I miss the lies and the pain

 She was fucking gone. Gone totally and completely. Exalted could not find her. The first few nights it didn't seem that big of a deal but when it dragged on and on... she felt a sick pit of worry in her gut. Nosebleed's premonition and Andraste's own omen told to her left her feeling sick. What if the red bird had gotten her? What if it wasn't even one of their own but an unknown force? Any scent trails that the woman had left were long gone. Exalted had nothing to go by. What would happen to Sanatorium if she were gone?

 She pulled her lips back from her fangs into a grimace, half anger and half fear. She wanted to rip into something, but there was nothing here in the cold desert sands. Nothing, as she wandered southward towards nothing. Would she have to take up the mantle? To keep everything going smoothly while Mother was... gone?

 She refused to think the worst.

 Death would not bring her here only to kill her. No. She was alive.

 She stopped walking, feet away from a strange contraption that stood on the outskirts of the town. Everything here was foreign. Was weird and strange. It nearly drove away the worry in her gut with its strangeness. What was this place?

 She walked up to the thing in front of her, the well (though she did not know the name for it) and sniffed it and the rope and bucket. After a moment when it did nothing, she walked around it and into the town proper. There were weird wooden structures, straight and tall and somewhat dilapidated. Foreign symbols were scrawled across some and one in particular... the entrance hung on rusty hinges that blew partially open in the wind. Exalted felt no fear, only intrigue as she wandered over to it.

 Andraste would not fear this. She would be like her mentor and investigate.

 She pushed her way inside the saloon and saw a place of tables and chairs, everything strewn around in a state of organized chaos. Glass bottles sat on tables and at the bar at the far end. She walked over to the bar and stood on her hind legs, sniffing at the bartop and then grabbing a bottle in her maw. What was all of this?

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Misha wandered through, planning to head out through the sands and to the mountains. He would be of no use here. Mother had gone missing and he knew she would not return. Or that least things would not be the same. Another mother, lost beyond reality. Everyone, as always, left him. It seemed to be part of his destiny. He would die not only into eternal suffering...he would die alone to be reborn alone it seemed. Is that why the sun always looked as if it sought the moon?

He remembered his previous conversation with the witch. Of how he would look for wolves to recruit or steal into Sanatorium, preferably white ones. They needed to strengthen their pack or they would get nowhere. And so Misha who had been lax through most of his time here, had decided he must now act and show why he was a wolf to not underestimate. He would make mother proud.

As he entered and padded through the abandon town, Misha found himself reminiscing. This place was quite nostalgic. It almost looked like his previous home in a lot of ways. His birth pack, Moolt, had been formed in nature and the remains of a society of beasts that had once controlled his world. Seeing them here made him wonder if such creatures were still alive, or if they had been wiped out around the same time as in his own world. He was convinced whatever they were had to be related to beavers. While meandering on through, he spotted a familiar wolf from the broken window of an old building. He proceeded to enter the building, the creak of the sliding doors announcing his entrance. He then posed in an elegant yet comedic way. "Privet there Little Lady. You shouldn't be poking around while sticking your cute ass out like that, you'll get creeps." He said dryly before letting out a yawn as he abandoned his grand entrance. He hadn't seen the other in a while, and he was considering several reasons for it.

He was about to comment about the heavy topic when he realized she had been poking at some bottles he recognized from his world. "Stoy, stoy stoy (stop)!" He quickly uttered as he hurried over to her. "That stuff is not good to poke around with, ty poluchish' otstoy (you'll get the sludge)! Or ty (you), gonna get cut up if you're as clumsy as I think you are." He was switching between English and Russian as he grew frantic.
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 She heard the noise first. It didn't click who it was until she heard the voice and it was at that point she looked around, hoping it wasn't him.

 But it was.

 The fuck did he just say?

 She stood there, staring at him with one brow cocked. What on earth had he been drinking? All her previous endeavors were dropped as she, for once, was blank on how to reply. So went with a clearly confused, "...What?" Muffled, of course, by the bottle she was holding in her maw.

