During the day, the summer was rather hot. The heat index always seemed to be hotter than the sun itself. For this reason, Desmond had found himself trying to stay cool and near water often. He only went out into the light when it was completely necessary. But as the sun had started to set, Desmond decided it was time to play outside of the shadows. Before long, the sun would be swallowed by the night sky and forced to appear on the opposite side of the world. Desmond walked out from his shade tree and stretched out along the ground. His chest rolled low to the dirt, barely touching it as his head leaned back, allowing his neck to stretch as well. When he was well finished, he stood at his full height. A long yawn rippled through his maw, forcing his jaws to open wide. Using his tongue to try and lather up his mouth, he could feel the parched feeling in his throat. He needed a drink of water, and he knew it was not too far from where he was. He headed for the small stream, but the grass tickled his paws. He didn't really feel too fond of the area. He wanted the desert feel without actually dying of heat stroke. As he wandered along his path, he made a break for the drier lands. Immediately he could feel the difference in the temperatures and the dryness. The lone Alpha moved carefully over the lands, careful not to disturb any scorpions or spiders from hiding. He thought them to be disgusting and bizarre. They were something he did not wish to stay around. The blended wolf moved carefully along his way, making sure he paid attention to everything. But soon after entering this new area, he enjoyed the sights very well. The lined rock was gorgeous and although he didn't know the reason they formed that way, he enjoyed it. He walked along the dirt and dust, collecting it on his paws. He had no idea what he was going to do, but soon the sun was fading into the background of mountains. Night was coming and the Alpha wished to watch the sun disappear into nothingness. He climbed the closest formation he found. As he reached the top, he rested his haunches and laid down to watch the beautiful scene unfold before him. Emerald eyes stared off into the display, enjoying every second of the ever changing sky.

Not long after resting himself in place, he heard the steps of a wolf coming to join him. His ears laid against his head. He turned his head to see Katyusha ascending up the mountain peak. He gave her a smile and slight nod, but immediately turned his attention back to the sky. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen, not white. "Yeah, have a seat or lay down... Whatever is more comfortable for you.." He kept his eyes on the sun, watching the orange glow. "Katyusha, have you ever wondered where the sun goes and the moon comes from? I once heard a story from my father that the moon and the sun are actually lovers who can never be together, never seeing one another for their responsibilities are far more important than their love. I don't know if I believe it to be true.. or not. It seems a little ridiculous. What need would the moon and sun have to feel love?" He rested his head n his paws, watching it move so slow even snails would move faster. How long did it take for the sun to finally set? He would stay there until it happened, but he was still a little anxious. "So tell me Kat, tell me of your life... Something you haven't told anyone and I'll tell you something of mine. I've got all the time in the world, and excess minutes to spare.." He turned his head to look at her, the color of the sky reflecting onto her body where the light hairs were. It was interesting how light was able to do such a thing. Desmond hadn't spent many sunsets with another individual, most of his life he had felt completely alone. Even nestled deep in a pack with parents who mattered, he felt so alone. It was good to have a wolf there just to be there. Fel had been that wolf for him since the moment he met her, but she had been keeping him in line as of late. No crazy thoughts, no silly intuitions. Everything was always pack related and held a serious tone. There was something about Katyusha that allowed the Alpha to unwind and relax a bit.

"Interesting story no matter how you hear it. It is sad to think that two entities that need one another, truly cannot be together. But what do I know? I'm just a wolf who has spent many of his years living alone." Her tale was interesting and he liked to listen to the stories of others. Any information he gathered from another being was bound to be important at some point or another. The sun had been on a steady course of setting and time seemed to be flying by. It was a often a thing older wolves stated once a wolf was actually engaging in fun. The brute looked over to her, watching her stare into the approaching night sky. "Being a Rogue is not all it's cracked up to be. It's a lot of lonely nights and boring days. You think that being alone will somehow fix the void of your past, but really it just makes it worse." Desmond turned his head to stare off at the sun. "In my father's pack, I was granted the rank of Beta over my brother. He was furious and truly thought he deserved it, so he challenged me for my rank. I could not allow his offer to go unseen, so I accepted. It was the hardest fight of my life. We were equal combatants. We had been competing with one another since we could walk. But in the end, I bested him and thus turned into his death. I took the life of my own brother, and though they knew it as law, my father stared at me with a rage I had never seen before. Was I the favorite? Probably not, but after that I surmised that my smaller brother had been. I deserted them and never looked back. After that, I wandered. I hunted for myself, trained myself, and did literally everything for just me. Some say it builds character, being alone. But what it really does, is destroy you. It warps you into something you were never supposed to be as a wolf. It is in our instincts to stick together and be some kind of large happy family. Sometimes I think being a Rogue for so long has ruined me." He rested his head over his paws and took a deep breath. He had just told her a heck of a lot. It had been things she probably didn't care to hear, but he felt like he could talk freely with Katyusha. But when she spoke of not really ever howling, Desmond's head sprung up and looked at her with a tilted gaze. "You are joking right? How have you only howled four times in your whole life?"

