i'll show you how to fall [Pan]

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He could not stay on Ina'mos forever. The young male was getting older and though males did not have their first heat or anything like that to signal that they were old enough to reproduce, he was certain that he had never been more interested in the feminine scents that filled the tiny island of Ina'mos. He supposed it would be the perfect place to raise offspring, but he was in no rush. The deaf male had his entire life ahead of him, and he was not going to waste any of it or force himself to move faster than he needed to. But the longer he stayed on the small island off the coast of Anikira, the more he lost control of himself and his body's impulses. Therefore, to save the females of Kairos from his urges, he had plunged into the chilly ocean to swim back to the mainland.

There would be females there, of course, but that did not mean he would have as much trouble avoiding them as he had on Ina'mos. The swim had been hell, if he were being honest. Ambriel moved along silently beside him the entire time, her ghostly figure sliding through the water without feeling the cold that licked at the male's shoulders and face. But he had made it, just like he had in the past. He was stronger than when he had started out, and thankfully his Vertigo episodes were getting further and further apart. In fact, he could tell by the look on Ambriel's face as he pulled himself up onto the rocks within a cave in the coast cliffs that it had been weeks since he had experienced any balance issues. He was at his full size now, which was not quite as large as some of the massive giants of Kairos, but he was still quite formidable. He was not of average size, at least, and he was teaching himself how to fight and hold his own against any that might wish to harm anyone within his pack.

And he was confident that his place in Kairos was secure. Though his egg had not exactly been the most promising after his Agoge, he had been persistent and determined with his own training. He had learned early that he could not rely on anyone but himself and Ambriel - outside of his immediate family, of course - and he could not wait on mentors to teach him how to be stronger and better. He spent most of his days training, running, and hunting, teaching himself how to improve at anything he could. Perhaps it was what had helped him get over his lack of balance as a pup, but he did his best not to hold onto the past. In fact, he was even getting more confident in his voice, as well. Though he could not hear it himself, he was certain that it was becoming to sound more normal and smooth to others. At least it seemed that they reacted less awkwardly and less uncomfortably than they used to. He had focused on the vibrations and the feelings to change his tone and pitch until he started noticing the smallest changes of expression in the faces of others.

He still had a long way to go, of course, but he was growing more confident with every interaction he had. He no longer remained silent the entire time he was with someone, and he had even taken to speaking to Ambriel to practice. She had been incredibly helpful in his voice training. She could not tell him what to do, because he could not hear her, but she could show him expressions and nod or shake her head as needed. He spoke to her often now, especially since he loved the way her face lit up when he rambled on about nothing. However, that morning he had spent his time silently resting, his head on his paws as his body dried in the warmth and wind-free cave. But his peace and rest was not meant to last very long. Ambriel reacted first, her head whipping up towards what he could only assume was a sound, but the soft vibration of something that had fallen soon reached his paw pads and stomach where he laid. His head lifted slowly as he lifted his nose to sniff the air, and though he picked up the faintest hint of Kairos, he could not tell if it was coming from his own coat or the stranger's.

Then there was the scent he had been avoiding. Whoever had entered the cave was a female, and she was very much in heat. He swallowed nervously and exhaled slowly, doing his best to control his hormones as he pushed himself into a sitting position and then up onto his feet. Though this was the first season he had experienced the emotions and feelings that ran through his body and brain, Pan had always and would always be a gentleman. Since he had been in the cave for nearly a day and a half at that point, his eyes were easily already adjusted to the darkness and it took him only a few moments of scanning the cave to spot her. She was pretty, with a slight marking of a heart around her face and the most unique eyes he had ever seen. They were beautiful, and he allowed himself to focus on them for a fraction of a second longer than he had initially meant to before he took a step forward and offered her a polite nod in greeting.

"Hello Miss." He said, pleased to see the smile on Ambriel's face that told him that his words had sounded as close to smooth and normal as possible. He had also gotten very good at reading facial expressions and micro expressions, as well as body language in order to help him interpret what a wolf was thinking, feeling, and saying. He could read lips, so he did not require others to act out what they meant, though it had been entertaining any time they had tried. He did not need others to accommodate him, as he was perfectly capable of functioning without anyone's help or aid. He had no claim to this cave, for it was well within North Igneir. So instead of moving closer to her in an attempt to intimidate her or control her like some males might have, he lowered his hips back into a sitting position and let his long tail curl lightly beside him. "My name is Pan, Gladiator of Kairos." He said, for some reason feeling the need to state his rank and pack alongside his name. Perhaps it was because he was proud of his pack, or at least how far he had come within the ranks since he had started out as such a young and clumsy pup.

