregnancy merely had it more crazy, but besides that, everything’s normal. She’s starting to show. And her mate’s protective as always.” There was no surprise there as Blaine looked after her and their children and grandchildren. They all meant the world to him. “Think she’s happy that you’ve been doing better yourself too. We all are.” 
 

For a moment Liz gave him a serious face as he snapped but it was more so that he needed to know she was joking. It didn’t last long though as their minds moved fast, which was good for her. “I’ll never understand why he thought so. We were raised knowing what we were but… we didn’t have our father. Our first shift was the hardest thing we ever had to do, it was painful and all we had was each other. We were five but we were an unlucky batch. The first shift caused our bodies to mature so much faster and we grew that night, we didn’t get a childhood. Maybe that’s why Kai disliked it so much. It never bothered me, I suppose I am much more like my mother.” Cathrine was an interesting person who took her pain and transferred it into her work, something positive. It was something Liz had learned to do and sometimes had failed at but she was getting there.

“We were born in a guild hall, a place called the Feral. Father had gone missing shortly before our birth and apparently that was the only place safe for us to be born. Soon after our birth Mother left the guild and lived by herself, well with us in the middle of the forest. Mother has always been a loner, never really wanting for anything. She taught me to become a survivor, but I am still learning life’s harsh lessons.”

Once they had got the kill she wrinkled her nose as he pawed at her face. “Maybe we should. It does sound like a lot of fun. I could use that in my life right about now,” there was a chuckle from her as she watched him. There was a curiosity in her eyes but she shook her head. “If she’s happy about something she isn’t telling anyone. Toya has never really been the type to be able to convey her emotions if not with her fists.”

She was quiet about everyone else though. Perhaps it was because she understood the danger she had caused. “It always gets worse when I’m left by myself but I prefer to be by myself, it’s a problem. It’s not like I completely dislike company, I am better because of it but… I guess that is my mother coming out in me. Compared to the others she isn’t really social and she keeps to herself. I can never get over how much alike we really are.”

It sounded like things were getting somber for a moment so instead of continuing her thoughts she launched herself at Krystopher and began to paw at him and tug on his ear. This was her other way of dealing with it, a much healthier way in her opinion. It was just that she never had anyone around to be like this and now she very much did, at least for the moment.

Krys hadn't meant to be rude, and he had thought he was playing around with her, but something seemed weird. Perhaps they gotten on the wrong foot with one another. But soon it all changed as they discussed Kai. "Aye, the first shift we take is usually the hardest and most taxing", he agreed. Krys hadn't considered for a moment that her brother might have been traumatized by the turn of the events. Especially if they didn't have someone to help them through it. He was grateful that his own parents and others were there when he had done so when he was a child. "It's the first time I've heard about shifting making one more older but I guess that helps to explain my nieces and nephew then." At least Liz wasn't bothered by it too much and embraced that side of her.

When he heard the name "The Feral", his eye lit up and he laid there with the memories rushing back through. "Once a upon a time, I had been in that guild, though I do not remember seeing your mother, but considering everything I joined it long after that then." There were times where he missed it and the people he grew close to, but everything happened for a reason and he was grateful for his time there. 

He didn't mind spending more of the day with her, especially since he'd gotten comfortable being in his wolf form. It was likely due to him neglecting it for so long. And he enjoyed the company she was; it was good to be with another wolf that wasn't family. It had been much of a longer time since he hunted with an outsider. Looking up to her, he smiled, "Sorry about before. Thought we were still playing." Though he wasn't going to apologize for his paw, that one was clearly just in playing around. 

"Oh I know. She's a hard book to read for most. Even Blaine sometimes is guessing how she feels, definitely with her being pregnant. Poor bastard." He couldn't help but to laugh, but it soon fell through as Liz attacked him and he nipped at her in return. He didn't need to know why she did it; being wolves, they thrived on physical contact for comfort among other things. After they got through, he took the doe by the neck into his maw and started to drag it back on the way to her home. It wasn't a difficult task for him since he used to do this back at the Refuge and once the deed was finished, he trotted back to the lavender fields and back to her.