"If that is true, about the other forest, then I know my brother will be seeking revenge from me. But I'm not too worried. We never really got along much, Connor and I. But Ezio and Marcus, they were pretty likable - to an extent." He thought about seeing them again, and smiled. It was an interesting thought, but the Alpha didn't always believe in the other forest, it was more for older wolves to tell the young ones for some comfort once their loved ones died. But there was always the chance he was wrong. If this was the case, he would find out in the end. "Yeah well, that is true as well. At least in the pack, you normally have an option to speak with others. You have constant contact, whether you like it or not. Especially in big packs." But as she began to speak about her loneliness, he couldn't help but feel bad for her. The tale was one a wolf should never ave to endure. She went through it all completely alone. What a horrible thing.

"I believe, this Steele, that he did in fact love you. He loved you enough to teach you to keep well care of yourself, and to not need another wolf to defend you and keep you alive. After Teren came into your pack, you still lived. You are here now." He looked to her and spoke in a soft tone. "I may never find love, not that I am looking... But you at least had it at one point. You should cherish that, because not many wolves find what you had. Yeah there's members in the pack who get their happy ending, and all that crap. But sometimes you have to see your own life as a happy ending. Look at me, for instance. I was a Rogue, living alone for so long, and now I am an Alpha. I run my own pack. Love and a family, that doesn't matter to me. I have everything I could ever want. I rose from nothing to become something. You can do that too. I am going to teach you all I know and help you see a world where happy endings don't include another wolf. If you are happy with yourself, you will be happy for life." He lifted his eyes to the sky and watched as the sun lowered itself some more. The world was growing dark, but the Alpha did not budge. "Howling is essential to life. It is used for more than just greeting at a border. it's also used in celebration, like when you ranked up in your natal pack. You've never felt like just howling? Letting loose and just letting your voice ring into the sky?" Before giving her a chance to answer, he lifted his chin high above her head and released a beautiful song. As he howled, he closed his eyes and let it go as long as his lungs could go. As it died down, he took a deep breath and lowered his muzzle to a normal position. "As for my secret..." he went on to say after a pause. "I had a litter once, well I helped make one. It was a long time ago. I made a deal with the fae that I would help her survive until she could do it on her own to care for her young. She wanted them for herself and didn't need me. So I did my part. I never saw them, I never know how many there were. Sometimes, I wish I would have at least seen their faces or knew their names. But with Aleu..." he said as he turned his head to look at her. "She may not understand why you did what you did right now... But someday I think she will understand and love you even more for making a sacrifice that is easy for no parent. But you can't tell anyone about my secret. Nobody knows it. Now me, her, and you know."

"We shall see, I guess once it's my time to join the other forest. But I will take your word for it. The old fool can't be too mad with me, after all he did challenge me. He knew it was dumb. Anyways..." he spoke as he looked back to the sun. Just a small portion of it was exposed to them now. The ocean was swallowing it all up, closing the gap between day and night. The Alpha sighed as he listened to the words of the fae. She was deeply in love with this deceased wolf. It was something he never could understand. He had heard many young wolves talking about how awesome and amazing it was, but Desmond couldn't see himself resting with only one wolf for the rest of his life. Love was not for everyone. "Everyone loses things in life, Katyusha. Somewhere in this world is a wolf who has had way more than you or I, and also lost it all before their very eyes. But whoever this wolf may be, I bet they get up every morning and they try to make their life better than it ever was. You have to have hope and determination. Do you always want to live in a depression filled life? Do you just want to lay down and prove to the monsters of the earth, that you are one to give up? I don't see that in you Katyusha. You may have been through so much thus far, but you have so much more life to live. Maybe one day you will find yourself investing into a wolf who invests just as much, if not more, into you. You will have a new family or be reunited with your young. We never know what the future will hold. Hell, someone might take the throne away from me, sending me back to the Rogue lands. You just never know. It's best to try and see the positives in life. You are alive and well. You have a place to call home where you do not feel threatened or insecure. You are safe."

But with his howl, she had missed the point. She was supposed to sing along with him, instead she listened and smiled. Desmond would make a point to get the whole pack to sing with him one day, perhaps to celebrate something of importance. The songs were not always for such a thing, it could be done just to express joy. What a strange wolf indeed. "Wolves don't only howl for celebration. Sometimes we just do it for fun... Like that... That was for fun and to help the moon rise to the highest point in the sky. The moon loves wolves, absolutely adores our song. Anytime she can hear them, she beams brightly." He looked to the sunken sun, and noticed the twinkling stars far above their heads. The light of day was gone and the night was now dancing before them. Soon the moon would be present and Desmond was sure he would get them both to offer a song of praise beneath all her glory. "But enough of this saddening talk... Let us do something out of the norm... When was the last time you actually had fun? And I don't mean mindlessly killing a smaller creature out of sport, I mean true blue fun? It's been a while for me, especially with the sun being so freaking hot, ya know? But since it's cooling down, how about we play a game... In about thirty minutes or so, possibly sooner... The fireflies will be out and about. We should see who can collect the most and the loser has to do whatever the winner wants. What do you say?"