(Aphrodite)

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All of a sudden, with no warning at all, the interaction when to hell and back. The young male watched in confusion and surprise as the female froze almost instantly and her failed to hear a single word he had spoken. She asked him what he had said, but before he could respond by repeating the words, she threw a rabbit at him. His multicolored eyes watched it flop lifelessly on the ground in front of him, and then they returned to her form once more. Then she told him that the rabbit was his. But he had not caught it, nor did he want to take food from the clearly frightened female. Still she did not allow him to speak as she proceeded to say she was leaving, and he frowned at her in response. "Wait, please. I am not going to hurt you, I promise." He said softly, pushing himself slowly to his feet and leaning down to pick up the rabbit.

He was very careful to keep his steps slow and watch her carefully as he walked towards her, keeping his head low and his tail hanging down behind him so that he did not give off any signs that he meant her any harm. Eventually his deliberately slow steps brought him to a stop a couple feet in front of her where he proceeded to set down the rabbit and use his nose to nudge it back towards her gently. "This is not mine. You caught it, and I refuse to steal food from anyone." He said softly, before stepping back several feet and lowering himself all the way down into a laying position. This way he would be lower than her, not submitting, but not at all threatening. She could flee if she wished, or she could even attack him if she was so inclined to do so. But he hoped she would not, because even without the scent of her heat he wanted her to stick around a bit longer.

Her fear and nervousness worried him, and he feared what she might be hiding from in this dark cave. "My name is Pan." He said gently, offering her a small smile and a slight nod as he introduced himself again. He was not as hungry as he could have been, so he was easily able to ignore the dead animal that she had tried to appease him with earlier. It was hers to eat, and he would not interfere with her meal. Ambriel stood nearby, keeping space between herself and the stranger and watching closely. She seemed confused and concerned as well, and Pan offered a small glance in her direction and visibly relaxed as she offered him a smile in return. He was still not the most confident wolf in the world, but his ghost companion had helped him become more and more sure of himself as he had grown.

"Are you alright, Miss? Did someone hurt you?" He asked, knowing that he probably should have given her more time to adjust and relax before he began questioning her. But he could not help himself, and the protector in him was flaring up to ensure that she was safe and taken care of. He had always been the knight in shining armor sort of male, but so far in his time with Kairos he had never really needed to step up and fill the role. But here, outside of his pack's territory, he was certain that this female needed help in some way. But what was she running from? What was she so terribly afraid of? He had only said his name, rank, and pack, and he had remained as neutral in positioning as possible. Had it been his pack that had scared her? Or his rank as a Gladiator?

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(Aphrodite)

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She seemed almost surprised as he lowered his body to lay down. However, it was easy to see the almost instant reaction that her body gave off without her even realizing it. Her tense muscles eased slightly, her tail hung behind her in a relaxed state instead of tucking tightly up against her belly. She even seemed to stand up a little bit taller. Or perhaps that was just his lowered perspective. Either way, he was glad to see her calming down a bit. Her verbal appreciation received a nod from the young male as he shifted to swing his back legs out to one side of his body so he could get more comfortable. She seemed to have trouble giving him her name, but it also seemed like her manners won out in the end. He smiled as he listened to the name roll off her tongue, thinking it quite fitting for the beauty that stood still shaking slightly in front of him.

But he had yet to convince her that he meant her no harm. In fact, if anything he meant her the opposite. If Pan was anything, he was a bleeding heart, and he could not stand seeing anyone in the terrified state that he had found her in. He did his best not to chuckle as she squeaked out another polite sentence, and instead managed a slightly larger smile in response. When she told him that she reminded him of someone, however, he frowned slightly. Was it how he looked? How he behaved? Or simply where he came from? He could not know, and he would not question her. That would only make her more uncomfortable and likely cause her to shut down on him instead of open up further. He was glad that she could at least say out loud that she was alright, but he suspected that at least emotionally she was not quite at her best.

But it was not his place to judge her emotions or thoughts. "Aphrodite, I promise that I will not harm you and no one else will as long as I have anything to say or do about it." He said, knowing full well that it was strange for someone who she did not even know to pledge that he would protect her. But that was just how he was, and he could not help it. He had been protective of his family, especially his mother, and he would always do everything in his power to protect those that were not able to protect themselves. In fact, it brought him pride to even think about the fact that he was capable of doing so in the first place. He had come so far, and when he thought back to when he was a young pup, he was certain that he never imagined that he would be in this situation now. But here he was, and he could do nothing but try to help her and make her feel safe. After all, is that not what a gentleman should do?