 It was no sooner that Misha began to walk over to her, shouting something at her that left her even more confused. His words were rapid fire and she wasn't even sure that all of them were even of the Common Tongue. Her face was creased in clear befuddlement as she extended her head towards him with her eyes narrowed. Quite unlike her usual anger with him... she just didn't know what the fuck was going on with his accent, the switching of his languages, and the speed at which he spoke.

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As she extended her head towards him, he immediately bristled and backed away with a silent snarl. As pups they were immediately taught of all the dangers from 'sludge rocks' as they were dubbed. The extinct beasts from his home had left them scattered everywhere in their ruins. Apparently according to records the original title of these items was 'alcohol bottles'. But no one knew why or what that meant. She was going to kill them all at this rate. But she seemed clearly confused, were these not from her world? Misha tried to regain his composure. He backed away, took a deep breath, and tried again.

"Put that shit down before it explodes in fire or sharp rocks. Also you can get really sick from licking it, try not to lick it. Or have it near an open wound because it stings like hell. We call them Sludge Rocks from my home. I have seen them kill and hurt others. There is even a sub pack from my home that hoards them to use in battle." He explained slowly as he backed away some more. As much as he wanted to help the other, he was this close to just saying 'fuck it' and run for his life. Sometimes punks in his old pack liked to smash them. He saw a group do this near some human ruins once and the place erupted into flames. The fire lasted for days. He was not going to catch on fire because of some dumbass.

Yet against his better judgement, he really didn't want them to lose such a capable fighter or entertaining play-toy, so he continued to try to ensure her safety. "Just slowly put it back down..." He explained as he mimicked the movement. Normally he wanted to be a jackass but he hoped she could see he was actually being serious for once and just trust him.
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 After her display of confusion, the man seemed annoyed or irritated or scared or something as he backed away... like she was dangerous.

 Or what she was holding was dangerous.

 She realized it was the latter when he explained in much more intelligible tones why he'd reacted in such a manner before. Oh.

 Oh...

 Her eyes popped open wide as her pupils shrank comically as she looked down at the bottle in her jaw. Oh, fuck. Her first reaction was to throw it down and run but then Misha warned against that. Put it down slowly. The albino yearling would slowly lower her muzzle to the ground so that she could deposit the surprisingly dangerous device and begin to step away.

 She would turn to face it once she was past it so that she could watch it while she backed up. As if it had a mind of its own and would jump forward and bite her.

 She backed away with her companion, all the way to the front door a healthy distance away. Then she would glance at him and say, "I'm surprised you didn't let it bite me." Really, he could have done her real harm and probably gotten rid of her. Maybe he wasn't such a rotten snake after all.

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Misha let out a huge sigh of relief and a silent Ukrainian prayer of thanks as Exalted put down the bottle, carefully, and made her way back to him. He almost laughed at how she looked back at it, but then again they could roll so it wasn't the dumbest thing he's seen from her yet. As she made her way to him and spoke her words, he let out a haughty huff of air. "You're suppose to say thanks first. If you don't remember, I am the Messiah. My purpose in life is to save others and shoulder burdens. It makes no sense to abandon one of Sanatorium's strongest wolves!" He said with indignation, geez kids these days had no respect. He didn't care if she thought he was the bees knees or was sewer waste. He was true to his convictions, or at least when it made him look good. No, he would not say that he deemed her worthy to live on because of the way she could make him laugh, or how she could make him angry.

Misha quickly steered away from this topic, trying to will away the slight blush on his face. It was not in his cards right now to be vulnerable or reveal kinks in his armor. Instead he got straight to the point, blunt far beyond his normal nature. "Mother is gone and I need to fulfill her last request she has asked of me. I must leave Sanatorium. If I do not come back, assume that I am dead and eat well in my name." He stated in a monotone voice that was somehow serious yet also aloof, as if this was a normal every day thing. Once again, just like when they had first met, his smile was ice cold and guarded.
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[narrow widht=450] Her first reaction to his words were to get annoyed at his self-importance... but then he called her one of Sanatorium's strongest wolves. While, she did not disagree with this --because clearly she was one of the strongest and most useful-- it was surprising coming from his maw. There was something that warmed her about that...

