Welcome the Darkness (PAFP)

He caught onto her troubled look and it didn't take much for him to know what she was thinking about with that look on her face, he rubbed the back of his head then tried to think of something to cheer her up. "How about tonight I take you somewhere else so we can escape from all this madness?" He glanced over at her from out of the corner of his eye. He already knew where he would take her if she agreed. There was a waterfall not far from his pack was at, if he traveled in wolf form they'd be there in minutes. It used to be a place where he would go to escape the stress of the pack when his sister had died, it was his secret place that only he and his sister Athelia knew about. They had found it together and decided to keep it a secret between them but he was certain that his sister wouldn't mind if he showed their special place to Catherine. They'd have to leave a little after midnight so that they could slip past all of the sentries that were scattered about through the territory. It would be quick and easy for him because he knew where they would be at.

Alex shifted the branch slightly while he glanced up at the sky, it was already well into the afternoon so it wouldn't be long for the sun to start making its trek down the sky so that the moon goddess could rise. "We'll leave by around midnight so that we can get past the sentries that are patrolling. We can sleep at where I'm taking you or we can head back after a few hours." He rubbed his chin to feel the gristly hair, he liked to keep a clean shaven face with short hair unlike most which at times made him a outcast. The men of his pack liked to keep their warrior braids, it was a sign of experience so the longer and more amount of braids the more respect you were bound to receive. So with no warrior braids in his hair or a beard that showed off his masculinity he was rejected by most but they still followed his orders albeit with grumblings and eye rolls. His father had a lover while he had been recently mated to his mother, the other women soon began pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. The pack of course gossiped about it because the child was a bastard in their eyes, he couldn't take the throne because of his tainted blood and would dealt with like a outcast. But he never got to deal with that when someone from the pack decided to end the young boys life. The killer was torn to shreds by the Alpha but he was seen as weak for letting the death of his bastard son be killed. Sometimes Alex couldn't stand how bloodthirsty they were so the few moments even hours that he could escape from their barbarish ways suited him just fine. He knew that it was the way of the law for them but he had idealistic ways with how a pack should act.

He stuck his tongue out at her in response as he once again shifted the branch so that it was higher up on his shoulder. "I tried the whole beard and braids thing a while back but I don't look good with long hair. Besides my white hair already makes me stick out from everyone." His smile turned to a frown as he thought about that, of course many had silver hair but his was white with a tint of grey that could only be seen in his wolf form. A harsh sigh left his lips but he shook himself out of the depressing thoughts that plagued his mind and looked over at Catherine as she did her little walk dance that was quite amusing. "I'm very different compared to my pack. I like the way your government is but I don't like the leadership, our people are very similar in some cases like how bloodthirsty and cruel we both are except we live a barbaric way of life while humans live like highborns. That's my way of thinking anyway." He did like how their government was which was similar to their own rules but was also different in many ways. The pack that he wanted to lead was a fair one that helped anyone in need, but that was too much to ask because there would always be someone there to back stab and ruin everything that he'd ever hope for.

He snorted to himself as he thought about her wearing fancy dresses and acting posh around famous visitors or people who hold meaning in their community. It's hard to imagine her in that sort of attire since she seemed so at home here in the forest with him. "All societies are savage in their own way, some worse than others but there is always something wrong with societies. That's just how the world revolves I suppose." He drifted off as he looked forward, they were close to the camp as the drift of smoke could be seen in the air. He looked about to see the elders teaching the children about the legends of the pack that was woven deep within their lives. The elders loved to teach the children about the ancestors, no one else would teach them so the elders opted to tutor them in the old ways like their ancestors used to. They were a very religious people that stuck to the old way of things, they're highly intelligent but they remained stubborn and liked to live as a tribe like their ancestors who moved together and hunted down the great beast. Alex could understand that they wanted to remain close to the ancestors that led them everything that they knew. He placed the branch onto a series of other branches, he turned towards Catherine and glared at her playfully as he stalked towards her, his footsteps placed carefully. "So princess, ready for some amazing deer stew?" He looped his arms around her waist and twirled her around, he poked her nose as he led her towards a tent where most of the cooks did their work. He pulled open the flap and looked around as one of his favorite cooks walked over and kisses him on both of his cheeks. "It's great to see you too, so how is the cooking coming along." The elderly women made several hand gestures then smiled brightly as she gazed upon Catherine and kissed both of her cheeks as well. "She's happy to meet you." He whispered this in her ear as he looked around at the other cooks that shyly gazed at them from a distance.

Sorry for my replies coming in so late, I'm cooking my mom dinner for her birthday//

He kissed the elders forward lovingly as she led both of them to a pot filled with the famous stew that his pack was known for. The cooks were excellent at their jobs especially when it came to stew which was to die for due to how good the meat was, they used various herbs to doctor up the meat which practically melted in ones mouth. He watched the elder women scoop out a bowl full and handed it to him which then transferred to Catherine with a smooth wooden spoon leaning against the side of the bowl. He then grabbed his own and thanked the elder with a series of hand gestures then took a sip from the spoon. He groaned inwardly then swallowed as he looked over at Catherine, the elder stood there with her hands clasped together, a bright smile still remaining on her face as she looked between the two. The elder was like a second mother to him even though she could only talk through sign language, she had her tongue cut out by the humans. She had been captured and tortured when she spoke out of line to protect another prisoner that was getting a beating.