Liz smiled at him and nodded a bit. “It’s alright, I should have realized you were playing. That was my own fault. I’m not used to others very much.” She said it sheepishly and would have been blushing had she not been in her wolf form.

“Maybe someone like Toya is what Blaine really needs or needed in his life. Who knows, he is vastly different from her but she is a lot better than how she used to be after Costel died. That was a dark time in our family.” She admitted it. Soon they were playing and nipping each other.

This went on for what seemed like forever until Krystopher took the deer back to the manor. She waited for him and once he got back they spent the rest of the day running around together and more playing. It was light hearted and what they both had probably needed. Liz showed him how to effectively hunt the birds as she had leaped into the air an incredible distance to latch onto one.

They did this for weeks together and it was good for both of them. Toya and Blaine had been teasing them on and off making Liz roll her eyes whenever she would come get him. However, on the night of the full moon when her heart was racing the most to run as her wolven self, she had shown up earlier in the day and bribed the twins with candy to tell her what window was Krys’s she didn’t want Blaine or Toya knowing. They were insufferable already.

She made sure the twins didn’t tell their grandparents who had given the candy and proceeded to wait until that night before throwing pebbles at his window. She wanted to go running tonight on the desert edge.

It looked like they were getting back on the same page now and he nodded. “It’s fine, we are still getting to know one another.” Krystopher wasn’t going to act like he was used to dealing with others. In some ways, he was like Liz but they would both learn he’d hope.
 
He knew that Blaine and Toya’s relationship was odd from the start, but his companion was right- they were a great fit with one another. He was sure that no one but the two of them would understand how in the world they clicked. Before his brother met her, he was a womanizing troublemaker and look at him now. A family man and doted husband. Toya had been through a lot herself but Blaine was able to help steer her into the right direction. If there was such a thing as true love, then they were the prime example.
 
They spent the remainder of their time together long into the night. When he got home, Krys was questioned by his brother relentlessly about his whereabouts and what he’s been up to. He didn’t lie- he told him that he had been hunting with another wolf and it didn’t take too much time at all for Blaine to figure out who it was. Along with Toya, they started to poke fun and get some ideas as to his friendship with Liz. It grew more in the coming weeks when they would hunt and run together, just the two of them. Most of their banter fell onto deaf eyes as far as he was concerned. He knew his place with her and vice versa. Still, it was nice to spend some time getting to know her and it helped to get him out of the that mad house.
 
On this night, he was laying down in bed after playing around with Kite and Tempest all afternoon before handing them off to their grandfather. Sleep felt like it was closing in but before his eyes fell, something tapped at his window. At first Krys thought it to be nothing at all and relaxed. Then the sound went off again. And again. And again. Finally he had enough and shot himself up to see his window as a pebble made contact. “What the?” He got up from the bed and peeked down outside to see Liz below. Sighing, he quickly made use of the blankets on his bed, tied and knotted them together before he lowered them through the window and securely tied the other end to his bed.
 
Krys scaled down the side of the house and when it was safe enough, dropped down to the ground below. “What’s the matter, Liz? Not used to this sort of calling. Not since my youth anyway” He said the last bit with a sly chuckle. He wasn’t sure just by how much, but he was sure that he was older than she was.

Liz threw the pebbles until he came to the window and debating throwing another one but it looked like he got the message. She chuckled a bit. “The full moon is out tonight and you are trying to go to sleep. Come run with me instead. The moon looks huge on the edge of the oasis.” She chuckled a bit and tilted her head in an oddly cute fashion at him. Her mouth looked like she was up to trouble. “Or are you too much of an old man to come out and run when our blood comes calling?”

After a moment of chuckling, she grinned. “I had to bribe Kite and Tempest to tell me what window was yours. No offense but Toya and Blaine can get annoying with their banter. I would rather them not know about a late night run or less they will get ideas.” She waved her hand. “Come on now… Unless you are really too old to come out and play with me.”

She offered her hand out to him and chuckled a bit hoping he would take it. “It’s good for you to get out and run.”