 Her jaw clenched and unclenched several times as she tried to figure out whether to react with sarcasm, gratitude, irritation, or something friendly. Gross. But, in the end she just snorted and gave a noncommittal grunt which she figured was a mix of all four. What game was he playing that she couldn't muster up the anger and loathing she used to have for him anymore?

 His next words left her filled with so many questions... She turned her gaze on him. It was icy and sharp, keen like that of a bird. His face revealed nothing, it was a mask of a smile like always. Hiding his cards close to his heart. Admirable, for if he revealed anything she would pluck it like a greedy bird of prey. "I had questions about Mother and you." The red bird. It buzzed around in her mind like an angry bee. "Do you know anything of her disappearance? The last conversation I had with her, was of a prophecy... One of a betrayal." There was nothing in her voice as she stared at him, eyes ready to pick up anything suspicious. "Would you know anything about that?" She had to ask. In the name of their Mother, she must have all things laid bare. There had to be someone here to pick up the pieces and continue on... especially if that prophecy had come true and Misha was deciding to flee.

 His other comments would be seen to later... she needed to know this.[/narrow]
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Misha was fairly sure the other would have just said "good riddance!" Or something along those lines. Instead, she had something to share herself. He tilted his head to show he was interested and ready to indulge. He listened carefully, she shared, confided to him of an event he had not been aware of. He responded in a way that could be considered appropriate, bewilderment and confusion, some of it orchestrated as he stammered a 'what'. In this process as the milliseconds went by, he thought fast. There was a prophecy of betrayal? Thoughts swarmed in his head as alarm bells rung. Why had he not heard of this?! A secret until now? A sinking feeling entered his core. Exalted suspected him. Mother had not shared with him because she suspected him too. Was she...No, she was!

She had been planning on betraying him. A farce that would lead up to him as the sheep for the wolves to eat, the witch would feign ignorance and surprise, saying things like 'I should have known it wasn't him'. He was a target cause he knew she was not what her teachings were. He had been blessed by the gods and was dangerous. What if she wasn't dead? What if she were waiting for him to slip? This journey was perhaps for his undoing? Sending him to a death? The conspiracies were relentless, perhaps if Misha had felt more relied on he wouldn't have jumped straight into paranoia. Time was out, any longer with no words would look odd, he needed to respond.

"Are you sure? That's interesting because...Should I say..." He was hesitating, great a sentence to bring him a few more milliseconds to think. It was all he needed. The good boy role he was trying to play would now be deviated from. A dangerous game of telephone would begin, a self-fulfilling prophecy, all parties motivated by the fear of the unfaithful. He had no choice but to be caution, he would not be back-stabbed ever again. Wait, again? A memory that was his, and yet not, threatened to reveal itself but it was still too soon. He brushed it away.

Misha proceeded to look around, to make sure none were near before leaning in close to the other's right ear. Exalted's scent hung in all around him, but he let it not distract him. "That last request I just mentioned...Mother told me there was someone very close to us who could not be trusted. It seems they are communicating with another pack. She wanted me to gather Intel and pick up extra muscle to prepare..." His voice grew gave as worried festered in his tone "Perhaps they had already killed her."

Moving his head away from her ear, he moved his nose to touch her own. The situation almost looked romantic if the boy did not look so serious. "What do we do?" He spoke, asking for insight. The balancing act had started where he tried to keep in the realm of truth and fabrication. He really did want her advice for insight but also for further material to manipulate. Both sides of the board he was playing, and a double checkmate was his hope.
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 Hmm... he seemed unaware, completely confused and baffled. He made all the right noises, did all the right things. He seemed so surprised and unaware. Mother was not here anymore and had not told him of the prophecy. Not like it mattered anymore, she was gone. Dead? She shuddered to think of that possibility but what else could keep her away for so long? What if Misha was feigning surprise? Trying to get into her good graces? Knock her off his trail.