He smirked through the spoon in his mouth at her excitement, of course the meals that the cooks created were fantastic, they put hours of attempts into their art until they had created the perfect dishes that were world wide famous due to trade. "Come on, I'll give you the tour of the camp." He nudged her with his shoulder before exiting the flap with bowl in tow. He swallowed another spoonful as he gazed around at the tents and caves that were dens to some of the higher ranks. "That's the shamans den, he's the healer of the pack. That's the subordinates and there's the warriors and hunters. Sentinels sleep out in the woods and that's the alphas den." He pointed each of the areas out to Catherine as they walked, he set his bowl down near so women who were cleaning dishes and thanked them. He looked around then caught a glimpse of his father and mother. The were wrapped in a lovers embrace with his father's fingers tilting his mothers chin upwards so that he could place a passionate kiss upon her lips. He envied at how they loved each other so much after the fact that his father was unfaithful to her yet she stayed with him either out of love or because she felt the need to. With a sigh he looked away quickly and glanced down at Catherine with a troubled smile on his lips.

He cocked his head in wonderment as he tried to think of something that she could teach something about her culture. He actually studied some of the human culture when he was just a teenager but if he could learn something that he didn't know about he would absolutely take the opportunity to learn something new. He put his back to his parents to fully face Catherine so that his mind didn't wander or think about the wrong doings that his father had done to his mother. "Alright, teach me something that I don't know your highness." He playfully teased her as he moved away so that he was no where near the alphas den. He knew his mother stayed out of obligation and love for the man that had used her which upset him the most, he loved his mother and hated it when she was used like she had been but he couldn't do anything about it. He loved his father which was why he never challenged him unless he absolutely had to which even then he'd hate to do but if he had to because his father began to go against all he believed in then he'd do it in a heart beat.

Alex had to think about her question for a moment then shook his head finally after thinking for several moments with his lips pinched together deep in thought. "Can't say I have. But we can definitely do it when we leave during the night." His eyes seemed to spark with excitement at the thought of doing something new that he'd never experienced before, he wondered what he'd use but then decided to grab a long line of woven fibers that would work to tie to a branch or a crag. "I'll grab a rope made out of fibers that we can swing on." A bright smile still remained on his lips as he thought about doing something with Catherine, he was quickly coming to like spending time with Catherine, she made him feel young and alive which made him want to spend even more time with her.

He followed after her with worry carved onto his face though it quickly dissipated when he saw that she found what she was looking for, he glanced at the necklace in a curious manner as he took in the shape of the wolf that was hard to tell if it was in a snarling grimace or was presenting a completely horrifying smile. He shrugged inwardly to himself as he walked forward and gently grasped it between his thumb and forefinger. His right brow raised at her as a grin that showed off his pearly whites appeared. "Interesting choice of jewelry I must say." A hint of teasing could be heard in his voice as he released the piece jewelry from his grasp and stepped back to give her some space. He looked bashfully away while he looked for something to focus his attention on, he hated how easily they were getting along but he also loved it to. He hated how open he felt but he loved the vulnerability that he showed to Catherine, but something held him back from fully opened up to Cat. Perhaps the death of his sister plagued his mind or maybe because he felt ashamed that she was his prisoner and he was her captor. Just that thought made him feel sick and ashamed of himself.

With a sigh he glanced over to the sound of a sentinel howl which was then answered by his father who surged out of his den in wolf form, a group of warriors quickly followed behind. That howl was a warning that other lycanthropes were advancing upon their territory in battle attire. He turned to Catherine and cupped her cheek in his hand then placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead as he backed away. "Stay inside the den." That was the only thing he said before he shifting into his own wolf form and took off after the warrior group that was quickly advancing onto his father. He had to help fend off the invaders because that was one of his duties to the pack, of course another group of warriors were left in the camp just in case some of the invaders slipped by them or came in a different direction to ambush the camp. He surged forward so that his snout was parallel to his father's, he could see out of the corner of his eye that his father was looking at him then focused upon the task as they came upon the invaders. With a snarl he launched himself forward and landed upon the back of one of the invaders, he began to tear into its neck as screams and whines rang in his ears that were pinned to his cranium. The battle was short and quick as they easily overpowered the other invaders, some escaped with their lives but many were slaughtered. He stood there panting, crimson blood dripping from his maw as his father sided up to him. A large gash was on the side of his face as well as a few claw marks on his muzzle. [i]"Good job. Go check the camp to make sure that everyone is okay. We'll take care of the deceased."[/b] With a nod he took off back towards the camp, hoping that everyone, especially Catherine, were alright. He didn't know what he'd do if Catherine was injured, he'd probably go into a rampage after the perpetrator.