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(Aphrodite)

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He continued to watch her silently, his eyes carefully judging her features and for a moment as he studied her muscles and how they relaxed and contracted, he almost missed her words as she questioned him. He looked back at her face for long enough to notice she spoke of his pack and how he liked it there. She seemed familiar with the word even before he had spoken it before. Had that been the reason she had so quickly recoiled from him? He frowned for a moment, trying to decide exactly what was happening, but he gave up fairly quickly. He had learned early on to not try and figure out the females in his life, and he supposed he could probably add one more to that list. "I was born in Kairos. My mother is Messoria, the matriarch and the Emperor is my half brother." He said, tilting his head and watching her curiously as he spoke.

If she had problems with his pack, she likely would not take too kindly to his lineage either. "I was teased as a pup, but I suppose any youth in any pack would do so with a deaf pup." He said, shifting to get slightly more comfortable before he opened his mouth again to speak. "I was young when we returned from the Isles, but I know about the wolves that my brother had the pack bring back with them. I suppose they did not get to see the best of my family either. I do love my pack and family, though, even if I do not always agree with their methods. Kairos is large, and a small few of our numbers could probably use some manners." He said, offering her the best smile he could offer as he spoke about the pack. Kairos was not always above board with their tactics, but he was certain that other packs did far worse things throughout Anikira. But he would never leave his brother's ranks. It would mean leaving his mother, his siblings, his extended family. He could never do that, not even if he had wanted to.

Plus, although Kairos had it's bad points, he was certain that there was also a lot of good within them as well. After all, he was still a part of Kairos, right? But he was careful to watch her expressions, to see if she even believed him or if there was something more beneath the surface that he could not interpret. He did not remember her, but then again he had been just a pup when Kairos had returned from The Southern Isles. He had been carried by his brother, not large enough or strong enough to make the long journey to his pack's home. But he had not been born on Ina'mos like many of the other Kairos wolves had. He was certain that his linage came at least in part from the Isles, for he carried many traits that the Isle wolves did.

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(Aphrodite)

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Almost the instant the words came from his mouth that Hyperion was his half brother, Pan could see her tense and almost shrink back into herself. He was tempted to watch her tumble into whatever pit she was falling into emotionally and see how far the darkness went, but he could not bring himself to allow it. Perhaps his admission of his deafness was a strategic move to distract her. Regardless of why he had let it be known it seemed as if it had shocked her enough that she focused on him once more. However, when he finished speaking and she admitted that she was one of the females taken by his pack, he frowned and sighed softly. He watched her sink down into a laying position and anchor her head on her paws, and it was easy to see the moisture gathering in her eyes as she held back the emotion from her ordeal.

Then she spoke about him taking her back to Kairos. If he were being honest, she had a point. It would look good for him with the rest of the pack if he did take her back, but he could only imagine how his mother or sister would look at him for doing so. Messoria was loyal to Kairos to a fault, but she had a soft side to her that Pan knew would break for a female such as the one in front of him. "I suppose it would be my duty to take you back, but I'm not that kind of wolf." He said, not bothering to say male instead of wolf. He had learned that even females were capable of cruelty, and there was little point now in separating the genders based off of their potential for darker behaviors and ideals.

"Your life is your own, Aphrodite. If my brother gets mad at me for that, then so be it." He said, shrugging his shoulders and leaning back slightly in his laying position. He would not be dragging anyone back to Kairos as a slave or prisoner, and he had not been lying about his determination to protect her as long as she wished to remain nearby. He would not chase her about the continent, however, to keep her safe from everyone else. He had no ties to her, nor she to him, but he could not help allowing his heart to break slightly for her. "I have never been one to enjoy the suffering or possession of others. Wolves are not things to be owned or controlled, especially females." He said, offering a small huff of a laugh at the words. He had met many feisty and powerful females in his life, and he respected each and every one of them for their abilities and potential. Aphrodite would be no different.

"As I said before, I will protect you here and now. I will not chase you across Anikira and I will not drag you back to Kairos against your will. If you choose to travel with me and return of your own accord, I will continue to defend you and your honor for as long as you allow." He said, lowering his head back down to rest it on his paws as he watched her curiously. He had to keep his eyes on her to watch her muzzle for words as he could not hear her, but he also did not want to pressure her. Surely she knew that there were other not so friendly Kairos males - and other packs, as well - roaming throughout Anikira. She likely could not hide forever, and he wondered what sorts of danger she would get herself into as soon as they parted ways. A large part of him did not want to let her go, for he would worry and feel guilty for letting her walk the continent by herself. But he was not lying when he had told her that he would not follow her and that every wolf deserved to control their own life. Still, he knew many in Kairos would not agree to such a thing, and if she chose to return with him he would have his work cut out for him keeping her safe. That is unless he claimed her as his own, but in his young and naive mind the thought did not even cross his mind. In fact, his respect for females as a gender did not allow him to even consider claiming anyone as his and his alone. At least not yet, anyways.

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(Aphrodite)