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Evi had won.<br><br>
In some messed up, evil game of her own composition. Evi against the world. Many of her desires were now filled. In her eyes, she was a mother. She hadn't left Arys' side since he had been brought to her. She's groomed him obsessively, successfully cleaning the scent of his parents away. He was his beautiful prince, her prize for fooling the world, as well as the king and queen of the plateau.<br><br>
If it wasn't surprising, she didn't feel like she'd done anything wrong. She had taken what was rightfully hers. Evi as she once was, in a time before Heathcliff and Danyrys, when both happily walked the earth, was gone. She had tasted blood and felt desire for that which she could not have, and thus she was lost, never to be found again.<br><br>
<b style="color:#660099 ;">"Arys,"</b> she sighed happily, <b style="color:#1589FF ;">"finally."</b>
<b style="color:#660099 ;">""</b>
<b style="color:#1589FF ;">""</b>
<b style="color:#FDD017 ;">""</b>

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<div style="font:9px georgia; text-align:center; margin-top:3px;">table by Ash</div>[/dohtml]

Arys was home.

Sort of.

He didn't remember the place before here.

But suppose Thailia had left just for a moment and Arys, in the search of warmth, had gone to the edge of the den. Where it was colder, so he had mewled. And suppose that when Evi's jaws, which were very warm, had been welcomed instead of fought against. And while his parents wailed their anguish, Arys was settled into the warm belly of Evi's den and very much at peace.

So as Evi sighed Arys reached out a tiny paw to press against hers, a symbol of love and trust. (Or hunger.)

Evi knew she couldn't do it alone. She knew that soon, in a matter of days, she would have to bring herself to the borders of her old home. She would have to submit to her mother and ask to join their ranks once again. She would go with Arys in tow. She would explain where she had gotten him (lies, of course, lies she had had planned out for weeks) and integrate herself deeply into the pack, so that she was safe and protected within their ranks.

And then, the win would be hers. Long ago she had given up on world domination. Instead, the entire valley would be hers. And Arys would be her heir.

"My prince," she sighed again, "one day it will be mine. All mine. And then, when I am gone, it will be yours to rule."

Evi once again began to clean him obsessively, gently grasping his ruff and placing him between her paws to keep him in roughly the same spot.

Arys squeaked at Evi's claim, pushing his head upwards blindly towards the comforting vibrations as she started to clean him. Because of her his fur was usually kept immaculately clean, although once he was older it likely wouldn't.

Another squeak. HUNGRY! it spelled- Arys had several telltale noises he used. There was the whush of his breath as he sleeped, his morning squeak, his hungry sqwak, his enjoyment squeak, and the Ghost Squeak, which only happened when Darius was around. (Arys was freaked out by the presence of the spirit.)

Evi was still not tuned in as much as she'd like to his array of squeaks. At first she assumed he was squawking to show his enjoyment. But then she translated it better. "Oh, food!" And so the new 'mother' reached across the den with her paw and dragged a leaf of the plant used to feed pups. It was nearly impossible to find at first, especially because she had been going by a distant, buried memory. The time when both Reka and Sari were very young, when every wolf was mourning, or so it had seemed to her. Those memories were hazy, but she was nearly positive she had the right plant.

Nearly.

If not, she might have to ask Sindri or Luciana- not her- when she got to Orion's Mountain. She didn't know her sort-of enemy was gone. Dead though no body had been found.

Knowing none of this, she watched her child eat.

Arys latched onto the leaf with his gums and began sucking until the thin fiber ruptured and juices spilled into his mouth. It may not have been the best plant of choice, but it worked, and Arys seemed to have no qualms about eating it. His paws kneeded the ground until the plant was dry and he spit it out, head blindly surging upwards as he dragged himself closer to where Evi's warmth was radiating from. He mostly missed, but Evi would probably guess what he was up to and help.

While the prince ate, Evi thought about her next step. She couldn't stay here. Alone. Surely her scent would be followed, despite her efforts to cover the trail. If she was found, it would mean death for her. She could only assume that this Rhaegar was not one to play around with. And he wouldn't be one to hesitate. She knew in this sense she was weak. If that dark king came after her, she would lose. He would win. She would never let him win.

A small prodding brought her from her thoughts, thoughts that ever spiraled into a realm of darkness that even she did not comprehend. That she feared because their temptations were too great. She looked down to Arys, and reached for him with her jaws, lightly lifting him and again placing him between her legs, nestled in the fur of her chest.

Arys was full of food and nestled in warm fur. He was happy. Since, being blind and deaf, he had nothing better to do, Arys went to sleep.