 No. He wasn't that smart. She called him "Soft-Brain" for a reason. He likely was surprised. Her senses were trained, eyes keen on any sort of betrayal from him... she couldn't sense a thing. No one would be that good at betraying her. The suspicion faded from her gaze as she listened to him. It was that underestimation that allowed her to believe him.

 He leaned into her ear, whispering his words as if afraid of something on the breeze carrying their words to others. He knew of the betrayal but not of the prophecy. Hmm... Her lips peeled back into a snarl at the mention of this wolf already betraying her. But WHO?! If it was not him.

 What if he was trying to throw her off his trail?

 He could not overpower Andraste. He could not even overpower her. She growled in frustration. It was like a fog before her eyes, she could not see. There was no way he could work comfortably with anyone else, they would eat him alive with his pompous fucking attitude.

 What if it were one of the ones who left? "One of the betrayers..." Her voice was barely a whisper on the breeze.

 Her eyes opened wide and she turned towards him, their noses touching as that realization dawned on her. What did they do? Was he finally realizing that she was the one who's leadership he should defer to? "Do as she bid you. Search for intel, gather information and bring it back to me." Speaking as if she were the new one in charge in the Mother's absence. She felt like she had to be, to keep everyone together and keep a sense of normalcy. "Tell me if you suspect anyone. I imagine they might have fled already..." If it wasn't obvious before it would be now who she suspected, one of those that left. "If you find out who did it, there will be Hell to pay." A pause and then she said, "I will hold Sanatorium together here in her absence." Playing alpha while their true leader was hopefully just missing... and not dead.

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Bingo! Exalted's brain began to work, trying to figure out the possible scenario. Granted there was still a small chance that Andraste would not try to kill Misha himself, that there was a betrayer. He would need to keep his ears and eyes open. There might be something dangerous lurking about that was not himself. This was part of the reason he didn't fully commit to the lie, because the wolf before him, he needed her and everyone that followed her. Still, the game had permanently been changed thanks to her. Misha would not only recruit for Sanatorium, but for himself, the Messiah too. He needed to play his cards right so he could have the pack and his own power flourish in separate variables that still co-aligned with each other.

As Exalted spoke orders, it gave him mixed feelings. Happy to see her growing up but also annoyed that SHE of all wolves was ordering him. Still he allowed her this freedom. Someday she would see the benefits of brain over brawn. "Yes ma'am. I am at your 'every' command~" He said with a sultry voice playful wink, a clear sexual innuendo being laced before following it up with a more serious conversation. "I wish I could say I had more info to make sense of this all. For now, all I can do is what you ask. Sanatorium will be safe in your paws, remember what you believe in." He said, the last sentence having an odd emotion. For it was true, he could not think of anyone else to watch while he was gone. Someday when he did reclaim his throne he would offer her a noble rank. For she was a special wolf, just not as special as himself.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way, kid. May you not kick the bucket too early." He said, trying to purposefully rile her up as he dove in to close the distance and give the other a kiss before jumping back and running off towards the plains.

---

Insert exit here
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 Ugh... She fought the urge to roll her eyes at his clear double entendre. As pretty as he was... no. She could never see herself stooping to his level. Not his conceited, arrogant, ass. As much as they needed him, she would not have him... no matter how much he was stroking her own ego, speaking to her thusly. It sent a ripple down her spine, an electric current of power. It was dangerous.

 It was addicting.

 "I am not a--!" Smooch He pecked her right on the lips! The albino yearling stared dumbfounded at his retreating form. A mixture of emotions swirling around in her gut. One of them was anger --for how dare he kiss her-- but there was another... not unpleasant emotion in there as well.

  She growled at his retreating form, exposing her fangs at his back... but there was no real venom behind it. Just her usual growls and taunts. When he was gone she would lower her lip again and stare at the door that he exited out of. For a moment she would just stare and then seemed to sag under the weight of all of the information. "Same to you..." She said with a sigh as she lowered her head, actually looking like the yearling that she was in that moment.

 So much had fallen onto her shoulders. It was elating... as elating as it was terrifying.

 Mother, I hope I do this right.

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